The social life
At Cambridge, student social life is exhilarating, intense and occasionally eye-opening. The only surprise is how much people manage to fit in alongside their studies. With more than 17,000 students and almost 600 societies, you’ll never be bored.
Gliding, Photography, Juggling, Urban Sports, Campus Children’s Holidays, Cocktails, Mixed Lacrosse, Brass Band... At Cambridge you can do almost anything at almost any level, from ‘having a go’ to semi-professional. University, with its clubs and societies, is about trying things you’ve never had the chance to do before (and might never want to do again). At the other end of the scale, societies such as Footlights, the Union Debating Society, the Varsity newspaper, the University sports teams and the chapel choirs can provide a springboard for subsequent careers in theatre, music, politics, journalism and professional sport.
And in the unlikely event that there’s no society for your particular passion, all you have to do is find a few like-minded people and the University or a College will probably support it, by providing a venue or even a grant. Each College also has an ‘Ents’ committee of students which arranges ‘bops’ (aka discos), films and other activities. The following information will give you just a taste of what’s on offer.
CUSU
While Colleges provide most social and recreational facilities for Cambridge students, the Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) exists to represent Cambridge students’ interests at University level, and to provide central services, support and entertainment for all students. CUSU is run on a day-to-day basis by six full-time officers, known as sabbaticals, who are students or former students of the University. There are lots of other opportunities to get involved with CUSU, which also co-ordinates information on student societies, runs regular club nights at town venues and produces useful publications. For example, the Alternative Prospectus gives information about life at Cambridge from a student perspective and is available online at www.applytocambridge.com or in paper format on request from CUSU..
Drama
Many famous names have walked off the boards at Cambridge into careers in the theatrical world, but if you prefer not to hog the limelight, you’ll still have ample opportunities to perform: there are theatre and drama groups to cater for every taste. Auditions are often open to all and techies are always needed.
The facilities are excellent: several Colleges have purpose-built auditoria, the Amateur Dramatic Club has its own 229 seat theatre, and major productions, from Gilbert and Sullivan to the Footlights Revue, take place in the city’s Corn Exchange or the Arts Theatre. Open-air summer productions (in May Week) are often performed in the beautiful College gardens.
Community action
Considerable energy goes into planning and running various RAG events, including the annual parade, sponsored Charity Hitch and other events, which raise large sums for local and national charities. There are also University societies for organisations such as Amnesty International, or you can volunteer to help in community projects through Student Community Action.
Media
If you’d like to try your hand at journalism, Varsity and The Cambridge Student are regular term-time student newspapers. There are plenty of other outlets for original student writing and the University has a number of prizes for such work. There are also opportunities to get involved in student radio and television societies.
Politics
In its broadest sense, views from left to right
and from east to west are represented in the
student-run clubs and societies. The Union
Society holds topical debates, inviting
celebrities from the media and politics to speak
alongside the student members. Students
elected as JCR officers have a say in student
affairs in their College and may also represent
the student community on the College’s
governing body. Some go on to stand for
election to CUSU (Cambridge University
Students’ Union). So there are plenty of
opportunities to learn the arts of canvassing,
public speaking and working on committees!
Sport
As far as sport is concerned, your problem will probably be deciding which sport. Colleges provide facilities for all the traditional team games and other sports such as tennis and rowing. Many also provide indoor facilities for exercise, weight-training, squash and badminton. The University has a 400m athletics track and pavilion, and a new synthetic hockey surface. There are fitness and weight-training facilities at the Physical Education Centre, which is next door to Fenner’s Cricket Ground and the University Centre of Cricketing Excellence.
At Cambridge you have a choice of sport for fun, for health or for serious competition. Inter-College leagues and cup competitions in all sports offer opportunities for novices and experts alike; you could also go on to represent the University. The popular ‘bumps’ races on the River Cam are one of the highlights of College sport: over 2,000 members of the University row for their College during four days of competition. As well as the usual sporting activities, there’s also athletic cartwheeling, ice hockey, darts, hill walking, ballroom dancing, surfing – the list goes on.
Some financial support is available for students who play competitive sport at a high level, through the Colleges, trust funds and bursaries. For further details and advice contact the Director of Physical Education, Department of Physical Education, University of Cambridge, Fenner’s, Gresham Road, Cambridge, CB1 2ES, Telephone: 01223 336580, www.sport.cam.ac.uk.
Music
There’s a great deal of music-making in
Cambridge. The University has its own
renowned choirs, bands and orchestras and
your College will also have opportunities for
you to play or sing. If you are serious about
music, you may be interested in our music
awards: organ and choral scholarships and
funds for instrumentalists. See Music Awards for details.
All sorts of music can be heard in College common rooms, the University Concert Hall, and in venues in the city itself: the Corn Exchange and The Junction attract big name bands. If, on the other hand, you like organising events, your College JCR or May Ball committee will welcome you with open arms.