St Catharine's College

Address:: St Catharine's College (map)
Trumpington Street
Cambridge CB2 1RL
Telephone:: +44 1223 338300
Fax:: +44 1223 338340
Email:: gradtut@caths.cam.ac.uk
Website:: http://www.caths.cam.ac.uk/
MCR:: http://hadriel.caths.cam.ac.uk/mcr/
See also:: Institution admissions pages, Graduate Studies Prospectus Entry.

St. Catharine's ("Catz") is a medium sized college with about 140 graduate members. It is not enormously wealthy but makes an admirable effort to house graduates in college accommodation for 3 years (for PhDs) of their stay in Cambridge. International one-year students are particularly likely to be able to get themselves college accommodation. The quality of the accommodation is high, with the Russell Street hostel being slightly more luxurious than the houses at South Green, but lacking South Green's beautiful surrounds.

The MCR at Catz has a wide and varied membership with students from around the world and across the whole range of subjects. In conjunction with college and university societies and clubs, members also participate in a broad range of sporting and recreational interests, from rowing to music.

The term "MCR" refers to the graduate members of college as a body, but also to the pair of rooms where much of the college's graduate life is centred. These offer free refreshments, magazines and newspapers every day and television facilities, including a DVD machine, with films occasionally organised. In addition, there are always the weekly MCR Halls to look forward to. These provide an excellent opportunity for members to socialise over candle-lit dinners while enjoying the collegiate atmosphere of the main hall. Catz MCR also regularly takes part in exchange dinners with other colleges' MCRs.

Over the course of a year, members can expect to be able to go on a range of MCR trips or excursions, whether they be to Covent Garden or just punting on the Cam to Grantchester, and these help to further cement the feeling of graduate community. With its central position in the city and large total student population, St. Catharine's is an active college with a genuinely friendly graduate life.