St John's College

Address:: St John's College (map)
St John's Street
Cambridge CB2 1TP
Telephone:: +44 1223 338600
Fax:: +44 1223 337720
Email:: admissions@joh.cam.ac.uk
Website:: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/
MCR:: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/sbr/
See also:: Institution admissions pages, Graduate Studies Prospectus Entry.

Of course, all colleges will tell you that theirs is the place for graduate students to be, but at St John's there is more reason for such blatant advertising than most. The college is relatively wealthy and, more importantly, relatively generous with its wealth. In practical terms this means an entitlement to book, travel grants, a large almost brand new and very well equipped computer room and library, excellent facilities for demonstrating your sporting and musical prowess, and probably the best graduate accommodation in Cambridge, available for the duration of your study here. The food that St John's kitchens provide rises above the merely institutional more often than that at any other college, and it remains reasonably inexpensive. Formal dinners are served in Hall every night except Saturday, whilst the cafeteria style buttery is open for three meals a day. The college even employs a seamstress to mend your party clothes, and a pleasent gentleman to mend your bike. What more could one need in life?

The answer, of course, is a happy, happening social life. With this in mind, the Samuel Butler Room (SBR - the St John's graduate body) Committee, working under the enlightened despotism of our President, organises a wide variety of social events. If you lack self control, then beware, for gluttony seems a sadly recurrent theme of these events. Come and pile on the kilos/pounds with wine tastings, chocolate testings, Christmas dinners, garden parties, and the annual graduate feast, then fail to lose them at ceildhs, jazz and cocktail nights and video evenings. Lest all this sound too sensual, we have more punts than you can shake a pole at, a chapel with one of the world's finest choirs, extensive grounds and a beautiful position on the river.

Of course there are negative things to be said about St John's as well. It is a large college, and this can make it a little slow in meeting new people. We'd also really like a few more women about the place, especially if they are as wonderful as last year's SBR President. These problems do not destroy the wonderful atmosphere at St John's, and, as I've come to realise during my first year at John's, I'd rather not be anywhere else, especially not as the song decrys, at Oxford.

Iain MacLeod
SBR President