- Address:
- Fitzwilliam College (map)
Huntingdon Road
Cambridge CB3 0DG - Telephone:
- +44 1223 332000
- Fax:
- +44 1223 477976
- Email:
- admissions@fitz.cam.ac.uk
- Website:
- http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/
- MCR:
- http://www.fitzmcr.org/
- See also:
- Graduate Studies Prospectus Entry.
Fitzwilliam is one of the newer colleges and is situated on Storeys Way, a ten minute walk from the city centre. Founded in the 19th century for students who had been accepted to Cambridge but were unable to pay the fees of the older colleges, Fitz still prides itself on the range of backgrounds of its members and the friendliness of its atmosphere. The cost of being at Fitzwilliam is now much the same as at any other college, and its growing number of Graduate students (currently around 180) are reading for a variety of degrees including the PhD, MPhil, MLitt, PGCE and MBA.
The college site has been extensively developed in recent years – it is now a unique mixture of buildings with the oldest being from the 1810s, and the most recent buildings completed in 2004, all set in outstanding gardens. The Chapel, designed by Richard MacCormac, was the Financial Times building of 1993, and the new Gatehouse Court and Auditorium have recently won a 2005 RIBA award. The College houses the majority of its members and is now able to provide accommodation for all new graduates and most other graduates, whether it be in nearby College houses, or in rooms on the College site. A number of flats are available for married graduates and those with children. The high number of graduates living in or near the college creates one of the most active and friendly graduate communities in Cambridge, centred around the Middle Combination Room, or MCR.
The MCR is a suite of rooms inside The Grove – an attractive Grade II listed building located in the heart of the College. Here can be found a kitchen with a cappuccino/expresso machine and tea-making facilities, a large patio, cable television, newspapers and magazines, hi-fi equipment, boardgames and a barbecue. Computing facilities with access to the Internet are available in the Graduate Computer Room. There are weekly subsidised graduate Formal Halls, regular parties and events including a weekly video night. Exchange dinners with other Colleges happen frequently, and garden parties and barbecues are arranged during the summer months. The graduates are also invited to dine on high table from time to time. Our newly-created Web Site (http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/students/mcr/) provides up-to-date information pertaining to MCR life.
Our college music society is one of the largest and most successful in Cambridge with concerts most weeks, many taking place in our stunning Chapel or fantastic new 250 seat Auditorium. This venue also plays host to many productions by FitzTheatre, the college’s popular drama and musical company, which attracts talent from all over the University. On the sporting front, we have very successful sports teams in Fitz, which graduates are of course very welcome to join, and MCR members regularly compete at College and University levels. The MCR also arranges graduate talks throughout the year, where any grad student can present a lecture on their specific topic of research to audiences comprising grads, undergrads and fellows alike.
Fitzwilliam’s graduates and undergraduates form a lively community and all can participate in College social events, sports and societies with extensive shared facilities including our boat house, music rooms, art studio, playing fields, squash and tennis courts, a gym and croquet lawns. The punt has recently been relaunched and is available for those romantic candle-lit jaunts on the River Cam.
If any activity is not represented here, it is usually possible to arrange it. Whether you’re considering doing a one-year taught course or three years of research, Fitz is a relaxed, friendly and lively place to spend your time in Cambridge. But that’s for us to know and you to find out. Apply here!!