Magdalene College

Fourth smallest, third oldest, second to none and the only Oxbridge college with a white tie May Ball, Magdalene is easily the best college in Cambridge. Whichever college you choose will have its very own unique atmosphere but there’s just something about Magdalene that makes you fall in love with it almost immediately.

Phyllida O'Neil
2nd Year
Natural Sciences (Physical)
Wirral

Founded in 1428 Magdalene is one of the more traditional colleges and has retained that charm you would expect from Cambridge, but with a cheeky twist on things. In just one night you can be all gowned-up enjoying a meal in formal hall (for a mere £4.70), then suddenly you’re in the bar singing karaoke wondering how on Earth some people made it through the choir auditions, before heading out en mass to see what nightlife Cambridge has to offer. We certainly know how to play hard here; expertly balanced with working hard ensuring we understand the importance of a more mellow evening too. Whether it’s going to one of the regular acoustic nights in the bar, watching a film in the JCR or indulging in one of the college run Ben and Jerry’s night (that’s right, free ice cream!); staying in and relaxing with your friends is always just as fun as going out.

First year accommodation is allocated before you arrive and whilst varying in size and quality, in the true community spirit of Magdalene is mixed in with the second and third year rooms so that along with your beloved college families you will always have an older, and (sometimes) wiser, friend to show you the ropes. Whether you prefer the old buildings of First Court, the friendliness of The Village or our brand new Cripps Court that all have en-suite facilities, the best thing about our accommodation is that for the duration of your degree here it is all within 2 minutes walk of the centre of college. So, at most it takes the same amount of time to walk to a friend’s room as it does to boil the kettle- perfect! About a third of the rooms are en-suite whilst the others have 4 to 6 students sharing a bathroom. The kitchen facilities may be limited but don’t rule out cooking for yourself. Lots of people enjoy a visit to Ramsay, our canteen- unfortunately no connection to Gordon, where even if the food isn’t that great you can meet up with friends and no doubt catch up on all the latest college news and gossip.

With such a close-knit community there is a lot of mixing between years and soon you’ll know most people in college- it makes the 5 minute walk to Sainsbury’s virtually impossible to do without bumping into at least one friendly face. Magdalene has a great location in Cambridge. It’s just a 5 minute walk from the centre of town and only a short cycle from all the faculties so you can roll out of bed at 8.30am and still make those exciting 9ams. If you’re feeling really keen our library is open 24 hours which is a great place to work despite a somewhat limited catalogue. We have the longest river frontage of all the colleges and in the summer students can be found attempting to revise on ‘The Beach’ by the river, listening to the interesting tales from the passing tourist punts, which are generally farfetched but entertaining nonetheless.

Best thing? Fun atmosphere

On the sporting side of life, rugby and rowing are probably the biggest in college but there are plenty others like hockey, football, mixed netball and tennis. Whilst we have some sporting stars that can be found in University teams, college sports are a little less serious and more about having fun with your friends in the name of Magdalene. Unfortunately we don’t have our own pitches but we use St John’s which are just around the corner.
If you fancy yourself as more of an artist then you can get involved in Magdalene Musical Production Society, Drama Society or write for one of our college publications such as Ars Magna or VEER.

Worst thing? Canteen food

As soon as you set foot in Magdalene, you’ll fall in love and always want to ‘Garde Ta Foy’ (apparently its our college motto – I don’t know what it means either!)

For more information, have a look at our Alternative Prospectus which can be found at http://jcr.magd.cam.ac.uk/images/magdjcr/alternativeprospectus11.pdf

Key facts…

No. of undergraduates

110 per year

Rent per week (range)

£68.50-94.50

Price of a pint

£2.00

Avg. price of lunch

£4.25

Distance to sports pitch

5 minute walk

Music practice rooms

Yes (x3)

Gym

Yes (not the best though!)

Ask a student…