CHURCHILL COLLEGE
Written by Matt Zedler (Winter 2005)

Churchill College is one of the "hill colleges," along with Fitzwilliam and New Hall, meaning that it is newer than the colleges in-town and located on a hill above the town. Not easy to find on most maps of Cambridge, Churchill is a good fifteen minute walk from the Engineering department. Even so, over 70% of the students in college are engineers as that was a breakdown specified in the initial charter. At Cambridge, this breakdown also means that the majority of the students are male (Quite different from MIT). Luckily, New Hall is right up the street... :-p

Churchillians tend to be more laid back and social than students at other colleges. Even so, living conditions sometimes make meetings and working together difficult. Each student is assigned a single room on a staircase which has a common kitchen, trunk room, bath room, toilet, and staircase (Hence the name). The rooms range from your basic single (About the size of a Next House double) to an en-suite which will have its own toilet and shower. Prices range from 500lbs to 1,000lbs (per term). Staircase personality varies tremendously; the fresher staircases tend to be more social and noisy.

The staircases revolve around the main buildings - Wolfson Hall and the hall / bar / office building. Wolfson Hall houses the library, the archives of Winston Churchill (Incidentally, you can sit in his chair in the library while you work on examples papers), and a theatre for larger events. The other building is where you may find yourself spending more time. Hall food is relatively poor in quality, with the one plus being that larger portions are served than at other colleges. Formal halls are reasonably priced, while not as "Cambridgian" as those in the older colleges. The bar is reasonably cheap, and you will find people relaxing up there most nights. A flat-screen TV with satellite is also available, and there are some pool and foosball tables, as well as some arcade games.

Weekly social life is anchored around the Pav, a free entertainment which features cheesy music, English dancing, and a lot of hooking up with New Hall girls... :-p. Quite fun to stop by and meet all the people you have missed seeing during the week, but can get old after some time.

Excellent sports pitches and teams, and some very nice porters. A great college all around, though the exterior is rather depressing...

General Tips / Comments

  • JCR Web Site
  • Internet takes about a week to set up.
  • Things may get stolen from the fridges even when properly labelled.
  • Hepworth is the wonderful piece of modern art that makes this college feel very much like MIT.
  • Laundry costs 1.30lbs for wash and 20p per dry cycle (Usually need 2-3).
  • Have to clean own bathroom if in en-suite.
  • Favorite college bars: The Pick and the Issac Newton

MIT Students Who Have Lived at Churchill
2005-06

2004-05

  • Liz Hempel
  • Tim Abramson (Left in Decemeber)
  • Nii Amar

Churchill Students Who Have Gone to MIT

  • Joe Adams (Course 6)
  • Faraz Ahmed

Pictures

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