Welcome to St John's College, I'm Amy, I'm a student
here and I'll be your tour guide today. St John's was founded in 1511 by Lady
Margaret Beaufort and it combines 500 years of history
with pioneering research and award-winning teaching.
It's located on the River Cam but also right at the heart of the city centre.
With around 1000 undergraduate and postgraduate students
we are one of the largest and definitely the most beautiful Colleges.
Many students choose St John's because all of our students are guaranteed
accommodation, others pick St John's because of our
studentships and bursaries, some choose St John's because of our
generous childcare grants. No matter what your reason is there is
always something to do here, we have more than 40 student run clubs
and societies. There is no typical St John's student - we
welcome people from every possible background.
First Court is the oldest court in College, The Great Gate is the main
entrance from the city centre to StJohn's and it has the Porters' lodge
where student post is delivered. The porters keep the College site safe
and secure and a team is on duty 24 hours a day,
365 days a year. First Court is mostly student accommodation.
It is also home to the Samuel Butler Room - the common room for postgraduate
students. Our Victorian chapel is one of the most
iconic features of the Cambridge skyline. The welcoming Chapel team hosts regular
student social events for all members of College
irrespective of faith. St John's also has a multi-faith prayer room available for
reflection or prayer. The Choir of St John's is one
of the best collegiate choirs in the world and there are lots of musical
opportunities at the College. Students can climb up a spiral staircase
to the top of the Chapel tower for stunning views of Cambridge.
Many undergraduates live together in Chapel Court, North Court and the Cripps
building. There are more than 500 rooms on our
main site for Fellows and undergraduates. Postgraduates mostly live in houses
called hostels close to the College. St John's has a Health and Wellbeing
Centre on site. The team of friendly medical
professionals includes a nurse and a counsellor.
The library is in Chapel Court, it's open 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, 365 days a year. It is home to more than 100,000 books.
All the essential books on the reading list of every subject are bought every
year. The library has lift access, computer
facilities, and a variety of flexible working spaces.
The Old Library is a stunning 17th century building
and is one of the most beautiful spaces in Cambridge.
In the archives of the Old Library are globally significant collections,
manuscripts, and rare books. Second Court is at the heart of College and it is a
social hub for students. During term time students can eat dinner
with friends in the magnificent 16th century hall.
Formal Hall is one of the great Cambridge traditions and features a
heavily subsidised three-course silver service meal wearing black gowns.
The entrance to the Buttery is in Second Court.
The Buttery is what we call our self-service restaurant where students
can eat three meals a day at subsidised prices.
It caters for most dietary needs including vegetarian, vegan
halal, and kosher. The Junior Combination Room, known as the JCR,
is the common room for undergraduate students, it's also the name of the
undergraduate student council. There's a TV room with games console, a
pool table, table tennis and table football.
The College bar serves a subsidised range of real ales,
ciders, soft drinks, hot drinks and bar snacks. Regular social events including
quiz nights and games evenings are held here.
Kitchen Bridge has the most stunning view of the Bridge of Sighs, believed to
be Queen Victoria's favourite bridge. John's has its own fleet of punts that
can be rented very cheaply by our students.
On the large area of grass called The Backs students have picnics together,
play frisbee, practice yoga, revise during exam term or
relax with a book. It is also one of the locations of our
famous May Ball. Third Court is almost entirely
accommodation. Some College accommodation is private
with ensuites, and others are sets which are two connected student
bedrooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms. We have a number of high
quality accessible ensuite bedrooms for disabled students.
Postgraduate students live in College accommodation close to the main site,
couples and family accommodation is available for postgraduate students and
generous child care grants are available. Welcome to my room, this is a single
set in Third Court which means that all of this
is just mine. I've got this room, a bedroom, a bathroom
and a kitchen. I don't share my bathroom and kitchen with anybody, but if you live
in other parts of College or in one of the hostels
then you might. After first year both undergraduate students and postgraduate
students ballot for the type of room that they
like. If you have any special requirements you're taken out of the
ballot and allocated a room which is how I ended up with this one. My favourite
part of my room is the view from the window, I'm right above the river and get
to look at ducks every day. Some people prefer other courts or
living in St John's hostels - our word for student houses - with a group
of friends. Cripps is an undergraduate student
accommodation block. The College gym and weights room are
close by and they are free to use. Free laundry facilities are located in
the basement of Cripps, the Art Room and squash courts are nearby.
The Scholars' Garden is used for garden
parties, barbecues and outdoor theatre. Our teams play hockey, netball, football
rugby, lacrosse and much more. Our extensive
sports grounds are located just across the road from the main site.
Beginners are always welcome. Many of our rowers in the Lady Margaret Boat Club
had never picked up an oar before they arrived at Cambridge.
I hope you've enjoyed your tour of St John's College, do visit our website for
more information about student life in
Cambridge.