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| Fri 30th July | |||||
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The Questions
The AnswersWhat's the accommodation like?Accommodation in Downing is amazing. It is largely rented out to conference guests over the holidays – so is kept in immaculate condition! But there is nothing like waking up in Downing, surrounded by lots of pillars, green grass and the odd duck or two. First year accommodation is largely all together in 3 buildings: the Howard Building, Kenny A or Kenny B. There are also first year rooms in the staircases I, J, L and M. The Howard Building, Kenny A and B rooms are all en suite and many have heated towel rails and spare beds as well as beautiful views on college or gardens. There’s also lots of wardrobe and shelving space. Room size will vary. Kitchens in Kenny A and B are very spacious with hobs and ovens. The Howard Building kitchens however are a lot smaller and are only fitted with hobs. The staircase rooms are a lot more traditional with lots of wood panelling and beautiful views onto the main court of college. Most are also now en suite. The staircases also have very large kitchens. Though the staircases are not a part of the main first year accommodation area, they are still large and you will still feel like you have your own little community on your corridor! These rooms are also a lot cheaper than the Howard building and the Kennys. First year accommodation is largely determined by which rent band you chose. If you opt for the more expensive option you will probably end up in the Howard building or one of the Kennys. However you could also end up with a very large room in one of the staircases. If you go for a low rent band then your more likely to be in the staircases but could also just have a smaller room somewhere else! It’s largely down to luck where you end up! Second year accommodation is arranged by a ballot. You chose who you want to live with (which can be no one if you prefer!) and then enter into the ballot with those people. If you get drawn top of the ballot with your friends, you get your pick of the houses, if you are at the bottom you probably won’t get your first choice. However in third year the ballot reverses and anyone who was at the bottom of the ballot in second year then gets first dibs. Downing houses are either on Lensfield Rd, or just over the traffic lights in Gonville Place. Either way you are a mere 5 minute walk from your front door to college. Some of the house gardens even back onto college so you can simply walk out of your back door. In your Third year, most people opt to move back into college rooms, others prefer to stay in houses – it is completely your choice (depending on where you end up in the ballot that is).Your rent will be charged to your college bill at the end of every term. If you are worried about the costs of living whilst at university then take a look at the ‘Cambridge Bursary Scheme’ which is there to help: http://www.newtontrust.cam.ac.uk/cam/cbs/newscheme/index.htmlStudents can take out a low-interest loan (it only increases with inflation) to cover their maintenance costs. You will start paying your loan back after you have graduated and are earning more than £15,000 a year. Your Student Loan repayments will be deducted from your wage packet in the same way that National Insurance contributions and tax are. If you are a lower income household, you could be eligible for a full or partial non-repayable Maintenance Grant. What do you get up to in freshers’ week?A lot! For more information check out the guide written by Head Freshers Rep Tom Owen here. What’s the food like?Downing is a catered college, so its food tends to be a pretty high quality and lots of choice. You can eat in halls at lunch and dinner time. A salad bar with cold fish, meats and lots of different types of salad is always available. There are also always baguettes and sandwiches and hot jacket. Other than that there will be at least 3 meat options, a fish and veggie option (sometimes 2). You can then pile up on the hot vegetables. There will also be two hot desert options as well as an array of cold dessert options such as cakes and yoghurts. On a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday you can eat in Formal Hall. This is completely optional and you need to book in advance if you want to go. It is a three course, candlelit dinner. You will be eating with the fellows of the college and are obliged to wear your college gowns. You can also take guests from outside of the university and makes for a really nice evening if you have family or friends visiting. Throughout the week and on a Saturday the Butterfield Café is also open. This sells sandwiches, baguettes, paninis and soups as well as a lovely array of cakes and other snacks. The café normally fills up during lunchtime but it is always open if you want to come and read the daily papers. The Butterfield doubles up as the college bar in the evenings and has a ‘party room’ downstairs which is used by Downing Ents for special college parties and can also be booked by Downing members for private functions. What support is there available?All this and more is covered by the Welfare officers of the JCR here. Is Downing a good college for those into drama or music?Downing is a good option though probably not the best. The Downing Dramatic Society runs several productions a year, including a Freshers' Play in Michaelmas which is directed, designed and performed entirely by first-years. Other highlights include an annual Cabaret, where we turn the Great Hall into a theatre for one night and all kinds of performers can show off in front of the whole college and the annual May Week show performed in the Downing lawns. There are hundreds of productions going on throughout the many college play houses and university wide theatres such as the ADC which hosts groups such as the all famous Footlights. The highly active Cambridge drama scene are always on the lookout for actors and techies, and we can help you get involved on whatever level you like. If you want to play an instrument, there's the Music Society who hold concerts each term. There are several places in college where you can practice your music without fear of upsetting anybody else. To find out more about the music societies in Downing, visit the societies page. Finally, the popular Chapel Choir sings for two Evensong services a week in the Chapel. They regularly sing in Cathedrals and also give frequent concerts. Every summer sees the annual Choir Tour, last year to the USA . The Choir is noted for its high quality, and exceptionally friendly atmosphere. What’s the social scene like in Downing?College-run "Ents" are put on each term, which can include karaoke, pub quizzes, open mic nights as well as themed parties which often open and close the term with School time themes and ‘Desire’. Downing Freshers' Week is renowned as one of the best in Cambridge, with a vast array of events catering for all tastes. There'll be so much going on you'll struggle to get through it all… Last year's Freshers' Week included a ‘Where in the world?’ party, BBQ, Paddock Olympics, Pub Crawl, Pub Quiz an ‘007 night’ and a ‘Wild West’ night to round the week off! The college bar is always a nice place to end the day. It is one of the very few student-run bars in Cambridge , so prices are cheap (pints 1.70, bottles 1.80, singles 1.20, doubles 2.20). Many Downing societies organise events, such as Whitby (the medical society has infamous cocktail evenings), Danby (scientists), Blake (arts) and the Boat Club. Sports clubs also have (often weekly) socials. The Dramatic Society has an annual Cabaret evening. Downing is literally surrounded by pubs. Many show big-screen sports and the Regal (a Wetherspoons and the biggest pub in Europe) is 5 minutes walk. The party room (below the bar) has its own TV which is always packed on big game nights. There are four main clubs in the centre of Cambridge; all within a few minutes walk from Downing. Students flock mainly from Sunday through to Thursdays nights, with cheap drinks available on student nights. Specific music tastes are catered for by college ents such as King’s Cellars, Jazz at Johns, Queens Ents or Emma bar which are open purely to uni students. Cambridge wide clubbing however is overwhelmingly dominated by "cheese". Though new bars like Revolution as well as Soul Tree (RnB, Hip Hop and live music nights) as well as The Junction and Corn Exchange (more live music) which are all really popular to different groups. Is Downing a sporty college?Downing has the paddock which is incredibly convenient for rugby, football, frisbee and lacrosse training as well as the netball courts (doubling up for tennis in the summer) and a gym all within college, it is often seen as a ‘sporty college’. We also have our own fully equipped boat club on the river as well as grounds for cricket, football and rugby for actual matches off Granchester Rd (10min bike ride away). This year Downing has been particularly successful – check out this recent article ‘Downing Top in Sport’ for more details. Downing also has its own prestigious Griffins society open to all those who have captained a first team in college or have gained colours/ or a blue. This society organises various events throughout the year such as an annual dinner, cocktail parties and a garden party. If you are not at all sporty you will not feel left out! There are many, many students in Downing who are not in the least involved in Downing sport, though may still turn out to support a college team for an important match. Based on FAQ originally compiled by Matt Mayer, Revised by Hannah Perry
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