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Join The Student Room TodayBe part of the UK's largest and fastest growing student community. It's free to join and a lot of fun - Get inspired, express your ideas, interact and share Robinson College, CambridgeFrom The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Cambridge > Robinson College, Cambridge
Student Statistics
Source: The Reporter Special Issue: Student Numbers 07-08 Robinson Application Statistics See College applications and admissions statistics Robinson Application Statistics per subject See Appplication Statistics 64% of Robinson acceptances in 2007 and 63% in 2006 were from state school students (source). LocationRobinson is located on the west side of the city on Grange Road. It is approx. ten minutes walk from the centre (three minutes bike ride). It is close to the Arts Faculties on the Sidgwick Site, as well as being convenient for the Science Departments on the West Cambridge Site, and the University Library. It rather lacks local pubs and cash machines. AccommodationAbout a three quarters of the accommodation is in the main college building, with a large proportion of these rooms having an en-suite bathroom. Other rooms share a bathroom between two, and a tiny number share one between three. In the second and third year there is the option to move into the large Edwardian houses along Adams Road at the side of the college. In previous years, thirty second years had to go and live in Romsey Terrace (down Mill Road), which was rather inconvenient as it happens to be over two miles from college. A change of College policy (effective 2008 onwards) now means that all undergraduates will be housed on the main site. Rooms are decided for the second year by a random ballot which is inverted in the third year. I don't know about the "best in cambridge" for accomodation but it's certainly consistently good and plenty of en suite rooms to go round if you want one. But it comes at a price. Rooms in the Robinson main college building are very carbon-copy, cut-and-paste type jobs... ie. all the staircases are almost identical. eg. In second year I could go into the room of anyone else who had a second floor, garden facing room and they would all be either identical to mine or a mirror image. The houses are the back are different though. But if you want the feeling that the room you're in is totally unique within your college, built to fit the nooks and crannies of a building which has stood for hundreds of years previously, and want to wonder what long-gone famous and influential people might've stayed in your room... then Robinson isn't for you. Personally I'm content with my cosy central heating and nearby working toilet. You get provided with a kettle but that's the limit of heating things up in your room. I set off the smoke alarm with a toaster a few months ago, that was embarrassing. (written summer 2009) This year Value rooms are £1015/term, Standard rooms are £1230/term and and Standard Plus rooms are £1360/term. Value is the smallest, sharing a bathroom and toilet with two other rooms; Standard are slightly larger, sharing a bathroom and toilet with one other room; and Standard Plus are slightly larger yet and are en-suite. The prices are fixed for the three years you're in college, so if they go down next year (which they could, technically), you're in luck. Compared to previous years, from what I understand, the prices I'm getting (i.e. the above) are quite hefty. (written October 2009) I live at Robinson. From the outside it has been compared to a red brick "castle" or "car park" depending on who you speak to. However every year of my course I've had a room which is cosy and warm, with windows that shut properly and a (sometimes slightly over-effective) central heating system. Every room shares a bathroom with at most two others which only these rooms have access to. Lots of en-suites as well so if you really want one, you can get one. There's a clever system of balconies linking the staircases and also between pairs of rooms, which as well as meaning you have an extra fire exit is handy around may ball time as people who aren't attending can still come and go from their rooms even during the ball. Plenty of electricity, phone / network points etc come as standard as the modern inventions weren't added as an afterthought. And we're well away from the tourists! I suspect the novelty of actually living in one of those ancient buildings would wear off pretty quickly. Though one downside of Robinson is that because we're new the college doesn't make as much money from investments so rents are high - the college hosts conferences in the vacation which does have the plus that everything is kept well maintained. Self-catering: In each kitchen you get a microwave / oven / grill thing, plus timer hobs (the hobs shut off automatically after 10 minutes - they have this feature because of the amount of fires caused by people leaving stuff to fizzle). You also get a fridge which normally ends up over-full. Two kitchens per staircase. All replaced last summer when there was a fire safety scare after a few alarms... you get idiots doing things like trying to dry clothes on the cookers, or forgetting they've left the hob on. You can bring other cooking items (eg. a toaster) but you can't really do any cooking in your room as there are super-sensitive smoke alarms. Not many people self cater, in general. I lived next to a kitchen last year and it was not very busy! The only time kitchens tend to get busier is on a Saturday and Sunday evening when the canteen don't provide food. In your second year onwards if you're insistent on self catering it can be nice to get in a little group doing it together and try and get in one of the houses at the back as some of these have big fully-featured kitchens though these are big houses that sleep a lot of people so you have to share! Social SpacesThere isn't much in the way of social spaces with the exception of front court, where there are a few benches at which people tend to congregate before a trip somewhere. Nice place to sit and watch the world go by when you can't be bothered with your work. There is also a TV room with Sky TV. It smells and has no windows, so many people choose to watch TV in the JCR instead. GardensThe college gardens are some of the best in Cambridge. They are informal, and have a pond, a brook, a walkway, many plants and trees (including the infamous Yeti Tree). They are one of the few gardens in which students may walk on the grass and they are home to frisbee and picnics throughout the summer. They also, some people say, have deer and other strange rural creatures. For more information see http://www.robinson.cam.ac.uk/gardens/history.php Dining/HallFood is one thing that is very well done at Robinson. Halls serve amongst the best student food in Cambridge. There are two halls a week, a slightly less formal one on Tuesday, and a more formal occasion with high table etc. on Fridays. Prices are towards the upper end of Cambridge formal tickets, but it is certainly worth the money. Desserts seem to be a particular strong point. Unlike some other colleges, no corkage fee is charged for those wishing to bring their own wine.The cafeteria food is also good, if a little expensive. They do meal deals for £2.60ish, and these will easily fill you up. Breakfast is served every weekday with a Full English costing about £2. The one annoying aspect of the cafeteria is the fact that it does not provide food on Saturday or Sunday nights (although there is bar food on some Sunday nights). I'm not a vegetarian myself, but there is generally at least one proper veggie main course, two pasta options (at least one, normally both veggie), salad and sandwiches (including a fill-your-own-baguette thing). And a soup option, but I never have that. Plus lots to tempt you for dessert. BarThe Bar in Robinson is, apparently, the longest in the university. The beers are kept well and there are always two to three real ales available, alongside the array of rather disgusting commercial beers. There are also two pool tables, a foosball table, and a darts board. The bar furniture is decorated in sexy pink and green plastic. There is a projection screen which is used to show major sporting events (normally football and, if it's something really important, rugby) and sometimes TV, normally on a Sunday evening. The bar also serves cooked food (which is slightly less good than the cafeteria food and in limited supply) on some Sunday nights. JCRThe JCR is bland. It has a pool table, a load of chairs, two computers (one for e-mail only and the other for any use) and a TV with Freeview which people use if they don't want to use the TV room. Since 2007 there have also been a bunch of communal board games bought for all to enjoy. Library and ComputingLibraryTo be honest, the library facility is not the best in Cambridge. Much of the stock is quite out of date, and many subjects are hardly covered. Much of the collection was bought from a theological college around the time that the college was built. If you're looking for 1970s texts of theology then I am told this is the place to look. It has a few computers and some nice cubby-holes to work in. Often it lacks light, and you can hear people walking around. It gets very hot and busy in exam term. That being said, we are very close to the university library, which provides a much better working environment. There are also several teaching rooms that can be booked out for work. Robinson has a separate law library for Law and Land Economy students. Computer SuiteThere is one computer room, and it is relatively well stocked. Printing is 6p a sheet for B&W and 25p for colour. This is put on your college bill. It works out about as cheap as owning your own printer. There's one or two apple macs to use, if you want Quark Xpress etc. Room ConnectionRoom connections are the same speed as any other connection in the university. For students beginning nowadays it is included in your "Residence Charge" along with your rent etc. The limits are as follows: 750Mb per day; 4Gb per week; 8Gb per 4-week period. A student says: At Robinson it's 750MB/24hrs at the moment - it's been that for ages though and I'm hoping they raise it soon. There are also limits per week and month meaning you can't download 750MB every single day! I find it tends to be the daily limit I go over about once a term, generally if I start watching something one hour long on iPlayer and it crashes or something so I have to reload the page, meaning it basically downloads the programme twice. We get our speed throttled until we're no longer over the allowance. But if you're sneaky you go to the library or JCR and use Lapwing (university-wide WiFi service available in communal areas) to download big things as it's not monitored. Another student says: Bandwidth for the room connection is capped at (a) 750 MB per day; or (b) 4 GB per week; or (c) 8 GB per month, depending on which limit is reached first. Anything over that and the connection is throttled so as to make it virtually unusable. You'd be able to use iPlayer and the like but I certainly wouldn't make a habit of it (although you might be able to use the central uni wireless network for that). Other FacilitiesAuditoriumRobinson's Auditorium is used mainly for conferences but has a reputation for being one of the best college theatres in Cambridge. It is also the largest student venue by seating capacity, though not as technically well equipped as others such as the ADC Theatre. The resident theatre company, Brickhouse, generally puts on at least one show a term; in addition it is also used by outside companies such as the university Gilbert & Sullivan Society. ChapelThe college has a striking chapel with a huge colourful stained glass window. Services are held on Tuesdays and Sundays. The chapel hosts other events such as guest speakers and performances by the college music society. LaundryRobinson's Laundry has six washing machines and three tumble dryers. It costs £1.30 for a wash and £0.40 for a dry (though normally you'll need two dries for a full washing machine of clothes). They seem to be pretty reliable and unless you go at a time that everyone is trying to procrastinate (eg. Saturday afternoon) you won't have to wait for someone else's washing to finish. In the laundry room, there is an ironing board. You used to have to borrow the iron (for free) from the porters. It may now be hard-wired into a switch on the wall; I cannot remember. Nobody uses it. Maria Björnson Outdoor TheatreThe college has an outoor venue normally used for May Week plays by Brickhouse. It consists of a wooden stage facing grass which has been landscaped to imitate the raked seating found in theatres, except visitors get to sit on the grass and sip Pimms. MusicThere is a music room and two practice rooms containing pianos, a drumkit, a set of steel drums and some other random things. There's also a hi-fi room and a CD library containing several hundred CDs. Art RoomThe conservatory of one of the Adams Road houses has been made into a college art room for relaxing during stressful periods. DarkroomThe college has a small darkroom which doesn't get used very often. A couple of 35mm SLR cameras are available. Academic PerformanceRobinson's ranking in the Tompkins Table (which ranks colleges by their Tripos exam results): 17th (2008), 20th (2007), 18th (2006), 11th (2005), 16th (2004), 23rd (2003), 21st (2002), 14th (2001), 19th (2000). AtmosphereAs the youngest of all the Cambridge colleges, Robinson is generally known for being unpretentious and friendly. This extends to staff too who are always happy to help, unlike some colleges where the porters in particular can be quite grumpy. We are also one of the few colleges to have grass that can be walked on all year round (all of it except some next to Herschel Road). There is a high intake of state-school students and a great variety of people and as such politically the college could be described as fairly liberal. There is also a reputation for apathy; those students who are interested in "real-world" politics tend to take their interests elsewhere, for example to the Cambridge Union, rather than being particularly active in college. The student politics scene is generally quite active, with RCSA open meetings normally well attended, even though recent years have seen no competition for important positions such as RCSA President and May Ball President. Bops: All colleges have bops of some kind, normally every couple of weeks, and at most colleges (inc Robinson) quite a small and cheesy affair, it tends to be people from Robinson plus a few friends from other colleges they might've dragged over (in reality it's about half first years, a quarter second years and the rest from above that), and it's in our pretty small party room (which no matter how many times the JCR redecorate it will still smell of stale beer), but importantly it's free. Links
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