Applying to st Johns college, cambridge

Hi everyone!
I’m currently in year 12 and I’m thinking of applying to study mathematics at Cambridge! I was hoping that maybe someone who goes to St. John’s can answer my questions, or someone who’s been there before, i cant as there aren’t any actual open days :frown:

All of the questions are manning to do about finance as this is my main concern.

1 how do you pay for food, is it a fixed price that you pay termly/annually or do you pay for what you get each day (like at a normal cafe). Do think the food is good there? Is anything ‘unlimited’ like drinks or sides (for example you pay for one side and you can go back and get as much as you want?)

2 can you sit of any of the grass/ which gardens can you sit on?

3 do you have to pay to use a kitchen, how do you pay for it (annually/termly)? What facilities does the kitchen have?

4 how far away are shops from the college and which ones are they (Tesco/Sainsburys)

5 is there a free college gym? If so, what equipment does it have? Is it a comfortable environment for girls (Ive read that St. John’s has a bit of a ‘lad culture’)

6 do you have bedders? What are they and what do they do/ how often?

Thank you!

Reply 1

Emily~3695

15

Original post by Anonymous

Hi everyone!
I’m currently in year 12 and I’m thinking of applying to study mathematics at Cambridge! I was hoping that maybe someone who goes to St. John’s can answer my questions, or someone who’s been there before, i cant as there aren’t any actual open days :frown:

All of the questions are manning to do about finance as this is my main concern.

1 how do you pay for food, is it a fixed price that you pay termly/annually or do you pay for what you get each day (like at a normal cafe). Do think the food is good there? Is anything ‘unlimited’ like drinks or sides (for example you pay for one side and you can go back and get as much as you want?)

2 can you sit of any of the grass/ which gardens can you sit on?

3 do you have to pay to use a kitchen, how do you pay for it (annually/termly)? What facilities does the kitchen have?

4 how far away are shops from the college and which ones are they (Tesco/Sainsburys)

5 is there a free college gym? If so, what equipment does it have? Is it a comfortable environment for girls (Ive read that St. John’s has a bit of a ‘lad culture’)

6 do you have bedders? What are they and what do they do/ how often?

Thank you!

Have you looked at Cambridge alternative prospectus, it’s written by students and had pages for each college and course, some of the information that you want may be on there :smile:

Reply 2

R T

13

Original post by Anonymous

Hi everyone!
I’m currently in year 12 and I’m thinking of applying to study mathematics at Cambridge! I was hoping that maybe someone who goes to St. John’s can answer my questions, or someone who’s been there before, i cant as there aren’t any actual open days :frown:

All of the questions are manning to do about finance as this is my main concern.

1 how do you pay for food, is it a fixed price that you pay termly/annually or do you pay for what you get each day (like at a normal cafe). Do think the food is good there? Is anything ‘unlimited’ like drinks or sides (for example you pay for one side and you can go back and get as much as you want?)

2 can you sit of any of the grass/ which gardens can you sit on?

3 do you have to pay to use a kitchen, how do you pay for it (annually/termly)? What facilities does the kitchen have?

4 how far away are shops from the college and which ones are they (Tesco/Sainsburys)

5 is there a free college gym? If so, what equipment does it have? Is it a comfortable environment for girls (Ive read that St. John’s has a bit of a ‘lad culture’)

6 do you have bedders? What are they and what do they do/ how often?

Thank you!

Hi former johnian here!

1 - Everyone pays a food subsidy bill as part of their termly rent bill. I can't remember the exact figure but its a few hundred and is included in the bill for your room, and a few other things like paying for the internet (£30 or so). Then, you pay for everything else with your camcard, which you can transfer money onto when you need to from a bank card. The food prices for John's are much lower than other colleges - especially formals (you're looking at literally 1/2-1/3 the price of an equivalent meal elsewhere). The food in the buttery (canteen) is basically as cheap as you can eat without going and making your own food from sainsburys or cooking your own pasta or something. The quality is decent - I'd describe it as a step up from school meals, but its not gormet. There's usually around 3-4 options, as well as soup, a vegetarian option and there's some fruit, yoghurt etc. You're looking at somewhere around £3-6 for the evening meal.

2 - The grass in the main college courts is a no-go (grass that's surrounded by buildings on all sides basically), but the grass in the backs is open to everyone in summer. The playing fields are just behind the college and are open basically 24/7.

3 - Most student rooms will have limited kitchen facilities unless you get a room in a college-owned hostel/house near the college (in which case, those will have a full kitchen which is free to use). Rooms in college are typically limited to a microwave and stove, or just a microwave (depends which part of college). Students are -largely- encouraged to eat meals in the buttery.

4 - Sainburys is a 3 minute walk from the very front of college. From a typical room it might be 5-10 minutes. John's is definitely one of the closest colleges to the city market and shops.

5 - There's a fully equipped college gym, the only requirement is that you do a gym induction which will be led by someone on the JCR. There is no cost to using it. If you're looking for other more specific equipment, basically all the college teams have training apparatus if they need it and they are all free to join.

6 - Yes, bedders come in weekly I believe. Their main duties are to clean, but they are probably meant to report back if something is seriously wrong. You mostly just want to keep the floor and surfaces clear-ish for them. They are a somewhat anonymous presence and typically don't appear during times students are in (most students are out doing stuff from 9-7 or so). I suspect they're mostly there to keep a minimal level of cleanliness, particularly in the toilets and in students rooms.

In terms of most costs - the college has a hard rule that it refuses to profit on its current students. Almost everything (May ball, formals, clubs, societies) is subsidised for the students. I would say that there is a lot of trust between the student body and the college on these financial matters. While everyone wants things to be cheaper of course, there are limits to sustainability.

Some things are actively given freely. For example, I believe the college will help students pay for membership to certain University clubs and societies. A lot of travel grants for summer are also given to students (you just have to explain a reason for going. e.g. a Law student could go to Egypt for a 2 week holiday, then write 500-1000 lines about a local museum, that would be enough. They are not strict). The college will split the difference with you (up to a few hundred £) on any textbooks and other important things for study (e.g. laptops). These things are available for all students - not just low income ones.

In relation to finance specifically - John's is the #1 ranked college in terms of how much money it spends on its students (and it is #1 by quite a large margin). There is a very significant amount set aside to ensure people can study. If the college wants you, and you make your situation clear to them, then their attitude is basically that they will accommodate for your needs. Whether this is through bursaries, scholarships or otherwise, they won't let a good student drop out just because money is a factor. This doesn't mean you will get free money and have no concerns, but it does mean they will make meeting any costs realistic. If your financial situation is a concern, I'd definitely recommend thinking about John's. You can send an email with questions relating to this (there's no harm in asking them), however be aware that (unless you are a current student or offer holder) the reply may be somewhat vague and non-committal.

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

OP

To Emily: yes, thank you. I had a look but it was very brief and I just wanted to know a little bit more. Thank you for your response

To RT: thank you so so much for your response, I can’t tell you how helpful it was! You’ve reassured me so much and I feel so much more comfortable picking a college, I think John’s might be the one I apply to! :-)

Reply 4

playfulsheep

3

Hi all - not sure if this is the right place to post this but I am hoping to apply to Bio NatSci at St John's this year (for 2025 entry) and was wondering if anyone knows anything about the types of questions that are likely to come up at their interviews or how I can prepare for them? Any advice would be really appreciated, thanks so much in advance!

Applying to st Johns college, cambridge

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