Wolfson

Ella

My favourite bit of college is the bar, of course! Our club room is really the beating heart of Wolfson - it functions as a coffee shop and work space during the day, becoming the bar by night, so there are always people around studying, playing pool, or just hanging out, and it is also the location of our famous Howler comedy nights as well as our infamous BOPs and other events

Rajat

There's no shyness, everyone just sits down to eat and relax with someone they've never met before and just gets to know them.

Ella

In first year I had a standard ensuite room with a shared kitchen which was around £160 per week. This is the most common type of room with more than 200 across the site, although there is a little variety in the actual size of these rooms meaning you can get lucky and have a fancy bay window and window seat or a much more compact space. Mine was somewhere in the middle - a decent sized wardrobe, single bed, desk etc., and a wet room instead of the usual shower cubicle. My kitchen was supposedly shared between 10 people, but was only actually used by 2 of us, meaning it stayed nice and clean, and there was always lots of fridge and freezer space available.

Rajat

£169 weekly rent. Kitchens were shared between 8-15 people. They included 4 hobs, a grill (which didn't always work), and an oven.

Ella

The food is actually pretty good - we've had a recent change in the kitchen staff and there has been some pressure from students to widen options, which college took on board, meaning that we now have lots of choices. At every meal there is a main option, a fish option, a vegetarian one, a vegan one, a simple (read: cheap) pasta option, and a soup, plus there are salads, sides and desserts. The best meal of the week is fish and chips at Friday lunch, which never fails to have a queue down the corridor. We also have the friendliest kitchen staff, which makes a big difference! As well as the cafeteria, the clubroom is open as a coffee bar during the day and the cakes and brownies are insane.

Rajat

Decent quality, but there's no kitchen fixed charge, so a main + dessert will set u back around £5.

Ella

Wolfson has been running a pilot scheme of additional funding for students who are already in receipt of the Cambridge Bursary, which hopefully will be continuing in the future. It's also worth noting that the Cambridge Bursary is much more substantial for students who are 'independent', so over 25 years old, which quite a few of our students are. There is also hardship funding, although it's worth knowing that this is a loan, not a grant, so not necessarily all that helpful unless you can be sure of income in the future. There are also academic prizes, including one which can be won every year for getting a first, which is pretty decent.

Ella

As well as having tutors and DOSes, like all colleges, we have a wonderful College Nurse, who is unbelievably helpful and supportive. She is available for drop-in sessions and is the best listener, offering some of the most helpful advice I've had, and she also knows all the many avenues of help that Cambridge can offer so can point you in the direction of more niche support if required. There is also a new Student Wellbeing Advisor, who also offers drop-in help or appointments for any mental health related. In addition to these more formal sources of help, our students association (WCSA) has many reps for all groups of students, running frequent events specifically for student welfare, including the weekly Welfare Tea and Cake sessions, and can be contacted regarding any welfare concerns.

Ella

Rooms with accessibility options are scattered throughout the college site, but in particular in the building around the Western Field, which has a lift to all floors and all blocks within this building are linked without needing to go outside or up and down. Students with accessibility needs can email the Deputy Senior Tutor before the room allocation process to confirm their requirements and this information is then passed on to the Accommodation Manager. The gym has a weights room with lots of free weights as well as several machines, and a cardio room with a couple of rowing machines, treadmills, and an exercise bike.

Rajat

We have a multi-purpose hall which has a stage and AV setup, this can be used for theatre rehearsals and performances.

Ella

I would like for the rent to have remained the same as previous years rather than rising, considering that the Cambridge Bursary has not also been rising in line with inflation, although I recognise this is an issue across the university.