Life as a graduate

Accommodation for Graduates

At Pembroke the aim is to accommodate for their first year all single Graduate students new to Cambridge in College rooms or in houses close by. There is also a limited number of flats for couples. In subsequent years graduates enter a ballot and most who wish are accommodated.

All rooms are furnished, and are centrally heated, with supplementary heating paid for according to use. Rooms are study-bedrooms with a limited number offering ensuite facilities. There are no shared rooms. All rooms have access to a small kitchen (gyproom) where light snacks can be prepared. Full self-catering facilities are not provided. Rooms vary in size and outlook. Duvets and pillows are provided but students need their own bedlinen. It is possible for overseas students to hire bedlinen from the Linen Room.

Variations in amenities are reflected in rents which from October 2011 range from £71.63 to £99.14 per week (including the cost of cleaning and central heating). Only a few rooms are available at the extremes of this range; the majority of the rooms are £85.21 or above per week.

All graduate students retain their rooms for the academic year.

Married Graduate students should apply to Mrs Caroline Adams if they wish to request the tenancy of a College house or flat. Please note that Pembroke does not have a large stock of housing suitable for couples.

Should anyone not want accommodation from the College, the University Accommodation Service, Kellet Lodge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QJ , should prove helpful in finding other rooms or flats. They can be contacted by telephone 01223 338099, fax 01223 338098 or by email at accommodation_service@admin.cam.ac.uk.

Graduate students have their own Graduate Parlour (Common Room), and are also automatically members of the Junior Parlour where there is a bar. They dine regularly at their own BA dinner on Thursday evenings. The Graduate Parlour Committee represents graduate interests within the College.

Food

All meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) are available in Hall. None is compulsory. At lunch and buffet supper there is a choice of main course, as well as soup, salads, pudding, yoghurt, fruit and coffee. A three course set dinner is also served in the evening. Vegetarian meals are always available, and other dietary regimes can be accommodated. Sandwich lunches in the College Bar are also very popular.

A typical buffet meal currently costs around £4.50. The cost of the served dinner is £7.80. Overhead costs (staff, equipment etc.) are covered with the help of a standard compulsory, fixed charge. For those living in accommodation provided by the College it is £135.50 per term, for others £67.75.

College Sports and Societies

Most College societies and sports clubs contact freshmen (men and women) on arrival and, for University activities, the Cambridge University Students' Union (CUSU) Handbook will carry names of societies whose stalls may be seen at the Societies' Fair in Kelsey Kerridge Hall at the beginning of Michaelmas Term.

The College has its own sports ground, squash courts, boathouse and multi-gym. Some of the College sports and societies are: Badminton, Cricket, Croquet, Football (American, Association and Rugby), Hockey, Netball, Rowing, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, and Water Polo; Bridge, Chess, Music, The Pembroke Players (Drama), Photography, and The Stokes Society (Science).

At the College sports ground, one mile from Pembroke, there are pitches for rugby, football (2), hockey and cricket; twelve grass tennis courts; and, in the pavilion, 2 squash courts and changing rooms with showers for men and women. There is also one all-weather "Playdeck" tennis court at one of the College Hostels. At the College Boathouse on the Cam, Graduate students share with the Undergraduates all the opportunities for competitive (and leisure) rowing, in IV's, VIII's and sculling boats.

Pembroke Music

Pembroke has enjoyed the talents of many notable musicians, in particular David Munrow and Christopher Hogwood, and - more recently - Emma Johnson, the clarinet player, as well as many ex-members of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. The Pembroke College Music Society (PCMS) committee is made up mostly of undergraduates, and organises many orchestral, chamber, choral and other concerts. The Pembroke College Chamber orchestra usually performs a major concert each term. There are also regular smaller recitals most Sunday evenings. Musical facilities within the College include a music room with baby grand piano, a Steinway grand piano in the Old Library, and the Chapel organ, which was rebuilt as a classically styled instrument in 1980, incorporating the original pipework and cases of 1708. The Organ Scholars or the Admissions Tutors will be glad to answer any questions you may have about music at Pembroke. The College participates in the Instrumental Awards Scheme.

Chapel Choir

The Chapel Choir is made up entirely of volunteers and sings once a week at Evensong on Sundays - with practice beforehand and on one other evening for an hour - and at a Choral Communion once each term. There are auditions at the beginning of the year. Currently the Choir numbers about 24. The Choir is given dinner in Hall on Sundays after the service and a Choir Dinner in the Easter Term. A tour abroad is usually arranged for 10 days in the summer. Other recitals are given from time to time. Our choristers find this commitment not too heavy and say it's fun. The choir has recorded two CDs, 'In the midst of life' and 'Songs of Farewell'.

Libraries

There is a well-stocked working library in College and a terminal to the university data network for consultation of university catalogues and bibliographic databases. but most graduates will benefit from the copyright University Library and the Departmental Libraries.

Information Technology

Almost all courses benefit from appropriate use of IT, whether this be access to library catalogues in Cambridge and beyond, reading of specialist publications on the world wide web, or personal communication with other students or supervisors. For this reason, the College provides 24-hour computing facilities with free access to the internet. Our present computer rooms have 40 machines (all PCs). Some University Departments also have their own facilities.

Many students find the use of a computer essential and for this reason the College has invested in providing a high speed data network to allstudent rooms, both on the main College site and in College houses. With such connections, students' own machines in their own rooms can have fast access to internet services such as email, world wide web, usenet and file transfer.

All rooms also have telephone sockets.

Further information for students planning to have their own computer, including recommended hardware and software, as well as technical and cost details of networking, will be sent to successful candidates.

Other Facilities for Graduate Students

These are described fully in the Graduate Studies Prospectus, but after your arrival and matriculation you may wish to visit the Graduate Centre and the Graduate Union (no.7 on the map on p.1). For graduate students with children, the Graduate Centre has details of all creches and nurseries with reasonable rates. The CUSU runs the Umbrella Club and After-School Club at approximately £1 per session for school-age children. However, please remember that living expenses for married Graduate students with children will be high.