Hello, my name is Nabiha and I am a first-year English student at Newnham College, Cambridge.
I decided to apply to Newnham because it seemed like a good middle ground; it is essentially the oldest of the ‘new’ colleges and the newest of the ‘old’ colleges. It gave me similar vibes to my secondary school. Both had a progressive history and seemed to have a strong community feel. I found my secondary school environment very empowering and definitely pictured myself thriving at Newnham.
Newnham is also directly opposite the Sidgwick Site, which is where the English Faculty is. I would just have to roll out of bed and I’d make it to my lectures. Of course, people on my course haven’t had the pleasure of seeing me rock up to a 9 AM lecture half asleep in my Loony Tunes pyjamas yet (due to COVID), but it will definitely happen in the future. Speaking of which, Newnham is so chilled out that you can essentially walk anywhere in college in your pyjamas. I’ve gone to the Buttery in my nightgown and even worked in the library in a pair of slippers. It is a very judgement-free environment, so no one will even bat an eyelid.
The facilities at Newnham are brilliant. Hands down, we have the best cafe called The Iris. I am very grateful for COVID in the sense that students outside of Newnham cannot come to the Iris, so it has generally been peaceful. But I’ve heard that other students used to rinse out The Iris during pre-COVID times. So, it can get really busy. We also have a gym, which played a major role in why I chose Newnham (they had me at ‘included in rent’).
We have the prettiest gardens; its beauty cannot be expressed through words (but google images can just about). Our library is also amazing; it is lovely to work in but it is so nice that you might end up spending your whole session trying to take a nice picture for your Instagram story rather than working!
In terms of accommodation, we follow a ballot system. This means that everybody pays the same amount of rent and students pick rooms through a randomised list. I like this because it means finance doesn’t come in the way of getting a good room, but you can get quite unlucky if you are at the bottom of the list. However, the list gets reversed in the next year — this means if you were last in choosing your room one year, then you will be first in choosing the next year. But even then, it’s likely you will only have the chance of choosing an en-suite room for your third year. And most kitchens do not even have tables. Whilst renovations are in the process to revamp some of the older buildings, accommodation can be a bit outdated. But, the architecture is stunning so it might just be worth the compromise. The newly built accommodation is very modern, and there are some rooms that fuse the old and new. So, you could argue that there’s something for everyone.
Now onto the people who go to Newnham. Because it was founded as a women’s college, people have assumed that Newnham students are either religious, a feminist or got pooled. It definitely isn’t a bad thing to be part of any of these categories and whilst there may be people who fit into them, it is very reductive to say that this all that Newnham is comprised of. Newnham is such a vibrant environment, with people from all over the world. You have students from all walks of life, all contributing to the Newnham family in a unique way. Newnham is a particularly welcoming place, and students are very accepting. There is a chance to meet people who are both similar to you but also to learn more about different people.
A lot of prospective students are also wary of not being able to meet cis male students. During COVID it has definitely been more of a challenge, but in non-COVID times it hasn’t seemed to be a struggle for any Newnham students. You meet people on your course, and during university society-run events too.
Almost a year on, I could not picture myself at any other college. Newnham is perfect for me; the people, the facilities, and the location. It has felt like home in a very short period of time, and even during the pandemic!
Check out the Newnham college website for more details!