Up until last year Murray Edwards Hall was called New Hall, founded in 1954 to boost Cambridge’s female population, Murray Edwards is a female affair, with no male students and a hill location – situated about a mile uphill from King’s Parade. Despite being an all-female college, Murray Edwards lacks the fustiness and pretension of other more traditional Cambridge colleges. No over-protective boarding school vibe here and equally it's not all jolly hockey sticks and Enid Blyton carry-on, with men free to wander about the college grounds, use the failities and visit friends. Residents tend to venture out to socialise and as one of the 'Hill Colleges' Murray Edwards joins up with some of the other colleges for certain societies, such as the orchestra. It can take itself a touch too seriously sometimes, but the youth of the College means it’s evolving fast and it can be an exciting place to study. The architecture gives it a bright and open feel and the airy library and spectacular dining hall are housed under the striking roof dome - the only college dome in Oxbridge.
| Sex ratio (M:F): 0:100 |
Founded: 1954 |
| Full-time u’grads: 373 |
Part-time: 0 |
| Postgrads: 53 |
Mature: n/a |
| State:private school: 56:44 |
Disabled: n/a |
| Academic ranking: 23 |
International: 13% |
Ents: Bar (cap 100, open four times a week) with pool table, huge TV, ice cream-vending machine, film and jazz nights and concerts. Popular regular music evening 'Band in the Bar' hosts different Cambridge acts and themed nights. Popular club-style events at the Dome (cap 300) three times a year. Combined Orchestra on the Hill with Fitzwilliam, Magdalene and Churchill and Madhouse drama society also has links to the other Hill Colleges. Non-auditioning Murray Edwards Choir lets in the waifs and strays while auditioning Chamber choir only lets in those with the voice of a pre-booze and fags Charlotte Church.
Library: (60,000 books) A popular place to study in, thanks to its spacious, light feel, the library is open 24 hours a day and appropriately holds the Women's Collection (as it says on the tin) and an unusually wide selection of classics material. A separate Law reading room and the comfy Rawson reading area, plus 24 computers (24-hours).
Dotted about Murray Edwards is the largest collection of contemporary women’s art in Europe. The college also has a darkroom and its roomy JCR has recently been decorated. It has newspapers, a fiction library and tea and coffee making facilities. ‘Little Juicy Bits’ is the College's newsletter.
Successful boat club, multi-gym, squash and tennis courts.
Accommodation: 96% of undergrads live in with all first years staying in college residence. Good quality rooms, priced between £80-110, most with internet connections, fully equipped kitchens and some en suite. Pay-as-you-eat canteen (could be better but good for veggies), formals happen once or twice a week for £7.75 and occasional Super Halls for £10.53 crank up the food standards a notch.
- Permit parking
- Some CCTV
- Rape alarms handed out to freshers
- Relaxation classes
- Welfare officer to offer counselling
- Women's officer, LGBT officer, disabilities rep and international officer
- On-site college nurse.
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FAMOUS ALUMNI
Jocelyn Bell Burnell (discovered pulsars); Frances Edmonds (writer); Mishal Husain (BBC news anchor); Joanna MacGregor (pianist); Sue Perkins (comedian); Tilda Swinton (marvellously cheekboned actress); Claudia Winkleman (TV presenter); Lizzie Hawker (World Champion Ultra Marathon runner); Barbara Stocking (CEO Oxfam).