Sedgewick College Prospectus
SEDGEWICK CAN BE SUMMED UP IN ONE SENTENCE. Obviously we aren't going to tell you
what that sentence is. But it can.
Cramped between the towering might of the seven adjacent colleges, it is easy to overlook
Sedgewick. In fact, with our current spell languishing at the bottom of the Tompkinson
league, you might wonder why you should even consider a small college with a reputation for mediocrity. This may explain why we have had no direct applicants in
living memory, building our undergraduate population from open applicants and pooled
candidates. But we like to think that our students are not here just to study.
Many of them tell us this when they arrive.
Sedgewick is fortunate in having the highest ratio of undergraduates to fellows of
any college - there are approximately 220 students to our fellow, "Doddery" Ryman,
who is also the oldest living fellow at any Cambridge college, clocking in at 103.
About 40% of our students come from state schools, another 40% from the independent sector,
and the rest just wandered in off the street. We are keen to invite applicants from
ethnic minorities, because we'd like to see what one looks like.
The college has all the facilities of a modern well-equipped place of learning, which,
apart from having "Trinity College Cambridge" written on the side in yellow paint
are otherwise completely functional. They include a library containing several books
and magazines; a canteen serving a healthy and nutritious meal; and a computer. College
accommodation is provided for all students in the first year, which although seeming
somewhat distant at times is still only a brisk 90 minute cab ride away from the
centre of Cambridge. Rooms for the second and third year are decided by an annual student-run
"fight".
SFSU, the student union, also provides a number of facilities for students such as
an essay writing service, bicycle repair, and an unlicensed barroom affectionately
known as the shoebox, due to the smell of the rotting leather seats, and the green,
"Clarkes" emblazoned walls. For the amusement of the rest of the college, SFSU frequently
stages coups and power struggles amongst its members. There is also the weekly disco
theque, where you can listen to DJ Bassmaster ThumpThump whilst feasting on disco
biscuits. Or if this is not to your taste, there is also the quiet room for work and contemplation, situated adjacent
to the dance hall.
Our entry requirements are comparatively low - BCC for english and EE for maths.
We don't encourage candidates to take STEP papers because we are keen to discourage
what we think of as "showing off" in our students. We prefer engineers to take a
year out, preferably two or three, and ideally just sod off and leave us alone. When will
they get the message, we don't like bloody engineers. As well as the university
matriculation requirements, Sedgewick is the last college to still insist on a full
non-invasive medical examination of all applicants at the time of interview.
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