Founded as a women's college in 1869, Girton was built two and a half meandering miles from the city centre to protect Cambridge’s hapless male undergrads from marauding Girtonian wenches. Mixed since 1979, this liberal and relaxed college now has an even balance of chaps and chapesses, although it's still the dominion of a Mistress rather than a Master. Being out of town gives it the benefit of more than 50 acres of grounds surrounding the imposing Gothic redbrick buildings. The distance means integration with the rest of the University can prove difficult – wags at other colleges often quip that more of them have been to India than to Girton – although lively and fun-loving Girtonians are quite proud of their distinctive lifestyle.
| Sex ratio (M:F): 50:50 |
Founded: 1869 |
| Full-time u’grads: 503 |
Part-time: 0 |
| Postgrads: 201 |
Mature: 2% |
| State:private school: 45:55 |
International: 7% |
| Academic ranking: 22 |
Disabled: n/a |
Bar with pool and table football; regular ents, film nights, annual garden party and revue, and a comparatively cheap spring ball, big on drama; the prestigious choir tours and records choral CDs. Anarchic fortnightly newsletter; environmentally-minded JCR. One of the largest college libraries (100,000 books and one Egyptian mummy, 'Hermione'), open till 11pm; 44 computers, (24 hours). Chapel. Sports facilities on site (the only college with an indoor heated swimming pool – cushy) and the daily bike ride into town keep Girtonians fit. All students live in, some second years in ‘Wolfie’ (Wolfson Court) closer to town, or in college-owned housing. Weekly formal meals; reciprocal dining rights with Pembroke and Downing. Nursery with 80 places. Free taxis on Thurs and Sat evenings (if you're quick off the mark); self-defence classes; night porter. International students’, ethnic students', green, women’s, men’s & LGBT officers. There's assorted cash-flow help available.
FAMOUS ALUMNI
Lady Brenda Hale (first female law lord); Dame Rosalyn Higgins (President of the International Court of Justice); Wendy Holden (chicklit author); Arianna Huffington (political turncoat and founder of The Huffington Post); Queen Margaret the II of Denmark (queen); Anna Maxted (more chicklit); Sarojini Naidu (poet and activist); Philippa Pearce (children's author); Joan Robinson (economist); Diana Ross (the author, not the spangly pop diva); Princess Takamado of Japan; Angela Tilby (writer and TV producer); Sandi Toksvig (dinky comedian).