Girton

Welcome to Girton College!

Girton is a very pretty college with lots of large grounds and even has an indoor pool! The main historical feature of Girton is that it was founded in 1869 as the first institution for the higher education of women and relocated to our current site in 1873. It has a reputation for being very friendly, so you’ll feel right at home in no time if you choose to apply here!

Girton is the farthest college from town, but a bike/voi/bus solves that problem quite easily. The average cycle into town is about 15 minutes, so the distance never becomes an issue.

Our names are Shaakirah and Burhan, and we are the ISoc college representatives. We are both 2nd years studying chemical engineering and your first point of contact for any ISoc-related concerns, queries, or guidance for everyday Muslim life at Girton.

Pros

  • Very pretty and big, lots to explore

  • Indoor swimming pool

  • Halal chicken

  • College cafe

  • College gym and other sports facilities

  • All kitchens have ovens

  • Nice library and study spaces

Cons

  • Far from town

  • Not free laundry

Washing Facilities

  • There are washing machines and dryers available in college, but unfortunately they are not free. One wash cycle costs £2.50 and one drying cycle costs £1.25.

  • You can wash at any time (24/7) and there is usually always a machine free (if not, it will be very soon!)

Prayer Space

  • Girton has a multi-faith room located on the corner of D corridor, next to the welfare room (D11), with a sign attached to the door so you can recognise it. The room is open all day, but access to the room requires the key from the porter’s lodge. Do bear in mind that the use of the room is available to all students, and not just Muslim students so if you wish to have congregational prayers here, then do be aware of other students.

  • The college also has a chapel that primarily operates as a space for Christian services but can also be used by people of all faiths (or none) to simply sit in and reflect if they wish. There is never any obligation to use the chapel or attend any of its services, though you will likely receive emails from the chaplain informing you of these events.

Halal Food

  • Girton provides halal chicken at Hall (where you can have breakfast, brunch on weekends, lunch and dinner), as well as in the social hub (which is a cafe in Girton). The other meats are not halal. Girton does provide a vegan and vegetarian alternative for all meals as well!

  • During formal halls, halal chicken can be provided instead of the initial meat that is stated on the menu if you ask in the notes when booking. A suitable vegetarian option will be provided if they cannot fulfil this.

  • It is always worth noting if food may contain alcohol in it, by either asking the catering staff in Hall, or by putting “no alcohol in food” in the notes when booking formal halls.

  • Also if you want to buy halal meat for your own cooking, the closest place to do so is Iqbros (CB4 3JP, 184b Histon Rd).

Fridge/Freezer Provision

  • Accommodation at Girton has both a fridge and a freezer available. If you request others to keep other meat products on a shelf different to yours in both the fridge/freezer, you should have no issues.

  • As not all people will self-cater there is not likely to be a space issue, unless you share a corridor with a substantial amount of people.

  • However, you can contact house services to see if a spare fridge can be provided for you specifically should you wish to have one. You can do this via house.services@girton.cam.ac.uk

Ensuite

  • Girton has en suites/alternatives available for the first years. When getting the email about accommodation preferences, you can note that you may require a room that has a sink, so that wudhu can be performed with some ease.

  • The only wing of the college with 100% en suite rooms is Ash court, of which the ground floor is available to freshers.

  • Also, Top Boots is offered to first-year students, which is a single-sex corridor (usually all female) in which facilities are shared.

  • Finally, in the second and subsequent years, Swirles Court is an available option for accommodation. It is located in Eddington, a 2-minute cycle and 5–10-minute walk away from the main college site. All accommodation there contains en suite rooms.

  • Do note, en suite rooms cost slightly more than non-en suite accommodations.

  • If you have any other queries you can contact the accommodation office via accomodation@girton.ac.ac.uk

Concluding Remark

  • We hope this college guide has been useful to you all and we hope to see you in Girton in the coming years! Please don’t hesitate to contact us through out emails:

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