Welcome to Peterhouse! Founded in 1284,
Peterhouse is the oldest college in the University of Cambridge.
Cambridge colleges are different from the kind of colleges you might have come across before or at school.
They're basically little mini campuses -
each one with its own accommodation, library, gym, bar,
and cafe, or dining hall, which serves food everyday.
Students normally live in college accommodation throughout their degrees,
so your college really comes your new home.
They're dotted all over the city, and Peterhouse is right in the city centre.
It's no more than a ten minute walk, or five minute cycle
from all the major lectures and the local supermarket.
Peterhouse is also the smallest college
with around 75 to 80 students a year.
This creates a really tight knit community,
and really helps you get to know not only the students in your year,
but in the years above and below as well.
The student body has changed a lot since 1284
There are currently 272 undergraduate students
from 39 countries across the world
and all sorts of socioeconomic backgrounds.
Among our current UK first year students, 
the state school intake is higher than the university average,
roughly a quarter are from government defined 'disadvantaged backgrounds',
and almost a third are BAME.
These are statistics that we hope will continue to grow,
and become more representative of the UK population in years to come. 
No matter where you come from, or what your life was like growing up, you will be welcome at Peterhouse.
This is Old Court, which you walk into as you enter the college. 
It's mostly offices, but there are some student rooms on the upper floors
which are some of the coolest and grandest rooms in the college.
Some of our current students are going to take you on a virtual tour of Peterhouse,
and tell you what life is like here.
If you go through the archway at the end of Old Court, you will find yourself in Gisborne Court. 
Here there are a range of rooms that are used for both offices and student accommodation.
It's also in close proximity to the college library,
which has every book I need for my course.
Even though Peterhouse is the oldest college,
Gisborne Court has the Whittle Building,
which was opened in 2015,
and named after Frank Whittle - former Petrean and inventor of the jet engine.
In the Whittle Building, you can access the college bar,
the JCR (that's the common room),
the college gym, and some of the nicest accommodation in Peterhouse.
Out of all the colleges I visited at both Oxford and Cambridge, 
Peterhouse was the college where I felt most comfortable on the Open Day.
Peterhouse is really central, with my lectures only a five minute walk away from college.
It's also very small, so I feel like I've been able to make personal connections
with most of the people in my year, and a lot with other years as well.
And that gives it a really homely and wholesome vibe.
Peterhouse's gym is very well equipped for its size.
It has plenty of free weights and a row of cardio machines along one of the walls.
So you can always find something for you.
Sport at University works on two levels.
You have the University level, which is very high level and quite competitive,
but a great way of meeting lots of new people who enjoy a sport that you're also interested in.
And then you also have a collegiate level, which is a lot lower level,
much more for fun,
and for starting a new sport or having fun with friends.
I have played for the Uni in the Women's Rugby Team,
and I found that a really enjoyable experience. Everyone was so welcoming.
And then I have also rowed with my college
and that is also an experience I would recommend to anyone.
So much fun and very enjoyable.
What you fill your free time with can be just as important to your university experience as your studies.
The University offers an enormous range of extracurriculars,
with clubs and societies for every nationality, religion,  political group, subject, and hobby.
Societies range from the large and well-known, 
such as the Christian Union or the Engineering Society,
to the more niche, such as the Primitive Living Society
where members learn, discuss, and practice outdoor survival skills,
  or Apotheoisis - a philosophical discussion group.
Peterhouse also has a large variety of clubs and societies,
including PolSoc, HistSoc, and the Kelvin Club
for presentations on Politics, History, and STEM.
There are also more recreationally based societies,
such as Board Games Society and the Cheese Tasting Society.
If you're interested in something, and there's not currently an official society for it,
the University and College have generous grants available in starting a new one.
All in all, there's something for everyone - both at Cambridge and Peterhouse.
So this is the JCR, which is basically a communal area where students can come and socialise.
Peterhouse has a great JCR. We've got a pool table,
a TV with Netflix and video games,
plus a tea and coffee station.
So lots of students from all years come here,
and it's a great way to meet people.
Also in the JCR, this is where college parties
known as 'bops' are held by the Ents Officer on the JCR Committee,
which is effectively a student council for the undergraduates of Peterhouse.
You've got your traditional roles, like President and Secretary,
but also Welfare Officers, who promote self-care,
Access Officers, who make sure class inequality is reduced,
both for prospective applicants and for people in college,
as well as Liberation Reps, for female, LGBT+, BME, international, and disabled students,
to make sure that all voices in college are heard.
I'm currently on the committee, as the Fresher's Representative,
which means I reach out to current offerholders and help to organise Freshers' Week.
So every college has a student-priced bar, which is cheaper than a lot of the local pubs.
Peterhouse has one of the nicest college bars,
because it was only refurbished a few years ago,
and it's a great place to socialise, even if you don't want to drink,
just because it's opposite the JCR and it's open every evening during term time.
There are dozens of pubs around Cambridge,
and a least three of them are within five minute walking distance of the college. 
The University has a great theatre scene,
with lots of student-run theatres and productions.
I got involved at the beginning of my first year,  
and it's a lot of fun. You don't need much experience -
I hadn't had any experience before coming.
But people help you and show you what to do,
and you can move on, and do more complicated and exciting things.
I've done shows, like one called 'Deathtrap'
with lots of technical effects, like guns and thunder, and things flying in and out of the stage.
Finally, there are May Balls which happen in the last week of Easter Term in June.
Most college hold one, and Peterhouse has one every other year.  
So the last one was in 2019, which was a lot of fun - 
there was food, drinks, and music, all through the evening, 
plus a ferris wheel and a carousel.
It's a great evening, and a great excuse to dress up with your friends at the end of the exam term.
Hey guys, I''m going to chat to you a little bit about the Ward Library,
which for me, personally, was one of the big draws when I visited Peterhouse in person.
It's one of the biggest college libraries in Cambridge, despite being attached to one of the smallest colleges. 
For me personally, when I visited, I found it super spacious and quite relaxed.
It's a conversion of an old museum,
so it's got quite an old-timey vibe, if you're into that.
It's got over 60,000 volumes, which should, more or less, cover all your needs
on reading lists or stuff like that, textbooks, it should all be there.
If it's not because someone else has taken it out,
you can visit the University Library, which has over 8 million volumes, as a legal deposit,
or your Faculty Library, which will definitely be able to accommodate you.
In addition, if you're an aspiring lawyer, it might be an idea to consider,
because we've got our own little section cordoned off for lawyers, with all the law book there.
Additionally, at Cambridge you shouldn't have to buy a book
and if the event does crop up where you do need to buy one,
College will cover that through grants.
So you don't need to worry about the financial side of coming to Cambridge,
because it's quite rich University - there's loads of help for you.
There's formal help, like the Cambridge Bursary,
which isn't a loan - you don't have to pay it back -
and it's up to £3,500 a year, and is based on household income.
And there's also college specific things. So there's the Peterhouse Travel Grant,
which you can use for cultural exploration,
or for things specific to your degree or a job - whatever you want really!
And then there's more informal help.
So I had an issue with my student finance,
that meant I wasn't going to get it through until later in the term, after my rent was due.
So College said that I didn't have to pay my maintenance fees
until I had the money through,
and they also offered me a little bit of help to get me through until my loan came.
So, as long as you ask for it, you'll have all the help you need when it comes to your finances. 
The Deer Park is one of my favourite things about Peterhouse.
We're able to sit and relax on the grass, play games and sports
and we're even able to take our meals out from the dining hall and sit on the grass during the summer term.
Towards the end of the summer term, the Deer Park also becomes a focal point for May Week festivities,
with the Peterhouse May Ball and the Peterhouse Garden Party,
where we celebrate the end of our exams with live music, discos, and rides.
Last year we had a ferris wheel and a merry-go-round. It was very very cool.
When I applied to Cambridge, the Deer Park was one of the first things that made me really love Peterhouse.
Coming from a very small town to a comparatively big city,
it offered a quiet, calm, and very peaceful environment,
despite the fact that Peterhouse is one of the most central Cambridge colleges.
In first year, everyone lives in either Saint Peter's Terrace or the William Stone Building
They're both a short walk through the Deer Park,
and it means that all first years can live in the same vicinity together,
which is a really great way for making friends and having that shared freshers experience.
Saint Peter's Terrace is a row of seven houses,
and there's about 7 to 14 rooms in each house, it varies.
You have shared facilities in those houses
so that's sharing a bathroom with 2-3 people and a small kitchen with about 4 people.
In the William Stone Building, that's a block of flats
so everyone gets their own ensuite and every room has elevator access,
so if that's something that you want, you can choose the William Stone Building.
But you're not separated from the other freshers, because they're literally right next to each other,
so everyone still gets that shared first year living experience together.
So at Peterhouse we have a good selection of food which we serve in our Hall,
which we also dine in at night for formal dinners.
Your average meal is £3-4
that's breakfast, lunch, and dinner that we provide.
It's super super great, if you're someone who doesn't like to cook.
Or even if you are someone who does like to cook, there are different facilities in the accommodation. 
In the evenings, we have things called formal dinners,
and that's basically where you get a three course meal for around £9, which is super cheap,
and you get waited on. It's a really great way to celebrate birthdays or any special events
and you can also bring people from different colleges, or your family members.
So it's a really fun way to get involved in college life.
Peterhouse Chapel is open most of the time for people of all faiths or none
to come for a place of quiet and contemplation.
There are two choral evensongs a week
and the chapel choir gets three free three-course meals every week,
as well as a six course feast once a term,
and a heavily subsidised choir tour.
Last year we went to Latvia and Lithuania, and you can watch the video of that
on the Peterhouse Chapel Choir YouTube channel.
Don't forget to like and subscribe.
I'm going to talk you through all the different kinds of welfare that you can get at Peterhouse.
There are three main points of contact.
So the first one, to follow on from the chapel, is the Chaplain.
Her name is Jennifer. She's an absolute gem.
She's there both for religious and non-religious advice
and my personal favourite piece of welfare that I joined in on, that she'd organised,
was a baking session at her house, where we also got to play with her kitten, which was adorable. 
Then we have the College Nurse. Her name is Kim. 
She's very central in Peterhouse, as in, in the centre of College.
She's there both for physical health advice,
so whether you should go to the GP for a longer case of freshers flu,
or just for other mental health issues.
However, we now have a Mental Health Advisor, who's specifically designed to deal with those sort of issues.
Her name's Leanne,
and she takes the stigma away of looking after your mental health.
She's there from smaller issues to larger issues. 
Again, all three of these people only work if you go and talk to them,
which is the biggest scary part, but, I mean,
they're all there, they're all very friendly and approachable, and will look after you.
As you come and go from College, you pass the Porters' Lodge.
Mr Meade and his team man the Lodge 24/7, overseeing the college and its security.
The Porters take in the post every day, and distribute it to everyone's pigeon holes.
If you lose your keys, they have a spare set
and they're all first aid trained, so they're the first people you should call in an emergency.
Above all, they're a friendly face around College, always there to help!
Thanks for watching our virtual tour.
If you have any questions about life at Peterhouse, or applying here,
please send them to admissions@pet.cam.ac.uk
and wherever you're watching this from, we hope you have a good day!
