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Ballot Information

Sun, 02/28/2010 - 17:28 — admin

1. How does the housing ballot work?

1. Pick a group - you will need to decide with whom you want to live next year. Current 1st years may ballot in up to groups of 4 people. Current 2nd and 3rd years may ballot in up to groups of 6. You will all be given a form closer to the time on which you indicate your group and these will be handed into the accommodation office.

2. The ballot - this will be drawn in the bar on Friday 2nd of March at 6.30pm. You are all welcome to attend so that you know your position immediately and to make sure it is conducted fairly. The ballot will also be displayed on the screens outside the buttery the next day. The ballot is drawn group by group to determine the order of picking. The ballot will be drawn in the following order:

  1. SCHOLARS from the current 2nd and 3rd year i.e. those that got firsts in their exams last year and organ scholars but NOT choral scholars.
  2. Current SECOND YEARS.
  3. Current THIRD YEARS who have a confirmed fourth year
  4. Current FIRST YEARS

Note: Scholars can ballot with other scholars and still pick first but if they ballot with those who did not get 1st, they will lose their advantage. Also you cannot ballot with people from other years, only those from your own year of matriculation.

3. Picking a room - the order for picking rooms will be posted on the screens the morning after with a time when you should come to the Stretton Room (bottom O) to pick your room.

4. Signing of contracts - this will happen early in Easter term. Failure to do so will result in you not being guaranteed your room next year. I will let you know at a later date when you have to go to sign your lease.

 

2. When?

  • The ballot will be drawn on Friday 2nd of March at 6.30pm.
  • Scholars will pick on Friday 2nd of March from 8pm onwards.
  • Current 2nd years will pick on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of March from 2pm to 6pm.
  • Current 3rd years with a confirmed 4th year and current 1st years will pick on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th March.

You should plan to be in Cambridge on the weekend when you have to pick your room as you will need to come in person even if balloting as a group or being pulled up. This is to ensure that everyone gets a room. If you are unable to be in Cambridge on these dates contact me (Izzie Cheung, jma.vice.president@fitz.cam.ac.uk ) so that we can make alternative arrangements.

 

3. What rooms are available?

All undergraduates are guaranteed college owned accommodation so no one will be forced out to a privately rented house. All the accommodation that is available this year including college houses will also be available next academic year. Typically, current 1st years will live in M and N staircases or in a college house. 2nd years tend to opt for rooms in Wilson Court, Gatehouse and New Court. There maybe a few of these rooms left over for current 1st years.

The college houses that are available are on a 29 week contract are:
1 Benson Street - 6 rooms
3 Benson Street - 6 rooms
92 Huntingdon Road - 8 rooms
94 Huntingdon Road- 7 rooms
128 Huntingdon Road - 9 rooms

The college houses that are available are on a 39 week contract are:
75 Oxford Road- 9 rooms
77 Oxford Road- 7 rooms
87 Oxford Road - 4 rooms
89 Oxford Road- 5 rooms
8 Huntingdon Road- 9 rooms

All houses must be filled by 'pulling up'

4. Pulling up

Pulling up is what you must do if you are the first get a room in a particular house. You have to select enough people from below you in the ballot to fill up the rest of the rooms in the house. Plan who you are pulling up before you go to choose your room as you have to state who is getting pulled up to fill the other rooms. You can pull up those who started as individuals, an entire group or from a group. For example, you get into a New Neale house (6 people), and now you have to pull up to fill it. You could pull up an individual, a group of 2 and 1 person from a group of 4.

You cannot pull up to fill a corridor in college it only applies to some college houses.

 

5. Length of contracts

 A 29 week contract means you will need to take your things home in the holidays. A 39 week contract means that you will be able
to leave your things there over Christmas and Easter vacations and come and go as you please.

This year, there is the option of a 39 week contract in Gatehouse Court rooms (U,V,W) if required. All other rooms in college will be subject to a 29 week contract.

 

6. House Descriptions

Rent prices can be found here.

College Rooms:

Old Court: L (no washbasin)

Old Court: M and N (washbasin and shower in every room) See blueprint (NB: blueprint is the same for all floors, hence multiply-numbered rooms).

New Court: Q, R, S, T (fully en suite)
Blueprints:


Wilson court: X and Y (fully en suite)
Blueprints:


Gatehouse court: U, V, W (fully en suite)
Blueprints:

College Houses

1 Benson Street - 6 Rooms (blueprint)

This is one of the closest houses to college. It has a living room, a small kitchen (with cooker and hob), and a conservatory.
On the college computer network.
Room 1
Nice sized downstairs room, faces straight onto the street. Room 2
Another nice sized downstairs room, at the back of the house facing onto the garden. Light and spacious.
Room 3
On the first floor. Skylight. Smaller than an old court room, but cosy.
Room 4
Also on the first floor and of a similar size to room 3 with skylight, but with a higher ceiling.
Room 5
Massive room, the largest in the house with lots of light and space. Two skylights, and two large windows facing onto the street.
Room 6
The attic room, a reasonable size, with an en-suite bathroom (well that's what they call 2 cupboards containing a shower and a toilet!). Cosy and self-contained.

 

3 Benson Street - 6 rooms (blueprint)
This house is almost identical to 1 Benson Street. It has a living room and a conservatory that can also be used as a dining room. The Kitchen was refitted recently and the showers have been replaced too (likewise in 1 Benson). On the college computer network

The rooms are virtually the same as in 1 Benson, and accordingly have the same rent.

 

92 Huntingdon Road - 8 rooms (blueprint)
One of two college houses that are directly opposite college. The kitchen has a microwave and a hob. It has a good dining and living area. It can be quite noisy due to the close proximity of the main road. On the college computer network.

Room 1
Large room at the front of the house on the ground floor. (There is a bus stop outside the house so it can be quite noisy in the morning!)
Room 2
This is a smallish room on the ground floor.
Room 3
This a medium sized room on the ground floor with en-suite SHOWER.
Room 4
This room is at the front of the house on the first floor and is quite LARGE, this room is quite light and spacious.
Room 4a
This is a smallish room on the first floor.
Room 5
This is a medium sized room on the first floor.
Room 6
This is a medium sized room on the first floor, at the back of the house.
Room 7
This room is on the top floor of the house, which is large.

94 Huntingdon Road (blueprint)
Ground floor - good kitchen, shower and toilet
Room 1 - front, very large, bay window
Room 2 - good size
Room 3 longish room, on side of house, good size
1st floor - bathroom and separate toilet
Room 4 - front, v. large room
Room 5 - medium size room
Room 6 - large back
2nd floor
Room 7 - large, light room with velux window

 

128 Huntingdon Rd – 9 rooms (blueprint)
This house has one of the larger communal living areas of all the college houses. The kitchen/living area is large with a sofa and other seating. The garden is small and the house is set back off the road. It has a bike rack and storage space in the garden shed. On the college computer network.

Room 1
Large-ish room on the top floor.
Room 2
Large-ish room on the top floor
Room 3
Small cramped room on the first floor
Room 4
Huge room on the first floor lots of light
Room 5
Small cramped room on the first floor
Room 6
Nice sized room on the first floor
Room 7
Nice sized room on the ground floor – quite dark
Room 8
Huge room on the ground floor with large bay window that looks into the front garden
Room 9
Large room with en-suite and own kitchen at the back of the house, on the ground floor.

 

Neale House 138 Huntingdon Road
Rent in Neale House is paid for a minimum of 29 WEEKS – as in college rooms.
All of Neale house is on the college computer network.

Old Neale House (blueprints: ground floor and first floor)
Room 1
Room 2
Room 3
Room 4
Room 5
Room 6
Room 7
Room 8
Room 9
Room 10

New Neale - (blueprints: ground floor and first floor)
Consists of 4 modern houses, with six rooms in each. There are two nice sized rooms downstairs, with nice sized kitchens containing a breakfast bar and some seating. Upstairs there are 4 medium sized rooms. Shower and toilet downstairs and bath with shower and toilet upstairs. All rooms have sinks.

87 Oxford Road (blueprints - ground floor & first floor and attic)
All ground floor rooms with washbasin
Room 1 front, medium size
Room 2 ditto
Room 3 front, very good size
Room 4 - back medium size