Selwyn Alternative Prospectus

Philosophy
“Selwyn is a fantastic place to study philosophy. We’re right next to the
faculty and the lecture block on the Sidgwick Site, so almost all of your
lectures and supervisions will be within 5 minutes of your room -
definitely a bonus when you don’t want to get out of bed! Plus, because
Selwyn currently accommodates all students within the college for their
whole degree, you know you won’t end up halfway across town.
The nature of philosophy means
you’ll spend a fair bit of time
reading. If you want to escape
from the libraries, Selwyn’s bar
has just been refurbished, and is
now a cafe in the daytime, giving
you a more relaxed place to work
(plus they do great coffee). And if
you do want to work in the
library, we’re building a lovely
new one which is scheduled to
open late 2020 to early 2021.
At the time of writing, Selwyn doesn’t have any fellows in philosophy -
instead, your Director of Studies ('DoS’) will be an academic from another
college or part of the university, for example my first DoS was from
Queens college. Having a DoS from another college can be nice - we got to
have several subject dinners with the philosophers from Queens. Nor
does it impact your teaching. Because philosophy is relatively small
faculty, your supervisors will be from right across the university
regardless of your college.
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The small size of the subject also means that in each year there may only
be one or two philosophers (at most colleges). Fortunately, Selwyn really
is as friendly as everyone claims, and has a great sense of community, so
you’ll end up with friends from across a whole range of subjects. The
atmosphere here feels supportive and relaxed rather than formal or
competitive, which can make the middle of an intense term that little bit
easier!” - Joe F