Editing St Catherine's College, Oxford (section)

==Student life==
St Catherine's has one of the largest undergraduate and graduate intakes among Oxford colleges, admitting 215 graduate students in the 2018–2019 academic year.<ref name="StC key facts"/> There is a college bar, as well as a [[Junior Common Room]] (JCR) and a [[Middle Common Room]] (MCR), which was relocated to the Ainsworth Graduate Centre in 2020 (it was previously located in the Bernard Sunley building).{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

The JCR is run by a committee of 25 undergraduate students, led by the President and elected by the rest of the student body through 'hustings', or a general Q&A (question and answer) session. The committee fulfills a wide range of duties, aimed at organising events, such as [[Freshers' week]], and providing support to the students. Open meetings are held fortnightly, during which people discuss how to improve the JCR. All undergraduate members are automatically members of the JCR, unless they expressly state that they wish not to be. Honorary membership is also rarely extended to others, with one awarded every five years: honorary members include [[Robbie Williams]] and [[Bradley Walsh]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Freshers' Guides 2018 |url=https://jcr.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/info/freshers-guides/|access-date=4 June 2020 |archive-date=4 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604043248/https://jcr.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/info/freshers-guides/|website=St Catz JCR|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{citation|author=((The JCR Committee))|title=St Catherine's College Freshers' Guide 2018|pages=8−20 |date=2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604043315/https://jcr.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Freshers-Guide-2018-ilovepdf-compressed-ilovepdf-compressed.compressed.pdf|url=https://jcr.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Freshers-Guide-2018-ilovepdf-compressed-ilovepdf-compressed.compressed.pdf| archive-date=4 June 2020|publisher=St. Catherine's College Junior Common Room}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Griffith|first=Rachael|date=30 October 2015 |title=Catz JCR make Chris Tarrant honorary member|url=https://cherwell.org/2015/10/30/catz-jcr-make-chris-tarrant-honorary-member/|access-date=6 June 2020|website=Cherwell|language=en-GB}}</ref> The Catz JCR is financially independent from the College, following a financial committee meeting.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Darrah|first=Kim|date=2015-06-07|title=St. Catz grant JCR financial independence|url=https://cherwell.org/2015/06/07/st-catz-grant-jcr-financial-independence/|access-date=6 June 2020|website=Cherwell|language=en-GB}}</ref> Similarly, the MCR is composed of graduate students, visiting postgraduate students, fourth-year undergraduate students and mature (over the age of 21) full-time undergraduate students, who also have JCR membership. It is run by a committee led by two co-presidents, which organises several events such as an annual garden party. The MCR also has benefits, such as a separate kitchen and the exclusive use of an enclosed garden.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Catz MCR – The community of graduates at St. Catherine's College, Oxford|url=https://mcr.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/|access-date=4 June 2020 |website=MCR St Catz |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>''St Catherine's College MCR Handbook 2015,'' section 3.</ref>

The college celebrates its patron saint each year with a special Catz Night dinner, attended by junior and senior members of the college. Every three years the college also holds a ball, usually off-site due to the problem of securing the college's perimeter sufficiently for insurance purposes. St Catherine's is also known for its more modern approaches, such as by not usually requiring students to wear gowns for dinners and voting to end the tradition of standing when the Master enters the hall at formal dinner,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/2019/01/24/oxford-college-abandons-tradition-standing-address-master-formal/|title=Oxford College abandons tradition of standing to address dons at formal dinners|last1=Turner|first1=Camilla|date=24 January 2019|work=The Telegraph|access-date=30 July 2019 |last2=Ritchie|first2=Greg|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> although most students still continue in this practice out of respect. The College also holds fortnightly social events called 'Entz', which are usually themed and hosted in the JCR and bar, and an annual Catz Artz Week which showcases creative talents.<ref name="apply.oxfordsu">{{Cite web |title=St Catherine's College - Oxford SU's Target Schools Alternative Prospectus |url=http://apply.oxfordsu.org/colleges/st-catz/|access-date=3 June 2020 |website=Apply [[Oxford SU]] |language=en}}</ref>

The college also has several sport, music and other facilities available on the college site, including squash courts, pool tables, a free gymnasium, a punt house, and theatres.<ref name="StC key facts"/> The music house on site is equipped with a grand piano and harpsichord. There are also several clubs and societies available, such as the music society, orchestras, choirs, and subject societies.<ref name="ox coll list"/> The dramatic society often performs plays and musicals, including recent adaptations of [[Rent (musical)|Rent]] and [[Chicago (musical)|Chicago]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Howe|first=Abigail|date=26 February 2020 |title=Preview: RENT|url=https://cherwell.org/2020/02/26/preview-rent-2/|access-date=6 June 2020|website=Cherwell|language=en-GB}}</ref> St Catz has a friendly [[college rivalry]] with [[Magdalen College, Oxford|Magdalen]], expressed in sports and in a joke JCR 'declaration of war' in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dorrell|first=Phil|date=14 February 2013 |title=St Catz declare war on Magdalen|url=https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2013/02/14/st-catz-declare-war-on-magdalen/|access-date=6 June 2020|website=The Oxford Student|language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Accommodation ===
The college is able to offer three-year accommodation for students, with all first years on site.<ref name="ox coll list"/> Most first and third years live in the Jacobsen-designed 'Old Quad', the original buildings, while the second years live in the 'New Quad', built during the 1995–2005 extensions. There is a kitchen in every corridor, generally shared between eight to ten people. Bathrooms containing four showers and two toilets are shared between groups of ten people in the Old Quad, while every bedroom in the New Quad is en-suite. Rooms are allocated randomly for first year students, while groups of four to six students in second- and third-year ballot together for rooms. All rooms cost the same in rent.<ref name="apply.oxfordsu"/>

===Academic reputation===
[[File:St Catherine's CollegeNorrington Ranking.svg|thumb|St Catherine's position in the Norrington Table from 2006 to 2016]]
In 2019, the college ranked 2nd in the [[Norrington Table]], with a score of 77.93% and with 68 out of 145 total Finalists achieving [[first-class honours]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/undergraduate-degree-classifications?wssl=1|title=Undergraduate Degree Classifications |website=University of Oxford |access-date=2020-02-22}}</ref> In 2018, the college ranked 3rd with a score of 78.15% and with around 50% of Finalists achieving first-class honors,<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 August 2018 |title=2018 Finalists in Historic Norrington Table Success|url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/2018-finalists-in-historic-norrington-table-success/|access-date=6 June 2020 |website=St Catherine's College|language=en-US}}</ref> climbing from 26th place in 2017 when it had a score of 68.68%.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ashworth |first1=James |title=St John's Tops The 2018 Norrington Table |url=https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2018/08/20/2018-norrington-table/ |website=The Oxford Student |date=20 August 2018 |access-date=20 August 2018}}</ref>

=== Scholarships, awards and outreach ===
The College offers several college prizes and research grants. All College scholarships and prizes are awarded based on academic, social and/or cultural contributions. For instance, the Hart Prize is awarded for the best essay for a historical subject, the Thomas Jefferson Prize is awarded to the North American student who has contributed most to the College, and the Smith Award is awarded for services to drama or music.<ref name="prizes">{{cite web |title=Prizes & Awards |url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/catz-students/prizes-and-awards/ |website=St Catherine's College |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307211200/https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/catz-students/prizes-and-awards/ |archive-date=7 March 2023}}</ref>

The College also awards the Wallace Watson Scholarship each year, one of the most prestigious and generous research and travel scholarships at the University of Oxford. The Wallace Watson Scholarship enables undergraduate and graduate students to undertake research fieldwork or remote travel during their time at Oxford.<ref>See:
* {{cite web |title=Prizes and Awards: The Wallace Watson awards |url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/catz-students/prizes-and-awards/wallace-watson/ |website=St Catherine's College |access-date=14 March 2023}}
* {{cite web |last1=Maddocks |first1=Becca |title=Events: The Wallace Watson Award Lectures 2023 |url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/the-wallace-watson-award-lecture-2023/ |website=St Catherine's College |date=4 January 2023}}
* {{Cite web|author=Tom Joy|date=2018|title=Wallace Watson Award|url=http://www.wallacewatson.com/|access-date=3 June 2020|website=Wallace Watson Award|language=en-GB}}</ref> Additionally, the college offers the Emilie Harris Award for those aiming to help or work with the under-privileged communities, the Antony Edwards Bursary for Spanish cultural or language studies, and the Patricia Knapp Travel Award for travel with a medical purpose.<ref name="prizes"/>

The College is also involved in many fully-funded outreach programmes, such as the Catalyst Programme, which is a sustained contact model during which schools may visit the college and outreach staff may provide workshops on applications, picking A-Levels and exploring careers. The purpose of the programme is to increase the success rate of applicants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Catalyst Programme|url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students/outreach/the-catalyst-programme/|access-date=4 June 2020|website=St Catherine's College|language=en-US}}</ref> The College also has ties with Northern Ireland through the Northern Ireland Residential Summer School, which allow Northern Irish students to visit the college and experience life as an Oxford students, while teachers may have a Q&A session with tutors. The College also has partnerships with several other schemes and charities, such as Target Oxbridge, UNIQ and the Pathways Programme.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Outreach|url=https://www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk/prospective-students/outreach/ |access-date=4 June 2020|website=St Catherine's College|language=en-US}}</ref>

===Rowing===
[[St Catherine's College Boat Club]] is the rowing club of the college. British Olympic gold medallists Sir [[Matthew Pinsent]] and [[Andrew Triggs Hodge]], and silver medallist [[Colin Smith (British rower)|Colin Smith]] all rowed for the college.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Oxford at the Olympics |url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/oxford-people/Oxford-at-the-Olympics|access-date=14 April 2021|website=University of Oxford}}</ref>

=== In popular culture ===
St Catherine's College has served as a filming location for several films and television series. It featured as 'Lovelace College' in Season 4 of the British crime series ''[[Endeavour (TV series)|Endeavour]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title='Lovelace' College {{!}} Facebook|url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1324425517578431.1073741873.264845746869752&type=3|website=www.facebook.com|access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=St Catherine's College|url=http://danishdesignreview.com/kbhnotes/2019/8/15/st-catherines-college|website=danish design review|date=11 August 2019 |language=en-GB|access-date=1 June 2020}}</ref> The British spy drama ''Chokepoint'' was filmed in locations around the College, such as the SCR and the Bernard Sunley Building. Director SG Smith said it was a good location as the college was "a good fit with the overall aesthetic of the show".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ko|first=Julianna|date=6 March 2014 |title=St Catz takes centre stage in new TV pilot|url=https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2014/03/06/st-catz-takes-centre-stage-in-new-tv-pilot/|access-date=6 June 2020|website=The Oxford Student|language=en-GB}}</ref> In Season 4, episode 6 of [[The Crown (TV series)|''The Crown'']], the Hall at St Catherine's serves as the venue of a state reception in [[Hobart]], Tasmania, attended by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in their 1983 tour of Australia.