Blessed decentralization

In some respects, like finding books in libraries, the decentralization of Cambridge is a pain in the ass. But I'd be remiss if I didn't point out one of the benefits of the university's decentralized nature.

There are 31 colleges in Cambridge. Their relationship to the university is a bit hard to describe, but it's sufficient to say that they are autonomous organizations, with their own income, property, statutes, etc. The college range in size from about 350 (Hughes Hall) to around 1000 (Trinity College). The result is that there are lots of self-contained college communities within the larger university communities.

What this means is that students are able to participate in clubs and societies on both levels. For me, this is most significant when it comes to sports. Now, anyone who's ever seen me play baseball, or soccer, or squash, or, come to think of it, any sport, knows that I'm not the most athletic-gifted person in the world. Put nicely, I'm scrappy. So there's no chance of me competing on the university level in any sports.

Playing for my college, Christ's, however, is an entirely different story. Christ's has 500 or so students, so it turns out that I can make a contribution to the college sports teams. In particular, I've been playing for Christ's in the college ultimate frisbee league and coxing for Christ's College Boat Club.

The frisbee shouldn't be too much of a surprise... I played a few years for Swarthmore's ultimate team, the Earthworms. I wasn't great, especially compared to some other players on Swat's team, but I was competent. It turns out that ultimate in the U.S. is at a far higher level than here in the U.K., so I'm able to make a real contribution to Christ's. I don't know whether I'd be able to play on the university team (dominated as it is by Americans), but I'm happy to get out there once a week and have a good time.

Coxing's an entirely different story. Before this month, I'd never been in a (rowing) boat before. And now, twice a week, I'm nominally in charge of eight rowers as we try to maneuver up and down the River Cam. I'm not great at it, but I'm improving with each outing. And we'll be racing in November, so I guess we're approaching competence.

The moral of the story is that Cambridge's collegiate system gives everyone the opportunity to participate in activities at a wide range of ability and commitment. So while the decentralization of some things here drives me crazy, it also gives me the chance to have a great time doing things I probably wouldn't be able to do at similarly sized schools in the U.S.