Collingwood is separated in to two sections, the old block (an original part of the college), and the new blocks built in 1990.
The old blocks house non-en suite rooms and are predominantly occupied by freshers, whilst the new blocks are used mainly by those returning to the College after their first year (normally in their third or fourth year). A small number of shared double rooms are also located in the new block, used by a mixture of fresher and returning students.
There are around 550 students who live in college and around 300 of these are 1^st years.

Cost

All rooms in college cost the same and rooms are allocated with the help of a form submitted after A-level results.
The accomodation charge in the 2008-2009 academic year was £1497 in Michaelmas and £1425 for the following Ephiphiny and Easter terms.

A standard room

Facilities

Each bedroom has the following features:

• A bed, including mattress, but no bedding unless you ordered it in advance
• A desk and 2 chairs (one height adjustable)
• Several shelves and draws
• 2 x 2 13A sockets - N.B. see power restrictions below
• A network socket (and cable if you are a 1^st year)
• A wardrobe (though not many hangers)
• A sink, mirror and shaving light & socket (and full bathroom with shower if en suite)

Each room is also fitted with a very sensitive smoke detector, which, unfortunately, can also be set off by aerosols, steam, smoke or tapering - you will not be popular if you set the fire alarm off at 3 o'clock in the morning!

Electrics in College Bedrooms

Due to the nature of the building and the number of students living in it, some restrictions need to be placed on things you can use.

Each room has two double 13A sockets. For those coming from overseas, these are a type only used in the UK and provide a 230V supply at 50 Hz, which should be compatible with all CE marked European equipment.

As the number of sockets is limited, it is likely you will need to bring multi-way extension leads. You should not, however, bring block adaptors as these are banned by the university (the weight of plugs in them can partially dislodge them and present a serious fire hazard).

For those comming from abroad; many modern pieces of electrical equipment can operate on a large range of voltages without being adjusted but please ensure that any equipment brough from overseas can operate on 230 volts before using it. Some computers may have a switch between 230V and a lower voltage - you must set this before you plug it in! Equipment marked with a voltage of 220V to 240V is normally suitable.

Personal electrical equipment must not be used in communal areas, such as kitchens or common rooms without prior permission.

Power Restrictions

To avoid overloading the power supply in a college room (and hence blowing fuses) you should not draw more than 5 amps (1150 watts) in total from all the equipment in your room. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to replace the 13A fuse in a multi-way socket adaptor with a 5 amp fuse (though you must ensure the adapter is rated to at least 5 amps before doing this - most are 13A).

You must not use items such as large fridges, heaters, kettles, stoves, grills or toasters in you rooms. These items require large amounts of power (you'll be unpopular if you blow the fuse and half the floor lose the work on their computers), present a fire hazard, and are likely to set off the fire alarm.