Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the food like? How many meals do you get per week?

St Hilda’s College provides 21 meals per week, which means breakfast, lunch and tea every day of the week, and no cooking for you! St Hilda’s is reputed to have the best meals on the Crescent. You can browse some of the students’ favourite menus on the Facilities and Meals page of this website.

Can we stay over the holidays?

Yes, all students are able to continue living at St Hilda’s over the mid-year holiday period, which means no packing up and then unpacking your stuff during the year.

Do I get my own telephone and internet access?

All students are provided with their own telephone and private number in their room. All rooms also have broadband internet connection, so you can hook up your own computer and surf away!

What if I don’t have a computer of my own?

St Hilda’s has a 24-hour computer lab, stocked with 14 PCs, one Macintosh, black and white and colour printers and a scanner, all ready for students to use whenever they wish.

Where can I wash my clothes?

There are three laundries located in the college, with top quality washing machines and driers free for students to use.

Do I have to clean my room and vacuum it?

The college employs cleaners to vacuum rooms, empty your bins and wash the sinkrooms once a week. Bathrooms are also cleaned three times a week.

What does high table mean? Do you wear gowns?

From Monday through to Thursday, St Hilda’s College has high table nights. This is a tradition where students wear academic gowns over their normal clothes to dinner, and the Principal, Vice-Principal and tutors sit together at a long table. Gowns are hired at the beginning of the year and kept for the whole year.

What happens with tutorials?

St Hilda’s provides an extensive tutorial program and live-in tutors are always available for consultations, reading essays and general help and support. These tutorials are in addition to your uni tutorials, and many students feel that their college tutorials are even more helpful than their uni ones. Also, if there is not a tutorial available at St Hilda’s for a certain subject, you can attend that tutorial at another college. The tutorial program is one of the most beneficial parts of living at college.

What’s the social club like?

At the start of every year, students pay an additional amount for student club fees. The student club organises the rich social life of the college, with turns (parties), pub nights, variety nights, and other events assuring there’s at least one event happening every week to suit a variety of student interests.

What sort of people come here?

St Hilda’s has the highest percentage of country students of all the University of Melbourne colleges. St Hilda’s residents are friendly people, outgoing, with a variety of talents across academia, music, drama, debating, sporting and more. Many international students also reside at our college throughout the year.

What is Mutual Support Scheme?

The Mutual Support Scheme (MSS) involves a compulsory one and a half hours per week that students give to the college in order to help keep fees down, and takes place either in the kitchen, the garden or maintenance.

Do you have to share a room with your roommate?

Most students at St Hilda’s have roommates, which just means that your room is connected to another student’s room via a room with a sink and cupboards. There are internal lockable doors and each student still has the privacy of having their own room, but the friendliness of having a roommate.

What do you do for sport?

St Hilda’s College enjoys a reputation for being one of the best sporting colleges at the University of Melbourne, despite being one of the smaller colleges. St Hilda’s consistently performs well at all sports on the inter-collegiate sporting calendar, with opportunities for all students to take part in anything from rowing to badminton to football to softball.

Do you spend time with people from other colleges?

The many college balls and social events give plenty of opportunities for mixing with students from other colleges. Sporting events allow students to meet people from other colleges, although the traditional fierce sporting rivalry between the colleges still remains, but mainly in fun. St Hilda’s also has inter-college events on our social calendar.