[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Shrivenham is the macho, Yang side of Cranfield University (with[PARA][ULNE]Silsoe College[EULNE] the Yin).[EITAL] It's a military college, set on 650 acres of [PARA]walled land, 8 miles from Swindon. This places it a few miles [PARA]from nowhere, although Swindon is a fast-growing town which is[PARA]home to many high-tech companies.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA]About 50% of the students are Army and Air Force officers, [PARA]although integration with civvy street is no problem, and the [PARA]soldier boys and girls only wear their uniforms once a week. [ITAL][PARA]Friendly as the students are, there's no way this is a 'normal' [PARA]university environment.[EITAL] MoD involvement means free stationery [PARA]and text book loans, merit scholarships and so on. The downside[PARA]is the high fence surrounding the college for reasons of security. [PUSH][PARA]push[EPUSH][ITAL]'s crack troop of researchers returned from their mission [PARA]unscathed, but any gaps can be blamed on the Official Secrets [PARA]Act and/or brainwashing.[EITAL][HDNG]SWINDON:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Population: 175,000 [BULL] London: 70miles [BULL] Bristol: 39miles [PARA]Oxford: 20miles[ESTAT][PARA][ITAL]Swindon is a commuter commune for London, but has its own [PARA]identity,[EITAL] as the home of the Great Western Railway. Apart from [PARA]this, it's the usual supermarkets, bookshops, banks, [ITAL]and other [PARA]accoutrements of Anytown.[EITAL][HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA]Swindon, 8 miles away, has the nearest station with direct [PARA]connections to London, Bristol, Reading or Penzance for that [PARA]matter. National Express services from Swindon to Birmingham [PARA](ú8.50, 2:45hrs, 1/day), Bristol (ú4.25, 1:35, 4/day) and London [PARA](ú11.25, 1:50hrs, 1/hr). The M4 is just 5 miles from the College [PARA]and the A420 even closer, [ITAL]providing happy hitching prospects [EITAL]for [PARA]Oxford from the A420 and for London and Bristol from the M4. [PARA]Local buses from the College's main gate run every 2 hours. [PARA]With such a large and level campus, many students get on their [PARA]bikes to get around.[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 90,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 850 [BULL] Study places: 150[ESTAT][PARA]There's also a recreational library with non-academic books of all [PARA]sorts. The Beckett Bookshop in the Library sells stationery and [PARA]food as well as books.[HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service (in association with Oxford University). [BULL] [PARA]No of staff: 1part[ESTAT][PARA]Because of the nature of the courses, graduate unemployment is[PARA]rare.[HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][PARA]HRH Prince Andrew.[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads and postgrads.[PARA][PARA]
