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Current Cambridge students - top tips for Freshers?

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The West Wing

1. Correct, you can't use other college libraries. No, your collegel ibrary should have everything, otherwise departmental libraries will. You will probably buy the most important books for your course.
2. The vast vast majority in arts subjects don't bring laptops, and those that do must sit at the back.
3. You can visit other colleges' dining halls and chapels. You will be charged extra for eating there. Lots of people eat at Selwyn at lunch because it's next to the Sidgwick site.
4. Depends how big they are and how well you manage your time - nobody can tell you until you get there yourself.

is it worth bringing a laptop to Cambridge in general - ie. are there college computers which you can use for entertainment and work, or are they usually busy?

thx

Reply 61

FadedJade

There are College computers, at Pembroke at least they weren't used all that much, most people have their own. You certainly can get away without one though.

Reply 62

The West Wing

91 rob

is it worth bringing a laptop to Cambridge in general - ie. are there college computers which you can use for entertainment and work, or are they usually busy?

thx

You should definitely bring one for ~~porn~~ general use, playing music in other people's rooms etc.

I don't know anyone who doesn't have a laptop or desktop.

Reply 63

abstraction98

The West Wing

You should definitely bring one for ~~porn~~ general use, playing music in other people's rooms etc.

I don't know anyone who doesn't have a laptop or desktop.

Reply 64

Chess Piece Face

lisa_2k

Take a door wedge. When you're in your room prop the door open and people will stop by and chat - it's a great way to get to know the people living around you and make friends. Plus I hate sitting in a room on my own with the door shut - even now as I go into fourth year my room is generally open all day every day when I'm in.

This is a really good point. Last year I kept my door open most of the time when I was in and it definitely helped me get to know people better. For example, last year there was a philosopher who was going out with a girl on my staircase and sometimes he'd see my door open and talk to me in Spanish. :yep:

(This is a pretty minor point, but I also recommend getting a quirky/whimsical doorstop (although obviously nothing which says 'ZOMG LOOK AT ME I'M WACKY!!!!!11!!'). I had a "doorman" one and people complimented me on it all year :p:

)

Reply 65

brimstone

The West Wing

3. You can visit other colleges' dining halls and chapels. You will be charged extra for eating there. Lots of people eat at Selwyn at lunch because it's next to the Sidgwick site.

It's always annoying to walk in at lunch and find there's either nowhere to sit because it's full of people from Sidgwick or that there's no one you know in Hall, for the same reason :frown:

Reply 66

Geritak

Chess Piece Face

)

I've just bought this amusing little fellow. Is he along the right lines? :p:

Reply 67

Catsmeat

Bring spare cards (library, credit, whatever), for breaking into your room when you lock yourself out. This turns out to be more efficient than climbing over your house in the middle of the night in order to access the back door that you swore was unlocked last time you checked.

Reply 68

Chess Piece Face

Geritak

I've just bought this amusing little fellow. Is he along the right lines? :p:

Haha, I have exactly the same one but in orange. I wholeheartedly approve :biggrin:

Reply 69

thefish_uk

Catsmeat

Surely that's another reason for making friends with the porters :wink:

Reply 70

Catsmeat

thefish_uk

Surely that's another reason for making friends with the porters :wink:

This would generally apply if you live far from a Porter's lodge, as I did during my second year. It was a fifteen minute walk, which, dressed as I was during midwinter, would have been certain death.

Reply 71

aKarma

Catsmeat

Actually on that note it's worth reminding people to bring some rather warm clothes and a hefty coat.
The icy wind gets insanely cold; about half the times I've gone up to visit, I've almost keeled over on stepping out the car in a t shirt :p:

Reply 72

trayder

These tips have been very useful. How much are the second hand bikes roughly?

Reply 73

acrosstheuniverse

Simian_sapiens

I cannot stress enough how much easier your term will go if you manage to read as much as possible of your reading list (particularly English students!). That said, I am very behind in all my summer reading, so do as I say, not as I do :biggrin:

Oh, and if you happen to be one: join the atheist and agnostic society. It's well worth it.

Really? And I though English was as much of a dos subject as History! :p:

I'm going to say that as far as History goes anyway, dipping into your reading list is really not important. I didn't bother with mine at all and no one cared, however I'm lazy. It does help to look at your reading list of course, but it's not necessary in my opinion.

Reply 74

klondiker

aKarma

I'm from Canada - trust me, I can handle a little breeze! :p:

Reply 75

Chewwy

all freshers need to meet me.

Reply 76

The West Wing

Chewwy

all freshers need to meet me.

Well you never go to the TSR meets.

Reply 77

ussferox

Chewwy

all freshers need to meet me.

why?

Reply 78

Simian_sapiens

acrosstheuniverse

Really? And I though English was as much of a dos subject as History! :p:

Well...I got by with a few pages of Troilus and Criseyde for the first term, a first page of The Faerie Queene for the second and a basic knowledge of Shakespeare for the third...but since I had to read these primary texts at some point I wished I'd done more before term started to give me more time for fun stuff.

Particularly when we got to Easter term. There were an insane number of supervisions to attend. I must have been writing about 6000 words a week...