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Current Cambridge students - top tips for Freshers?

What it says in the title really, what tips would current Cambridge students give to new freshers starting this October?

Inspired by a similar thread in general uni discussion, but thought it could be useful to have a thread specific to cambridge!

Reply 1

The West Wing

18

Don't eat yellow snow

Reply 2

steelmole

10

Have a plan, and vaguely try to stick to it (for studying at least).

Beware of theologians.

Reply 3

Chewwy

17

tight fitting clothes are in.

Reply 4

Miam!

Listen to fumblewomble.

Don't be shy.

Do work from the beginning but don't turn into a work machine in the first month - keeping on top of the work is enough and you don't want to miss out on social life then. It's a time when it is really easy to make friends as groups won't be formed yet so do try and be social, try out societies etc.

Reply 5

Geritak

3

fumblewomble

...

That's great - there's some good tips there that aren't in the normal bumph we've been given so far.

Thanks! :yep:

Reply 6

azhao

3

subscribes to epic thread

Reply 7

Stratos

15

although i will join class 2011 these tips are usefull and if you are black you stand out i guess

Reply 8

Allthewayhome

10

The West Wing

Don't eat yellow snow

You been speaking to my dad aswell? :hmmm:

Hail, rain or shine that's my dad's best advice.

Reply 9

mikeha

5

Just to amplify one of the points made by fumblewomble - most students at Cambridge do have a time when they wonder if they should be here, particularly in the first term. The work is so much harder than you are used to, some lectures are really difficult to follow, supervisions don't always go well........ etc etc. So most of us at one time or another have sat down and thought, well, maybe the admissions people made a mistake - there was someone with a name similar to mine and they meant to offer them a place and not me, and so on.

Just remember they are really experienced in the admissions departments - you were made an offer because you are capable of doing the course. And for goodness sake talk to someone about how you are feeling - either as fumblewomble said your Director of Studies, or your personal tutor, or just your friends.

This phase WILL pass - you will learn to cope better, and start to enjoy things a little better. It's perfectly natural to find things a bit of a struggle at times, and it happens to nearly everyone.

Reply 10

bazzasballs

Keep your door open when you're in there for the first week or so - makes it super easy to meet new people and people will always pop in.

Definitely make a good name for yourself with the college staff e.g. porters, bar stuff, bedders. They can be your best friends and let you get away with a helluva lot of liberties (e.g. fridges, ovens and pets in your room) or can make your life hell.

- Make notes for your lectures during the lecture itself or straight after it. I cannot stress (especially in the sciences) how important this is, as it is effortlessly easy to wake up in exam term with 7-8 folders of stuff you haven't learnt.

- Learn to lower your expectations of what good is. A 2.i from Cambridge is an exceptional performance. A-levels you can revise for in a week and pull out full marks. Tripos exams you can revise solidly for 2 and a half months and still get 60% or so. It's just tougher here.

- My personal advice is don't get too drunk and do anything horrendously embarassing in the first term. Colleges aren't too dissimilar from schools and people talk, and there's always a few freshers who become the talk of college for the wrong reasons. Try not to let that cringe person be you.

Reply 11

rob 91

OP

mikeha

Just to amplify one of the points made by fumblewomble - most students at Cambridge do have a time when they wonder if they should be here, particularly in the first term. The work is so much harder than you are used to, some lectures are really difficult to follow, supervisions don't always go well........ etc etc. So most of us at one time or another have sat down and thought, well, maybe the admissions people made a mistake - there was someone with a name similar to mine and they meant to offer them a place and not me, and so on.

Just remember they are really experienced in the admissions departments - you were made an offer because you are capable of doing the course. And for goodness sake talk to someone about how you are feeling - either as fumblewomble said your Director of Studies, or your personal tutor, or just your friends.

This phase WILL pass - you will learn to cope better, and start to enjoy things a little better. It's perfectly natural to find things a bit of a struggle at times, and it happens to nearly everyone.

To be fair, even if they did make a mistake its good for you as you're getting a Cambridge education whereas you wouldn't have done otherwise. About the admissions process, from 2 20 minute interviews, and looking at your UCAS application, of course they can't make a perfect judgement, especially in more competitive courses, but once you've got a place who really cares? I'm not arrogant enough to suppose that I necessarily really am better than the 6 other people who were competing for my place, but I did better according to their obscure admissions system so I got in - thats life.

Thats assuming you can in fact complete your course, but uni in general is very difficult and the fact is that the vast majority of people manage :s-smilie:

Reply 12

Craghyrax

17

Lol, I'm with mikeha and rob 91 on this. Everybody feels like a mistake at some point (and shouldn't) and also its a bit flawed to assume that of the 6 or whatever who could have had your place, there was likely to be that much difference between you all. The majority are probably "mistakes" (very silly notion this) but it doesn't matter, because most people can complete a course and get a 2.1 at it if they have enough willpower.

Chewwy

tight fitting clothes are in.

Sadly yes *grits teeth*

Reply 13

thefish_uk

14

The first term is completely different to all the others as everything's so new. It's the time when there are no friendship groups or cliques, everyone will socialise with everyone else, and it's also the time to try new things as all the societies will be trying their hardest to welcome new members. As one of our JCR told us on matriculation day, there is a period of about one or two weeks at the start when it's fine to ask someone's name, even if you have asked it before. Then all of a sudden you're expected to know everyone! But the first term is also considered the worst by many people so don't worry if it doesn't go all that well. Most people don't find their real friends or the societies they really get involved in until at least their second term, plus then you'll have the advantage of having the work system sussed.

In general, try and be yourself. Some people take the "trying new things" thing too far and make a fool of themself. Some people seem to take the whole experience in their stride, others try really hard and can't keep it up.

Also on the first day get there early and get completely unpacked before you go to meet new people. There are several advantages to this. Firstly you utilise the free labour of your parents who will no doubt be trying their hardest to be nice to you. Secondly you aren't embarrassed to invite people to your room, if's not a total mess with boxes everywhere. Thirdly your first week will be so busy that if you don't get it done on the first day, you won't get it done for ages!

Reply 14

Richardmarcj

bazzasballs

Definitely make a good name for yourself with the college staff e.g. porters, bar stuff, bedders. They can be your best friends and let you get away with a helluva lot of liberties (e.g. fridges, ovens and pets in your room) or can make your life hell.

Wait... people keep pets in their rooms? I'm presuming of the fish-tank variety?

Reply 15

为人民服务

so the general point of view is that cambridge will be hard work.

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Reply 16

bazzasballs

Richardmarcj

Wait... people keep pets in their rooms? I'm presuming of the fish-tank variety?

Oh yep, fish tanks indeed. I don't think any amount of buttering up the bedders could get you any larger than a fish (although I do know of some people who have giant moths...).

Reply 17

为人民服务

bazzasballs

Oh yep, fish tanks indeed. I don't think any amount of buttering up the bedders could get you any larger than a fish (although I do know of some people who have giant moths...).

i m so tempted to capture an emmanuel duck to keep in my room as a pet. Although authority probs won't approve

Reply 18

nuodai

17

Threads like this just make me more excited! :mad:

Consider me subscribed. I hope you're all happy with yourselves.

:mad:

Spoiler

Original post by &#20026

i m so tempted to capture an emmanuel duck to keep in my room as a pet. Although authority probs won't approve

On the topic of pets, do you think they'll mind if I capture a Robinson brick to keep as a pet? It's not like there's a shortage. And they make less mess than ducks.

Reply 19

FadedJade

15

Can we keep this on topic please.

Current Cambridge students - top tips for Freshers?

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