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Which colleges have cats?

Which colleges have the most cats?

Of the colleges that have cats, which are the cutest?

Of the colleges that have cats, which are the friendliest?

How prominent a role do the college cats play in the lives of Cambridge undergraduates?

To what extent would you argue that the college cats are the single most important influence in the personal support of the Cambridge undergraduates?

(Edit: I should add this disclaimer, for any miserable TSR cat-haters, that I do not expect these questions to be answered...)

Actually, Selwyn has a cat, and its the only college cat. However this does not mean that Selwyn allows students to keep cats (nor does any other college). It just randomly has a cat :smile:

Reply 121

gethsemane342

Original post by Etoile

This thread makes me 1) miss living in Cambridge and 2) really anxious to apply next year!

My questions are thus-
What are the courses at the language centre like? Are you allowed to take one if you are already doing a language degree?
Do you have time to do sports? Are there sports clubs for beginners/people who are not so good? (I've been out of my sport for a year due to injury but I'd like to take it up again by that time when I am better, the sport is fencing)
What do you do with your stuff during vacations? Take it all home?
How did you choose your college?

Much appreciated :biggrin:

Might think of some more later too :h:

1) AFAIK, language centre is for anyone (though if you're doing french already, they may not take you for a french class :wink:

). I've heard varying things from "alright" to "poor". I wouldn't expect miracles, in short.

2) Plenty of time to do sport. Most colleges will take anyone on their teams (My policy for my team has been anyone who is willing to hold a racket and stand on whichever side of the net I direct them to is eligible to join my team. Ability to hit over the net is a bonus)

2.5) Fencing-wise, there is a uni-wide club who takes people of all standards. They have a beginners, intermediate and experts class. It's in Fenners. I don't know much else since I never actually showed up to it, I just get their e-mails. (There was one amusing one where they lowered their standards for girls on varsity to anyone who knew which end of the foil to hold and then ranted about how Oxford were being malicious :tongue:

)

3) I assume other colleges are like mine in that you have some place of storage for your belongings. I take home my clothes, books, laptop and a few other bits and pieces but bulky things and things I won't need at home stay in whatever storage I'm given :smile:

4) Ruled out most other colleges for arbitrary reasons and then decided I'd aim for the EE offer (as a joke since I didn't think I was going to get in. If I was going to be rejected, I was going to be REALLY rejected :tongue:

) ... and I wanted to see if it looked like I remembered from when I was 10.

Reply 122

Dare-Mid

Don't know anything about languages.

There is bound to be a sports club for fencing at whatever level you're at. http://www.cufencing.org.uk/

Depends on your college what you do with your things during the breaks. At Christ's make you empty your room during the the christmas and easter breaks, normally you can put it into locked cupboards in/ near your room. Over the summer you have to take all of your things out of college. Normally they will only store the overseas students' things in college.

I chose Christ's based on size, distance from the town centre, distance to my department, entry tests and by eliminating the Female-only and Grad colleges. Then just looked at the remaining 4-5 (I think) and found one I liked.

Reply 123

ukdragon37

Original post by Etoile

Might think of some more later too :h:

Courses at the language centre go anywhere from beginner to advanced, so it's for all comers. From other people taking courses there I heard it's really good. It's available to all students so that should include MMLers.

Plenty of people find time for sports. Again there will be opportunities for all comers and how much time you choose to put into it is up to you.

Your stuff during vacation can be stored in a storage room, with extra space reserved for internationals. You may also keep stuff in your room depending on the circumstances of the room.

I chose Emmanuel because it's convenient for everywhere and you get your laundry done for you :biggrin:

Original post by Xero Xenith

I'm not a student but this page has some good information:
http://www.langcen.cam.ac.uk/courses/courses.php?c=2

I'd love to hear more about taking extra languages if anyone could say a few words on that. Is it a lot of extra work? Once you sign up, are you forced to see it through?

Extra languages are kind of a hobby for me :colondollar:

It should be a fair bit of work yes, and often people find that they can't keep up with their degree work as it is let alone take an extra language. If you sign up, your college will pay for the tuition as long as you complete the course (or at least this is what happens at Emma).

Reply 124

maths134

Can you go to other colleges may balls? or say if your college doesnt have one that year can you go to another?

Reply 125

nuodai

Original post by Etoile

What are the courses at the language centre like? Are you allowed to take one if you are already doing a language degree?

Original post by Xero Xenith

I've done three courses at the Language Centre now (Russian Basic, French Advanced and Chinese Basic 1), and I'll be doing a fourth at the end of this year (probably Chinese Basic 2).

The Russian and Chinese courses I did were Summer CULP courses, which meant they begin at the end of Easter Term (during May Week) and run every day for three weeks.

After exam term, the workload of the language courses feels tiny -- one hour tops each day outside of lessons (which last 2 hours each), with weekends off. My French course was taken during Michaelmas and Lent terms, where there was one class per week for 15 weeks (i.e. each week for 2 terms, starting in Week 2 of Michaelmas). Again the workload was similar, but the downside is you have to do it all on top of supervision work and whatever society/sport/social stuff you do, so in this respect it's more of a challenge. But if you can manage your time well, the workload really is very small compared to everything else you do.

Despite the small workload, you still learn lots. The take-up rate can be quite small, so the class sizes are often very small. In my Russian class there were 9 of us, there were 4 in French and 5 in Chinese, so there was lots of room for discussing things; and the teachers tend to be very helpful if you have anything to discuss. The classes also tend to be very intensive and interactive, so provided you're switched on, the amount you learn per hour of class is much higher than you'd normally learn in an hour-long lecture, for example.

You're not forced to see them through, you can drop at any time. The only incentive to see it through is the money: the courses cost £105, which is non-refundable after the first class. If your college is nice, they might reimburse you in full or in part (Robinson reimbursed me £50 for each course), but college reimbursements are often conditional on you completing the course, so sometimes there's a financial incentive.

As for whether you're allowed to take them alongside a language degree, I'm not sure. I remember reading somewhere that you can't, but I don't remember if that was on the CULP website or if it was my college regarding who's eligible for reimbursement.

Reply 126

gethsemane342

Original post by maths134

Can you go to other colleges may balls? or say if your college doesnt have one that year can you go to another?

Yep - but some colleges are harder to get tickets for than others :smile:

Reply 127

ukdragon37

Original post by maths134

Can you go to other colleges may balls? or say if your college doesnt have one that year can you go to another?

Yes. Anyone can go as long as you have a ticket (even non-students). Tickets may be hard to come by though as they are prioritised for the college's own students. A friend in the target college could help, although the number of tickets they can buy is usually limited.

Reply 128

Dare-Mid

I think as long as you get a ticket you can go to as many as you want, but I think priority goes to members of that college first.

Reply 129

Banishingboredom

Are you allowed to cattle prod tourists?

Reply 130

Onee-chan

Original post by Arialaxe

(curtain rises, a loud crashing sound startles the audience and the lights flash)

Are Eric Idle and Peter Cook not "cool people"?

And we have a good share of the big names (Pitt the Younger, Ted Hughes, Edmund Spenser, Stokes). That sludgy, dull, urine-stain yellow 17th Century office complex in the Midlands Polytechnic doesn't even bear thinking about.

And speaking of original: Pembroke's the 3rd oldest college in all of Cambridge, my good fellow. Only two colleges are more original.

I shall now retire to my chambers. Good evening.

(smoke fills the stage as the mysterious figure retreats)

...I was going to ferociously attack you until Wiki claimed Pembroke serve sushi?! Good lad, you know I was joking all along right? And obviously you will invite me over as a guest? :colondollar:

*Drastic change of facial expression*

But in defense of Caius, I must re-emphasize that your claim of our yukky food is entirely fabricative (if a word). What absurdity it is to claim all those other accusations as well *sweeps anything true under the carpet*.

Okay, fellow future possible Cambridge...Cambridgian(?), have a good evening - or midnight rather - and we shall resume to this tearful contest a later date.

P.S.: Us TSRers need to meet in real life - so I can come to your colleges and fulfil my plan :colone:

. *See below*.

Original post by Ray_Han

Good plan

Hehehe...First step there. :gthumb:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 131

nuodai

Original post by Banishingboredom

Are you allowed to cattle prod tourists?

Yes. In fact, it's encouraged.

Reply 132

Dare-Mid

Original post by Banishingboredom

Are you allowed to cattle prod tourists?

We normally photobomb them. :colone:

Reply 133

ukdragon37

Original post by Banishingboredom

Are you allowed to cattle prod tourists?

Recently a friend got shouted at by the tourists for "skipping" when trying to enter her own college. A "I live here" managed to confuse the said tourist enough for her to pass unhindered.

Reply 134

nuodai

Original post by Onee-chan

Cambridgian(?)

Cantabrigian :wink:

Reply 135

Onee-chan

Original post by Banishingboredom

Are you allowed to cattle prod tourists?

Let me take a wild guess...YES?

Come on guys! Stop being so mean to tourists! They are nice, sweet, lovely and they look at you with adoration.

I was one of 'em. :cool:

Reply 136

ukdragon37

Original post by Onee-chan

Let me take a wild guess...YES?

Come on guys! Stop being so mean to tourists! They are nice, sweet, lovely and they look at you with adoration.

I was one of 'em. :cool:

American Woman: "Excuse me, is this college pre-War?"
Porter: "Madam, this college is pre-America."

Reply 137

DJkG.1

Great thread Doughnuts. :yy:

Reply 138

Dare-Mid

Original post by Onee-chan

Let me take a wild guess...YES?

Come on guys! Stop being so mean to tourists! They are nice, sweet, lovely and they look at you with adoration.

I was one of 'em. :cool:

They take photos of our name boards a lot and we've even had a few come into our corridors. And they harass the cat.