The Student Room Group

Hall Help Caius

Hi.

First time poster here. I've got a place at Caius starting this October. Problem is I'm severely autistic, and I get really nervous/ socially anxious very easily. I guess that's why TSR is so good.

One thing that worries me is the hall set-up. I've heard caius is pretty big on hall and the social side of it. I have a few questions (having been pooled there- applied to Pembroke).

1) How does lunch and dinner work? Do you get a tray and go get served, or do you sit and wait? I'm not planning on doing Formals, so normal hall advice would be good here.

2) Are there unspoken rules about who sits where? So, are there groups that sit together in a specific spot? What happens if you don't have a group and a loner? Do you just sit by yourself?

3) Will people notice if I sit alone? Will they bother me? If I didnt turn up for a long time and then turned up, would that count against me?

4) What if I dont make friends? Can I eat at hall? Or would me being a loner be better off using the microwave?

5) Can you wear headphones and eat?

Thanks.

P.S. Do you get maken fun of if you are friends with people from other years? E.g. a fresher friends with a second year and vice versa.?
(edited 8 years ago)
Bump
Hey, I just finished my first year reading law at Caius, lets see if I can be of assistance. :smile:
Original post by nervousparanoia
Hi.

First time poster here. I've got a place at Caius starting this October. Problem is I'm severely autistic, and I get really nervous/ socially anxious very easily. I guess that's why TSR is so good.

Congrats. Caius is a fantastic college and you're almost certainly going to have an amazing time. Worrying about things is natural at this stage. :smile:


One thing that worries me is the hall set-up. I've heard caius is pretty big on hall and the social side of it. I have a few questions (having been pooled there- applied to Pembroke).

Yep, at Caius there is the "MDR" (minimum dining requirement) which stipulates that you must pay for a certain number of meals per term (whether or not you actually go to them).


1) How does lunch and dinner work? Do you get a tray and go get served, or do you sit and wait? I'm not planning on doing Formals, so normal hall advice would be good here.

Lunch is optional, but on every day (except for weekends, where it is replaced by brunch).

For lunch it's a canteen system where you take a tray, get your food (served to you, just like your average canteen), then sit down.

For first/formal hall (the routine is the same for both) you sit down and all your food is brought to you. There's always a starter; main; and dessert. The only difference with formal hall is that you stand when the fellows walk in and there's a short Latin prayer before the starter is served (and obviously you wear the Caius gown).


2) Are there unspoken rules about who sits where? So, are there groups that sit together in a specific spot? What happens if you don't have a group and a loner? Do you just sit by yourself?

None at all, you sit anywhere you like (or more frequently where there is a space or where you see a friend).

If you want to sit alone you can, but first hall is pretty full most days (formal less so, after the first few weeks the novelty wears off) so some people may come sit near you due to a lack of space.

But this isn't really anything to worry about, there's almost always someone you'll recognise or will recognise you.


3) Will people notice if I sit alone? Will they bother me? If I didnt turn up for a long time and then turned up, would that count against me?

Due to hall being all but mandatory you're unlikely to be sat with no one even close to you, so you won't stand out. In reality, people won't care who you're sat with. What do you mean by bother you? Some may ask to sit with you if they see you're alone and try to be friendly, but if you're opposed to that you could politely reject their attempts to be friendly? :wink:

Do you mean if you turned up to hall late or if you didn't go to hall frequently? Neither will 'count against' you in any way whatsoever (except that you'll be paying for meals you won't be getting - it's only compulsory to pay, they can't physically force you to go (nor do they attempt to)).


4) What if I dont make friends? Can I eat at hall? Or would me being a loner be better off using the microwave?

You will most definitely make friends during freshers week, I'm far from the most sociable of people and I shared some of your concerns before I started too but now I can look back and laugh at how worried I was for no good reason :tongue:

I honestly think you're worrying about this way too much! Caius is a very friendly college, you're certainly not going to get judged or what-not for sitting at hall alone!


5) Can you wear headphones and eat?

There's no dress-code per se, but headphones/hats aren't allowed. You're sat in a rather grand dining hall with 150-180 fellow students, you'd look a bit strange (not to mention impressively anti-social and a tad rude) wearing headphones. :yep:


P.S. Do you get maken fun of if you are friends with people from other years? E.g. a fresher friends with a second year and vice versa.?

By who!? :lol:

As I said above, the people at Caius (and at Cambridge as a whole) are overwhelmingly mature and friendly - it's not like school where people are mocked for certain things etc - we're all adults now. :tongue:

I hope I've been able to help allay some of your concerns, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. :smile:
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Law-Hopeful
Hey, I just finished my first year reading law at Caius, lets see if I can be of assistance. :smile:

Congrats. Caius is a fantastic college and you're almost certainly going to have an amazing time. Worrying about things is natural at this stage. :smile:


Yep, at Caius there is the "MDR" (minimum dining requirement) which stipulates that you must pay for a certain number of meals per term (whether or not you actually go to them).


Lunch is optional, but on every day (except for weekends, where it is replaced by brunch).

For lunch it's a canteen system where you take a tray, get your food (served to you, just like your average canteen), then sit down.

For first/formal hall (the routine is the same for both) you sit down and all your food is brought to you. There's always a starter; main; and dessert. The only difference with formal hall is that you stand when the fellows walk in and there's a short Latin prayer before the starter is served (and obviously you wear the Caius gown).


None at all, you sit anywhere you like (or more frequently where there is a space or where you see a friend).

If you want to sit alone you can, but first hall is pretty full most days (formal less so, after the first few weeks the novelty wears off) so some people may come sit near you due to a lack of space.

But this isn't really anything to worry about, there's almost always someone you'll recognise or will recognise you.


Due to hall being all but mandatory you're unlikely to be sat with no one even close to you, so you won't stand out. In reality, people won't care who you're sat with. What do you mean by bother you? Some may ask to sit with you if they see you're alone and try to be friendly, but if you're opposed to that you could politely reject their attempts to be friendly? :wink:

Do you mean if you turned up to hall late or if you didn't go to hall frequently? Neither will 'count against' you in any way whatsoever (except that you'll be paying for meals you won't be getting - it's only compulsory to pay, they can't physically force you to go (nor do they attempt to)).


You will most definitely make friends during freshers week, I'm far from the most sociable of people and I shared some of your concerns before I started too but now I can look back and laugh at how worried I was for no good reason :tongue:

I honestly think you're worrying about this way too much! Caius is a very friendly college, you're certainly not going to get judged or what-not for sitting at hall alone!


There's no dress-code per se, but headphones/hats aren't allowed. You're sat in a rather grand dining hall with 150-180 fellow students, you'd look a bit strange (not to mention impressively anti-social and a tad rude) wearing headphones. :yep:


By who!? :lol:

As I said above, the people at Caius (and at Cambridge as a whole) are overwhelmingly mature and friendly - it's not like school where people are mocked for certain things etc - we're all adults now. :tongue:

I hope I've been able to help allay some of your concerns, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. :smile:



Wow. That was great. You've really eased my nerves somewhat. Just a few quick questions? How bad is the food really? I've heard horror stories... Also, are there cliques and groups? How often do people go clubbing? What do most people do after studying?
Original post by nervousparanoia
Wow. That was great. You've really eased my nerves somewhat. Just a few quick questions? How bad is the food really? I've heard horror stories... Also, are there cliques and groups? How often do people go clubbing? What do most people do after studying?

I'm glad I was able to help! :smile:

The food is... Variable. :tongue: The horror stories (which we've all heard) are grossly exaggerated, though. You get a 3 course meal every day for £4 so it is great value for money and they've taken real steps to improve the quality of the food in recent years. There's an online page where you can see the menu for the next week or so (and book which you would like to go to) and for each meal you can give a thumbs up or thumbs down (and leave comments), so they are definitely making an effort to improve and I'd say the food is actually bordering on quite good now!

Friendship groups form quite quickly during freshers week, but no 'cliques', per se.

Throughout the term people go clubbing at least once a week, some go (a lot) more, some don't go at all - it's completely up to you.

The Caius library closes near midnight (I can't remember the exact time, might be 1am) so once you're done studying you go to bed :wink: But you're at university now so you can choose how to spend your time - if that means you get your work done in 2 hours and want to spend the rest of it punting/going out etc then that's fine, but if you don't have any work to do (a rare occasion) and want to spend your day in pyjamas in bed away from the rest of the world, that's also fine :tongue:
Reply 5
Original post by Law-Hopeful
As I said above, the people at Caius (and at Cambridge as a whole) are overwhelmingly mature and friendly - it's not like school where people are mocked for certain things etc - we're all adults now. :tongue:

I hope I've been able to help allay some of your concerns, if you have any more questions feel free to ask. :smile:


And does Caius have college "parents and siblings"? If so i imagine they might help a nervous/paranoid new student settle in...
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by nervousparanoia
x


Original post by jneill
And does Caius have college "parents and siblings"? If so i imagine they might help a nervous/paranoid new student settle in...

Good point, yes we do!

Everyone is assigned college "parents" and a college "sibling" and during freshers week there are numerous events organised where your college family help you find your way around Caius/Cambridge and generally settle down.

Your college parents in particular remain a source of help/advice throughout the year (and beyond) and are always available to help with any issues you may be having (or, if they can't be of direct assistance, point you in the right direction to someone who can be).
Also there's university's Disability Resource Centre that will be a good support throughout your course.
If OP has already disclosed his autism at the application, they'll probably contact him before the term starts to advice him what to do to get support from them when he arrived.
If they don't know about it yet. I'd strongly advice to contact them before you start. They're really good and have experience in supporting and dealing with students with a spectrum of autism, like Asperger's.
http://www.disability.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/current-students
Ah. Thanks- just waiting for that email!
Reply 9
Original post by nervousparanoia
Ah. Thanks- just waiting for that email!


I can say with 100% confidence all offer holders have the same nervous paranoia about Results Day :wink:

Good luck for the Day, and when you start at Caius!
Original post by nervousparanoia
Ah. Thanks- just waiting for that email!


Good! Be assured you're in the good hand.:smile: They really have good expertise.
Hope you have a great time at Cambridge. And please don't worry about those things you asked about. Uni is not like a school, esp. Cambridge. People tend to be more grown up and accommodating about other people.
Just be yourself. You'll be fine.
And if you find something not easy to cope, you can go and talk to your tutor, too. That's what he/she is there for. :smile:
Original post by Law-Hopeful
For first/formal hall (the routine is the same for both) you sit down and all your food is brought to you. There's always a starter; main; and dessert. The only difference with formal hall is that you stand when the fellows walk in and there's a short Latin prayer before the starter is served (and obviously you wear the Caius gown).


Do you usually wear a suit and tie/bow-tie under the gown?
Original post by Rhetorical Hips
Do you usually wear a suit and tie/bow-tie under the gown?

Nope, not at Caius anyway.

That's because we have formal hall every day, though. Most colleges have formal hall less often so have a dress code (beyond just the gown).
Original post by Law-Hopeful
Nope, not at Caius anyway.

That's because we have formal hall every day, though. Most colleges have formal hall less often so have a dress code (beyond just the gown).


Fe, thanks :smile:
Original post by nervousparanoia
Ah. Thanks- just waiting for that email!


It's worth adding that if hall becomes a significantly stressful experience for you, you should speak to your tutor to discuss options - I've heard of them reducing/removing minimum dining requirement for students who have difficulties with it in some way.
Original post by earthboy
It's worth adding that if hall becomes a significantly stressful experience for you, you should speak to your tutor to discuss options - I've heard of them reducing/removing minimum dining requirement for students who have difficulties with it in some way.


Thats really nice of them. Not sure whether my nerves would cut it as a proper excuse though!

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