Socialising between colleges?

Hi everyone!
After getting accepted by Christ's College this January, I've been researching for several weeks but cannot seem to find certain information online...
I was just wondering if anyone knows how easy it is to make friends from other colleges? Whether there will be any mixed college events, for example, where students can get to know other undergraduates? As Christ's is quite a small college, I'm currently very nervous about not being able to find people who I will connect with from such a small selection, and feel that lectures will not be sufficient to bond properly with others. :s-smilie:

Similarly, are Cambridge students allowed to explore other colleges, or will they be treated like tourists and have to visit during certain hours etc.? By explore, I just mean to meander round the grounds of other colleges and see how they compare, or possibly attend a formal dinner.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond! :smile:

Reply 1

username1865079

14

Original post by nikknokk

Hi everyone!
After getting accepted by Christ's College this January, I've been researching for several weeks but cannot seem to find certain information online...
I was just wondering if anyone knows how easy it is to make friends from other colleges? Whether there will be any mixed college events, for example, where students can get to know other undergraduates? As Christ's is quite a small college, I'm currently very nervous about not being able to find people who I will connect with from such a small selection, and feel that lectures will not be sufficient to bond properly with others. :s-smilie:

Similarly, are Cambridge students allowed to explore other colleges, or will they be treated like tourists and have to visit during certain hours etc.? By explore, I just mean to meander round the grounds of other colleges and see how they compare, or possibly attend a formal dinner.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond! :smile:

No need to worry about such a thing at all.
To start with, Christ's is NOT a small college, there will be a plenty of people in your year group, most likely from diverse background and personalities, and the freshers week, college parent system, etc. will help you to start your life there as smoothly as possible and possibly meet someone you can make friends with.
I know many Cambridge students, but never met anyone who doesn't have any friend in their own colleges, including small colleges like Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi, peterhoise.

Also there're many university-wide clubs/societies you can join which will give you good opportunities to meet and intergrate with people from other colleges, too.
And from the second year onward (occasionally from the first year in some courses/colleges), you're likely to have supervisions with someone from other colleges, so that's another way to meet them.

You can go into other colleges to have a look around (or even have a lunch/drink in their buttery/cafe) if you want to. (If a porter stops you, mistaking you as a tourist, just show him your university card.)

Reply 2

Helenia

20

Original post by nikknokk

Hi everyone!
After getting accepted by Christ's College this January, I've been researching for several weeks but cannot seem to find certain information online...
I was just wondering if anyone knows how easy it is to make friends from other colleges? Whether there will be any mixed college events, for example, where students can get to know other undergraduates? As Christ's is quite a small college, I'm currently very nervous about not being able to find people who I will connect with from such a small selection, and feel that lectures will not be sufficient to bond properly with others. :s-smilie:

Similarly, are Cambridge students allowed to explore other colleges, or will they be treated like tourists and have to visit during certain hours etc.? By explore, I just mean to meander round the grounds of other colleges and see how they compare, or possibly attend a formal dinner.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond! :smile:

Societies or subject socials are usually the way people make friends with people from other colleges. Some subjects have more opportunity for inter-collegiate mingling than others, I think more for the sciences as you get more opportunity to talk to others in practical sessions than in lectures. Christ's is a fairly average-sized college, so you stand a reasonable chance of finding some like-minded people anyway!

You are allowed into other colleges as long as you have university ID, but some areas like libraries/accommodation will be swipe card/code entry so you would need to be let in by someone from that college. Likewise if you want to go to formal hall in another college you need to be a guest of someone at that college or on an organised hall swap (where a group of people from one college, usually a sports team or other society, buy tickets for a group from another college and all eat/drink together).

Reply 3

nikknokk

OP

2

Original post by nikknokk

Hi everyone!
After getting accepted by Christ's College this January, I've been researching for several weeks but cannot seem to find certain information online...
I was just wondering if anyone knows how easy it is to make friends from other colleges? Whether there will be any mixed college events, for example, where students can get to know other undergraduates? As Christ's is quite a small college, I'm currently very nervous about not being able to find people who I will connect with from such a small selection, and feel that lectures will not be sufficient to bond properly with others. :s-smilie:

Similarly, are Cambridge students allowed to explore other colleges, or will they be treated like tourists and have to visit during certain hours etc.? By explore, I just mean to meander round the grounds of other colleges and see how they compare, or possibly attend a formal dinner.
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to respond! :smile:

Original post by vincrows

No need to worry about such a thing at all.
To start with, Christ's is NOT a small college, there will be a plenty of people in your year group, most likely from diverse background and personalities, and the freshers week, college parent system, etc. will help you to start your life there as smoothly as possible and possibly meet someone you can make friends with.
I know many Cambridge students, but never met anyone who doesn't have any friend in their own colleges, including small colleges like Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi, peterhoise.

Also there're many university-wide clubs/societies you can join which will give you good opportunities to meet and intergrate with people from other colleges, too.
And from the second year onward (occasionally from the first year in some courses/colleges), you're likely to have supervisions with someone from other colleges, so that's another way to meet them.

You can go into other colleges to have a look around (or even have a lunch/drink in their buttery/cafe) if you want to. (If a porter stops you, mistaking you as a tourist, just show him your university card.)

Wow, thank you very much for responding so rapidly! I know it's a silly thing to worry about (especially as I haven't even passed my exams yet) but this was something I was very curious about. :tongue:

Do you happen to know how people join university-wide societies exactly? Is there a large societies fair open to all members of the university at the start of term where you can see what's on offer?
Also, do you know if all colleges have a college parent system? Because that would honestly be lovely :biggrin:

But thank you so much for your replies- it's so reassuring to know that I can take in the beauty of Kings College whenever I wish to!

Reply 4

Helenia

20

Original post by nikknokk

Wow, thank you very much for responding so rapidly! I know it's a silly thing to worry about (especially as I haven't even passed my exams yet) but this was something I was very curious about. :tongue:

Do you happen to know how people join university-wide societies exactly? Is there a large societies fair open to all members of the university at the start of term where you can see what's on offer?
Also, do you know if all colleges have a college parent system? Because that would honestly be lovely :biggrin:

But thank you so much for your replies- it's so reassuring to know that I can take in the beauty of Kings College whenever I wish to!

Societies' fair at the beginning of the year, everyone goes along, signs up to a million things and then actually attends one or two. Many of them have a couple of free Freshers' events before you actually have to pay any membership fees.

Most colleges have some sort of parenting/sibling system, though the exact details, and how involved your parents are, do vary.

Reply 5

Doones

21

Original post by nikknokk

Do you happen to know how people join university-wide societies exactly? Is there a large societies fair open to all members of the university at the start of term where you can see what's on offer?
Also, do you know if all colleges have a college parent system? Because that would honestly be lovely :biggrin:

Yes - that's one of the things at Freshers.

And yes Christ's does.

Socialising between colleges?

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