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University of Cambridge Freshers Megathread 2016

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Original post by Saracen's Fez
It becomes normal after a while (until you go and visit another college or something – then the camera comes out). What it has done though is make me appreciate the Welsh hills more when I go back home.

I guess you kind of see both home and Cambridge as a tourist sometimes when you've been away for a while.


Yeah I suppose my town will just look like even more of a dump everytime I come home lol
Original post by vincrows

I hope we see it again this year :colonhash:
Original post by Serine Soul
I hope we see it again this year :colonhash:


It's more fun if it snows during term times (preferably only during a weekend).
Can have lots of fun with your friends on the college ground.
In the first winter my daughter had at Cambridge, they had heavy snow one weekend and a group of her friends piled up snow in the entrance to someone's corridor to the ceiling, so that the residents couldn't come out. :biggrin:
And still got done snow left to build a (muddy) snowman, too.
Original post by vincrows


2010? I thought there was another one around that time too...

Original post by Serine Soul
Yeah I suppose my town will just look like even more of a dump everytime I come home lol


That happens every holidays too. (Yeah the hills are lovely, doesn't make the towns less ****.)
Original post by threeportdrift
There's a middle ground, but bike theft in Cambridge is an issue. You would be unwise to bring a new or expensive looking bike. in part the problem is the way your bike is used, not like at home where you might take one trip a week and leave it locked up in a shed overnight. At Cam, students tend to be whizzing around and leaving their bikes in 10 different places a day and at all sorts of unplanned stops where finding a perfect, well lit, secure lock up site just doesn't happen.

Plus there are well organised groups who steal bikes in the city and immediately ship them out to other towns. Bike theft is much more than just drunks opportunistically riding off on a Friday night, it's well organised and happens in broad daylight in the middle of town. So bike theft is very much more frequent than in most towns, but sure the numbers show that most people will be able to keep their bike for 3 years if they buy a big lock!

It makes life much easier when rushing between lectures, talks, societies etc etc to use a bike. The roads are busy, but bikes tend to win unless you do something very silly like jump a red light at the Silver Street junction. There are more and more bike paths and off-road routes being created as well.


I don't see how "very commonly" is an exaggeration - it's not really a quantitative phrase. I am just using the exact words which my uncle told me. He has worked in Cambridge for the last 25 years. He warned me not to buy an electric bike as it will be stolen very quickly. Nevertheless, if you are careful then it is unlikely your bike will be stolen.

It is probably the case that there is a middle ground as threeportdrift said.

I have lived in Cambridge before. Furthermore, my uncle and aunt have worked there for the last 25 years. I might not have much information about how the university works as I haven't started yet but I am not completely uninformed about the area. So, I don't think it is fair to denigrate my knowledge of the matter. It'd be really appreciated if you let people explain their views before saying it's just something they "don't know."

Thank you. :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 205
Avatar for NS1205
NS1205
Original post by Gingerlamps1335
I can't believe I got in!! Is anyone else going to St catharines or doing Law??


I'm doing Law but not at St Catharines. Really excited to start!
Reply 206
Avatar for NS1205
NS1205
Anyone know if there's a way to get Microsoft Office free through the university? Just had to get my hard drive completely replaced and I don't have Microsoft Office anymore, I know that some unis here in Australia give all students Microsoft Office so was wondering if Cambridge does that, just so I don't buy it then find out soon after that I could have it for free.
Original post by NS1205
Anyone know if there's a way to get Microsoft Office free through the university? Just had to get my hard drive completely replaced and I don't have Microsoft Office anymore, I know that some unis here in Australia give all students Microsoft Office so was wondering if Cambridge does that, just so I don't buy it then find out soon after that I could have it for free.


I remember seeing something on the St John's JCR website here: http://sjcjcr.com/freshers/what-to-bring/ under the section 'Things you might want to wait and see about'.
Reply 208
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fodw
4
Original post by NS1205
Anyone know if there's a way to get Microsoft Office free through the university? Just had to get my hard drive completely replaced and I don't have Microsoft Office anymore, I know that some unis here in Australia give all students Microsoft Office so was wondering if Cambridge does that, just so I don't buy it then find out soon after that I could have it for free.


LibreOffice is what I use. It is compatible with MS office and completely free. (Free as in freedom and as in price). I don't really see why anyone would pay ~£100 for software not much (if at all) better than free alternatives.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Serine Soul
I can't remember the last time it snowed on Christmas here ngl but there should be some in Jan/Feb!

Ah, going out on cold, foggy mornings, walking past the river to lectures...

Current students do you always stay in awe or does it just become normal after a while?


I focus on trying not to die of cold
Is the gym at Cambridge free to use? Or do you need membership


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Original post by Medic_12345
Is the gym at Cambridge free to use? Or do you need membership


Posted from TSR Mobile


Which gym are you talking about?
If it's a gym at your college, it's usually free.
If it's the one in the university's sports centre,bthere's a membership fee you have to pay.
http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/membership/membership-types/students

Edit：if you play a particular sport and become a member of the club, some of them have their own facility of gym/training equipments which is free for the members.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by vincrows
Which gym are you talking about?
If it's a gym at your college, it's free.
If it's the one in the university's sports centre,bthere's a membership fee you have to pay.
http://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/membership/membership-types/students

Edit：if you play a particular sport and become a member of the club, some of them have their own facility of gym/training equipments which is free for the members.


Thank you! I meant college gym


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Reply 213
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eniet
6
Original post by Medic_12345
Thank you! I meant college gym


The cost depends on your college; different colleges levy different rates. For example, in King's the annual subscription fee for the two college gyms is 40 pounds / year.
Original post by Medic_12345
Thank you! I meant college gym


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Original post by eniet
The cost depends on your college; different colleges levy different rates. For example, in King's the annual subscription fee for the two college gyms is 40 pounds / year.


It's completely free to use the gym at my daughter's college. I think there're more colleges that allow their students to use the facility for free than who charge, afaik.
I amended my earlier post to add 'usually' anyway....
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by vincrows
It's completely free to use the gym at my daughter's college. I think there're more colleges that allow their students to use the facility for free than who charge, afaik.


Do you know if Homerton charges?


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Original post by Medic_12345
Do you know if Homerton charges?


Posted from TSR Mobile


The only thing I know about their gym is the present one was built quite recently o, allegedly thanks to great single-handed effort by a 'legendary JCR president' (in joke among athe Tab reader...:tongue:).
I think you can find it out if they do on their website. :wink: Try their page in 'facilities' or 'sports'. It's usually there.
Original post by NS1205
Anyone know if there's a way to get Microsoft Office free through the university? Just had to get my hard drive completely replaced and I don't have Microsoft Office anymore, I know that some unis here in Australia give all students Microsoft Office so was wondering if Cambridge does that, just so I don't buy it then find out soon after that I could have it for free.


I think they do;

http://www.uis.cam.ac.uk/initiatives/ees/office-365-proplus
Original post by D3LLI5
I focus on trying not to die of cold


Ah do you come from a warmer place?
Original post by Serine Soul
Ah do you come from a warmer place?


Only oxfordshire. Cambridge gets really cold for some reason, apparently it's to do with nothing standing in the way of cold winds from siberia. Sure feels like it anyway haha.

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