University of Cambridge Freshers Megathread 2016

Oh god, I cannot stand having unread emails in my inboxes... I unsubscribed from all newsletters/update emails for this sole purpose

Lol.
The ocd is real.


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It's practical too - it's easier to see when you've actually received an email you're waiting for if your icon just shows 1 or 2 instead of it changing from 4,452 to 4,453

All the accounts and stuff work now.
Exciting times guys.


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Unidays

I'm slightly worried about the social side of things. Throughout secondary school I didn't really have any close friends because (without sounding disrespectful) I found it hard to fin people with similar interests - my hobbies included following things like US politics and all that, so I struggled to find real friends. This has led to me being rather socially anxious, I just feel like people are judging me all the time when I'm out, even though I know that it's not the case. On the contrary I really enjoy the company of like minded people when I find them and I'm confident I'll find a few

I do however still have a concern. Although I can drink, I rarely go out and feel as though people look down on me because I don't attend my city's main nightclub every week or so. Since the majority of students at university do drink, I'm wondering whether this will be an issue - whether I'll be perceived as, perhaps "unsociable". I do plan to be lot more sociable within my college though when they organise their events like ents and what not.

Do I have any reason to be worried?

I'm slightly worried about the social side of things. Throughout secondary school I didn't really have any close friends because (without sounding disrespectful) I found it hard to fin people with similar interests - my hobbies included following things like US politics and all that, so I struggled to find real friends. This has led to me being rather socially anxious, I just feel like people are judging me all the time when I'm out, even though I know that it's not the case.

On the contrary I really enjoy the company of like minded people when I find them and I'm confident I'll find a few I do however still have a concern. Although I can drink, I rarely go out and feel as though people look down on me because I don't attend my city's main nightclub every week or so. Since the majority of students at university do drink, I'm wondering whether this will be an issue - whether I'll be perceived as, perhaps "unsociable". I do plan to be lot more sociable within my college though when they organise their events like ents and what not.

Do I have any reason to be worried?

Does anyone know approximately how much each meal is at college?

I know it can vary from college to college, but any approximations for any college, specifically girton would be useful as that's where I am going. Just trying to currently budget.

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It sounds like students don't really get much chance to mingle with other students from other colleges, only a few moments during lectures and societies?

I'm glad that you are confident that you'll find like minded people; I think you are quite correct! Your story is not an unusual one - Cambridge-bound bright youngsters often find themselves something of a misfit at school; big fish in small ponds and all that. Although it will be stressful at first, Cambridge is the sort of place where you can flourish.

I'm a parent, by the way, and was at Cambridge myself a (cough) number of years ago.



I'll leave this for others with more recent experience of the social culture at Cambridge. But when I was there, there were many students who didn't drink alcohol and I get the impression there still are. I wouldn't be surprised if the crowd you get in with would simply not regard it as an issue; and you wouldn't want to get in with the crowd for which it would be an issue.



Try and go with the assurance that there is a place for you in the social scene at Cambridge. It will be up to you to find it, though, and you may find the first term stressful as you search. Try to keep your eyes open for opportunities and not let any setbacks get you down!

Best of luck!

I think you'll find people you feel comfortable being with more easily at Cambridge than you were at your school/s.
There's a quite a few 'social-awkward' types, not just extreme-mathmos or geeky natsci/comscis, but in all subjects.
Also, unlike schools, most students are so busy with their works and other non-academic commitments, and everyone is on different timetable/schedule, so people move around much more independently and often you only have a chance to mix/mingle with others who just happened to be in a same club/society or in the same lectures/supervisions. It's very different from a class at school where everyone knows each other and gossip about other people.
So please don't worry too much.

But, it's quite important you have some friends you can share your hobby/passion/interest,, too, as when things get really tough, they are the people who can support you and give you some breathing space away from your work.
There're so many clubs/society of various kinds, some college-based, some pan-university, so I'm sure you can find something that'd interest you and meet other like-minded people. If you can't find any, you can start one yourself.