The Student Room Group

Anyone from/going to Sidney Sussex?

Hi. I'm applying to do English at Cambridge (among other places). Just wondering if there was anyone else out there at/applying for the same college. I haven't visited yet, but I guess I'll see it at interview in December. I think I probably chose it because apparently it's easier to self-cater there than in most of the other colleges, and it looks nice and quiet and friendly.

Anyone out there? :redface:
Kath

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I am applying for geography!! :smile:
Reply 2
Yay!!! I'm at Sidney: let me know if you have any questions or anything :smile:

("Easy to self-cater" - this does depend on where you are in college, although Sainsbury's being right next door is handy for cooking!)
Reply 3
Cool, thanks, I'll bear that in mind! Do some of the rooms not have self-catering facilities then? :-S It's quite essential in my case, with special dietary needs and stuff, plus my appetite's never huge so it would probably be cheaper. If it's a case of some rooms do, some rooms don't, what do you think the ratio is, and will I be allowed to choose nearer the time? *hopes* Do you make your own food? (because I hear the food they provide isn't too great :biggrin: )
Reply 4
MissKathica
Cool, thanks, I'll bear that in mind! Do some of the rooms not have self-catering facilities then? :-S It's quite essential in my case, with special dietary needs and stuff, plus my appetite's never huge so it would probably be cheaper. If it's a case of some rooms do, some rooms don't, what do you think the ratio is, and will I be allowed to choose nearer the time? *hopes* Do you make your own food? (because I hear the food they provide isn't too great :biggrin: )

Well, your room itself won't have catering facilities but the floors each have one or two kitchens - you usually end up with one kitchen between about 6 people. However they vary in size; Blundell Court kitchens are great, although it's currently being redeveloped and they're not sure what they're going to do with it afterwards (ie whether to make it 1st/2nd.3rd year accommodation). Garden Court's kitchens are a bit poky but it's perfectly possible to cook, you just have to conserve space! I'm living in a college-owned house this year; the kitchens in the houses are generally really nice :smile:

I do cook a little bit, but I'm out most evenings and so I tend to just nip to Hall as it's easier, more convenient and I don't have to pay for it til January! - though you're right, Hall food is very poor. Formal tonight was especially interesting; theere was creme brulee for dessert, which sounds great until you dip your spoon in and realise they haven't actually cooked it..!!! :mad:
Reply 5
Thanks, that was really helpful :smile:
Are the college-owned houses nearby then? Sharing with 6 people wouldn't bother me at all, just as long as I have a little oven with a cooking rings, and a fridge. Is that the kind of thing you get? Or will it just be microwaves and stuff? We don't have a microwave at home because mum doesn't 'agree with the principles' of cooking food that fast or in that way! :biggrin:
I hear that the college gardens are really nice. *tries to imagine Cambridge life compared to current one on a farm in Wales* heh.
Reply 6
Hehehe, if you're lucky you may get a microwave. It really does depend on the kitchen but most of them have little tiny oven things with hobs on top; they're not very good but they "do".

The college houses are fairly close I guess. I'm fifteen minutes' walk away which feels a long way when you get used to Cambridge timescales! Some of the houses are just round the corner from Sidney, which is really nice.

The gardens are lovely :smile: Not too big, but very secluded and natural; they don't feel too formal, which means you don't feel self-conscious about enjoying them properly!
Reply 7
if you end up in garden court(although dunno what they're going to do with the freshers next year) then R floor has a microwave i think. the ovens with hobs on top, baby bellings, are ok...they heat up really quickly...good for quick cheese toasties hehe.

i'm first year at sidney by the way, doing MML. u've probably heard/will find out that they're refurbing the 1st year accomodation, however, because it's going to be the nicest accomodation in college, they might not give it to first years again (rent will be pretty high i reckon) you'll probably, therefore, end up in garden court or somewhere else. hopefully not cromwell court, where i am. its about a 3 min walk from college, and although the rooms are ok, the stairwells and corridor things aren't great. but we are organised into flats which is pretty nice, we have our own little communities here.
Reply 8
MadNatSci


The gardens are lovely :smile: Not too big, but very secluded and natural; they don't feel too formal, which means you don't feel self-conscious about enjoying them properly!



cloister court gardens, and fellows gardens are stunning. and great for snowball fights :-D
Reply 9
priya
cloister court gardens, and fellows gardens are stunning. and great for snowball fights :-D

Incidentally, did you get auctioned? Did you go for a reaonable amount?

I'm surprised there was enough snow for a proper snowball fight, I only missed it by an hour and there wasn't enough then by a mile. Hopefully it'll snow in Jan again.

A.
Reply 10
It sounds really cool. Thanks for the info - really helps me to picture things. Sounds like my staple diet of pasta, rice and breakfast cereal won't be too hard to maintain. How about fridges and freezer bits and things like that? I'll miss oven chips and frozen veggie burgers, heh.
Alaric
Incidentally, did you get auctioned? Did you go for a reaonable amount?

I'm surprised there was enough snow for a proper snowball fight, I only missed it by an hour and there wasn't enough then by a mile. Hopefully it'll snow in Jan again.

A.

Oooh yeah priya.. I'm sure I saw you on the original list :biggrin: Mind you that was before all the hoo-ha (at some point Sidney will be in the papers for something positive...)!

You get a fridge in your room and there should also be a large fridge in the kitchen. However as far as I recall we didn't have a freezer in our first year, apart from a small freezer compartment in each fridge... Mind you I was ground floor Blundell so we had the tiniest kitchen in the world, which wouldn't have taken a freezer; there may be freezers in the others.

Priya - I have heard that Blundell is going to first, second AND third years from different people. Hope they make their minds up... From a selfish point of view I'd love it to be third-year because then I might get into college for my final year; but then the first years really ought to be in college...
MissKathica
Hi. I'm applying to do English at Cambridge (among other places). Just wondering if there was anyone else out there at/applying for the same college. I haven't visited yet, but I guess I'll see it at interview in December. I think I probably chose it because apparently it's easier to self-cater there than in most of the other colleges, and it looks nice and quiet and friendly.

Anyone out there? :redface:
Kath


With seven giant leaps at high speed you could make it into the front entrance of sainsbury's from your lodge!
Reply 13
Tom Holder
With seven giant leaps at high speed you could make it into the front entrance of sainsbury's from your lodge!


tried and tested eh? :tongue:

nicky....(and for anyone else curious) i did get auctioned, as a cheerleader with 6 other girls.....for the ultimate frisbee team. we did get 70 quid for it though. as for the TCS scandal....well....
Reply 14
MadNatSci


Priya - I have heard that Blundell is going to first, second AND third years from different people. Hope they make their minds up... From a selfish point of view I'd love it to be third-year because then I might get into college for my final year; but then the first years really ought to be in college...


but then what about sussex house and cloister court? i reeeally don't wanna be in cromwell again next year, only because of the divide thats occured between many freshers- all the cromwellians tend to stick together, and very few garden court people ever come this way. however if it came down to us being in cromwell or being in a house, then....
priya
but then what about sussex house and cloister court? i reeeally don't wanna be in cromwell again next year, only because of the divide thats occured between many freshers- all the cromwellians tend to stick together, and very few garden court people ever come this way. however if it came down to us being in cromwell or being in a house, then....

The divide was there last year anyway, speaking from experience - there was a massive divide between Garden and Blundell, so much so that I am literally just working out who some of the Garden people actually are! Though the divide between Cromwell and Garden is precisely one of the reasons they're considering allocating Blundell to first years!

There might be a stink kicked up if Cloister were allocated to first years, I don't know; although Blundell will be ensuite and yummy people do tend to want an old room :smile:

If it came down to cromwell or a house then.. what? You'd prefer Cromwell? I dunno, living in a house is kind of nice in a way, especially if you're with your ballot group. But I would definitely rather be in college in my third year; suspect I shall have to resign myself to the fact that it ain't gonna happen (I'll be second from bottom of the third year ballot...)

By the way, congrats on Monday night - you are very brave!
Reply 16
update on sidney accomodation: blundell may go to 2nd yrs :biggrin: with all grads living out of college. sidney want to try and buy the houses on malcolm street (literally at the back of college, nearer than cromwell court) for maybe 3rd yrs? and give sussex house and cloister to third yrs as well. have to see what happens. if all this goes to plan sidney will be able to accomodate everyone in college (or very nearby) for FOUR years, not just 3
priya
update on sidney accomodation: blundell may go to 2nd yrs :biggrin: with all grads living out of college. sidney want to try and buy the houses on malcolm street (literally at the back of college, nearer than cromwell court) for maybe 3rd yrs? and give sussex house and cloister to third yrs as well. have to see what happens. if all this goes to plan sidney will be able to accomodate everyone in college (or very nearby) for FOUR years, not just 3

Whoa, where'd you get that from?

I think top floor of Blundell may be fourth year too...
Reply 18
people have been talking to keith

it's all speculation though, 'parantly they wanted to buy malcolm street houses last year, but jesus got them.
Reply 19
just wanted to say, good luck to all the sidney MML interviewees!!! hope it went well!!