Before you arrive
We’ve got a Facebook page set up for this years freshers which will be emailed to you. Your lovely Freps (First Year Reps) will be available there to answer questions, or just to chat — we don’t bite, so come along and say hi!
Freps
Speaking of Freps, if you don’t have Facebook or you want to ask a question directly, you’re very welcome to email them directly. If they’re not in a position to answer your question they’ll be very glad to redirect you towards somebody who can. You can contact them at via any of their emails at https://www.jcr.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/jcr-committee/.
There are also some other useful contacts on the aptly named Useful Contacts page which may be of help.
College Parents
Every Fresher is given a college parent — a second year (usually) who will be available to answer questions, help you settle in, and be a friendly face who knows their way around the place already.
Your college parent will have a college “wife” or “husband” (perhaps more than one) also with a fresher child, thus making a happy family of four (or more). We try to pair freshers with parents of the same subject, or at least a related one, if at all possible. One evening in Freshers’ Week, you’ll be invited to a family meal prepared by your college parents. It’s a great way for us to get to know you and you to get to know us, and has the bonus of being good fun!
Your college parent should be in touch with you at some point before you arrive to introduce themselves.
Things people always forget
There are plenty of exhaustive lists of Things To Take To Uni, but there are some things that everybody seems to forget, so here’s a handy list of those instead:
- Coat-hangers — your room will probably have a few, but probably not enough
- Washing powder/tabs — the washers don’t have a powder drawer so I’d recommend tabs.
- Extension leads — can you ever have enough plugs? A webmaster certainly can’t…
- NHS number — you’ll need it to register at a GP in Cambridge
- Bike stuff (WD40, a pump, lights, etc.) — you’ll probably need to oil your chain fairly regularly when it’s exposed to the elements all of the time (there are no covered bike racks on central site)
- A blanket — for those cold Cambridge winters
Remember, though, Cambridge is a real city with real shops and a functional postal system, so if you forget something don’t panic — you can probably buy it here or get someone to send it down.