I'm leaving a week on saturday and am worried, not sure why. Think am gonna miss the g/f and I'm not great at meeting people. Ah well we'll see, should be ok once I get up there.
just remember that most people will be feeling exactly like that, a combination of nerves and excitement in varying levels, and you'll be fine at making new friends. i won't bother telling anyone about what it's like at cambridge, cause I doubt anyone is going and i suspect it's very different without the small college atmosphere... Alaric. (taking some beers or something is a good plan... gives you a line to start conversations with your new housemates too)
I'm quite glad I didn't go to Cambridge- having visited the place I'm sure I would have been bored ****less after about a month! Mind you, they didn't want me anyway, but thats what you get for coming from Scotland (it is nigh on impossible to get in to do Science if you're from north of the border, 'cos the entrance exams are based on the A level sylabus and we don't do them up here) Anyway, I'm sure theres lots of good points about Oxbridge but I'm happy I came to Edinburgh (there aren't quite as many Yahs here as you'd think, and they're easy to avoid anyway ;-) ) Sam
Woo! I'm going to Edinburgh!!! Any tips?!? The freshers people have been excelent putting on so many activities
Are you staying in Pollock Halls? Which house? If so, its a good idea to go on the pub crawls that each house organises (Pollock is split up into about ten "houses"). If you're staying in a flat I'm pretty sure they run similar things for the block. Even if you don't drink its a good way to meet people. Normally a good idea to take ID with you because all the pubs know its freshers week (ooh, and get a snapfax or three- they normally give them out at Adam House (where you need to go to Matriculate) . You'll no doubt end up in Teviot or Potterow at some point (the two main Unions- there are about 5 or 6 in total I think) and these'll be packed all week. Go to the societies fair (I think its on the Wed/Thurs of fresher's week). About 99% of the Uni societies (and there are a lot of them) will have a stall at it, and its the best way to find out all about clubs and socs. With my Freshers' pack I got a book all about the societies, you might have one or check out http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies for more info. I really recommend joining at least one society because its a great way to meet people. Depending what course you're going to do, lots of courses also organise "getting to know you" type things (Vets and Medics are especially good at this). Anyway, other than that I can't really think of anything to add- but I'm sure you'll like Edinburgh (I do) and on the whole everyone is really friendly. Cheers Sam
The cheeky girls at your freshers ball, you lucky things Our lot have Girls Aloud - not a whole lot better.
I'm staying in chancellor's court in Pollock Halls, I'll make sure I'll go on their pub crawls What's a snapfax? Yeah I was thinking bout joining the PC gamer society and maybe a couple of music ones
Ahh, Chancellors Court. Thats the newest one- just built last year. Not been in it but it looks swish. A snapfax? http://www.snapfax.co.uk/StudentSnapfax.asp explains all. Music Societies? What do you play? You should come to EUWB: http://www.eusa.ed.ac.uk/societies/euwb cheers Sam
I never got into using linux because it doesn't work very well with my modem, Speed Touch USB. Time to befriend people I think I'm in the Westwood Halls as my dad didn't believe i could look after myself with food. Atleast i get a large room! Are the Westwood Halls really that far away? Thanks a lot for the pointers Ricx I was planning to go the gym but now i've got some real incentive to work out....
Yup, definitely recommended My advice to freshers would be not to worry if you find that fresher's week doesn't live up to all the "best week of your life" hype. And windsurfing in the Firth of Forth after a week of no sleep whatsoever is a surefire way to end up with freshers' flu.
I don't play anything Was thinking more music appretiation, societies like Indie's OK, Goth and Rock (allthough I'm not sure about the goth bit), pity there isn't a punk rock type society.
I'm going to Cardiff but I've no idea what I'm gunna do when I get there. I know that most people will be arriving this Saturday so that's when I'm gunna go get my key and move in. But then what? I don't think the lectures start till a few days later. I was kind of expecting to have some sort of assembly or meeting where they tell us what to do next...
yes i noticed the wink, but... That isn't at all what I meant. I expect telling people about integrating into a community of a hundred is totally different to integrating into a community of several thousand. I doubt other places have such oddities as matriculation dinner, college parents cooking you meals, the pub crawl in pyjamas, formal halls etc... it just isn't likely to be useful, if anyone is going i'll of course tell them all about it... and maybe even meet them to frighten them even more when they arrive . I think Oxford has a stronger contingent here, so I know peeps aren't stupid won't disagree with you there, not exactly known for its nightlife, feeder did come to a local venue last year though. It's not for everyone, some of my friends kept going down to london etc, others make their own fun from threshers... Me, I'm no fun though, so i fit in fine... That is a problem, I know a few scots in the sciences, but disproportionately low amount of them. My physics supervisor last year had just joined the astronomy dept to do a phd after doing his first degree in edinburgh, so it's slightly better once you have a degree I suppose. You also tend to start uni a year earlier in scotland too, which surely cannot help. Alaric.
Mr Plow- at least Louise is pretty to look at Slick- I know a few people who are in the Goth/Rock society, they're pretty nice people (well the ones I know) and they run a monthly club night as I recall. Can't do any harm to take a look anyway! What course are you coming to do anyway? I'm guessing something sciency? Alaric, the problem seems to be that Cambridge and Oxford base their entrance exams on A levels, whilst scottish exams are different. I know of at least one guy up here who gets over 90% in all his maths exams without doing any work, but he failed (!) his STEP paper! There's something not right there! As for postgrad stuff, you're right, I know a fair few folk who have gone down that way to do Phds and the like- I think once you have your degree the playing field is levelled a bit. What college are you at? I applied to Trinity, but with hindsight I should have set my sights a little lower when it came to applying for Maths/Physics degrees there! Cheers Sam
A few guys from my school in the year above me went to Oxford/Cambridge this year. I don't really think the problem is the A-level thing. With 3 good Scottish Advanced Highers you should get in fairly easily I expect. After all, they're regarded higher than A-levels. Would be a different story if you were trying to get in with only Highers, but what do you expect. Personally, I wouldn't really want to go to Oxford/Cambridge. I don't really want to stereotype anyone, but generally, I imagine it's more English posh lads that go, and I expect social levels would be different. Anyhow, one of our Glasgow universities, Strathclyde, beat Oxford or Cambridge (can't rememeber) on university challenge the other night
Yeh, I think all the mathematicians bar one at my school failed to get the grades they needed in STEP further maths... Having tried a couple of STEP papers 'for fun' I can say that they aren't! I think the idea is they challenge in a way that is different from the alevel/advanced higher/AEA papers... and don't necessarily even cover quite the same material. Glad I chose a college that didn't require them, my entrance exam was much easier, although was apparently almost impossible for non further mathematicians. I'm at Clare btw, it hasn't quite got the same world reknowned name as somewhere like kings, queens or trinity but I think I made the right choice. The thing you realise when you get here is that there are some insane trinity people, we're talking naturally obscenely clever at maths and physics etc. You may have had more luck at a different college, I dunno. I probably shouldn't even be at Cambridge given my a-level results, but they took me anyhow, so I guess it just goes to show they are a bit mad on their admissions procedures!!1!ONE I really don't think anyone should expect to get in easily, some are arrogant enough to think it though. Hey - you're stereotyping me ! I don't really fit the stereotype, yeh I'm English (part scottish) and male, but I'm what would be regarded as middle class and went to a state school (albeit a selective one). Perhaps I'm slightly cocooned in my ickle(ish) fairly left wing college, we have were one of the first male colleges to accept women undergrads (1972 I believe) and now have approximately a 50:50 balance of males and females. We have a high (for cambridge) ratio of state to private schools (last I looked ~70:~30), without a stronger positive discrimination system like I believe they have at Kings. Most people at Clare are pretty normal, and most seem to be what would be regarded as middle class. Of course there are exceptions, and worse colleges. Peterhouse is known in cambridge (perhaps unfairly?) for its disproportionatly high male:female ratio and its posh make up. You can find really posh people fairly easily. I ran into the remains of the polo society annual dinner in a bar, maybe them all being in white tie didn't help, but nearly all of them struck me as ridiculously posh - as you'd probably expect. I'd suggest a better stereotype from my impression would be of the middle classes in general, the male/female thing is largely balanced now. Much more so than somewhere like imperial from what i'm told. There are also some properly posh people, and a distinct lack of what people would regard as working class. I suspect that is a lot to do with the stereotypes, and I for one, would welcome more people from 'the working classes' coming up. But then, I've already declared I'm at a fairly left wing college . I could go on more about equality (or lack of) and I haven't even touched on the government's proposed tuition fees... but I better stop before RTT batters me with a rather large plackard complaining about my long rants ;p Yeh I saw, it was St. Hughes Oxford I think. Remember it's a university versus just a college though. The Strathclyde team had a shaky start but finished well and looked strong, the hughs team just seemed rubbish and I thought they missed some fairly easy questions. Last year Clare got beaten by some old men from Birkbeck, London in the second round. Think they went on to be runners up in the final, can't quite remember though. On a slightly more on topic note, the freshers seem to have arrived at Kent, they were making a racket at 2am the other night, could hear them from my house. Must be having fun though Alaric.
