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Freshers Guide Robinson College Cambridge 2009 Page 2 Hello and welcome to the RCSA Freshers Guide 2009 We thought it would be a good idea for you to have all the information you ll need in your first few weeks at Robinson in one place so we put together this booklet As you know the College also produces a handbook but this one is entirely written by students and hopefully therefore gives an alternative perspective as well as information that the College might not have thought about Use it with the official College Handbook and most of your questions should be answered if they re not try contacting an RCSA Committee Member Our details can be found in the We re here to help section We really hope you enjoy Freshers Week and that it will provide an exciting beginning to a brilliant time at Robinson and at Cambridge Good luck Rahul Page 3 Contents JCR President s Welcome 4 Introduction to the RCSA 5 Money Money Money 6 Bank Accounts 6 Food Costs 6 Living Costs 7 Budgeting 7 College Life 8 A Day in the Life 8 College Societies 8 Catering and Amenities in College 9 Catering 9 Amenities 9 Accommodation 11 Welfare Arrangements 12 Keeping it Green 13 Recycling 13 Food 13 Being energy efficient 14 How to get more involved 14 International Students 16 Ents 17 Town and Gown 18 Eating out 18 Other stuff 18 Access 19 How to set up your computer 20 Laundry 21 Signing Up With A GP 21 Freshers Week Programme 22 We re here to help 25 Useful Contacts 31 Page 4 JCR President s Welcome Hi everyone Congratulations on making your way through exams the UCAS system interviews more exams packing flying driving walking and finally getting here to Robinson as a fresher You can now start looking forward to the amazing opportunities that being an undergrad at one of the world s greatest universities offers Robinson really is a great college that absolutely everyone fits into as the youngest college in Cambridge we ve managed to maintain some of the better traditions whilst keeping up with the fact that it is indeed 2009 It s also great in terms of location we re less than ten minutes walk from town but we avoid the inconvenience of tourists knocking on our windows or having to wait until they ve taken a photo when you re running late for a lecture If you re an arts student you re definitely in luck as most of the arts faculties are on the Sidgwick Site about five minutes walk from Robinson If you have a bike or want to get hold of one you can probably halve those times lots of students manage without one though including me which other cyclists probably appreciate Bikes can be incredibly useful though especially if your lectures or supervisions are far away We re going to have a rather terrifying cycle safety talk in the first few days filled with friendly reminders of why you should wear a helmet One of the very best things about college is our gardens They re actually a sort of mega garden produced from the gardens of all the houses that were here before the college Most colleges enforce a somewhat archaic rule that only Fellows may walk on their grass depressing I know but Robinson not only allows but actively encourages you to walk picnic read and generally make merry throughout the gardens Oh as long as you clear up after yourself Again unlike some other colleges our accommodation also has the benefit of being built in the last half century This means that nearly all rooms are either en suite or share a bathroom with just one other person and are warm comfortable and have sufficient plug points Our lovely friendly bedders also provide and change your bed linen as well as cleaning our rooms so we re pretty spoilt Our food as will be explained later is rumoured to be the best in the University something you ll probably appreciate more after taking part in formal swaps with other colleges It s also quite reasonably priced and there s always an at least edible veggie option Something you ll discover quickly is that there isn t a typical Binsonite the college is home to people from a vast variety of backgrounds all we have in common is that we work hard and play harder Freshers Week can be stressful but it can also be the best week of your life Use our Guide on page 22 to work out we ve got on offer but remember to keep time free to do your own stuff too I ve had a lot of fun putting together this guide and I look forward to meeting all of you Rahul Mansigani September 2009 Page 5 Introduction to the RCSA Rob Beagrie RCSA stands for Robinson College Students Association which is fairly self explanatory The RCSA headed by a President consists of 19 elected officers who represent the views and opinions of Robinson students to the college authorities and provide amenities and funds for student welfare As a student of Robinson College you are automatically a member of the RCSA for free unless you choose to opt out You ll likely be blissfully unaware of a lot of the work RCSA Officers do which consists of sitting on various committees with senior college staff but there are some aspects of our job that should be more conspicuous The whole committee under the direction of the Vice President helps to plan and organise Freshers week at the beginning of Michaelmas term The RCSA Ents Officers and the Ents committee are responsible for planning and running the vast majority of college Ents mainly bops and bar nights The Welfare Committee consisting of the Men s Women s LBGT Ethnic Minorities and Overseas officers and overseen by the Welfare officer run a number of termly welfare events as well as providing help and support to students in need In addition to this the RCSA holds eight Open Meetings a year three each in Michaelmas and Lent plus two in Easter Open Meetings are your chance to get your voice heard and for the RCSA to keep everyone up to speed with what we ve been doing Any RCSA member can propose a motion at an Open Meeting and any RCSA member can vote on a motion Motions are basically things that people want the RCSA to do examples of motions passed at last year s Open Meetings include Buying a PA for the bar Setting up a DVD Library Buying a Nintendo Wii plus games for the JCR Setting up a Video Games Society The second Open Meeting of Michaelmas term is the RCSA Budget Meeting at which the budget for all of the College Societies including for example Brickhouse the Choir and the Boat Club is set for the following year As you can see the RCSA does a lot to support Robinson students and keep college life running smoothly Being a committee member is hard work but it s also very rewarding and often even fun If you re interested in joining the RCSA the election of new officials will take place about halfway through Michaelmas term The best way to decide if running for election is something you might be interested in is to contact the current Officer in the position of your choice a list of current RCSA officers can be found towards the back of this booklet and all of them will be very willing to help you out with any questions or difficulties you might have Page 6 Money Money Money or How I Learnt To Stop Worrying and Love Budgeting Barnaby Mollett When you start at university it isn t long before you realise that you ll have to be in control of what you spend With rent food costs going out books stationery sports equipment and numerous other expenses amongst those you will be facing the prospect of covering all the costs can be daunting However with a little bit of planning you ll find you don t have to spend a fortune to have a whale of time at Robinson Bank Accounts Firstly if you haven t already you ll probably need to have a bank account set up The following banks have branches in Cambridge Abbey Alliance additionally for adding money to your food card for the Garden Restaurant which brings us nicely onto the next section Food Costs A hard day s work is sure to make you hungry so luckily the canteen affectionately and officially known as the Garden Restaurant is open for breakfast lunch and dinner on weekdays as well as brunch on weekends As well as being able to pay in cash your university ID card can be topped up with credit for food there is also the option to add credit for use in the college bar The daily menus for the Garden Restaurant can be found on the college website Although the prices change year on year around about 3 00 would buy a meat option with two vegetable sides or chips with the vegetarian option usually slightly cheaper Desserts hot and cold came in a steal at 60p last year 2008 09 so if you enjoy a good serving of pudding I know I do you ll have to factor this into your budget too How much you ll need for a whole term s worth of food depends on how much you use the restaurant each staircase has moderate cooking facilities including a hob and microwave oven On weekend evenings when the restaurant is closed you may find yourself cooking yourself ordering a takeaway or getting food in the college bar on Sundays I d say you might end up spending between 30 and 60 a week depending on what exactly you buy Don t forget the bar It s a great place to socialise and spend evenings The bar is reasonably priced and you can get a pint of lager for just over 2 There are a range of alcoholic and soft drinks available Page 7 Living Costs Your rent will no doubt provide the biggest expenditure at university As already mentioned the bill will come towards the middle of term and will include printing costs you might have incurred if you used the printer in the computer room The payment isn t required immediately but if it isn t made by the due date you will incur interest on the amount due unless you give a viable reason in advance as to why you cannot pay As well as rent you ll need to factor in the costs of stationery any course required items for example particular calculators toiletries food and drink clothes or books you may need as although there are libraries in Cambridge you may find key texts a good investment Students love the occasional night out and this could also set you back some coin as well as going out for meals You might occasionally go shopping perhaps buying a new pair of shoes or flash new hat or something but remember everything adds up Budgeting With all these costs comes the responsibility of managing your money effectively There are of course many ways of doing this Some people find it good practice to regularly check bank statements and balances and work out how much they can spend each week Others may also write down expenses in a diary or on the stubs of cheque books to keep a record of what they have spent One way of doing this might be by planning out your finances as follows MONEY IN MONEY OUT Student Loans Grants Parental Contributions Bursaries other Financial Support Essential Rent Food Toiletries Stationery Course Items Laundry Other essential as the first three may seem Clothes Going Out Drinks Bar Laptop Computer This model isn t exactly a scientific breakthrough of groundbreaking proportions but something along these lines might be helpful in letting you keep track of your money Keeping an eye on your finances will no doubt enable you to have a great experience at Robinson without worrying too much about money If you do have financial worries make sure you read through the financial section of this booklet and see some of the bursaries and grants that could be available to help you out The university has a policy that nobody should be made to leave for financial reasons Page 8 College Life A Day in the Life Rob Beagrie Whatever people might think life at Cambridge and even more so at Robinson isn t all about work Whilst everyone will have a different experience of university almost anyone you ask will tell you that your years here will be what you put into them So what is day to day college life like Most students days begin with morning lectures which will normally be held in the department in question Robinson isn t the closest college to the town centre so many students will cycle in the morning but if you don t have a bike don t worry as plenty of people are prepared to get up that little bit earlier and walk The number of lectures you have a day will vary wildly from subject to subject but generally scientists have more whilst arts students have less After lectures most students come back to college for lunch in the canteen or garden restaurant After hanging around in the canteen for a bit catching up with friends you ll usually find yourself back to work again by about 1 or 2 whether it be a supervision an essay or a practical session After heading back to the canteen for dinner at 6 the evening brings some welcome relaxation time The college bar is a popular option and is normally a lot busier than those at other colleges Many people will choose to go out to one of the many student friendly bars or clubs in town others might stay in and borrow a DVD from the DVD Library to watch with their friends the FilmSoc also shows a weekly film in the Auditorium on Sunday nights which is kind of like our very own cinema Of course your daily routine might end up being quite different to this and you ll certainly find the time between lectures supervisions is quickly filled by sports societies or just general socialising It s often said that Cambridge students play as hard as they work and as long as you get the balance right you re sure to have the best three years of your life College Societies Jamie Beeching There are quite a number of student societies at Robinson so there are opportunities nearby in almost everything There are all the normal sports societies like football and rugby or if you re feeling more adventurous you can turn your hand to frisbee or if you like sado masochism and early mornings you can row There is also the Film Society which puts on a weekly movie and manages our substantial film library Or if you re something of a foody you can join Cheese Soc and sample a lovely collection of smells Looking further afield there are CUSU and University wide societies Rock Soc for those of you into you metal and other alternative musics or the martial arts teams and training Judo comes highly recommended If you feel the need to argue with people you can join the Cambridge Union and debate your little hearts out And this is just a small ramble through the myriad of societies those eager and willing can join most of which will be available at either our College Fair on Sunday 4th October from 10 30am or the CUSU Freshers Fair Or if you re like me you could just stay at home with a cup of tea Page 9 Catering and Amenities in College Robin Lawther Catering Most days you ll probably end up eating in The Garden Restaurant pronounced the canteen It s pretty reasonably priced you can pay using either your university card or cash and there s normally a good selection of food There s always a vegetarian main option as well as homemade soup and a varied salad bar The deserts are excellent and massive It s important to remember to get there on time when there are popular meal options they sometimes run out and it s best to avoid disappointment by arriving a bit earlier If you re in a real rush you can normally take away food from the canteen to eat in your room or in summer outside in the garden The Garden Restaurant is open for breakfast lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday and for brunch on weekends On weekend evenings you might decide to cook for yourself All staircases have two kitchens one at the top and the other surprise surprise at the bottom They usually contain a microwave and a hob which is on a ten minute timer while kitchens in the hostel accommodation usually include an oven too There s also a kettle one of which you should have in your room anyway and a toaster as well as a fridge Please don t steal from the fridge You might consider buying your own mini fridge for your room you re allowed to have one of up to 50 litres capacity Please remember though that if you re sharing the fridge in the kitchen it s not acceptable to take other people s food that s an offence known as theft and is generally frowned upon Cooking for yourself can sometimes be quite daunting it s usually quite good fun to cook with a group of friends which helps spread the work and also means that you might get to try something new If you need any kitchen items and don t mind them being secondhand the college bedders have a sale this year it will be at 10am on Wednesday 7th October where you can buy kitchen items left over from previous students This is a really good opportunity to get good quality items quite cheap e g plates for 10p and frying pans for 20p etc Amenities As to amenities Robinson has its own laundry room downstairs opposite the Porters Lodge you ll need to get hold of and top up a laundry card to use it It s reasonably priced and very convenient The door code will be made available during Freshers Week For all those cashmere jumpers and your college gown it s probably worth using a dry cleaner there s one located quite near to Emmanuel College The JCR is a quieter alternative to the bar and is open the whole day for students to relax read newspapers watch TV and use the pool table We have recently purchased a Nintendo Wii for all to use with controllers and games available from the porters There is also a selection of board games available which can be surprisingly fun There s also a TV Room located off the Umney Concourse this is provided with Sky satellite services meaning you ve access to a much wider range of programming If you re a home student you re allowed to store one item in the trunk room over the holidays You must ensure that your possessions are labelled correctly and recorded in the trunk room register with the porters or they will be thrown out You can also store some of your things in the locker Page 10 above your wardrobe please remember to lock it Special arrangements apply to international students ask the Catering the v