Presidents Isabel Vallina Garcia of the BA Society and Molly O'Brien of Trinity College Students Union highlight their top tips for Freshers Week

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Beverley Skinner
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1 Tips for Freshers Presidents Isabel Vallina Garcia of the BA Society and Molly O'Brien of Trinity College Students Union highlight their top tips for Freshers Week

What are your favourite elements of Freshers' Week?

We have organised a welcome reception on the first evening with live music in the bar, a great opportunity for everyone to meet each other for

Get involved and try things out, it is the best opportunity to make new friends. Isabel Molly In one word: Freshers!

2 What are your favourite elements of Freshers' Week? Trinity s freshers week is packed full of activities and events, and I feel confident in saying there will be at least a few things for everyone. We have organised a welcome reception on the first evening with live music in the bar, a great opportunity for everyone to meet each other for the first time. The events then continue ranging from garden parties, to bowling, to quiz nights, to BBQ s etc. Get involved and try things out, it is the best opportunity to make new friends. Isabel Molly In one word: Freshers! The Trinity BA Society is an incredibly diverse and varied community, with students from all over the World studying in a wide range of fields. During Freshers Week, we welcome a new batch of members and I love meeting the new arrivals and introducing them into what will become their second home!

3 Isabel Be adventurous and try new things! In Cambridge you will be able to find societies to suit a wide range of interests and you ll get the chance to try things that you wouldn t be able to do elsewhere. Make the most of this opportunity! Whether it be water polo, wine tasting, debating or a language course, there are plenty of activities to balance-out work, meet new people and have fun! What is your most important piece of advice to Freshers?

Molly Get involved with as much as possible in your first week. It s completely normal to feel a bit nervous as you start this new path of life, but don t worry everyone is in the same boat.

4 Molly Get involved with as much as possible in your first week. It s completely normal to feel a bit nervous as you start this new path of life, but don t worry everyone is in the same boat. Just be yourself, that s the best way to meet people who you will get on with. Also, ask for help if you get lost or confused or don t know what activity is going on. TCSU will be hanging around college in our red jumpers and are always happy to help. If you can t find us, feel free to us and we ll be sure to help. What is your most important piece of advice to Freshers?

5 What are your top three things to do in your first week at Cambridge? Isabel Be a tourist in your new home! Cambridge is a beautiful town with a fascinating history, so make the most of the good weather to explore. Using your new and shiny student card, get in for free to museums, King s College Chapel and other Colleges. Check out the Cambridge University Students Union Freshers Fair in Kelsey Kerridge Sports Hall on Parker s Piece. You ll be able to sign up for societies and grab lots of freebies. But remember to also sort out the serious stuff! On top of all the Freshers Week excitement and activities, it s important to get your life sorted too. Get a SIM card, register with a GP, open a bank account, eat some greens and call your parents!

What are your top three things to do in your first week at Cambridge? Molly 1. 2. 3. Get organised early.

6 What are your top three things to do in your first week at Cambridge? Molly Get organised early. Although you ll no doubt be wanting to get involved in loads of activities and making friends, be sure to leave some time to get yourself organised before term starts. Make sure you have a calendar/ diary set up and some files ready, trust me it s better to get this sorted before your lectures and work begin. Try and get your bearings for where you ll need to go in the future. This may be lecture halls or your faculty buildings or even other colleges for supervisions. There are some handy maps in the TCSU freshers handbook and we offer a tour of Cambridge for all undergrads. This will reduce the stress later on compared to if you re running late and don t know where to go! Enjoy some chill time but also make sure to get involved! TCSU has a jam-packed week organised so be sure to come along. It will be full of new freshers in the same situation as you and so is perfect for making friends. TCSU committee will also be there to answer any questions you have.

What do you wish you'd known when you arrived at Trinity/Cambridge? Isabel I came from Spain to study first my undergraduate degree and now my PhD in Engineering at Trinity.

7 What do you wish you'd known when you arrived at Trinity/Cambridge? Isabel I came from Spain to study first my undergraduate degree and now my PhD in Engineering at Trinity. I had only been to Trinity once before for my undergraduate course interview, so most of what I knew came from film, television and other media. At the beginning, it was easy to feel intimidated by the grandeur of Great Court and the rest of the College and to be worried there might be some truth to Oxbridge stereotypes. However, once you meet your fellow BAs, you realise that everyone feels in the same way, and you are guaranteed to make amazing new friends!

What do you wish you'd known when you arrived at Trinity/Cambridge? Molly The weather goes from two extremes: so hot that shorts and a t-shirt are fine to so cold that a big puffer is necessary.

8 What do you wish you'd known when you arrived at Trinity/Cambridge? Molly The weather goes from two extremes: so hot that shorts and a t-shirt are fine to so cold that a big puffer is necessary. The end of first term gets very nippy so I would advise bringing a big coat. Make sure you have a waterproof coat and bag, it would be a shame for your laptop or work to get wet on the way to lectures.

9 Cambridge undergraduates have three (or four) years to look forward to. How far should they plan ahead? Molly Three years is a long time. Don t feel like you need to know what you re going to do after graduation, by then you may have changed your mind! That being said I would advise planning ahead with finances, keep in mind that you may want to go on the uni ski trip or to some may balls. If so you may want to save a bit of money for these instead of splashing out in freshers!

Suggest holding off until next time you visit, so you can ask your parents first.

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