Freshers Handbook 2014 v5

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CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE ASSOCIATION
(CUMSA)
Freshers Guide 2014
Contents:
1. About CUMSA
2. General Points about Cambridge
3. Pre-departure Checklist
4. Flying Off
5. Settling in
6. Life in Cambridge
7. Glossary of Terms
About CUMSA

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Presidents Foreword

Dear Freshers,

Welcome to Cambridge.

For many of you, this will be the start of the end; the last 3 years of proper,
full-time education (albeit without uniform) beckons. It is hard to imagine
how fast time will fly but take it from me, a person who was in your shoes
exactly a year ago. Time will fly no matter what you do. Spend your time
wisely.

In fact, this is the main message of the entire foreword. I have gone straight
to the point without beating around the bush and bringing you around the
town or even telling you a long story only to have a moral-of-the-story at the
end. Okay, I jest! But this is the main piece of advice any senior will tell you.
There is so much you can do in Cambridge that you really should make good
use of your time.

Lets start with the basics. Before you even fly to Cambridge, you can start
reading up on the various administrative details and nifty tips that have been
collated by seniors throughout the years in the entire Freshers Guide. If you
crave more information, start reading your college website, the Wikipedia
entry for Cambridge or even Timeouts guide for London! There is a wealth
of information, relevant or otherwise, and its probably best to use these
few weeks of peace leading up to October, when you matriculate. Trust me,
your days in Cambridge will be so jam-packed!

October arrives. You have arrived. Now what? Youll soon realise that the
fundamental workload will begin to come in through your pigeon holes. You
will have a couple of lectures, supervisions and even practicals (for those
who study science-related subjects) a week very, very exciting stuff.
Learning from the best in their fields who are practising cutting-edge
research or discussing novel, mind-blowing perspectives. It certainly
captivates your attention.

Perhaps the biggest decisions are made each year during the Societies Fair,
a massive event hosting hundreds of interest groups and sports clubs. There
About CUMSA

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is literally everything you would want to do, from blind wine tasting to cross-
country rambling, from dancing to rowing. Time is now a scarce resource.

At times, though, you might want to find a little solace, a little bit of home
away from home. I really should not be cheesy but CUMSA has been a big
part of my life here. I, like many of you now, thought that since Im going
overseas, I might as well try to minimise my interaction with Singaporeans or
Malaysians. On the contrary, being alone in a new country will only
strengthen the bonds between you and your fellow friends. This is the CUMSA
community that supports and takes care of one another.

From the onset, we organise Freshers Tea and Camp in the summer which
will be followed by our annual events like the Asian Food Festival, Annual
Ball and Garden Party. In the year ahead, were also beefing up our
Speakers Series, encouraging the formation of more Interest Groups and
looking to revive our CUMSA Production, which would see freshers and
seniors come together to put on a fantastic performance.

Remember, this is a journey that well walk together. Im sure you will
soon be meeting your CUMSA parents, who are probably as excited to meet
you. Your seniors, wholl have studied the same subject as you will be
studying, are always happy to share their notes. Lastly, but most
importantly, the current committee, with special thanks to Anira, our
Welfare Officer, will also always be willing to help.

On behalf of everyone, we look forward to meeting you very soon. Message
me if you ever fancy a chat or are just unsure about something. Then again,
we can never be sure about everything, can we?

Best regards,
Baifeng Quek

President
Cambridge University Malaysia and Singapore Association (CUMSA)
president@cumsa.org

About CUMSA

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Sponsors

CUMSA would like to thank our sponsors for their great support!

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors
About CUMSA

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CUMSA Committee 2014-15

President
Baifeng Quek
Natural Sciences
Trinity Hall
president@cumsa.org

Secretary
Tanvi Ahuja
Natural Sciences
Trinity Hall
secretary@cumsa.org

Treasurer
Peisu Zou
Engineering
St. Edmunds College
treasurer@cumsa.org

Sponsorship Officer
Shaun Ng
Economics
St. Edmunds College
sponsorship@cumsa.org

Sports Secretary
Joel Koh
Law
Girton College
sports@cumsa.org

Publicity Secretary
Vince Tan
Engineering
Magdalene College
publicity@cumsa.org

Events Officer
Glendon Kok
Law
Hughes Hall
events@cumsa.org

Welfare Officer
Anira Perera
Natural Sciences
Fitzwilliam College
welfare@cumsa.org

Logistics Officer
Yan Ping Tham
Economics
Pembroke College
logistics@cumsa.org

Database Officer
Nicolas Capel
Engineering
Queens College
database@cumsa.org

Graduate Representative
Weixun Goh
Computer Science
Robinson College
gradrep@cumsa.org

About CUMSA

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A Short History of CUMSA

The Cambridge University Malaysia and Singapore Association (CUMSA) was
founded in Michaelmas term of 1948 as the Cambridge University Malayan
Association (CUMA), with Lee Kuan Yew as its first President, and Yong Pung
How as its first Secretary. Back then, CUMA had only 12 members.

In 1960, CUMA formally became CUMSA, and even when Malaysia and
Singapore separated in 1965, CUMSA remained as one.

Over the past 62 years, CUMSA has come a long way. However, we have
remained true to our key founding aim of representing the interests and
welfare of Malaysian and Singaporean students in Cambridge. Though the
means and methods may have evolved over time, our resolve to serve
remains unchanged.

CUMSA now boasts a membership of close to 300, and we take pride in the
fact that CUMSA is one of the most vibrant and active student societies in
Cambridge. Our activities include formal halls, bops, the annual CUMSA Ball,
talks, weekly sports, among many others! We also participate in events such
as the Oxbridge games, where we get to display our sporting prowess against
(and interact with) Singaporeans and Malaysians from other UK universities.
All these events hope to enhance the strong bonds of friendship that exist
within the Malaysian and Singaporean community in Cambridge and the UK.

Do remember to come down for the exciting upcoming Freshers Tea and
Camp in Singapore. Also, do join us at the CUMSA booth at the University
Societies Fair on 7
th
and 8
th
October 2014, held near Parkers Piece! At our
booth, you can sign up to be a CUMSA member, and enjoy all the benefits
that come with being a part of this historic society!
General Pointers

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Weather and Climate

The weather and climate in Cambridge is very different from the tropical
climate back home and this can be a very interesting and refreshing change
from what we are used to!

One thing to get used to would be the extreme variability of the weather,
climate, and hours of sunshine throughout the year. One day it could be 25
degrees with sunshine, and the next it could be 10 degrees and raining, with
strong winds. Do note that Cambridge is in one of the driest regions of
Britain, so moisturisers and lip balm will be very helpful in preventing your
skin and lips from cracking. Of course, this also means that we usually get
nice blue skies!

General Pointers

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Term Michaelmas Lent Easter
Weather A little rain
throughout the
term. There
may be hail.
Some rain, some
hail, and a few
episodes of snow.
This can be as
much as 10 inches,
as in Lent 2011, or
as little as none at
all.
Sunshine! Joy!
Temperature 5-20 C at the
start of term,
becoming
progressively
colder before
reaching 5-15 C
at the end of
term.
0-10 C throughout
most of the term,
sometimes dipping
to -5 - -10C
during the night.
Around 5-15 C at
the end of term.
Around 10-20 C
throughout the
entire term but
be warned that
temperature is
particularly
variable in Easter
term, with cold
spells! (Rarely
exceeds 25 C,
even in June)
Hours of
sunshine
The sun will
initially set
around 7pm,
and
progressively
earlier until it
sets around 4pm
by the end of
term. (So if
youre biking,
bring your bike
lights!)
The sun sets
around 3-4pm at
the start of term,
and progressively
later every day,
until it sets around
6pm by the end of
term.
The sun sets
around 8pm at
the start of term,
and progressively
later until there
are still traces of
daylight around
10pm by the end
of term!

Disclaimer: These are generalisations of the weather, and are by no means an accurate forecast of what will
be in store for you. A more accurate gauge would be the BBC weather forecast!
(http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2653941)
General Pointers

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British Summer Time

The UK will switch from British Summer Time (+01:00 GMT) to GMT at 1 AM
on Sunday, 26th October 2014, signalling the end of Daylight Saving time as
the clocks are set back by an hour. Daylight Saving will recommence on
Sunday, 29th March 2015, with the clocks adjusted forward by an hour.

Term dates

You will usually only be required to physically be in
Cambridge for the whole of Full Term, not Term.

However, it is best to check with your college if there is any need to be in
college outside of Full Term before booking any flights! For example, some
colleges and some courses have mock examinations just before the start of
Lent Full Term.

Also, most colleges require you to keep term which means fulfilling a
minimum number of days of staying on campus.

A last peculiarity to note is that the Cambridge week starts on Thursdays and
ends on Wednesdays.

The Full Term dates for the academic year 2014/15 are:
Michaelmas Term Tue 7 Oct 2014 - Fri 5 Dec 2014
Lent Term Tue 13 Jan 2015 - Fri 13 Mar 2015
Easter Term Tue 21 April 2015 - Fri 12 Jun 2015

For more information, refer to http://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-
university/term-dates-and-calendars

As you can see, term breaks are pretty long and people usually travel a lot
then. Before you plan any trips during Easter break (break before Easter
term, also known as study break), do remember to allocate some time to
prepare for the Tripos Exams in May/June!

Pre-Departure Checklist

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Checklist #1: Medical Clearance

Get a check-up before coming, to avoid having to have one at Heathrow
Airport. You will need to have a chest X-Ray with its report, and a medical
examination report. As you will need to take your X-Ray with you in your
hand luggage for your initial visa clearance at Heathrow, you could try
requesting for an A4 size X-Ray plate (or smaller) for easier handling or to
roll up your X-Ray into a certificate tube (though this may cause some
damage to the X-Ray if done improperly). Do note that the X-Ray is not
always asked for at immigration, but it is good to have it on hand if you can!

If you are on a scholarship and have had a check-up as part of your
scholarship requirements, ask your scholarship board for a copy of the chest
X-Ray and medical examination report from that check-up this will usually
suffice.

Immunisation against meningitis is strongly advised before coming. You can
get immunisation jabs for meningitis and MMR at Tan Tock Seng Travellers
Health and Vaccination Centre or most other clinics. Different colleges will
have different immunisation policies check the specifics with your college!

Whichever college you are in, you will need to register with a GP soon after
you arrive at Cambridge - your college will provide you with more details
about this. After registration with your GP, you will be able to make
appointments with the clinic whenever you are ill and have a consultation
under the NHS at no cost.

Useful Information:

If you are studying at Cambridge for
not less than 6 months and are under
24, you are eligible for NHS coverage,
and can enjoy free immunisation from
your GP in the UK.

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Checklist #2:
Application for Entry Clearance aka Visa

Please read the comprehensive document:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data
/file/303848/T4_Guidance_06-04-14.pdf

It is a prerequisite for holders of a Singaporean or Malaysian passport to
apply for an Entry Clearance if enrolled in a programme of study of more
than 6 months. This can be applied for at the UK Border Agency Visa
Application Centre, which is located at:

(SINGAPORE)
20 Cecil Street
#11-02 to 05 Equity Plaza
Singapore 049705
Tel: 800 101 3230
Email: info.sing@vfshelpline.com
(MALAYSIA)
Suite 19.06 19 Floor,
Wisma MCA
163 Jalan Ampang, 50450
Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: (03) 21649323
Email: info.ukmy@vfshelpline.com

There is now a stream-lined process as Singapore and Malaysia are low-risk
countries, so not all documents listed below will be requested or checked,
but it is definitely best to have them ready to provide evidence if
questioned.

Note that due to new biometrics requirements, you will have to apply for
your visa in person to provide a ten-finger scan and a digital photograph as
part of the UK visa application process. Documents needed:
1. Your appointment confirmation and visa fees receipt
2. A valid passport or travel document with at least 1 page that is blank on
both sides
3. 2 recent passport-sized (45mm x 35mm) colour photograph of your face,
which meets the requirements in UK visas and immigrations photograph
guidance

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4. A printout of your online application form, signed and dated
5. A completed self-assessment form, signed and dated (found here:
/file/261462/vaf9-app81.pdf)
6. Letter of unconditional acceptance from the University/College/School in
the UK including CAS reference number. It should show the course of study,
the course starting date, its duration, and costs (This letter will usually be
from your college, but you may need to request for them to add in all the
information required.)
7. Any extra evidence that your University/College/School has included on
your CAS
8. ATAS Clearance (applicable only to some. See www.fco.gov.uk/atas for
more information)
9. Educational qualifications/certificates. Each document must be an original
(not a copy).
10. Evidence of funds (e.g. bank statements for the last three months) to
show that you can pay for your stay and your course of studies in the UK. As
quoted from the website:

You must show that you have held the required money for a consecutive 28-
day period (finishing on the date of the closing balance) ending no more than
one month before your application.

You can use the following documents to show money that is available to you:
personal bank or building society statements, covering a consecutive
28-day period ending no more than one month before the date of
your application;
a building society pass book, covering a consecutive 28-day period
ending no more than one month before the date of your application;
a letter from a bank confirming that funds have been held for a
consecutive 28-day period ending no more than one month before
the date of your application;
a letter from a financial institution confirming that funds have been
held for a consecutive 28-day period ending no more than one month
before the date of your application;

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a letter from a financial institution confirming a loan, dated no more
than six months before the date of your application.

If the bank account you are intending to use is held under your parents
name, additional documents are required.

If a student is relying on money held by your parents(s) or legal guardian,
you must show that you are related to your parent(s) or legal guardian. You
must provide:
your birth certificate showing the names of your parent(s); or
your certificate of adoption showing names of both parent(s) or legal
guardian; or
a court document naming your legal guardian.

You must also show that your parent(s) or legal guardian have given their
permission for you to use this money. To do this, you must
provide a letter from your parent(s) or legal guardian confirming:
your relationship with your parent(s) or legal guardian; and
their permission for you to use their funds to study in the UK.

If your studies are sponsored, you will need a letter from your sponsor
following the guidelines stated by the UKBA website.

In any other circumstances where you are being given official financial
sponsorship, you must provide send us a letter of confirmation from your
official financial sponsor. The letter must be on the organisation's official
letter-headed paper or stationery, and must bear the organisation's official
stamp. It must show:
your name;
the official financial sponsor's name and contact details;
the date of the letter;
the length of the sponsorship; and
the amount of money that the official financial sponsor is giving to
you, or a statement that it will cover all of your course fees and
living costs.


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11. Application fee (S$685.00 for Tier 4 correct as of 11
th
July 2014).
Payment is by debit or credit card (Visa or Mastercard).

For more details on these supporting documents, check
/file/320815/documents-t4-gen.pdf.

Other reminders:
Visa Application Submission Monday to Friday 8:00 14:00 by
appointment only
You need to make an appointment on the website before showing up
at the visa office. This can only be done after submitting your
application online.
Document Collection - Monday to Friday 14:00 16:00
There are strict security measures that prohibit bringing of items
such as food, handphones and bags in. They will be kept at the door.
Your passport will be collected and sent to the office for processing
with your documents for a few days.
Most students apply for their visa through Tier 4 (General Student)
but do check which tier applies to you.
For all documents submitted, bring a photocopy just in case!
For the guys, remember to apply for your exit permit.

For more information, refer to:
http://www.vfs-uk-sg.com/
http://www.vfs-uk-my.com/
https://www.gov.uk/tier-4-general-visa
Useful Information:

Do note that your applications will
require a CAS number from your
College will all the accompanying
information. This should come in a
document sent out to you by your
College or Tutorial Office. Do keep an
eye out for it as you wont be able to
submit your application without it!

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Checklist #3: Application for Certificate
of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC)
(Also known as Certificate of Clearance)

Note: This is only required for those reading Medicine and
those intending to embark on local community service
programmes in the UK. For non-medicine students, you can only apply for a
CNCC when you are back in Singapore after at least your first term. You will
then need a letter from the society in Cambridge stating that you need the
certificate to embark on community projects. There is also an option of
applying for it in Cambridge (though it involves having your fingerprints
taken at a police station and mailing them and all your documents back to
Singapore).

If you are currently residing in Singapore, you will have to apply in person at:

CNCC Office
Blk D Police Cantonment Complex, #02-07/08, 391 New Bridge Road,
Singapore 088762
Telephone: 64358275 / 64358277
Opening times: 8.30am 12.30, Mondays to Fridays

You will need to bring the following:
1. Completed application form (available from the link below, or at the
application centre itself)
2. Photocopies of your current passport
3. Documentary proof of previous stay in Singapore for non-
Singaporeans
4. Documentary proof from the immigration authority requiring the
certificate (in this case, the university/College acceptance letter,
and the CRB records check form that you should have received)
5. Two passport-sized photographs (though note that there is an instant
photo machine outside the CNCC office)
6. A fee of S$55.00 to be paid via NETS, cash card, or credit card
7. A full set of fingerprint impressions will be taken by the qualified
fingerprint officer at the CNCC office.


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Note that you will have to exchange some form of ID for a security pass to
enter the CNCC office, and that it will take at least 10 days to process the
application. For more information, refer to:
http://www.spf.gov.sg/epc/cert_issued.htm

The form is available at the office or can be downloaded here:
http://www.spf.gov.sg/faqs/doc/coc_appform.pdf

Checklist #4: Plane tickets, baggage
allowances, and shipping

When booking your plane tickets, let the agent or airline
know that you are a new student and will be in residence in
the UK for the next 3-4 years, and request for additional baggage allowance.
An additional 5 or 10kg can make quite a lot of difference!

Usual airline baggage allowances
- SIA: 30kg
- BA: 2x23kg
- Emirates: 30kg
Check with different airlines to find one that meets your budget, travel and
baggage allowance needs. Additionally, booking with STA Travels may give
you better luggage allowance.

Excess baggage
However, even if you do manage to get additional baggage allowance, it can
still be rather difficult to stay within the baggage allowance. You may
manage to check-in more than your allowance without incurring excess
baggage charges, and for this, checking in your baggage early is
recommended. Another tip is to tell them youre a student leaving for your
studies. If you do incur excess baggage charges, they can be rather pricey,
even if you will normally not be charged for the full amount of excess
baggage that you have.

If you wish to avoid the hassle of having excess baggage, you can ship your
less-essential items over to Cambridge. You may do so through Speedpost
(http://www.speedpost.com.sg) or DHL (~$230+ for a 20kg box)
(http://www.dhl.com.sg). Do check ask your College for your address in

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Cambridge, and find out from them if theyll be accepting items for you
before the start of term). Your address should look something like this:

Jun Kai Vince TAN (Note: surname conventionally comes after your first name and in CAPITALS)
Magdalene College
Cambridge CB3 0AG (Note: postal code varies depending on College include the space!)
Cambridge, England, United Kingdom

Checklist #5: What should I be packing? Or not?
ISIC/NUS cards

The International Students Identity Card (ISIC) is
sometimes useful because its a widely accepted
student ID. Its not really recognised in Cambridge, but
accepted throughout London and many parts of Europe
if youre looking for student discounts. It entitles you
to various discounts and concessions throughout the
world, and also allows you to apply for a student coach
card at Heathrow Central Bus Station for use on
National Express coaches. (You will not have your
university card then, and you might want to get a
coach card as soon as possible to maximise the
discounts when travelling on National Express coaches)

You can obtain an ISIC card either on its own in
Singapore or Malaysia, or as part of a National Union of
Students (NUS) extra card which is more expensive,
but also gives you additional UK-specific discounts.

Visit http://www.isic.org for more details, including
what documents youll need to apply for one. It costs
$25 if you apply in Singapore, and 12 in the UK.
Laptop It will probably be worth buying a laptop in Singapore,
especially at the various PC fairs held throughout the
year.
Rice cookers Rice cookers can be essential for making cooking
easier, but some colleges may not allow their use.
Youll find a far greater selection of rice cookers in
Singapore than in the UK, but consider the luggage
space.

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Clothing
(Winter Wear)
Winter clothing is best bought in the UK as there is
definitely a wider range to choose from, and prices
are often cheaper. A light coat and a couple of
sweaters from home should be enough until
November, when it starts getting colder and a
proper winter coat will be needed. It probably will
not get cold enough to warrant long johns or
thermal wear, but if you are extremely sensitive to
cold, they might be a good idea.

There are massive sales at the end of the year
(post-Christmas) where prices of virtually
everything are slashed by up to 70% - an ideal time
to shop if you happen to be in the UK over the
Christmas holidays! These sales can stretch till mid-
January (start of Lent term), though many items
would have been sold by then.

If youre back home instead during December,
stores like Zara, Mango and UNIQLO in
Singapore/Malaysia may also have end-of-season
sales during December and January, where you can
usually buy some winter wear.
Clothing (Formal
Wear)
For ladies, this means a set of smart-casual wear
like a smart blouse and black skirt/trousers
complemented by court shoes for matriculation. Do
note, however, that this differs between colleges
some matriculations only require a semi-
formal/smart dress with the college gown (dont
worry about the gown as youll be sold one during
freshers week). If youd like to find out specifically
regarding your College matriculation, speak to
seniors or a committee member!

Evening-wear like cocktail dresses are often needed
for balls and society dinners, which may be black-
tie. Other semi-formal dresses can be worn for
formal halls.


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Men should bring a dark suit, with tie and dress
shoes, for formal occasions an absolute must-
bring! A dinner-jacket (the kind with shiny lapels
that you wear with a bow-tie) will also come in
useful if you plan to attend black-tie events, though
you may not necessarily need it, and you can afford
to acquire it later on.
Books Although textbooks are sometimes cheaper in
Singapore and Malaysia than in the UK, theyre
heavy and take up a lot of your baggage allowance.
It would be best to check with a senior doing your
subject to make sure that they are essential in the
first place.

Other options for getting books include :

- Libraries: Every college has a well-stocked library
and each department also has huge collections of
books relevant to your subject.
- Bookstores: Blackwells, Heffers and WHSmith in
the centre of town often hold textbook sales at the
start of the academic year and there are sections
with second-hand books.
- Online: You can consider amazon but do take the
shipping fees into consideration when browsing.
- Seniors: Within your College or course, there may
be second-hand book sales as well (e.g. university-
level MedSoc holds a second-hand book sale outside
the lecture site at the start of term but you have to
be quick because they get snapped up fast). Speak
also to CUMSA seniors you know doing your subject
and they may have books they would like to sell off!
- Shipping: If youd rather buy your books at home,
you may want to consider shipping your books over
but do note that surface mail usually takes about
four to six weeks to arrive, so youll have to send
your box at least a month before departure!
(Alternatively, you could try begging a senior with
extra luggage space)

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Stationery Most stationery is considerably more expensive in
the UK a Pilot G-TEC pen, for example, can cost
around 2.50! Useful items to bring along would be
mechanical pencils with refills, correction
fluid/tape, highlighters and your favourite brand of
pens with refills. Be warned that your favourite
brand of pens may not be available in the UK (many
Uniball pens, in particular, arent). Depending on
your course you may also need mathematical sets.
Check if your calculator is allowed for use in exams!
Toiletries Contact lenses and solutions are expensive, so you
could consider bringing enough to last until you
return home to restock (though keep your baggage
allowance in mind!). Most brands of toiletries
(Dove, Colgate, etc) are available in the UK check
out the following websites for an idea of what is
available!
Boots: http://www.boots.co.uk
Sainsburys: http://www.sainsburys.co.uk
Tesco: http://www.tesco.co.uk
Superdrug: www.superdrug.com/
As the weather in the UK is dry and windy, lip balm
and moisturiser (even for the guys!) will come in
handy, and prevent your lips/skin from cracking or
peeling. You can either bring them from home, or
buy them in the UK. You might find that the
moisturisers you buy in UK are more suited for the
climate there.
Foodstuff If there is any particular food that you feel you
cannot spend a term (or more!) without, it may be
good to bring some to chase away the homesick
blues. Do check if it can be brought into the UK
though!

However, there are also provision shops in
Cambridge that sell familiar brands at an affordable
price, albeit still higher than in Singapore, including
a Chinese and Korean supermarket that sell

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premixes, sauces, and many other things. Even
Tesco sells Yeos Bee Hoon! And if you cant find it
in Cambridge, theres always Chinatown in
Leicester Square, London.
Gadgets/electronics 1. Check with your college parents or your friendly
welfare officer whether your college allows the
gadgets you are thinking of bringing.
2. As some rooms may not have enough power
points, a multi-plug with switches may come in
handy, although these are available in the UK.
On this note though, some colleges come with
excessive number of power points!
3. Do check with your airline if they cover your
expensive appliances, should they become
damaged in transit!
4. If you are unsure if that gadget you have your
eye on is available in the UK, or are debating if
it is worth buying here and bringing it over,
check out http://www.argos.co.uk for a rough
gauge of what items you can buy from Argos,
and their approximate price.
5. Check with your college if you would require a
LAN cable.


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Miscellaneous items to consider

1. It would be good to bring about half a dozen passport-sized photos,
which are essential for library cards, college cards, society
membership cards, and a railcard.
2. An alarm clock would be good for those early morning lectures. Or
the one on your handphone will do as well!
3. Rubber flip-flops are not easily found in the UK in autumn/winter,
and are very useful for padding around or going to the shower in, so
do bring along a pair!
4. Photos of your friends and family.
5. Chopsticks if you are intending to cook.

Driving licences, if you intend to drive in the UK though if not, driving
licences can still come in handy as proof of your age when you enter pubs or
purchase knives (yes they check ID for knives) or alcohol. For Malaysians, an
International Drivers Licence is required. Do note, however, that
undergraduate students are not allowed to own cars in Cambridge in order to
control the car population size. Driving into town will probably take you
more time than walking or biking there anyway


23
Checklist #6: Setting up a bank account from home?

It can be more convenient to set up a UK student bank account from home,
as if your bank account is ready when you reach the UK, you will save the
hassle of living for a week or two without a bank account (banks in the UK
can take about 3 weeks or more to give you a fully functioning bank account
but this depends very much on the bank and when you sign up!).

The only UK bank that allows you to set up a bank account from home is
HSBC which is widely used (amongst other banks such as Barclays, LLoyds
and Natwest) in the UK. Do check with your local HSBC branch for more
details if you wish to set up a bank account from home.
There are two accounts that allow you to do so these are HSBC Advance
(http://www.hsbc.com.sg/1/2/hsbc-advance/hsbc-advance) and HSBC
Premier (http://www.hsbc.com.sg/1/2/hsbcpremier).

In Singapore, the only HSBC branch that allows you to set up a bank account
in the UK is at Claymore Premier Centre. Heres the address:

Claymore Premier Centre
6 Claymore Hill #02-01
Claymore Plaza, Singapore 229571

Do call 1800-227-8886 to find out more!

More links to look at before you fly off

1. http://www.cam.ac.uk - Cambridge Universitys official website
2. http://www.cumsa.org - CUMSAs website
3. http://www.international.cusu.cam.ac.uk/ - iCUSUs website
4. http://www.colc.co.uk - A very comprehensive site which gives you
a good introduction to Cambridge.
5. http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk - A UK students forum with a
Cambridge sub-forum, where you can ask questions and interact with
other Cambridge students.

Arriving in Cambridge

24
Register your flight details with CUMSA

You might want to update your flight details with CUMSA on the Facebook
Group, so that you can locate other freshers and seniors who are travelling
on the same flight as you are! It is definitely less daunting to find the Central
Bus Station in Heathrow and getting to Cambridge with a companion!

Baggage issues

As mentioned previously, it is ideal to check in your luggage early,
particularly if your baggage happens to be overweight. Do note, however,
that under airport safety regulations, no one piece of your baggage can
exceed 32kg. Do also check out the hand luggage restrictions of any airports
you may be transiting in.

Immigration

After disembarking, join the queue for foreigners entering the UK (usually
the longest queue). There may be a special queue opened for students so do
watch out for that.

Have at hand the following:
1. Letter of unconditional acceptance from your college
2. Letter of financial guarantee
3. Health reports
4. X-Ray plate
5. Exit permit, for Singaporean males
6. Passport containing your UK Entry Clearance (Visa)
7. CAS

Youll probably be asked a few routine questions before your visa will be
finalised at the immigration counter itself (as an entry stamp in your Entry
Clearance).


25
Health Check-up

At the sides of the immigration section, there are health clinics where you
can go for your check-up if you havent taken the necessary immunisation
jabs or chest X-Ray, you can take them here. However, this is troublesome
and tiring, and its easier to just have had your chest X-Ray and medical
check-up in Singapore or Malaysia.

Customs

After collecting your baggage, walk through the Green Channel if you have
nothing to declare. If an official stops you, explain that you are a student
and that all the items in your luggage are for your own use only.

Getting to Cambridge from Heathrow

By coach

This is by far the most convenient way, though not
the cheapest. (It is well worth the extra few
pounds for the convenience, though!). The ride will
take just below 3 hours.

Follow the signs in Heathrow to the Central Bus Station (it is quite a long
walk!), where you can purchase your ticket, along with a coach card if you
feel that its worth the money. Make sure that youre alighting at Parkside
along Parkers Piece. (Just select Cambridge as the destination.) A one-way
ticket will cost you below 30. Alternatively, purchase the tickets online at
nationalexpress.com, choosing the journey from Heathrow T1 and T3 to
CAMBRIDGE.

Locate the bus bay from which the coach to Cambridge is departing. Coach
drivers may help you with your luggage remember to say thank you or
cheers! Be aware that the coach might make more than one stop (most
coaches from Heathrow to Cambridge will at least stop by Stansted Airport),
people alighting at different places will have their luggage put into different
storage compartments in the coach, so check with the coach driver to make
sure that your luggage goes into the right compartment!

26

By Tube and coach

Possibly the cheapest way of getting to Cambridge, particularly if you
manage to purchase a fun-fare ticket from London Victoria (central) to
Cambridge. Normal tickets cost below 12 one-way. However, this route is
not recommended, especially if you happen to be travelling with heavy
luggage!

You could travel by the Underground (Piccadilly Line) from Heathrow to
Victoria Station. From there, ask for directions to the Victoria Coach Station
or follow the signs its about a 10 minute walk from the Tube station. The
National Express London-Cambridge coach services leave every hour check
http://www.nationalexpress.com for exact prices and confirmed schedules.

By Tube and train

This is possibly the fastest route, but can also be rather inconvenient,
particularly with heavy luggage.

Frequent train services run from London Kings Cross station to Cambridge. It
is easiest to get to these stations by the Underground from Heathrow. Buy a
ticket for about 21.20 one-way before boarding, and be on the train 10
minutes before boarding time. Check out http://www.nationalrail.co.uk for
details. You might want to apply for a railcard at the same time because the
discount is quite substantial, and rail journeys are a convenient way to
explore the country.

Do be warned, however, that the train station in Cambridge is not very near
the city centre where most of the colleges are located (the only college
closer to the train station than the coach station is Homerton), and you will
probably want to take a bus or a taxi from the train station to your college.

27
Arrival in Cambridge

If you arrive at Parkside by National Express, you will be on the East side of
Parkers Piece, opposite the fire station (refer to red dot on map). If you are
heading for nearby colleges like Emmanuel, Hughes Hall, Christs or
Downing, you can get to your college on foot; otherwise, you might want to
hire a cab to your college, depending on how far away it is. There will be a
nearby taxi stand. Ask a senior or your CUMSA parent!

If youre coming by train, taking a cab is the wisest choice, as the train
station is some distance away from most colleges, and it can be difficult
travelling on buses with your luggage (in addition to the fact that your
college may not be near the bus stops). Remember for cab trips, it is always
more worthwhile to go by the meter rather than the price recommended by
the driver. If you are finding it difficult to get a cab at the taxi ranks (there

28
is one outside the train station and slightly down the road from where the
coach will stop), you can call for a Panther Taxi - 01223 715 715. Just tell
them where you are (Cambridge Rail Station or Cambridge Parkside
Parkers Piece) and where you will be going (e.g. Fitzwilliam College
Storeys Way entrance)

Finding your college

It may be difficult to navigate around Cambridge to find your college so do
arrange to be met by seniors if possible, possibly by getting in touch with
them when you know what time your bus/train will arrive in Cambridge. If
you dont know who to approach, do contact CUMSA for help.

Otherwise, make sure you have a map of Cambridge handy, and just ask
around for directions to your colleges Porters Lodge (Main entrance).

College administration

Upon arriving at your college, proceed to the Porters Lodge to register
yourself and collect your keys.

(Despite what their job title implies, the porters refer to Glossary are not
obliged to help you with your luggage, and in fact, they seldom do. They are,
however, very nice and very friendly people. Also, if you intend to arrive
before Full Term or your room lease starts, do make sure to have contacted
your college Tutor, Tutorial Office, or Admissions Office in advance to obtain
permission to stay in your allocated room before your lease starts.)

Obtain passwords for Cambridge accounts such as Hermes (your email) and
Raven (widely used for various restricted sites). Do check your email
regularly as notices and most emails will be sent to your cam.ac.uk account.
Your username will be your initials followed by a number, e.g. abc12, and
your email will then be abc12@cam.ac.uk.

You will need to make an appointment to see your Tutor and Director of
Studies (DoS) to settle college administration and receive lecture schedules
for the term. Theyll usually email you at your new Cambridge email
address, or leave a message for you in your pigeonholes, which are usually
found at the Porters Lodge (this is also where all your snail mail goes).

29

Your colleges JCR (Junior Combination Room refer to Glossary) will have
organised many freshers activities do take part in them to meet up with
your college mates! Also, do take college matriculation photos, and get
oriented around your college, particularly with the JCR and post-room.

The NHS

As a student on a course of 6 months or longer, youll
be covered under the NHS.

Youll need to register with a GP in Cambridge. Obtain
from your college tutor, seniors, or porters a list of
GPs near your college that you can register with. You
can also register with a dentist if you wish, though it is unlikely that youll
be covered under the NHS with dentists.

If you havent already had your meningitis vaccination, you can make an
appointment with your GP clinic to get your vaccination for free if you
happen to be in the eligible age group (which will usually be the case).

If you want to see a doctor or a nurse, youll usually have to make an
appointment for later in the day or for another day. Remember to be on
time because they are very strict with appointments. While consultations are
free, prescriptions will cost around 6.50 to fill at a pharmacy. And lastly, do
remember to keep the NHS letter which tells you that youre qualified for
NHS.
Getting Settled in Cambridge

30
Things to buy!

Gowns

Youll have to get a college gown for matriculation, though some colleges
such as Homerton, Hughes Hall only require a formal suit (Do check with your
seniors on what is needed!). Each college has a unique gown, and you can
buy a new one for around 40-50 from shops such as Ryder & Amies, Ede &
Ravenscroft, and A.E. Clothier or from your colleges Porters Lodge.
Alternatively, you can buy one second hand from seniors (make sure its the
correct college!) or from the Porters Lodge. Its not a bad investment, given
that most colleges will require this for matriculation and formal halls.

Home improvement items

Most items that youll need can be obtained from Argos at Fitzroy Street
(near Grafton Centre refer to map). Check out http://www.argos.co.uk for
an idea of what is available. Alternatively, some items will be available
around the city centre in places such as Boots and Sainsburys. Also, although
the nearest Tesco is some distance away (along Newmarket Road), its an
excellent place to get some really cheap items! You should get them early
before they get snatched off the shelves!

Note: Keep the boxes that your appliances come in, as you will need them
again when you pack up your room for the holidays or move to another room
in your second year.

Kitchen items

As the water in Cambridge is hard water (with too much calcium), water
filter jugs are almost essential to improve the clarity of the tap water you
drink though tap water is drinkable unless stated! Kettles are also very
useful. You can get them at places like Argos or Boots.

Cutlery and crockery sold singly are quite expensive, and they usually come
in sets of four, eight, or sixteen. Splitting a set amongst many people may be
a good idea! Prices at Argos are competitive, though you can usually get
some from Sainsburys as well.


31
If youre intending to cook frequently over the long run, we recommend
investing in reasonable quality cookware. Argos value range of pots, pans
and knives have been tested to be fit-for-the-dump after several uses, so it
may be wiser to go for quality cooking equipment!

Bedding

Some colleges will provide bedding check with your college or a college
senior. If your college doesnt, make sure that you buy a duvet to get you
through the winter months. Dont save on this, as a good duvet will last you
through your length of study here and keep you nice, happy, and warm
during winter! Bed sheets may also be needed for your first night in
Cambridge check with your college/ college parent. You can get bed sheets
& pillow cases at really low prices in Primark at Grafton.

Room insurance

Some colleges provide room insurance, however, if they dont, it can be
easily obtained from Endsleigh Insurance (St Marys Street next to the
Cambridge University Press bookshop near Market Square). This is advisable
if you plan to keep expensive items like hi-fi sets, computers, cameras, etc.
in your room, though not essential.

Bikes

Some people manage without a bike, but bikes can come in handy,
particularly if your college happens to be far away from the city centre (like
Homerton and Girton) or from lecture sites. Cambridge is a particularly
cycle-friendly city with bike lanes along some roads. Prices are variable, but
a new bike will cost over 100 and a second hand one for half the price.

Some bike shops nearer the city centre:
Halfords 1 Bridge St, 01223 350808
Ben Hayward Cycles 69 Trumpington St, 01223 352294
Cambridge Cycle Centre 8 Botolph Lane, 01223 307114


32
Some bike shops further away from the city centre (but which may have
cheaper bikes):

Mikes Bikes 26-28 Mill Rd, 01223 312591
Cambridge Station Cycles Station Building, Station Rd, 01223 307125
Cycle King - 195-197 Mill Rd, 01223 214999

If youre not in a hurry, wait for offers and compare prices! Alternatively,
you could try approaching seniors who are sometimes looking to sell off their
bikes.

Make sure you also have a helmet, bikelights, and mudguards. It is advisable
to bring bike lights and batteries from home or online as those in UK are
expensive. You can get fined for cycling at night without both the front &
back lights. If youre getting a bike lock in Cambridge, do ask the shop owner
to grease it to prevent the lock from rusting.


33
Money matters

Youll probably need to bring about 500 in cash or travellers cheques with
you when you come to Cambridge, as it can take as long as three weeks or
more for your bank to organise your new bank account, unless youve already
set up a bank account from home. Youll need to have enough money to
cover your meals, your gown, freshers activities, books, home improvement
items, and a bike (if you need one). Also, most colleges will ask for payment
of your college bill (including rent for Michaelmas) at the start of the term
check with your colleges finance office if you can defer payment until your
bank account is ready!

You will probably be able to withdraw money from ATMs using an overseas
ATM card (e.g. if it has a Cirrus logo) check with your bank about using
ATM cards in the UK. Do note however that most banks will impose a
surcharge for withdrawals from overseas ATMs. (POSB charges a SGD 5
surcharge per transaction.)

The exchange counter in HSBC in Market Square cashes travellers cheques
with a commission of 2-3%, unless the travellers cheques are HSBC ones in
which case there is no commission. Alternatively, instead of cashing
travellers cheques, you could bank them in like any other cheque without
needing to pay commission, but this requires a functioning bank account and
some processing time.

When it comes to setting up your bank account, there are a number of banks
with branches here in Cambridge, so you are spoiled for choice! Proximity to
your college, debit services such as Maestro, Visa, and Mastercard, monthly
fee (if any) and availability of a cheque book, should be key considerations
when choosing your bank especially as cheques and debit cards are
common forms of payment in the UK. (Note that if you have a Maestro card,
youll usually be able to use the card in the rest of Europe; however if you
have a Solo card, its use will be limited to the UK.) Tip: Other factors to
consider include the amount of tax-free overdrafts allowed, and any other
additional benefits.

When you actually apply for a new account (or two, usually a current
account which is linked to your debit card, and a savings account for larger
sums of money), youll usually need to bring your passport and unconditional
offer letter from your college. You may also be required to bring a letter

34
from your college, addressed specifically to the bank, providing proof of your
admittance to the college and confirming your address in Cambridge. Check
what documents youll need with the bank youre intending to open an
account with.

Unlike in Singapore, most ATMs with any of the banks are Link enabled (look
out for the Link sign), meaning that youll be able to withdraw money from
an ATM other than your banks without incurring any surcharges.

As an overseas student, you are entitled to tax-free interest on your
accounts obtain the relevant declaration forms from any bank.

Banks are usually open until 5pm on weekdays and 1pm on Saturdays. They
dont open on Sundays, but cash machines can still be used to withdraw
money. Internet banking can be a very good friend for dealing with transfers
of money and for checking on your spending!

Some banks in Cambridge:
HSBC 32 Market Hill, Cambridge CB2 3NU
Natwest 37 Fitzroy St, Cambridge CB1 1EU56 St Andrews St, Cambridge
CB2 2DA
Barclays Market Square
Lloyds Sidney Street (main branch) or Regent Street or Mill Road

35
Staying in touch

With home

High commissions

As soon as you can, register yourself with your respective High Commissions:

Malaysia Students Department
45-46 Belgrave Square
London SW1X 8QT

OR

Singapore High Commission (Students Section)
9 Wilton Crescent
Belgravia
London SW1X 8SP
(Alternatively, log on to the MFA website at http://www.mfa.gov.sg and
register yourself online)

Posting letters

The postal rates for normal airmail letters overseas start from 56p. You can
get a set of 56p stamps if youre going to send light letters of postcards
home often. For heavier letters, just ask at the post offices the rates for the
letter you want to send. To send letters, you can mail them at any red
mailbox in town there are quite a few of them in the area. Alternatively,
some Colleges have a mail service in the Porters Lodge where you can speak
to the porters, pay for postage and get them to send letters out in the daily
mail collection.

Airmail theoretically takes 4-6 working days to arrive in Malaysia or
Singapore, but realistically its usually about a week either way. Each of you
will be assigned a pigeonhole in your college into which your mail is put
parcels and registered mail are usually kept at the Porters Lodge, and the
porters will tell you to collect them. Useful websites:
http://www.royalmail.com
http://www.singpost.com.sg

36
Phone cards, etc

Its cheaper to call home using the international calling cards here in the UK.
They usually come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, or 50 and are available
at almost all post offices and newsagents. Check to see that calling rates
stated include tax. Some popular choices include SwiftCall and SAVERS.

However, as Mobileworld (a handphone network) charges just 4p a minute to
call home, many people use Mobileworld rather than phone cards to call
home if they need to. It is not cheap for general daily use within the UK
though. (Another similar network is Lyca Mobile!)

The Malaysian IDD is 00-60 followed by your area code (omit the 0) and your
Malaysian home number. There is a Malaysia Direct International Collect
Operator Service and the toll-free number is 0800-89-0060. You will be
connected to a local Malaysian operator who will then connect the call for
you.

The Singapore IDD is 00-65 followed by your Singapore phone number. Direct
International Call Collect is also available for holders of the International
Calling Card from Singapore

Webcams

Webcams can be very useful to use with Skype or MSN, particularly as the
internet service in Cambridge is rather fast. However, some colleges have
internet bandwidth limits so you may need to monitor your usage.

In the UK

Mobile phones

There are many service providers here that you can obtain a line with!
The most common ones include O2 (and giffgaff which is under O2),
Vodafone, Three and EE.

Things to consider in choosing a network provider
1) Price some networks are definitely much cheaper, for example, giffgaff
has a 10 pound goodybag deal where you pay 10 pounds to get unlimited
SMSes, 1GB data, on top of a decent number of minutes!

37

2) Reception some networks have better reception than others. Vodafone
tends to have good reception even in Sainsburys and on the hill, while
giffgaff has pretty shaky reception in some parts of Cambridge.

3) Roaming Vodafone and Orange are multinational and will allow you to
roam within most of Europe and some other parts of the world).

4) Which networks your friends are on this may sound silly without context,
but some networks give you deals when you make calls or send texts to
friends on the same network as you, so if all your friends are on a certain
network, the calls and texts may even be free!

The websites to some of the more widely used mobile phone networks are
listed below. You can check out their price plans first before buying, or you
can ask the friendly staff of mobile phone shops in Cambridge such as
Phones4U or Carphone Warehouse (one Carphone Warehouse outlet is
located in Lion Yard):

O2 http://www.o2.co.uk
Giffgaff - http://giffgaff.com/
EE - http://ee.co.uk/
Virgin mobile http://www.virginmobile.com
Vodafone http://www.vodafone.co.uk
Three http://www.three.co.uk
Mobileworld http://www.mobileworld.co.uk
Lyca Mobile - http://www.lycamobile.co.uk/home/en

Handsets usually come free or at a discounted price, but the catch is that
youll have to commit to a contract, and you may not be able to suspend
your line for the months that you spend out of the UK.

Note that if its your first year in the UK, the mobile phone companies will
require a copy of a valid bank statement sent to you by mail, or a credit
card, and some form of identification (your university card should suffice)
when you first subscribe to a plan.

Otherwise, you may consider buying a Pay-as-you-talk prepaid SIM card
instead, and adding on voice or text packs if you need them, monitoring your
phone usage to see if it is more sensible to have a contract or to continue

38
using a prepaid sim card. Many prepaid cards offer free text, internet etc
depending on the amount you top up monthly. Should you wish to change to
a contract, you will usually be able to port your number over, but do check
with the service providers or the friendly folk at the mobile phone shops
first!

The general format for a UK mobile number is (+44)-XXXX-XXXXXX if youre
dialing from overseas. In the UK, you can simply type in 0-XXXX-XXXXXX.

Therefore, sometimes you may see the mobile numbers listed as +44-(0)-
XXXX-XXXXXX.

Landlines

The university (with the exception of some colleges) used to be wired on the
NTL network but many colleges have pulled out last academic year. So do
check with your college porters if your college still provides landline
connections. A few colleges like Homerton and Fitzwilliam, however, have
their own landline system where you can make intra-college phone calls for
free.

Do note that the charge for dialling the 0845 number of your landline is the
same as a mobile phone call. Ask your college if there is an alternative line
to call there is usually a 01223 number which has the same charge as a
normal landline.

Letters

You can send letters for free to students different colleges using the CUSU
Mail Service (CUSU-MS) during academic term. Each college will have a box
for this and there is a stipulated collection date/time. Indicate the name of
the recipient, the college and CUSU-MS on the envelope to indicate that
youre using it. Again, note the different naming convention, which is to put
the first name before your last name (surname). You may also underline the
last name. This help the porters sort out the mail to the correct pigeon hole.

During term time and holidays, mail may be sent to Fellows residing in other
colleges via the internal University Mail Service (UMS).


39
Navigating around Cambridge

It can be difficult trying to find your way around Cambridge when you first
arrive, particularly as roads may not quite look like what youd expect (main
roads, such as St Andrews and Downing Streets, often are one or two lane
roads!).

Google Maps (http://maps.google.co.uk) is your friend here its particularly
good for finding locations, just with a postcode! A map of Cambridge would
probably be a good idea to have around in the first couple of weeks as well
print it out from http://www.cam.ac.uk/map, obtain one from tourist
information, or purchase the official university map from the Cambridge
University Press bookshop near Great St Marys Church. Or just remember to
pick up a free map during freshers week!

Meanwhile, heres a short guide to navigating around the city centre!
2012/2013s guide around Cambridge has been marked out on Google Maps
and will be updated from time to time with new locations, especially those
that we are asked about. http://bit.ly/JJxYke. Do note that some locations
were not available in stored locations on Google Maps, so they have been
arbitrarily marked out based on personal memory of the area.


40
Transport

Within Cambridge

Cycling

Cycling is a quick and efficient way of getting around Cambridge, particularly
if your lecture sites or college are far away. They do wonders for widening
the area that you travel around, and for getting you to your lectures on time
when youre in a hurry!

Do read up on the cycling rules (such as not cycling on pavements, and the
need for bike lights at night, helmets etc. http://www.camcycle.org.uk for
more details), and register your bicycle with your college as bicycles are
stolen often!

Stagecoach bus services

The bus services within Cambridge can be fairly efficient, though the wait
for the bus can sometimes be rather long (refer to timetables to minimise
your wait!). Taking the buses make getting to Addenbrookes, the train
station, or Tescos at Newmarket Road much easier. If there is a copy of a
bus map available at Freshers Fair, be sure to pick up one!

The City1 bus costs around 1.15 from the train station to the city centre. If
you are traveling around often, it might be more worthwhile to get a day
ride pass at 3.70, or even weekly and monthly passes. Cambridge University
students get to travel on the Uni4 for 70p upon presentation of the
University Card, and it is useful for getting to the train station for weekend
trips out of Cambridge.

Useful websites:
http://www.stagecoachbus.com
http://www.stagecoachbus.com/cambridge/timetables.php


41

Within the UK

Coach/bus

Two coach/bus companies that are widely used are National Express and
Megabus.

National Express is particularly useful for getting to airports and to London.
Look out for the funfares on National Express where you can get cheaper
one-way tickets between Cambridge and London (the catch is that if you
miss the bus, there would be no refund)! Otherwise, a Young Persons Coach
Card will allow you to get significant discounts on National Express fares.

For more details:
http://www.nationalexpress.com
http://www.megabus.co.uk

Train

Taking a train is usually the quickest means of getting to your destination it
only takes 46 minutes to get from Cambridge to London by train, compared
to 2 hours by coach. Unfortunately, not only is the Cambridge train station
located far away from the city centre, its also almost always more
expensive to take a train than to take a coach/bus. A Young Persons 16-25
Railcard will, however, allow you to get a significant third off your train
fares.

Note that you can get trains to London Kings Cross and London Liverpool St
stations. The former is more expensive and sold at a fixed price regardless of
when you buy it but is generally faster. The latter is less expensive (price
increases as date of departure nears) and generally takes a longer time
(1h15min).

Check out http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ for more details on train services.


42
Various cards

University Card your college would probably have asked you to send them
a photograph. This photo is for the University Card, possibly one of the most
useful cards around it identifies you as a student of Cambridge University
(allowing you free entrance into places such as Kings College Chapel) and
entitles you to lots of perks at the shops around town. Some colleges also
use the University Card as a meal card, library card, and as an access card
into various places. Do note that the top corner of your card next to your
photo has your College colours to indicate which College youre from in
identifying some College-specific benefits. For example, Scudamores
Punting Company has different discounts for different Colleges depending on
the agreement between the College and the company!

College swipe card Some colleges may use a college swipe card instead of
the University Card around college for meals, borrowing books, and obtaining
access into various places.

NUS/CUSU card This is optional, and serves mainly to identify you as a
student and to obtain discounts!

Nectar card This can be used at Sainsburys and various other shops. Its
free, and youll definitely be visiting Sains a lot during your course of study
here. The idea is that you collect points as you spend, and points can be
redeemed as rebates once youve reached the qualifying mark.

Boots Advantage card Similar to the Nectar card, but only usable at Boots.
Get this if you tend to buy lots of things (such as Meal Deals!) from Boots.

Coach card With a National Express coach card, you can save up to 30% on
many normal adult fares on many coach services. This is especially useful for
the trips to the airports! You can buy the card from the ticketing counter at
Heathrow, from the ticketing booth at Drummer Street bus station or online.

Rail card You will qualify for the Young Persons Railcard. It saves you 1/3
of the price of your train tickets, useful if you tend to take the train often.
You can sign up for this online and they will mail you the card for free!

CUMSA membership card just 15 for a lifetime! Where is there a better
bargain? See the membership privileges at the back of the booklet!
Life in Cambridge

43
Academics in Cambridge

Lectures

Lectures are conducted in one of the
many lecture theatres around the
university teaching sites. You will
receive more information on where
and when your lectures are from your
college, or from your department
websites look out for the
information! Most timetables are
available on your department
websites or speak to a senior if youd
like to find out what your schedule
will be like once term starts!
Lectures are (usually) very important, so do attend them! Although some
seniors may say otherwise Some people find them useful while others
dont, so find something that suits your learning style.

Supervisions

Supervisions are not unlike tutorials or seminars in Singapore JCs, except
that instead of having a class of some 20-odd people, youll experience
learning in a small group of usually 2-3 people. This makes supervisions the
hallmark of the Cambridge teaching system, giving you ample opportunity to
clarify any questions or problems that you may have, and allows you to
explore any particular area of study that you wish to find out more about. Do
take time to prepare for
supervisions, so that you can
make full use of the
supervision time! Your Director
of Studies is in charge of hiring
and assigning you supervisors.
But you will liaise with the
supervisors directly regarding
supervision timings.
Life in Cambridge

44
Fun in Cambridge

CUMSA

CUMSA organises activities regularly for its members, especially for freshers!

Some of the events that we will be organising in the coming academic year
include Freshers Squash, Oxbridge Games, Speakers Series, CUMSA Annual
Ball and more! So do look out for more details about these events!

CUMSA also supports weekly sports activities such as Floorball, Badminton,
and Tennis via our interest groups, so look out for details about these as
well! These are all great platforms to meet your fellow Singaporeans and
Malaysians from other Colleges, hang out, and have a good time.

On top of this, CUMSA hopes to provide support as a community, and if you
ever need someone to talk to or a feeling of home, speak to any of us, your
CUMSA parents or seniors around you!

Other Singaporean and Malaysian societies

There are other Singaporean and Malaysian societies in Cambridge which
organise various activities for Singaporeans and Malaysians throughout the
year. These societies include the Temasek Society and the Cambridge
University Malaysia Society (CUMaS).

Life in Cambridge

45
College activities in Cambridge

Do make it a point to take part in the various freshers events organised
especially for you by your colleges JCR in freshers week! These events are
a great opportunity for you to mix and mingle with other freshers from your
college, helping you to make friends and settle down with greater ease.

Each college also has many activities throughout the year, and there are
college societies to fulfil almost every need (if not, theres always the
university societies!). Do join them just to have fun and you dont always
have to be particularly good to join a sport and many people who join them
have never played it before, so do take the opportunity to pick up a new
sport or activity! Examples of College-level activities include acapella
groups, music society, badminton, hockey, netball, rugby, rowing and many
more!

University activities in Cambridge

If there are any activities you cant find in your college, youll usually find
them in the university societies. With a vast list of societies, youll almost
always find something that deals with your interests, from tennis to lace-
making!

Do go for the CUSU Freshers Societies Fair at Parkers Piece on 7
th
and 8
th

October 2014 before the start of term and sign up for any societies that may
seem interesting to you you can always back out from them later on,
though you may find your email being flooded with notices from clubs you
dont remember signing up for.

If that doesnt provide a good enough reason for you to go for the fair, there
are always loads of freebies to be collected as you walk around note pads,
thumb drives, mugs, pizza and more! The Cambridge University Societies
Fair is one of the largest in the country over 315 stalls were set up at the
fair in 2011! Remember that pizza vouchers can often be used in February of
the following year too!

Check out http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/societies/directory/ for a list of
University societies.
Glossary of useful terms

46
Are you all
right?
The British equivalent of the cheery jia ba buey?
(have you eaten in hokkien) or the snazzy American
whassup?. You dont have to be visibly distressed for
someone to ask you this its just their way of saying
hello.
You could just say Im good, thanks, howre you? and
keep walking (while theyll probably return with a Im
good! These are just pleasantries, so dont feel like
you should explain how you are in fact alright or not.
Backs The back of colleges along the river (including Kings
College) with superb views of the River Cam. Especially
beautiful when flowers blossom in summer. Ideal for
picnics.
Bedder Cleaner at Cambridge colleges, from the era when
students had beds made for them. Now, she empties
your bin every morning (and perhaps changes your
sheets or cleans your room, depending on your college).
Be nice to your bedder because he/she is a force to be
reckoned with. They can be your friends!
Bicycle The most common mode of transport in Cambridge. Ask
a senior where they got their bikes and theyll often be
happy to advice you on where to go for the best deal!
Blue Sporting award for people who play in University
(Varsity) matches against Oxford.
Bop After-party, usually with loud music, dancing, drinks
and a crowded warm room. Cambridge University slang.
Boatie Bow-tee. Person whose waking hours revolve around
boats, rowing and more rowing. Known for waking up
at insane hours to train. Conversationally topic-limited
to, you guessed it, rowing.
Bumps Bi-annual thrilling event where all College boat crews
line up in accordance with the rankings and chase each
other up the river, attempting to bump (overtake) each
other.
Buttery See Hall.
Cam-___ Many university resources are pre-fixed with a Cam-.
E.g. CamTools (teaching material), CamCORS

47
(supervision reports), CamSIS (exam results). Needs a
Raven password for access.
Cheers They dont just use this to sign off letters. Cheers is
an expression of appreciation the British substitute for
the polite thanks.
Cho Mee Singaporean-owned chinese supermarket. The place to
go for oyster sauce, chilli, Yeos chrysanthemum tea
etc.
108110 Mill Road, CB1 2BD (many other Asian
supermarkets along Mill Road)
Compsci Kowm-skee. Computer Science student. Connotations:
social life depends on email.
Cook-out A get-together to try your hand at cooking or simply eat
amazing food someone else has whipped up (you may be
expected to return the favour some other time). Highly
enjoyable if there is no burnt disaster in the kitchen
Courts Manicured grass patch(es) in college. Not to be
trampled on by students. At least dont get caught. To
be caught is to risk the wrath of the porters.
DoS Director of Studies. A fellow from your college who is
responsible for overseeing your academic progress. You
will usually have a meeting with him/her once a term.
Best to be avoided if you do not want any nagging or
pep-talk to work harder, though some can be lovely.
Doss Confusingly, the British also use the term doss
colloquially. A doss subject is one that doesnt require
very much effort and is hardly intellectually rigorous. To
doss around means to faff around (See below Faff.)
Funny how your DoS is the last person who will want you
dossing around though.
Faff [Verb] If someone tells you to stop faffing around, they
want you to stop clowning around.
[Noun] An unnecessary, over-complicated or
troublesome task, especially one perceived as a waste
of time. I hate doing the dishes every night, its such a
faff.

48
Fellows Academics who work, and in some cases, live in a
college. They are a notch above the student in the
college social ladder and enjoy the right to walk on the
grass. They also get to sit at the high table at hall and
are served better food. Some Fellows are also
supervisors (See Supervisor).
Formal Hall Dressed up dinner with good food and wine (usually)
held in Hall, sometimes requiring gowns (although highly
variable some colleges only require college members
to wear gowns).
Freshers Week Your first weekend of the Michaelmas term in
Cambridge. Arguably the most enjoyable time of the
year (before the workload hits), and also possibly the
rowdiest.
Full Term The length of time for each term for which you have to
be resident in Cambridge for you need to spend a
minimum number of nights in Cambridge each term to
keep term
Gyp Room Kitchen. Sometimes with odd rules like no cooking
after 10pm and no frying.
Hall Dining hall. Place where food is served at meal times.
Also known as buttery in some colleges.
Hermes Email server used in Cambridge giving you a cam.ac.uk
address. Requires a separate password (not your Raven
password) for access.
Hobs Stoves. Unfortunately some gyp rooms dont have hobs
JCR Junior Common/Combination Room. 1. Undergraduate
section of the college students union. 2. Student
leisure area where you and your friends can watch
football/rugby matches or lounge in armchairs/bean-
bags.
KFC 1. Kitchen Fixed Charge: resented college canteen
subsidy paid by student members of Cambridge colleges.
Unfortunately almost impossible to get out of paying,
even if you never eat in Hall.
2. Kentucky Fried Chicken. Available only at faraway
Grafton.

49
Knackered As in completely knackered, meaning very tired.
Master/Mistress The person who nominally heads the college (aka
position for eminent figures to end their careers in the
twilight retirement home of a Cambridge college). Have
a Masters Lodge which is often beautifully decorated
and one of the nicest parts of college.
Mathmo Math-mow. Mathematics student. Connotations: slightly
weird.
May Ball/
June Event/
When a college is converted into a huge party venue
during May Week! Vast amounts of drink, food, ents,
performances and things to do usually running between
10pm to 6am the next day. Prices for tickets range
between 80 (June Event) to 100-250 (May Ball).
Also, some colleges host Spring Balls and Winter Balls in
Lent and Michaelmas respectively.
May Week Cambridge tradition circa ten days in June after the end
of the exams. Drink, garden parties, balls. Recognized
use: something for students to look forward to in order
to see them through Tripos.
MCR Middle Common/Combination room.
Graduate equivalent of JCR.
Medic Doctors-to-be or medicine students.
NatSci Nat-skee. Natural science students. Sometimes used to
conjure up image of stereotypical nerd.
Parkers Piece The Wembly of Cambridge. The place to go on Sunday if
you feel like kicking a ball. Also the place you first see
when you reach Cambridge (if youre taking National
Express).
Pissed Drunk. The American version of which we are used to
angry is not used. So when you say you are pissed
Plodge Porters Lodge, where you can find a Porter 24/7 in
every single college.
Porter One of the many peculiar Cambridge institutions. Dont
expect them to help you with your bags though! Warden
on duty in college. In charge of some areas of discipline
especially during bops and sorts your post. Duties

50
include talking at great length about past students,
breaking up parties and evicting mad axe-murders from
college. Are often very nice friendly people with a sense
of humour who will help you out if you are lost or
confused.
Punts Long boats unique to Oxbridge, manned by poles. Can
be rented out by students for a spin on the River Cam
for under 20/hour. Remember to present your student
card!
Raven A username and password used for authenticating
yourself to various Cambridge website resources (see
Cam-___). Also used for accessing certain university
websites outside of the Cambridge network.
Sainsburys Also known as Sains. The place to go if you are running
low on groceries. Also the place to go if you want to see
familiar faces. Where Singaporeans congregate.
Senate House Probably the best looking exam venue. Also the dreaded
place to go where Tripos results are put up for public
viewing in late June (your Tripos results are available
online on CamSIS as well). Also the place for
convocation.
Senior Tutor Holds overall responsibility for student welfare in the
college. Usually a stern-looking elderly person who
speaks to you during Freshers week about behaving
yourself.
Sent Down Expelled from college: rusticated returned to the
country
Go Down To leave Cambridge (According to the archaic statutes,
this is allowed only after 8 weeks of full-term)
Supervisor A teacher. Someone holding a doctorate or a PhD
student overseeing your work in a particular subject.
Usually very nice and helpful, unless you havent done
your work
Supervision The session with the supervisor (see above). Hour-long
sessions, usually in small groups of 1-5 students. Can be
fun if you did your work. Otherwise, may be bewildering
or painful.

51
Time Half-ten = 10:30. five-to-ten = 9:55.
Always with reference to the hour, so twenty past
would be twenty minutes past whichever hour it is.
Tripos Try-poss. otherwise appropriately named as try pass.
The exam system; Cambridge students try to pass it
each year. Some say its the hardest exam youll ever
have to take. The name derives from the archaic
practice involving the presentation of a leg of a three-
legged stool in each years exam. Not done anymore.
Trousers Not Pants. Pants = underwear. You do not want to tell
your college mate Hey, youve got a nice pair of pants
on! Remember that its trousers, and say trousers.
Tutor A fellow from your college similar to your DoS, but
takes care of your pastoral well-being rather than your
academics. Usually has a meeting at the beginning and
end of term with you to chat about your welfare, how
youre coping with everything, what you do outside of
your academics and if you have any other concerns or
worries. Your first port-of-call for any non-academic
concerns.
Wicked Not vindictive but cool. Practise saying that CUMSA
bop was wicked! with glee
xx People sign off with xx it means kiss-kiss and used
to express affection, or just a way of signing off. And it
is not just the girls who do this!
e.g. Dear Rob,
Seeya at quarter-past-seven (aka 7:15).
Emma xx
xoxo You guessed it: hugs and kisses.


52
Last reminders
1. Dates you might want to note
12 July: UK Pre Departure Talk @ SP Convention Centre
3 August: Freshers Tea
29-31 August: Freshers Camp
7 October: Start of Cambridge Term
2. Things you might want to do (if you have yet to!)
Register your personal details on the CUMSA website
(http://cumsa.org) under the Freshers registration
Join the CUMSA Freshers Facebook group! (Cambridge University
Singaporean and Malaysian Freshers 2014/15 -
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cumsa2014/)
Sign up to be a UKSSC member at http://eepurl.com/JRzB1
If you have any other questions, please do drop an email to Baifeng
(president@cumsa.org) or Anira (welfare@cumsa.org)!

Privileges for joining CUMSA

As a CUMSA member, you will receive a membership card that entitles you to
discounts at some of Cambridges Asian eateries by simply presenting your
card!

HK Fusion
10% discount for CUMSA members
St Johns Street Branch
12 St Johns Street
Cambridge
CB2 1TW
(Opposite St Johns College)

Burleigh Street Branch
21 Burleigh St
Cambridge
CB1 1DG
(Near Grafton)


53

Seven Days
Valid only on la carte items, with cash payment, from Mondays to
Thursdays.
66 Regent Street
Cambridge
CB2 1DP
(Near Downing College)

Ichiro
13 King Street
Cambridge
CB1 1LH

Chinese Canteen
Valid only on la carte items, with cash payment.
30 Bridge Street
Cambridge
CB2 1UJ

For more information, please refer to our website where you may sign up as
a member!

54

This CUMSA Freshers Guide was created in 2014,
and is based on and expands upon the CUMSA
Freshers Guide 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
If you have any comments or questions on this
guide, please email Anira Perera, your CUMSA
Welfare Officer at welfare@cumsa.org

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