DOWNING COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK 2017 FRESHERS

Introduction-- A message from your iFreps!

Congratulations on receiving and making your offer to join (by far) the best college at Cambridge! We’re all so excited that you’ll be joining us for the next few years and hope that we can help ease that transition in

the first couple of days and weeks. No matter what you’re interested in, we’re confident that at Downing

and Cambridge you’ll find groups of people who share those passions, which is part of what makes this community so great! As your iFreps, we’ve put together this handbook for both pre- and post-arrival at

Cambridge so that you can be prepared for the term. Be sure to check it for anything you may need to do or plan for before getting here, and also to check the Downing website for the full Fresher pre-arrival checklists! As an international student, you get an extra couple of days before the start of full fresher’s week

(September 27th-30th) to help settle in and get acclimated, as well as meeting other international students in the same position as you! We’re going to make sure that both your iFresher’s and regular Fresher’s week

will be a blast, and are really looking forward to meeting all of you!

Lots of love, Sophie and Ioanna xx

About your iFreps

Sophie I’m a second year Bio NatSci from New Jersey, USA! When I’m not in lectures or the lab, I’m the captain of ice hockey for Cambridge and am a coxswain for

Downing Boat Club. I also really enjoy being part of Downing JCR as co-International Officer with Ioanna, and on the committee for OneHealth Cambridge! My one piece of advice is to introduce yourself to everyone that you can; it’s a

great way to make friends!

Ioanna

I study law and am from Cyprus, that small island in the Mediterranean, of

whose existence not many are aware. No matter where each one of you

comes from we are here to facilitate your integration and settling in

process into this new, exciting, university world you are about to enter. If you need any help or feel lost at any stage, both physically and

metaphorically, please do not hesitate to contact any of us. Looking

forward to meeting you all in September!

Jyothsna

Hi! I’m Jyothsna (the y is silent) and I study Psychological and Behavioural Sciences. Congratulations on making it to the best college in Cambridge! I’m an Australian of

Indian origin living in Qatar, but I’ve also lived in Oman. This year, I’m on the Hindu

Society Committee, and I’m also very involved in India Society. My one piece of advice as an international student would be to make sure to sort out any admin like forms,

banking etc. early on so that you have time during Freshers’ to try out as many things as

possible. Feel free to ask me any questions and I look forward to meeting you all in

September!

Victor

I’m a second year from Sydney, Australia, and study Land Economy. I speak English and 汉

语 and am captain of the Downing basketball team this year. If I were to give one piece of

advice to the freshers, it would be to learn to love the tourists (they don’t go away).

Pranetr

Hi, my name is Pranetr Pattu and I’m mixed Indian-Sri Lankan living in Malaysia. The

only language I speak is English. The one tip I’d give to any 1st year is that you

cannot make too many friends during freshers. Be as outgoing and confident as you

can!

Tentative iFresher’s Week Schedule Thursday, September 28th 2-4:30pm: Meet at Porters lodge, move in, and welcome to Downing!

4:30-6pm: Tour of Cambridge/Downing, show shopping centers, landmarks, etc.

6:30pm-9pm: British movie night, icebreaker games, & take out Chinese Food

Friday, September 29th

10am: Coffee & snacks in Butterfield to discuss banking, phones, etc.! 11am: Scavenger hunt around Cambridge! Prizes promised to the winners! 1:30pm: Picnic on the paddock with Downing

4-6pm: Time to continue moving in, meeting with banks, and shopping.

6pm: Dinner in Hall 8pm: Evening options:

o Trivia/games night downstairs in Butterfield, o Pre-drinks in Griphon kitchen, & night out at Life

Saturday, September 30th Move in day & Fresher’s week begins!

Storage At Downing, as a first year, you pay rent during the term but not during the holidays! During breaks, you’re

required to move out of your room (unless prior arrangements with college have been made). The dates for this year’s NPR can be found on the college website!

Luckily, as an international student you receive 4 pieces of storage (for free!), often in the form of 2 boxes

and two suitcases. About 2 weeks before break, you’ll receive an email from us or college to reserve your space-- be sure to respond to this in a timely manner! The email will include size specifications and any

details about storage. Downing storage is often picked up from your room and is waiting for you when you

return back to college the next term, which saves a lot of time and effort!

Accomodation Here are some details on fresher accommodation. You’ll be allocated a room in either Griphon House,

Howard Lodge, Kenny A, Kenny B, H Staircase or J Staircase depending on the rent band you choose. All

buildings have communal kitchens and are cleaned by housekeeping.

All rooms contain:

Bed frame and mattress

Bedside table

Desk with desk lamp

Mirror

Wardrobe

Rubbish bin

Griphon House – double bed, magnetic wall, ensuite, lockable cupboard, social space

Howard Lodge – double bed, pin-board, ensuite, lockable cupboard

Kenny A and Kenny B – single

bed, ensuite, lockable cupboard

H and J Staircase – single bed, few ensuite

What to Bring Most of what you’ll need can be bought in Cambridge for a reasonable price. This is a recommended but not exhaustive list of what you may want to bring: Bedding

Duvet + duvet cover

Sheets

Pillow + pillow case

Bedding can be bought from Downing too, hired on a weekly basis. The standard package includes a

pillowcase, sheet, duvet cover, bath towel and hand towel. A duvet and pillow must be bought separately.

More information can be found here: http://www.dow.cam.ac.uk/students/accommodation/housekeeping

Essentials

Clothes hangers

Toiletries

Stationery

Towels

Laundry items

Washing powder/fabric softener

Laundry bag

Small airer

Other items

Plastic boxes, suitcases, duffel bags for storage over the holidays (usual allowance of 2 suitcases + 2

boxes)

Printer, ink and paper (the College library does have a printer)

Kitchen equipment e.g. pots, pans, plates, cutlery etc., depending on how much you plan to cook – most

kitchens are well-equipped, but you may need to organise appliances with your floor upon arrival

Hairdryer, straightener etc.

Electrical adapter (UK uses a 3 flat-pin system)

Extension cords (most rooms should have multiple power points, so worth checking your room before

buying)

Hot water bottle

Basic cold and flu medicines

Photos + anything else to make your room feel cosy (nothing can be stuck or blue tacked onto the walls

and only battery-powered lights e.g. battery-powered fairy lights are allowed)

When deciding what to bring, remember that over the holidays, there is only an allowance of 2 suitcases

and 2 boxes to keep in storage, although some accommodations do have lockable cupboards which can be

used for storage as well. Based on this, it’s useful to prioritise essentials then see what you have room left

for because you don’t want to end up with too much luggage.

WHERE TO BUY STUFF? Argos (Grafton Centre)

Room essentials, kitchen equipment, electronics, reasonable quality,

cheaper but further away

Boots (Lion Yard)

Toiletries, makeup, medicine

John Lewis (Grand Arcade) Room essentials, kitchen equipment, electronics, good quality, more

expensive

Marks & Spencer

Room essentials, clothes, good quality, more expensive

Marks & Spencer Foodhall (Market Square)

Groceries, slightly more expensive

Mill Road

International food shops

Ryman (near Mainsbury’s)

Stationery, a few printers, ink, reasonable price + student discount.

Also does binding and printing

Sainsbury’s

Groceries, Mainsbury’s slightly cheaper than S’local

Superdrug (near Mainsbury’s)

Toiletries, makeup, medicine

Tesco Express (5-10 min walk from Downing) Groceries, slightly cheaper WH Smith (near Market Square)

Stationery

Wilko (Grafton Centre)

Room essentials, stationery, kitchen equipment, reasonable quality,

cheaper but further away

Banks: Setting up a bank account before the rush of Fresher’s week is highly recommended, especially if you don’t intend on carrying around stacks of cash! The main banks, including NatWest, Santander, HSBC, Barclays and

Lloyds are in close proximity to Downing, along Regent Street. It is recommended you research on each

bank’s student accounts before choosing which one to open with. A UK account is also necessary for setting

up a phone contract.

Required documents vary between banks, but generally you will need your Passport, Personal ID and a letter from college stating you have chosen the specific bank to open a student account with (request for this

letter from the Tutorial Office in B Staircase). Appointments for opening an account can usually be booked

online or by visiting a branch, but it is important to note that appointment wait times may differ significantly

between banks especially at the start of the year. For example, HSBC appointments often need to be booked

2 weeks in advance whereas NatWest may take 2-3 business days.

Be sure to check that your chosen bank provides for your preferences before opening an account with them

e.g. Contactless card for students/Android/Apple Pay.

Phones: Similar in regard to bank accounts, it is recommended you do research on

each phone network before choosing the best one! There are two options for most companies in the UK:

Pay-as-you-go: This option allows you to top up your account every

month with different ‘bundles’ of texts/data/minutes. This also means that you don’t need to pay for your phone bill over the holidays when

you aren’t using the UK number.

Contract: This binds you to one network for 12 or 24 months. Better if you intend to use Skype or Viber on your phone, which can drain money

very easily on a pay-as-you-go plan. However, most networks do not

allow you to suspend the line during breaks. Note: you need a UK Bank

for this option.

The main networks are: EE: -Best (fastest) UK 4G coverage

Giffgaff: -Cheap SIM-only deals, ‘Network of the Year 2016’, and cheapest network for international calls, but no physical stores

O2

Three: -Best for unlimited data bundles and contracts

Virgin: -Best for customer service

Vodafone: -Best for EU Roaming

Documents: Living on your own can involve a fair amount of paperwork from time to time so ensure you bring the

appropriate documents to make life easier. Here’s a list of documents you should check off before

departing:

1. Passport

2. Extra Passport Photos (it is recommended you have additional photos on hand, especially if you are planning

to travel during the breaks)

3. Photo ID (Driving License/ Identity Card)

4. Visa Documents (E.g. Letter of approval for Tier 4 Visa, information on BRP)

5. Copy of Birth Certificate

6. Health insurance documents

7. Other insurance documents

8. Vaccination proof

9. Your offer letter

10. Confirmation letter(s) of scholarship

11. Student Loans Documents

12. Relevant exam certificates (proof of results)

13. Your CV (useful when applying for internships/ insight weeks)

Clothing Keep in mind that the latter weeks of term will get

quite chilly so pack warm clothes.

Casual comfortable clothes (For everyday use during

lectures and supervisions)

Plenty of underclothes and socks

A comfortable set of pyjamas

Thick warm jacket

Hat, scarf and gloves

Footwear for all occasions ( An old pair is useful for many occasions )

Formal Wear- There are many events that require

Suits or Black tie even in the first term. Ranging

from College Formal dinners to the Law Ball.

Sports and Gym wear

Laundry There Laundry room that you are most likely to use is behind I staircase. It has 3 washing machines and 3

dryers. This laundry room is used by the most people in college, which means that all the washing machines

are usually being used. If you live in Griphon you are lucky enough to have your own dedicated Laundry

room. There is also another Laundry room behind T staircase.

To use either of the machines, you will need to have a Laundry card that can be obtained from the Porters

Lodge with a paid deposit.

To top up these cards you will need to have either 5 or 10 pound notes

Washing costs 1 pound 50 pence per load

Drying costs 1 pound per load

Food The Hall food at Downing is very good albeit can get repetitive

by the end of the year. If you’re more adventurous, there are

many restaurants around Cambridge that can satisfy your

needs, many of which offer student deals. Don’t forget to stop

by Market Square to try some delicious home cooked food

ranging from Nigerian to Brazilian and Malaysian.

Bikes in Cambridge

As you may already know or have seen from pictures, bicycles are very common in Cambridge and are the best way to

get somewhere quickly or somewhere that’s out of walking distance! Depending on what course you do (e.g.

BioNatsci, Geography), you may not need one, or if you’re rarely going out of college for extracurricular events; however, we’ve found that it’s often quite convenient and at times necessary to have!

We would not recommend bringing one to Cambridge from internationally, it can be expensive and difficult! Alternatively, you can purchase one cost-effectively at the Cambridge-wide Fresher’s fair, the market in town, or other shops nearby-- just ask us where when you get here! Be sure to also

look out for student discounts or if any older students are selling theirs. We

also would recommend waiting to buy one until you get here and can judge

if it’s the right choice for you given your particular circumstances!

Lodging If your parents are coming to drop you off, here is a list of some nearby hotels. It’s not by any means exhaustive, though, of the options in Cambridge!

Cambridge City Hotel (cambridgecityhotel.co.uk)

University Arms (devere-hotels.co.uk/hotel-lodges/locations/university-arms.html)

Regent Hotel (regenthotel.co.uk)

Lensfield Hotel (lensfieldhotel.co.uk)

Hotel du Vin (hotelduvin.com/locations/cambridge/)

Regency Guest House (regencyguesthouse.co.uk)

A couple of cheaper but further away options are: Travelodge

Premier Inn

Cambridge Lingo: Blue: A term for someone who plays a sport for the University, and is an award to those who play in the

varsity match against Oxford

Boatie(s): Someone who rows and is involved in rowing culture

Deaned: When a student is sent to the dean for misconduct Mainsbury’s: ‘Main Sainsbury’s’, further from Downing (opposite Sidney Sussex) but more selection and

some items are cheaper Maccy D’s: British slang for McDonalds Pidge: Pigeon hole, or where you receive your mail Plodge: porters’ lodge

S’local: Sainsbury’s Local, which is about a minute from Downing and has all the essentials

Slops: the dining hall, used when referring to meals excluding formal dinners

Supo: Abbreviation for ‘supervision’, or the small tutorial classes at Cambridge

Swap: when students from one college or society attend a meal with students from another college or

society.

Final Tips/Words We look forward to meeting you soon, and hope this guide is helpful! Please feel free to email or message

any of us if you have any questions. A couple of last things to remember: Read the August/September checklist on the Downing website for important arrival and student

information

Register with a GP on arrival Get appointments with bank accounts and request a letter to do so from college as soon as possible!