Hello Freshers! Welcome to Medwards!! We are your JCR and we run the Murray Edwards College Student Union (MECSU). We represent your views both at a college and university level, and are also here to help you settle into Cambridge. As the JCR, we’ve created this guide as an introduction to life at college. If you want to chat about anything afterwards, please email any of us and we’d be very happy to answer any questions. You will find more information on the college website, in the College life section www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/college-life, or at www.murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/Student%20Handbook_0.pdf for the College’s student handbook.
We’ve included a glossary at the end to help you with some of the Cambridge jargon. We want to make every student’s life here as enjoyable and homely as possible. You’ll find us in our JCR sweatshirts at all the freshers’ events and walking around on arrivals day ready to help. We hope you have a great Freshers’ Week and enjoy your time at Cambridge.
We’ve included a glossary at the end to help you with some of the Cambridge jargon. We want to make every student’s life here as enjoyable and homely as possible. You’ll find us in our JCR sweatshirts at all the freshers’ events and walking around on arrivals day ready to help. We hope you have a great Freshers’ Week and enjoy your time at Cambridge.
Advice from the JCR
Cambridge is one of the best universities in the world. It provides amazing academic opportunities for every student. Being around other people who are just as passionate and dedicated as you, is something to cherish Remember you have been offered a place here for a reason. You’re intelligent, and good at what you do. Any doubts are likely to vanish within days of arriving at Murray Edwards, but here are some golden rules that might help:
1. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Some people work best under time pressure, some prefer spreading the workload more evenly; some work during the day, some people are night owls. Whatever your style is, don’t try to compare yourself to others. You’ve all got this far, so you evidently know what works best for you!
2. FIND YOUR OWN STYLE. Find what you are most interested in within your modules, and focus on that. This is easier for some subjects than others, but there is almost always scope to avoid topics you don’t like!
3. SLEEP. This should be self-explanatory, but many underestimate the power (and necessity) of a good night’s sleep.
4. DO OTHER STUFF. Don’t spend all your time working. Find something you like, and take it up. A sport, an art, a book, a film, pesto pasta (you will be seeing lots of that this year), Cindies, whatever floats your boat.
1. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS. Some people work best under time pressure, some prefer spreading the workload more evenly; some work during the day, some people are night owls. Whatever your style is, don’t try to compare yourself to others. You’ve all got this far, so you evidently know what works best for you!
2. FIND YOUR OWN STYLE. Find what you are most interested in within your modules, and focus on that. This is easier for some subjects than others, but there is almost always scope to avoid topics you don’t like!
3. SLEEP. This should be self-explanatory, but many underestimate the power (and necessity) of a good night’s sleep.
4. DO OTHER STUFF. Don’t spend all your time working. Find something you like, and take it up. A sport, an art, a book, a film, pesto pasta (you will be seeing lots of that this year), Cindies, whatever floats your boat.