Hello Phys NatScis!
Congratulations everyone on your results and welcome to Pembroke! I'm
Georgie, your Phys NatSci subject rep. Basically I'm here to answer any
questions you have about studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge, no matter
how small or simple.
Fresher's week can be a bit crazy (or at least mine was), so here are a few
things to bear in mind:
* You need to choose subjects by the start of lectures (the first Thursday) but
your director of studies (aka DOS) and older students can give you guidance
so don't worry about deciding yet, just have a look at the options (you do three
sciences plus a chosen level of maths)
* You will also have some meetings with your tutor (who provides pastoral
care) and DOS so try and make it to those
*The highlight of freshers' week will no doubt be the NatSci subject lunch,
which I wouldn't miss for the world. There will also be plenty of other
Pembroke students who will be more than happy to give out advice or
anecdotes from their time at Cambridge so far.
* Freshers' week is also the time to panic buy everything you forgot to get
before term started. Examples from me are: calculator, diary (the bigger the
better), lab coat, lab glasses, a decent alarm clock... Calculators, lab coats
and glasses are available to buy from the Chemistry department but if you
already have them then definitely bring them, and spend the extra money on
cheesy chips or some other Cambridge delicacy.
* Sciency books: given you have a sixty quid book grant, might as well grab a
textbook or two if you want, although don't feel like you have to- the library is
generally pretty well stocked. If you want to do maths suitable for physics, I'd
recommend Mathematical Methods for Physicists and Engineers by Hobson
and Riley. All other books will realistically be more for interest than degree
help (but that's just my opinion!)
*When real term starts, you'll have twelve lectures a week, three in each
subject (including maths)- some of these will probably be on a Saturday
morning (not as bad as it sounds). You will also have some computational
projects thrown in (MATLAB, sadly), and practicals depending on your subject
choices. Practicals for physics and material sciences are in West Cambridge,
so look into investing in a bike (it's about a 15 minute cycle) if you're thinking
of choosing these. Finally, you'll have four supervisions a week, one in each
subject. These are an hour with a professor or PhD student, usually in groups
of two. They are way more chilled than they sound- I have occasionally fallen
asleep in them.
*Talking of sleep, get enough of it! It's okay to miss lectures. I'd even go so far
as to say it's healthy to have a cheeky lie in now and again...
I hope you're as excited for freshers' week as I am (although please make the
most of the amazing summer break!) and most importantly, don't be nervous!
If I came out of freshers' week and first year unscathed, anyone can.
If you have any questions before freshers week, feel free to email me at
gl378@cam.ac.uk. I will attempt to provide helpful answers to things, or at
least direct you to someone who can. I look forward to meeting you in
October!
Georgie Logan :)