Sidney Freshers 2011

Architecture

Lydia Mills - lm499@cam.ac.uk

Architecture is a truly unique course. You will be one of few so you'll make many close friends. It's a lot of hard work and late nights but most of all its fun. So get all the rest you can!

Archaeology and Anthropology

Kate Harrison - kjh48@cam.ac.uk

Wooo you've got in to do arch and anth at Sidney- you should be massively proud! Arch and Anth has to be one of the most exciting and thought provoking degrees Cambridge offers, and I can guarantee you'll love it (especially if you compare what you've learnt in a typical day to an engineer/mathmo etc... ). Although there's not many arch and anthers at Sidney- its a real tight-knit, friendly community, and we'll be there to help you out every step of the way. We can't wait to meet you!

Classics

Maddie Hoyt - mh624@cam.ac.uk

Dear Soon-to-be-Classicists, I'm Maddie, your very own Classics rep and I hope that you are all excited to be coming to Sidney in October, just as we are all excited to meet you! Sidney is a wonderful college for Classics, especially since the master himself is of our own kind and we are a friendly little group; all here willing to help you out in any way we can from showing you the ropes to uncovering all those secret things which only true Classicists know.

Economics

Emily Iliffe - el224@cam.ac.uk

Economics at Cambridge is great fun- it's really broad in first year so there's plenty of opportunity to find out what really interests you. Please don't hesitate to email if you have any questions at all!

Engineering

Daniel Worrall - dew35@cam.ac.uk

You've chosen one of Cambridge's leading colleges for engineering. Alumni include McLaren Formula One director Paddy Lowe and Carol Vorderman (BOOM!). Although you'll never read a book again, there's a good deal of maths, so enjoy the summer, but don't forget to do the preparatory questions. Also, visit: http://www.stephsoc.co.uk/

English

Rory Williamson rw420@cam.ac.uk

English at Sidney is great fun; you're given quite a lot of freedom in terms of what you work on, with a lot of room to develop your own interests. The workload is definitely manageable enough for you to maintain a good social life, so don't worry about becoming completely consumed by the books! Also, if you have any questions over the holidays about reading lists or anything, please don't hesitate to email me (rw420@cam.ac.uk).

Geography

Noami Cohen-Lask - nc381@cam.ac.uk

Well done for getting into the most fun and diverse course at the friendliest college at the best university! Sidney has a supportive environment and geography is really sociable with plenty of opportunities for post-lecture pub trips so you'll have no problem settling in and having an amazing time. It is hard work (despite the amount of colouring in jokes you'll hear) and a jump from A level but the older years are happy to help and the department will give you as much assistance as you need. Enjoy the summer and if you have any questions in the meantime my e-mail is nc381@cam.ac.uk

History

Katie Estdale - kje26@cam.ac.uk

First and foremost congratulations, you've chosen a great course at a college known for its friendliness (and closeness to Sainsbury's, seriously, don't knock it). We have the oldest history society and also one of the best staff to student ratios in the subject. Don't worry about the work at this stage; they'll break you in slowly. The supervisors understand the pressure of the first few weeks, so just concentrate on making friends. You've already been sent, or soon will be a reading list with instructions to get in contact if you find it underwhelming. THE LIST IS TERRIFYING! I would advise reading a general historiography book (most people buy 'The Pursuit of History' by John Tosh) and then when you find out your first term's supervisor email him/her asking for a recommendation of a basic book. I attempted some of the reading list and ended up buying books that I've never been asked to read for an essay and half the books were too complex before I knew the basics of the period. See you soon and get in contact if you have any questions xx

Land Economy

Katie Rubin - kr352@cam.ac.uk

Hi Land Ecs, you've chosen the best subject, well done! The great thing about Land Ec is that it's so wide ranging in its content that you'll always be working on different things. There's plenty of support and it's one of the best subjects socially - you're guaranteed to spot a fellow land ec on every night out and there's plenty of social activities to get involved in if that's your thing. Don't believe the rumours you will work hard, we just play the hardest too ;D

Languages

Octavia Pillinger - op242@cam.ac.uk

CONGRATULATIONS all linguists! We are all very excited to welcome you to Sidney in October! Make sure you have a relaxing summer and get the basics sorted for your arrival here. I wouldn't go crazy with the reading list, so just buy a few of them on Amazon and have a read if you have time. There is plenty of time to read the set texts as you go along so don't worry about that. It might be a good idea to have a look over your A-level grammar notes so you know the things you are meant to know (conjugations, subjunctive...etc...). Good luck! And we all look forward to meeting you in October!!

Law

Krishma Sangani - ks578@cam.ac.uk

So firstly congrats on getting in! You've worked hard so hopefully you're enjoying the summer. The best advice I can give you in terms of pre-Cambridge prep is to just enjoy the rest of the summer and get lots of sleep! Don't stress too much about the reading list because your Director of Studies(DoS) and individual supervisors will recommend the best books and anyway, you learn everything you need to know once you get here. There are 7 of us in the year above and we will all be happy to help, so feel free to find or message us if you have any worries! Good luck and see you in freshers week! Krishma xxx

Maths

Tom Seddon - ths26@cam.ac.uk

Hi, congratulations on getting into Cambridge! If you've come this far, you'll love the maths course and you'll feel right at home here. The work is hard, but also enjoyable and worthwhile. We're looking forward to meeting you!

Medicine

Bijan Yazdanian - by227@cam.ac.uk & Rosanne Cope - rmac2@cam.ac.uk

Congratulations for getting into the friendliest college in Cambridge. Though medicine is pretty tough, you've already proved that you will be able to cope with it and still have plenty of time for fun. The course is really interesting and you'll get used to dissection in no time. We hope you're looking forward to freshers' week as much as we are!

Music

Verity Bramson - svmb2@cam.ac.uk

Music, as a fairly small subject in Cambridge as a whole, is well suited to the friendly atmosphere at Sidney Sussex, where your fellow musos become like a family, with your beloved DoS soon taking on the role of "fun" Uncle David! Somewhere between the faculty and the huge range of extra curricular activities that tie in with the degree course (at least, that's my justification…) you'll soon meet your peers, meaning you'll never have a spare moment if you just can't quite get motivated to do that essay.

First year may seem frustrating at times, as with many other subjects, there's little room to specialise just yet. Whilst you might LOVE honing your keyboard skills but find opera a bore, someone else might just be your opposite. This diversity of students means that you'll always be able to bounce ideas off one another and work together to bridge the gap between your strengths and difficulties. So, relax over the rest of the summer, do the reading that really interests you, and brush up on your time management so that you can look forward to a relentless yet hugely satisfying first term as a Cambridge muso.

Don't hesitate to get in touch before October at svmb2@cam.ac.uk. I look forward to meeting you!

Natural Sciences

Nick Kernick nk371@cam.ac.uk & Amy McCarthy am988@cam.ac.uk

NatSci is the largest and best subject at Sidney, people may laugh at you for having Saturday lectures but its just a sign of our dedication - others can only dream of having such passion! There is a very broad subject choice when you get here but don't worry about it too much for now, just look forward to a big welcome on your arrival from the largest subject family and enjoy your summer 'til then!

PPS

Rosie Hore - rh491@cam.ac.uk

Congratulations on your excellent choice to study PPS at Sidney! Have a read over the summer if you feel like it, but really don't stress. PPSers aren't exactly renowned for hard work and there'll be (plenty) of time to have fun, but if you ever have any problems, we are here to help!

Philosophy

Ophelia Chatterjee - okc20@cam.ac.uk

Philosophy is a small subject which is good because it means you get to know everyone really quickly, and it's very friendly. Well done for getting an offer and don't worry about doing any work before you get here. They do throw you in at the deep end a bit but it will sort itself out. Your Director of Studies is very laid back and approachable, and there are two of us in the year above who you can come to with any questions you might have. Have a good summer, and see you in October. Ophelia x

Theology

Bilal Khan - bhk22@cam.ac.uk & Hannah Taylor - hrt26@cam.ac.uk

Massive congratulations freshers, you've chosen the friendliest course there probably is in Cambridge! Theology isn't a very big subject university wide or at Sidney so you will get to know people really quickly. The first year gives you lots of options with regards to paper choices and so you can learn a wide range of different things all under the banner of 'Theology'. Don't worry about workload as you have a manageable timetable, with usually only one essay per week in addition to the language work. I do suggest doing something I didn't do myself and start some language work prior to getting here as this will help you loads and then take on board the advice of your tutors and do it daily once term starts. You've got awesome footsteps to follow in as Sidney theologians (just kidding ) but once again, well done and if you have any questions don't hesitate to get in touch. See you soon!

Vetmed

Ginny Fellows - vaf25@cam.ac.uk

As a Sidney vet, you can expect to receive excellent teaching, with plenty of fun mixed in - there is never a dull moment with Colin (our DoS)! You will be part of a subject society organising a range of talks and socials, so make the most of your time, and don't be nervous about anything - everyone supports each other at Sidney!