New students, affectionately dubbed ‘freshers’, mostly arrive in the two weeks leading up to the start of Michaelmas term in Cambridge. During the fortnight before and just as classes start, the MCR Freshers’ Reps organise a series of social events and activities to introduce new postgraduates to Caius, the university, and the MCR community. The Freshers Reps’ main job – as well as organising the Freshers’ Fortnight – is to make new students feel as welcomed and at home as possible, including answering any queries or concerns you may have before or on your arrival in Cambridge. They’re a great source of information for anything related to the MCR, Caius, academics, or personal life in general!

Caius runs one of the most extensive freshers’ weeks in Cambridge (which is why we call it Freshers Fortnight!), and new students are warmly encouraged to attend as many events as they like since the fortnight is an excellent way to be introduced to Cambridge and Caius. The MCR Committee runs most of the events, so it’s also a good way to meet us as well as other current students. It varies year-on-year, but usually we start with a Meet & Greet Pizza dinner. Other events may include a historical tour of the college led by a Caius Fellow, a Curry Night, drop-in teas in Old Courts, Tapas night, clubbing, a BBQ at the Harvey Road MCR, a pub crawl, and a (short!) countryside walk to Grantchester. Freshers’ Fortnight includes the ever-popular Running Dinner, where every fresher is given a ‘schedule’ for each course (starter, main and dessert) at a different graduate house, lovingly prepared and hosted by current students. A full schedule of events will be distributed upon your arrival in Cambridge and sent by email. Don’t forget to check out the Freshers’ Facebook Group to find more information, ask questions of current students, or liaise with others new to Caius. The group is usually called ‘Caius MCR Freshers [Year]’ and is created around August/September. We look forward to meeting you!