Christ's - King's College Programme 2023

Welcome to the Christ's and King's College programme webpage. Here you will find helpful information and required documentation for the residential.

We will also be using this page to communicate any updates to the residential so please do check back regularly.

We are looking forward to you joining us on this exciting programme of events. Whilst a few specific details are still being finalised, you can find linked below the preliminary timetable for the programme. We will be sending you further emails with more information about how to register for these sessions soon. 

All sessions on this programme will be hosted live and you will be expected to attend all non-social sessions that have been scheduled for your allocated subject stream. If you are unable to attend any of these sessions, please get in touch so we can discuss this with you further. Likewise, places on the programme are limited and therefore, if you are no longer able or interested in attending we would be very grateful if you could contact us as soon as possible in order to give us a chance to offer the place to someone else.

Should you have any questions about the programme, please contact slo@kings.cam.ac.uk in the first instance.

Important updates during residential

Here you will find a list of the emails you should have received and any updates during the residential such as technological issues or rescheduling requirements. Please check back regularly to keep up to date! 

If you spot an email in this list that you have not received, please get in touch with us as soon as possible so we can provide you with the appropriate information. 

Emails sent: 
13/2/23 - Invitation to programme for successful applicants, including forms to complete
21/2/23 - Zoom link sent for first online session
28/2/23 - Zoom link sent for second online session
6/3/23 - Notification that the sessions on Wednesday 8th March have been postponed due to illness. A replacement session will take place on Wednesday 22nd March
8/3/23 - Travel survey and information about rail strikes
13/3/23 - Further information sent to those who have indicated they will be observing Ramadan
13/3/23 - Further information sent to those who have indicated they are eligible for free school meals regarding travel costs
14/3/23 - Zoom links sent for third online session

 

Important documents

There are some important forms we require you to complete in order for you to attend the residential  – these are:

  • Code of conduct and permission form
  • Photo consent form
  • Pre-event survey

You will have received links to these online forms in your initial email from us however, you can also find links to these documents below.

The deadline for these forms is Sunday 26th February

Details of Online Residential

Information about the dates of the online residential have been sent via email. If you completed the online form but have not received this email, please get in touch. 

All sessions for this programme will be held as meetings on Zoom, unless otherwise stated. You should attend with your camera ON, and remain muted when not speaking (please see additional zoom etiquette details below). How you can participate in each session will be explained at the start of that session, and will include using the chat, as well as communicating or talking over microphones (which is very much encouraged!). 

For each session, we would like you to have pen and paper by you (you might not always use it, but it's useful to have).

Preparation for the introduction session   

Before attending the introduction session, please spend 30 minutes familiarising yourselves with the course information relevant to your interests. You can find the list of our courses here.

Click on the relevant course, and read: 

  • The course overview tab 
  • The course outline tab 
  • Watch the short video (on the right side of the page on a laptop, at the bottom if on mobile)    

Please find below some important documents for attendees. These include: 

  • Provisional timetable
  • Zoom meeting etiquette 

Academic Sessions

The Christ’s-King’s Residential is designed to help you get a taste of what it is like to live and study at top universities and to encourage and support you to apply.  To that end, we have organised a range of academic taster sessions which will take place throughout the programme.  The sessions will include 'Something Familiar', sessions designed to help you experience university-level teaching in a subject you are familiar with and, 'Something New', sessions which have been deliberately designed to introduce you to something new which you have not explored before. 

Students have been allocated onto a subject steam based on the preferences specified on their application form and on their A Level choices. You will have been notified of which stream you have been placed on in your confirmation emails.  It might be possible to change if you think this is not the most suitable for you. If you think this is the case, please get in touch so we can discuss this further with you. 

The subject sessions have been deliberately designed to introduce you to something new which you have not explored before.  The goal is to show you some of the many different subjects you can study at university, many of which you might never have considered before.  You don’t have to decide you want to study one of these in the future, but we wanted you to have the opportunity to explore something new. All participants will be expected to attend and participate in all the subject sessions they have been assigned to. 

Provisional Timetable

Approximate times, dates and sessions can be found below, and at this stage is provisional. Academic sessions for the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences stream will run concurrently to those in the Sciences and Maths stream.

Date       Time Session

Wednesday 22nd February

17:00 Introduction to the Programme and Cambridge with Admissions Staff
Wednesday 1st March 17:00 Applying to Cambridge
Wednesday 8th March 17:00 Academic Session 1
Wednesday 15th March 17:00 Academic Session 2

Tuesday 29 - Wednesday 30 March

  In person. Approximate start time: 2pm on Tues/ Approximate end time: 2pm on Weds

 

FAQs

FAQs

The following FAQs might be useful when preparing for the residential.

Q: What should I bring with me?

A: Pens, pencils and a notebook; layers of clothing - Cambridge can get cold; a small amount of money for snacks and souvenirs; toiletries, including toothpaste, shampoo and body wash; something to do in your free time, e.g. a book; a mobile phone (if possible); chargers for mobile phones - we don’t have spares!

 Q:  What do I not need to bring?

A: Lots of money or anything valuable (including electronics) - our insurance does not cover possessions brought into college by students and guests; a towel – one will be provided; smart clothing – no part of the residential has a dress code and we will be dressed casually throughout!

Q: Should I print off the programme or anything else?

A: No, you will be given a copy of all the information you need when you arrive.

Q: Where will I be staying?

A: All participants will have their own single room. You will be staying in accommodation that our students normally use during the year, which gives you an idea of what some student rooms are like. However, there is quite a lot of variety within and between Colleges, so not all rooms will be like this!

Q: What meals will I get?

A: You’ll receive dinner on Thursday and breakfast on Friday.  All meals are included free of charge.  Our catering team know your dietary requirements in advance and will have options available to cater to most requirements (you may be contacted if you have a more unusual or rare requirement). However, it is your responsibility to notify the catering team when you go through the cafeteria of your dietary requirements and request food specifically e.g. “Can I have the vegetarian option?” or “I’m allergic to nuts, does this have nuts in it?” Please check if meat is Halal standard if you require this. There may be signs next to the food to show specific dietary information.  If you wish to bring or buy additional snacks, you are free to do so. However, there is no access to kitchen facilities, so please ensure any snacks are ready to eat and do not require any cooking.

Q: When can I explore Cambridge?

A: There is unfortunately not time in the formal programme to allow you to explore Cambridge.  However, the residential start and end times have been scheduled to enable you to spend some time before or after the event exploring Cambridge if you want to.  You may not leave Christ’s after dinner on Thursday evening, but can use the common rooms in College instead. There is a strict nightly curfew of 22.30. The curfew means that by 22.30, you should be back in your room. We also ask that lights are out following the curfew because the programme is very busy and we don’t want you to be too tired during the day’s activities and academic sessions. You may feel that you have less freedom than at home or than an actual undergraduate student. However, these rules are in place for your safety and well-being and to ensure that you get the most out of your time on the residential.

Q: What happens in an emergency?

A: You will be given full details of what to do in an emergency upon your arrival at Christ’s College.  This will include contact numbers for the College Porters, who are available 24 hours a day, and for the staff running the residential.

 

Additional Resources

There are now many useful resources online which may help support you with the application process here at Cambridge, but also with your applications to other universities in general.  The list is neither exhaustive nor exclusive and does not constitute a required reading or activities list for applicants the University of Cambridge. We hope that the resources are useful for developing your academic interest and provide a good starting point for your intellectual journey.  

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