Life at Sidney Sussex

As you take your first steps out of your room in the every morning, you are greeted with the warm, friendly smiles of both staff and students at Sidney. Due to our small size and the fact that most students live in the college, you will get to know everyone very quickly and form close bonds. In the Sidney spirit, we are always looking out for each other around the city and form a really tight community that you will struggle to find elsewhere.  The students at Sidney make your university experience an incredibly special one, with such a strong sense of belonging.

At Sidney, you can pick up a new sport with your friends or perhaps even continue a passion. We have a fully equipped gym within the college with a really friendly group of users. Just grab a key from the Porters whenever you feel like a bit of exercise and get going. We also have a very passionate rowing club, the members of which form a really tight community. The rowing club openly welcomes members of all abilities so don't worry if you've never rowed before and have no idea what a 'coxswain' is! We also have a mixed touch-rugby team which is very relaxed but great fun. Again, this is open to members of all abilities so that you can make some new friends and let off some steam! These are just a few examples. The college also has a rugby team, a football team, a mixed netball team, a cricket team and more.

We are fortunate at Sidney to be surrounded by such an incredibly supportive, passionate and inspiring group of staff. We have a great group of Porters who are always on hand to help with anything. We also have a Chaplain and a College Nurse who take care of physical and psychological welfare. The medical teaching staff are also fantastic - you will have both a Director of Studies (DoS) and several supervisors. Your DoS will normally meet with you twice a term to see how you're getting on and offer any guidance. The supervisors are incredibly competent and great at delivering their knowledge effectively. They teach you how to think on your feet and to critically approach any scientific problem. They're an approachable, patient and encouraging team who want to see you achieve the best that you can during your time here. 

Your comfort, health and happiness is a priority for everyone in college. There's no hiding the fact that the Medicine/Veterinary Medicine courses can get quite intense so the college ensures that there is an effective system in place to support you no matter what you're going through.  As we've mentioned, we have our lovely nurse and Chaplain who run drop-in clinics and welfare events (eg: doughnut revision decompression evenings). You also have your tutor, DoS, and supervisors who are very approachable and understand how demanding the course can be. Sometimes, a student touch is required, so the SSMVS elects two welfare officers every year, who are there to support you through any problems and run welfare events to keep spirits high. SSCSU also has many officers in place who work hard to ensure that Sidney is an inclusive environment where every individual has the opportunity to thrive. 

The college is not only here to help you develop into fantastic academics, but also help you develop personally. Firstly, there are lots of opportunities to join committee positions in both SSCSU and SSMVS so that you can develop your leadership, team-work and organisation.  The college is also excellent in getting students involved in some of their events, like the May Ball, so that you can develop your own skill set. This also includes helping out in telephone campaigns and open days, which improve both confidence and communication. Another excellent opportunity to develop your confidence and public-speaking is to get involved in access work, like visiting schools across the country.

If you've had a hard day's work and want to chill out in the evening, you can make the most of the student-run college bar, one of the cheapest in Cambridge! Every evening it is buzzing with students huddled at the seats, pool table or darts board catching-up and having some downtime. The Ents team run some exciting events in this bar throughout the year, including the Freshers Alphabet Bop, silent discoes and the acoustic nights, where we gather to celebrate and support the many musical talents of our fellow students. Want somewhere a little less packed? We have a homely JCR (Junior Common Room) with plenty of seating, a TV, and board games - a perfect place to hang out with your friends! During the day, this is often used to host art sessions for those who want some down-time whilst tapping into their creative potential.