Welcome (back) to Pembroke!
We are now approaching the third week of term; our new students have begun to settle in and returning students have quickly returned to life at Pembroke.
It’s easy to lose track at this time of year because of the huge number of events taking place. Freshers’ week activities give way to weekly society meetings and talks; there are seminars and concerts to attend, and the College Choirs are back in residence. Below are a few photos to slow down time for a moment and look back at a busy start to the year:
A key moment of arrival weekend is when new students and their families crowd into the Old Library for the Dean’s tea party. It’s a moment to catch your breath after the busy rush of arriving, unpacking, and getting a first look at Pembroke.
Another fixture of the weekend is the GP Charity sale. Members of the Graduate Parlour Committee (GPC) collect items from Graduates leaving at the end of the academic year, and sell them on to new students in exchange for donations. This year the sale was the GPC’s final fundraising event for Mind, their charity for 2017 – 18. They’ll be voting on a new charity soon.
The aptly-named Freshers’ squash is another big one. All the Pembroke College societies squeeze into two rooms in College so that new students can find out what’s on offer and sign up to everything from football to flying drones. Students who sign up often attend taster sessions later in the week; the boat club for example have a barbecue at which novices can try out rowing for the first time, or get to know the club if they’ve rowed before.
The big moment of the week of course is matriculation. At matriculation students become members of the University of Cambridge, and Pembroke College, for life. After signing the relevant books and documents they proceed to the matriculation photo outside the Library. Undergraduates and graduates matriculate separately, but have their photo at the same time.
There’s plenty going on that isn’t documented here of course; welcome drinks, College family nights, society meetings, welfare talks, library inductions and everything else a new student needs to formally introduce them to life at Pembroke. Now that term has begun we’re looking forward to seeing what College societies like Pembroke Papers, the Stokes Society, and Pembroke Politics will come up with. We’ll be watching as the sports clubs start training their new teams, and as the academic careers of undergraduates and graduates alike begin. In short, we’re looking forward to another great term at Pembroke.