Navigation:
College Card
Bank Account
Healthcare
Police
Mobile
Bicycles

Now that you’ve settled into your room, it’s time to make this place a home! To do that, there’re quite a few things on the agenda.

College Card

You should have received your university card from your Tutor on Sunday, 4th Oct, and for postgrads, it'll be on Friday 2rd Oct. This card is extremely important, it gives you access to the following:

• Entry into Queens’ Main Gate and Dockett Gate
• Entry into the Laundry rooms, library, computer room
• Pay for Buttery meals (you need to top it up here)
• Entry into other colleges and university buildings
• Discounts to a variety of things in Cambridge and around the world

So try not to lose it!! If you do lose it, talk to the porters and get a new card made as soon as possible.

Bank Account

A safe place to leave your money is mandatory, and under your bed is just not safe enough nowadays. You would also need a debit card/cheque book to pay your college bill, which will arrive in the 4th week of term. So open a bank account as soon as you get to Cambridge or in your own country if possible. Note that opening an account here will take about 2 weeks, so bring some cash with you for the time being.

Remember to get a proof of residence from the college, your UCAS acceptance letter, Cambridge admissions letter, passport and proof of student ID with you when you apply for an account. The bank may need some or all of the above documents and, of course, some money.

As an international student, you can open the following accounts:

Information accurate as of 14/08/2009

Healthcare

UK has the NHS scheme, meaning you can get free GP consultation and hospital treatment. However, you must register with a local GP first. In your first few weeks in college, you will receive a letter in you pigeon hole about the recommended nearby GPs around Queens’.

Please register with ONE of the GPs early since they would have a maximum quota every year. Registration is very easy, just go with your student ID and fill up a few forms and have a chat with the nurse.

Note that even though consultation is free, any medication prescribed by the GP must be collected and paid for at a local pharmacy.

Police

Citizens of most countries do not need to register with the police in Cambridge, except for these countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, PR China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

So if you are from one of the above countries, please register with the police as soon as possible. Everyone should receive a letter for police registration.

Note that there is a charge of about £30 and you will need your passport and 2 passport photos.

Mobile

Almost everyone around has a mobile phone and you would probably want to get one too. There are many service providers (O2, Orange, Vodafone, 3, TalkMobile etc.) and all of them have both pay-as-you-go and pay-monthly plans. Most pay-as-you-go SIM cards cost £10 and an addition £10 credit top-up. If you want to get a pay-monthly plan, you’ll need a UK bank statement, i.e. a bank account first, for proof of residence. There are also SIM-only plans, which are cheaper than the plans with phones.

Note that if you are planning to use your own phone, please get it unlocked as the service providers in UK use phones locked to their networks.

Come back again for some updated advice on the pros and cons of service providers!

Bicycles

As you will soon find out, Cambridge is a bicycle city during term time, i.e. a good number of students cycle from place to place and bicycle parking is abundant in the city. The main reasons for having a bicycle are to travel between different departments for lectures, rowing (the boat house is quite far away). The city in general is quite compact, so you can walk to most of the important places and Queens’ is rather central geographically.

That said, the college has 2 sheltered bicycle parking locations, in the Cripps Building right outside the Plodge, the other is behind Friars Building in Friars Court. You can purchase a second-hand bicycle for as little as £30 and a new bicycle for at least £100. There are quite a few shops in the city that sells both new and second-hand bicycles, e.g. Cambridge Cycle Centre, Ben Heyward & Sons just around the corner. Nonetheless, the further you go from the city centre (along Mill Road or Hills Road), the cheaper a bicycle generally costs. So take your time choosing a bicycle and making sure it is comfortable.

Safety wise, it is a must to have front and back lights turned on when cycling at night, or you will risked getting a £30 fine by the police if they see you without lights. It is also recommended to have a helmet on when cycling and a typical one costs about £20~£30.

As bicycle theft in Cambridge is still a problem, be sure to lock up your bicycle properly (lock both chain and frame to a support) and use strong locks (e.g. a D lock or a thick chain lock). Also, try not to leave your bicycle over night in shady places.