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The ultimate carnival is how New Zealander Belinda Cheney described the nine months she spent at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge, in pursuit of her Masters Degree in Law. She tells Jack Perkins about the colourful life of the post-graduate student in this mecca of learning and tradition.
Cheney describes the social, sporting and academic opportunities that were available to her at college where she was told to take brains and ball gowns. She shared a flat in Cambridge with three women from Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Liverpool. Cheney describes the flat’s living room as looking like “the interior of a train station”.
Her initial impression of the college was how beautiful and old it was. On arrival she was whisked off to multiple informal and formal dinners served by candlelight. She talks about the magical balls of ‘May week’ (held in June), the duties and antics of being the cox for a men’s eight rowing team, women’s hockey team and other societies she joined including the SLAGS.
Another notable event was the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Party where everyone was invited to come in national costume. Cheney notes the unusual names of the Head Porters, like Ivan Easy and Doug Garden. She explains the role of Bedders, Proctors and shenanigans of post-exam garden parties.
Cheney says the drive to increase the state school intake diminished snobbery at the college. However there was at least one gentlemen’s club which she thought excluded women and was highly rated by politically conservative men looking to run the country.
Living and working in the town Cheney got to know the Cambridge locals, that had a ‘town and gown’ attitude that outlined their relationship with the university. She says the only person that didn’t fit in and failed her course was the Pakistani flat mate, who having come from a wealthy background, didn’t know how to look after herself.
She talks about the ‘dons’ [lecturers] who came from all over the world and featured in some interesting outfits. She explains how everyone rode bicycles and the traditional black cycles with wicker baskets were the most popular. Cheney said that romances at the college were as likely as anywhere else, however, due to the global spectrum of students maybe less likely to succeed in the long run.
Cheney expresses the sad, anti-climatic feelings that accompanied the end of the academic year as everyone packed up and petered out. After gaining her Master’s Degree with First Class Honours Cheney went on to practice law in London