Questions Frequently Asked by New Students

What do I need to wear for matriculation?

Unless you hear otherwise, you should wear smart clothes under a gown for both the matriculation photograph (in the morning) and the matriculation dinner (in the evening).

Your smart clothes could be a dark suit with a sober tie, a dress, or a mid/long skirt paired with a blouse. Imagine you are going to an job interview in a bank!

Do not wear high heels for the matriculation photograph, because they will sink into the grass!

How do I buy a gown?

You can buy a gown from Ryder & Amies. Every college's gown is different, so make sure you buy the specific Magdalene undergraduate one. We recommend buying your gown online before arriving in Cambridge, but only collecting it from the Ryder & Amies store (which is a short walk from Magdalene) once you have arrived. Sometimes second-hand gowns are available for purchase through our freshers' representatives before you arrive.

It doesn't matter whether you buy the polyester or russell-cord version, but please note that russell-cord gowns are considerably more expensive and can take up to two weeks to become ready for collection.

Should I buy clubbing tickets in advance for freshers' week?

No! Our freshers' representatives usually organise special wristbands for Magdalene students which are only available for purchase once you have arrived. If you buy other tickets or wristbands before arriving, you will probably end up wasting money.

Do I need to buy a TV licence?

Possibly... If you are not covered by a TV licence, watching live television or BBC iPlayer content is a criminal offence. However, you may already be covered if you have a licence at your out-of-term address and you only watch content on devices that aren’t plugged into the mains (such as your phone or laptop when unplugged).

If you do not need to purchase a TV licence (either because you will not be watching live television, or because you are covered by a licence at your main address), you can tell TV Licensing you don't need a licence to stop them from sending you angry letters.

If you do need to purchase TV licence, but do not need it for the whole year, you may be able to claim a refund on unused months.

You can watch television in the JCR (i.e. the room in First Court) even if you do not have a TV licence personally.

Why might I need a student bank account with a 0% overdraft?

The short answer is because it can take a few days for your student loan to reach your bank account. You shouldn't consider a 0% overdraft a source of income because you will have to pay it back in full immediately (or shortly after) graduating, but it can be useful for small, short-term support. There are plenty of other ways to afford university. You should compare various accounts (using websites such as Save the Student) to see which accounts offer the best deal for you.