| Bedmaker/Bedder | Traditional term for a cleaner in College (short for bedmaker; they no longer make beds). Selwyn has replaced the term by ‘Housekeeping Assistant’. |
| Bursar | The College’s senior financial and administration officer. |
| Come up / Go down | Arrive in Cambridge at the beginning of term / leave at the end. |
| Court | Enclosed area usually of lawn of grass surrounded by College buildings. Known as a quad (quadrangle) in Oxford. Selwyn has three – Old, Cripps, and Ann’s. |
| Intermit | If a student has to miss a significant part of their course for ‘grave cause’, they may request permission to take a period away, before returning to resume their studies. |
| Director of Studies | The Fellow of the College (or other senior member of the University) responsible for overseeing an undergraduate’s academic studies. |
| Division of Term | The day that marks the mid-point of Full Term, at the end of the 4th week. It is quite often used by the University for deadlines. |
| Easter Term | The term after Easter. |
| Exeat | Permission to spend a night away from Cambridge. Students must sign out and back in again whenever they are away from Cambridge to satisfy University requirements to ‘keep term’. |
| Fellow | An academic senior member of the College. |
| Formal Hall | Formal dinner (served at table) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
| Fixed Period of Residence (FPR) | Ten weeks per term when you are entitled to access to your room without special permission, except for freshers who come up one week later than the start of FPR in Michaelmas. Generally starts on a Saturday and finishes on a Sunday 10 weeks later. You don’t have to be there all ten weeks subject to keeping term. |
| Full Term | The eight-week teaching term. All undergraduates must stay in residence during this time. Named Michaelmas, Lent and Easter in Cambridge. |
| General Admission | At the end of June/early July undergraduates students are awarded their degrees at this University ceremony. Selwyn students graduate on the Friday. There are other ceremonies for postgraduate degrees. |
| Gowns | Black cape, to be worn on formal occasions (e.g. formal hall, chapel, matriculation). Graduates and Fellows wear a longer BA or MA gown. |
| Graduands | Students being presented to receive their degree, having successfully passed their exams. |
| Gyp Room | A very small kitchen, suitable for preparing snacks, not full meals. |
| Hall | Dining Hall used for cafeteria meals and also formal dinners. |
| Hostels | College accommodation in detached houses, on or adjacent to, the main site. |
| JCR | Junior Combination Room. Undergraduates are members of this. |
| Junior Members | Undergraduates and postgraduates. |
| Keeping Term | Satisfying the residence requirements of the University. |
| Matriculation | Becoming a member of the College and the University, promising to obey the College and University rules. |
| May Ball | Post-exam celebration – in June. |
| May Week | Also in June. The week after the end of the Full Easter Term; highlights include May Balls and garden parties. |
| MCR | Middle Combination Room. Postgraduates are members of this. |
| Pigeon-hole | Where your paper mail is left for you in the Porters’ Lodge. |
| Porters’ Lodge | Reception, mailroom, security. |
| Porter | College employee responsible for security, signing in and out, mail and spare keys. They do not carry bags. |
| Postgraduate | A postgraduate student; may be studying for either Masters’ or doctoral degrees. |
| Praelector | College Officer responsible for matriculation and graduation ceremonies. |
| Reading | Studying – “I am reading Natural Sciences”. |
| Rediit | Used to be a book you sign on the day you come into residence at the beginning of each term. Now done in the Porters Lodge electronically by scanning your University Card. |
| Residence | Cambridge is a residential University; students are required to spend a certain number of nights each term in order to be eligible to take their degree. Once you have come up, you are in residence. |
| SCR | Senior Combination Room. Fellows are members of this. |
| Senior Members | Fellows and Directors of Studies. |
| Supervisions | Small group teaching organised by Directors of Studies and that are called tutorials in Oxford. |
| Supervisor | The academic responsible for your supervisions |
| Term | A longer period than Full Term. There is no formal teaching outside Full Term. |
| Keeping Term Form/Terminal Exeat | The form that must be signed in the presence of your Tutor at your end of term meeting to confirm your going down and coming up dates. |
| Tutor | A Fellow with pastoral responsibilities connected to student welfare and wellbeing and who acts as your advocate in various matters. |
