Apply to be a Fresher Columnist for Cambridge’s most read student paper

In around a month’s time you’ll be rocking up to Cambridge, surrounded by strangers and with no idea what to do with yourself.

Life at Cambridge can be broadly split into four spheres: your degree, your social life, sleep and extracurriculars. Extra-curriculars societies can range from showing your appreciation to chocolate, to crushing the competition in your college sports teams.

At The Tab Cambridge – we write. Whether it’s local news, student scandals, or deciding which Harry Potter character is your college, we sure love to write about it. Columnists have the luxury of being able to write about pretty much whatever takes their fancy – sex, friendships, clubbing, procrastination, food, the post-modern tendency to self-aware nihilism… the list goes on.

“We should be getting Divine inspiration any day now”

We’re looking for a few incoming Freshers to write about their experiences as new students at Cambridge. We want to know how you feel before getting here and how you feel once you do. Oh, and thousands of people will read about it.

Why should I apply?

1. Becoming a Fresher columnist will get you involved with Cambridge’s most read student paper. We’re also one of Cambridge’s biggest societies. It’s a great way to meet people with similar interests from other colleges and years and get you settled in early on.
2. It’s hella fun. Trust us. Write what you like and have thousands of your peers read it. Sometimes the whole country will see your stuff. Well, as long as it’s good.
3. (optional) You’ll kick start your track to BNOC (big name on campus) stardom.

What do I need to apply?

1. An enthusiasm for writing. Here at The Tab, our writers and editors have a range of tones and styles: sarcastic, hilarious, provocative, serious, opinionated, satirical, cynical, inane and so much more. As long as you can write clearly and accessibly, we’d love to hear what you have to say.
2. Commitment. Your Freshers week will be incredibly busy. We want to make sure you’ll be committed to writing about your experiences throughout the week.
3. The ability to not take yourself too seriously. It’s important to judge yourself as much as judging others. Every mad or awkward moment you have over your first few days, we’re going to want to hear about.

So, how do I apply?

1. Compose an email to: [email protected] – address it to Oliver and Shani.
2. In that email, tell us your name, subject, the college you’re going into and your mobile number.
3. Write a few lines (keep it brief) about why you’re interested in becoming a Fresher columnist. You could sketch out a few ideas or just write a little bit about what you’re excited about/dreading. Try and describe to us what your style would be. What are you like as a person? A sassy advice guru? A sarcastic cynic? Introduce yourself.
4. If you have a CV, then attach it. If not, don’t worry.
5. If you have a sample piece of writing that would be suitable for applying to The Tab, attach it. This isn’t a requirement, so if not, don’t worry.
6. UPDATE: **The deadline is now closed**

We’re also looking for people – from any year – to come on board as an Editor in the Features and Sports sections. If this grabs your fancy, email us. We’ll be officially opening applications for more roles closer to the time.

If you have absolutely no idea if The Tab is something for you, then email [email protected] with any questions (and we mean any) that you might have. Even if you’re not a Fresher, we’re always keen to take on new people and ideas. We look forward to hearing from you!