New Year is a time to reinvent yourself, and what better way to do this than with an ‘ins and outs’ list? The Lifestyle team offers their sage wisdom, revealing what they think should be placed firmly into the new year, and what should be left in 2024.

Jess’s ‘ins’:

Karaoke: There’s so much division in this world, and such a lack of whimsical joy, but the one thing guaranteed to bring everyone together is a post-formal karaoke rendition of ‘Angels’. I say let’s make karaoke more regular and something we do to take ourselves a little less seriously.

Sneaking into and exploring other colleges: As an ageing finalist, there are many things still left unticked on my Cambridge bucket list. Having not even attempted a formal challenge, the least I can do now is break into, or more legally, just explore other colleges. Leave the central bubble behind and get up the Hill!

“There are only so many times you can eat plain pasta with grated cheese on the side”

Embarking on a culinary journey: There are only so many times a girl can eat plain pasta with grated cheese on the side, and I think I consumed enough to last me a lifetime in Michaelmas 2024. As a self-proclaimed bad cook, 2025 is the year where we expand our culinary horizons and develop some good cooking skills!

Jess’s ‘outs’:

LinkedIn: If people are still exchanging LinkedIn connections at pres this year, I’m leaving. Sure, it has its uses, but the over-reliance on comparing ourselves to our peers in posts beginning ‘dear network’ means LinkedIn is out in 2025.

Drinking on an empty stomach: For too long, I’ve forgone dinner in the hopes of getting drunk quicker and savouring the last of Sainsbury’s cheapest bottle of vodka. However, with plenty of crippling hangovers and messy decisions to counteract the financial benefits, 2025 is the time we dine before we wine!

Spending your student loan on Ubers: At the end of every month, I’m always surprised at how low my bank balance has become, and the most common expense is indeed Uber! This year, let’s get those 10k steps in and start walking everywhere.

Lucia’s ‘ins’:

Maximising sunlight: Lent term is characterised by its 5pm sunsets and the literal and emotional darkness it brings with it. For the sake of your mental health, engage in the most organic of self-care rituals and try out ‘sunlight maxxing’, where you try to spike up your levels of daylight absorption. Note: this does not include sunlight experienced after an all-nighter.

Embodying the spirit of the Renaissance: Channel your own era of rebirth and regeneration by looking back to the 15th century! Reject the encroaching corporate grind and embrace intellectual curiosity for its own sake. You could even branch out of your own subject and emulate a multi-disciplinary Renaissance man. Pair this with some civic (college) pride for the most accurate of recreations.

“Reject the encroaching corporate grind and embrace intellectual curiosity for its own sake”

Martyrdom for your cause: There’s something very romantic about melodramatic, exaggerated devotion to your cause, regardless of what the naysayers try to say to you. It’s an instant source of fulfilment, and a fun way to raise the stakes of the mundane everyday.

Lucia’s ‘outs’:

Nostalgia: Put down the moody playlists! Beware the sweetness of memories falsely remembered! It’s a trap: dwelling too much on a romanticised version of the past robs the present of its promise. Instead, try living in the moment.

Vengeance: Resist the bloodthirsty urge to cook up a cunning, Machiavellian scheme to get back at your enemies. Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but by the time you get round to enacting your dastardly schemes, the time you’ve spent plotting will have solidified the bitterness and resentment you feel. No matter how well the plan goes, the void within will not be filled. Choose the high road instead, and embrace a cool, insouciant, and unbothered attitude.

Intellectual posturing: Please leave this behind in 2024. You’ve all seen it before: unnecessary intellectual sparring that someone seems to be taking a bit too seriously. You’ve made it to Cambridge – you have nothing to prove to your peers. Why not try compensating for your insecurities in a way that is less annoying for everyone else?

Edie’s ‘ins’:

Making friends in lectures: Remember all those people you exchanged details with at the start of Michaelmas? The ones whose faces have since faded into the background of Lecture Block Room 6? 2025 is the year to reignite those friendships

“Do you really need to shell out on your third cheesy chips of the week?”

Edie’s ‘outs’:

Trailer of Life prices: We get it, its 2am, you’re in that sweet spot between drunk and hungover where you’re just so hungry, and half of the chain options have shut. But do you really need to shell out on your third cheesy chips of the week? Your bank account will thank you.

Alex’s ‘ins’:

Bike baskets and panniers: Some say that whimsical and practical are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Nothing quite disproves this more than a bike basket. Revolutionise your shopping trips and save yourself from an incessantly sweaty back this year by embracing the way of the pannier.

Alex’s ‘outs’:

Mainsbury’s custard creams: To many’s dismay, there was a brief period this Michaelmas when Mainsbury’s stopped selling custard creams. However, perhaps this was for the best. Since their return, the quality of custard creams has plummeted into disrepair – it’s fair to say that their best days are behind them.

Golf: On average, one finance bro is lost to golf every 30 seconds (source: I made it up). Start 2025 right by being one less person to fall victim to this boring, land-consuming and elitist ‘sport’. How is men’s golf even deserving of full blue status? (Hint: it shouldn’t be). Baffling stuff.

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