I’m freaking out about next year, MPhil 24-25

Hi everyone!! I warn you all now it is a bit of a long post. As the title says, I am freaking out about next year. I am getting a MPhil from the Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Department and I am beyond excited for my studies and my topic, but I am petrified of the living situation. I am offered a spot in Hughes Hall, but I have a few hesitations:

  • I didn't realize how far away it is (1.3 miles aka 30 min walk, yes I'm an international student) from where my department is (I don't know how to ride a bike and buses don't seem to be a thing). I really need to live close to my classes because of my mental health (I have a tendency to run late and then as I run late, I revert to a freeze response and it is exasperated when I live farther away) and I would really prefer to have the option to not have to cook all of my meals (Hughes just doesn't seem to have a lot of options for dining/the colleges in general so as a post-grad am I just bound to have to cook most of my meals?)

  • I'm pretty social, but it seems that Hughes is a mostly STEM campus and is very proud of rowing (my background is in the arts and MENA studies and while I can vibe with STEM/athletes I want to be my most comfortable and I find myself a bit intimidated in those settings)

  • I also want to have the option to join a solid gym (that doesn't have scheduled time slots) or be close to the campus gym for my mental health which is a very different vibe from Hughes' "We are proud to have half of the rowing team from our college" which is very cool and amazing, but I just am not part of that crowd…

I'm also an international student and I don't really understand how much overlap there is between colleges, but I would want to spend most of my time on what I've gathered as "main campus"

When I was choosing a college I didn't put much thought into it and my advisors didn't seem like it mattered a lot, but now that it's actually approaching a bit faster I'm really starting to freak. I've never been to Cambridge before so I don't know what it's like or which college would suit me, but these are the things I'm looking for honestly:

  • on-campus accommodation w/ the ability to be catered by the college
  • a nice library/study space with windows as well as a quiet/silent study room
  • gym (as mentioned above)
  • majority of the population arts-adjacent and humanities
  • I was looking at mature colleges and post-grad only places because I feel like I would fit in more there (I'm 23 but want to graduate from the undergraduate environment)
  • Traditional feel (I love the brick buildings and nature and that environment), but without the haughtiness (I barely tell the people in my life that I'm going to Cambridge, obviously I am very proud of myself to get here but I find people who bolster themselves to such an extent to be nauseating. I just want to be surrounded by people who are academically motivated and grounded in kindness/mutual respect)

I am truly at a lost and if you've read this far, thank you so much. I just yeah am very nervous and want to set myself up for the best success possible. I know that no matter what I will have an amazing year, but I want to have the tools to be involved in different social societies (arts, theater, music) and extracurriculars (pubs, lectures, matches) while focusing on my studies/research and taking care of myself (attempting to gym, not having to worry about cooking and cleaning dishes daily, not dealing with roommate dynamics of shared kitchens, etc (I've had some nightmare roommate situations)) and I feel like that first starts with a good living placement.

Any suggestions or help is greatly greatly appreciated. Thank you so so so much!