Dharshini David returns to K15, Downing College

Back in the 1990s, one particular gadget was the guarantee of social success. A CD player? A PlayStation? “A microwave!” says Dharshini David (Downing 1991). “I made a lot of friends. It meant that I ended up experimenting and baking cakes in it. So, I became the person who made cakes for birthdays in the microwave. It was a little bit trial and error, but I don’t think we blew anything up…”

Rather less successful was her famous Tuna Surprise: tuna, sweetcorn and tinned tomatoes. “Are students healthier these days?” she asks the room’s current occupant, Jiyaad Ali (Engineering, Second Year), who admits that Mill Road’s plethora of delicious takeaway outlets was somewhat damaging to his waistline (and bank balance) in his first year. “This year, I’ve been trying to eat a lot healthier. Chicken and rice is my signature dish. And Hall food is great, too. I’ve already had it this morning because I couldn’t be bothered making breakfast.”

There’s certainly plenty of room for all manner of gadgets: K15 is large and light, with neutral walls and stripy curtains framing two vast windows. “I loved the view: being able to see into the Downing site and see people walking back from lectures,” says David. “Hearing people’s music through the walls, and the organ from the chapel.” For Ali, it’s something of a downgrade. “My room last year was even bigger!” he says, “almost twice the size of this.” He is manfully struggling through, however. “I’ve only got two plug sockets, which is a bit of a pain. But I’m managing!”

David, meanwhile, is marvelling at the glow-up since her days – a notable exception being the radiator, which is still making strange noises. “So I suspect it’s the same radiator. But now it’s got matching furniture, as opposed to stuff that looks like someone just shoved it in a room.” The ensuite is a welcome new addition. “I feel quite emotional but also quite jealous. When I was here, you had to wander down the corridor and use the block at the end, which wasn’t particularly nice.”

But she nonetheless had the time of her life: starting the Abba Society (“I think we got featured in The Sun”), making a tight-knit group of friends along her corridor, and even taking up rowing. “I got the work-life balance thing a bit wrong, because a lot of rowing is done in the morning, and my fingers would freeze. My friend Tina and I always used to be late to the 9am lecture, because we couldn’t move our hands to get back in the room to change. And my handwriting was appalling. I couldn’t read my notes because my hands were so cold.”

Finding that mix can be tricky, Ali agrees: alongside his work, he also plays for Downing’s football, basketball and hockey teams. “My course is probably one of the hardest – though a few friends disagree! But I think the balance of studying different disciplines of engineering and managing time between labs, lectures, supervisions and relaxation can be quite difficult. It took me a good year to figure out a good balance between work, academic, having a social life and personal wellbeing.”

Cambridge is a dream come true for him, he says – and he’s determined to make the most of it. “Not many people go to university from my area of Manchester, especially universities like Cambridge. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I don’t want to leave having regrets.” David agrees. “I went for a job in an investment bank,” she says. “And I remember in an interview, the guy who would become my boss asked me how I felt about my degree result – I’d just missed a First. I said I was really pleased because I got such a great balance, and had such a brilliant time.”