Evening all,
I am due to start my PhD next month. We have been told that we have a residential weekend the first Fri/Sat of October at a hotel. We have been told to arrive at 4.00pm Friday afternoon, and that we will finish by 4pm Saturday.
Has anyone been on one of these weekends and can please offer some advice? I dont know re:dress, should I go smart or casual? It says we will have dinner at 7pm Friday evening in the hotel restaurant- should I take a black dress/similar to wear?
I have also been told the hotel has a pool/sauna etc, and to take advantage of these facilities..would that be seen as weird to spend my free time in the pool??
I feel pretty nervous as haven't met anyone on my course yet :(
And do you think I'll be sharing a room??
Any advice or comments would really be appreciated :) thanks in advance!

Is it just for students or will there be staff/supervisors there as well?

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Staff and students- Perhaps 5 staff and 8/10 students? We have a visiting professor to give a lecture at some point during the weekend. x

I went to one of these at the beginning of my studies, although in a hostel-type place, not a swanky hotel! I remember feeling exactly as you do but in truth, it was quite enjoyable. You probably will find that many of the people you meet at this residential weekend, you will meet at various conferences and/or classes throughout your studies. We had to give a short presentation of our still very raw proposals and get feedback from the various academics. Terrifying at the time but useful and given that feedback, constructive or otherwise, is a constant feature of doctoral work, it is good to get used to it from the get go.

It is also useful to hear other people's research, even if not in your field as I feel, it broadens your appreciation of the range of studies there is out there.

Try to enjoy it and don't do too much swimming on your own;-)

Dear Ady, Wow thanks, what a helpful reply :) ! I hadn't even thought that we may need to briefly pitch our proposal ideas!
That's good to bear in mind so now I won't be so on-the-spot if they do ask us to do this!
It's great to hear that you enjoyed your weekend, and you've helped me to gain an insight into the purpose for these weekends.
I really appreciate your time in posting, many thanks for your help xx