What's the first interesting or unusual thing to happen today?

You find out what your grad students think of you

Since you're not as familiar with the girls' projects as you would be if you had complete memories of this new world, you decide it would be a good opportunity to review their experiences in general. Each interview goes more or less the same way. After a few pleasantries, you ask whether any issues have arisen in the past week that you need to address and it's a testament to the graduates' competence and dedication that not one of them has problems requiring urgent attention.

Next, instead of a detailed report on their progress, you ask how they've been finding their course, support within the faculty, social activities within the college and outside and, perhaps most importantly, your supervision. It's this last point that causes the most awkwardness. They realize that you're not fishing for complements, but it's obviously nerve-wracking criticizing the man who regularly thrashes them black and blue.

When it comes to college life, the students all seem to have adjusted well. Those who came from other institutions are impressed by the wealth of privileges your institution offers. Even something as simple as a college library that will stay open all night if a scholar is on the brink of a breakthrough makes a big difference. For those in the first year of their postgraduate courses, the added responsibilities and freedoms took a bit of getting used to, but now they're comfortable with the situation and enjoying the experience, active members of the Middle Common Room one and all.