By the end of the first term you'll be acquainted with the personalities that go with the names. All that happens in the natural course of things, without requiring great feats of memory or structured efforts to get to know one another, because it involves only around forty people. But it's also because the ethos of Greyfriars places a high value on a life together in which the individual is important, where there is room for everyone to find their niche. The guiding inspiration is St Francis of Assisi, who dined with kings and embraced lepers, and found them equally worthy of honour and charity. Dinners at Greyfriars are more like a family meal than a formal event, with students and friars taking turns to serve.
Guest nights are more like a dinner party in the home of a friend than visiting an institution.
At exam time the smaller, more intimate atmosphere is very supportive. Whether you're running or fencing for a blue, or playing Bach with a musical society, you'll find a portable crowd.