Thinking of Applying to Cambridge?
On Tuesday the 20th of July 2010, fervent Cambridge A Level students gathered at the Alpha Theatre, with the question “How do I apply to the University of Cambridge?” CUMaS (Cambridge University Malaysia Society) sent a few current Cambridge students to our campus to describe their experience living in the United Kingdom as well as share tips about tackling applications to the University of Cambridge.
They started with a brief introduction on the East of England (East Anglia). With modes of transportation ranging from 1 hour train trips to 2.5 hours of direct coach rides from London Heathrow and London Stansted airports, this area is easy to get to upon arrival. Cambridge is a small student town, rather quaint but packed with all the necessary amenities and of course, entertainment.
The University of Cambridge is made up of collegiate universities, meaning there is a central administration as well as colleges with their respective faculties and departments. There are 31 colleges at present: most are unisex, however there are some women-only and some mature students-only colleges.
Like any other UK educational talk, the presenters explained the UCAS systems and advised students to look out for additional requirements, if any (e.g. language proficiency tests, STEP for Mathematics, BMAT for Medicine or Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge Law Test for Law). What makes the application to Cambridge different compared to others is the fact that you have to choose a college in the town of Cambridge; otherwise it will be an open application, meaning no preference of college.
Continuing with student life in Cambridge, lectures differ in terms of hours per week as they are course-specific. Supervisions are usually in small groups of 1:1 to 4:1 (student to supervisor). Most hours are spent completing assignments or reading on your own, hence you have to be independent and flexible. With 24-hour libraries, study rooms, your bedroom etc, Cambridge is definitely a very conducive place to pursue your studies.
However, presenters asserted that it’s not all work and no fun. Extra-curricular activities: endless choices! Cultural, sports, drama and theatre, music, literature, language, subjects, editorial, hobbies, religious, political, community, charity, secret societies and drinking societies. Entertainment: widely available! Cinemas, theatres, bowling alley, pubs and clubs (with plenty of discounted student nights!), bops (a Cambridge term for a disco night held in college), shopping malls, restaurants and cafes, parks and our Cambridge specialty – punting on the river!
People: nice, helpful and lots of fun to be around. Outside the University, people are polite and lovely – warmer and relaxed compared to big cities. Friends: easy to come by! First year undergrads are required to stay in their Colleges (barring special circumstances). People are varied – there is no pressure to “fit in” as everyone is generally tolerant and enjoy many different things.
For the second part of the session, students were divided into smaller groups depending on the courses they wish to pursue with a facilitator or two to share heartfelt experiences with their group. Mr. Thruva, who studied economics shared his experience in college interviews and gives a few pointers to future economists to read on current issues, with daily newspapers being the adequate and cheapest source. “Try slitting in some general knowledge about economics; you have to be prepared for ‘mathematical’ interviews, trust me.” He emphasizes that students must be clear about the future profession they wish to pursue, and having Further Mathematics in the subject list is definitely a plus point!
Miss Christine led the group of future doctors. She was enthusiastic about medicine and shared with our future medical students her experience of writing reports. She said that medicine is very research-based.
Miao Shan highlighted to our lawyers-to-be that they should be as verbose as lawyers should be, and that the whole course is very performance-based. She also advised them to be consistent in their efforts. ‘It is undeniable that everyone is equally intellectual, thus it’s hard to stand out.’ she added. She recommended the St John's College, well-known for law, though warned them about some – not all – unfriendly staff.
Last but not least, Geoffrey and Terrence offered guidance to a group of upcoming engineers, starting with the examination scheme, program outline, as well as sharing general knowledge on Physics. Like Economics, doing Further Mathematics is an advantage as Geoffrey pointed out that one of his friends was tested on mathematical skills like graph sketching and differentiation.
All in all, these CAL students are a group of enthusiastic students, serious about their future career and this talk was instrumental in helping them achieve this. The past propels the present, to soar to greater heights! Our presenters were ex-students of the University of Cambridge, after all. For more information do not hesitate to contact them via email: secretary@cumas.org
BY CHAN YUEE SUN
They started with a brief introduction on the East of England (East Anglia). With modes of transportation ranging from 1 hour train trips to 2.5 hours of direct coach rides from London Heathrow and London Stansted airports, this area is easy to get to upon arrival. Cambridge is a small student town, rather quaint but packed with all the necessary amenities and of course, entertainment.
The University of Cambridge is made up of collegiate universities, meaning there is a central administration as well as colleges with their respective faculties and departments. There are 31 colleges at present: most are unisex, however there are some women-only and some mature students-only colleges.
Like any other UK educational talk, the presenters explained the UCAS systems and advised students to look out for additional requirements, if any (e.g. language proficiency tests, STEP for Mathematics, BMAT for Medicine or Veterinary Medicine, Cambridge Law Test for Law). What makes the application to Cambridge different compared to others is the fact that you have to choose a college in the town of Cambridge; otherwise it will be an open application, meaning no preference of college.
Continuing with student life in Cambridge, lectures differ in terms of hours per week as they are course-specific. Supervisions are usually in small groups of 1:1 to 4:1 (student to supervisor). Most hours are spent completing assignments or reading on your own, hence you have to be independent and flexible. With 24-hour libraries, study rooms, your bedroom etc, Cambridge is definitely a very conducive place to pursue your studies.
However, presenters asserted that it’s not all work and no fun. Extra-curricular activities: endless choices! Cultural, sports, drama and theatre, music, literature, language, subjects, editorial, hobbies, religious, political, community, charity, secret societies and drinking societies. Entertainment: widely available! Cinemas, theatres, bowling alley, pubs and clubs (with plenty of discounted student nights!), bops (a Cambridge term for a disco night held in college), shopping malls, restaurants and cafes, parks and our Cambridge specialty – punting on the river!
People: nice, helpful and lots of fun to be around. Outside the University, people are polite and lovely – warmer and relaxed compared to big cities. Friends: easy to come by! First year undergrads are required to stay in their Colleges (barring special circumstances). People are varied – there is no pressure to “fit in” as everyone is generally tolerant and enjoy many different things.
For the second part of the session, students were divided into smaller groups depending on the courses they wish to pursue with a facilitator or two to share heartfelt experiences with their group. Mr. Thruva, who studied economics shared his experience in college interviews and gives a few pointers to future economists to read on current issues, with daily newspapers being the adequate and cheapest source. “Try slitting in some general knowledge about economics; you have to be prepared for ‘mathematical’ interviews, trust me.” He emphasizes that students must be clear about the future profession they wish to pursue, and having Further Mathematics in the subject list is definitely a plus point!
Miss Christine led the group of future doctors. She was enthusiastic about medicine and shared with our future medical students her experience of writing reports. She said that medicine is very research-based.
Miao Shan highlighted to our lawyers-to-be that they should be as verbose as lawyers should be, and that the whole course is very performance-based. She also advised them to be consistent in their efforts. ‘It is undeniable that everyone is equally intellectual, thus it’s hard to stand out.’ she added. She recommended the St John's College, well-known for law, though warned them about some – not all – unfriendly staff.
Last but not least, Geoffrey and Terrence offered guidance to a group of upcoming engineers, starting with the examination scheme, program outline, as well as sharing general knowledge on Physics. Like Economics, doing Further Mathematics is an advantage as Geoffrey pointed out that one of his friends was tested on mathematical skills like graph sketching and differentiation.
All in all, these CAL students are a group of enthusiastic students, serious about their future career and this talk was instrumental in helping them achieve this. The past propels the present, to soar to greater heights! Our presenters were ex-students of the University of Cambridge, after all. For more information do not hesitate to contact them via email: secretary@cumas.org
BY CHAN YUEE SUN
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