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Aren't you bored of our jokes? Are you ready for a long read?
Then you will be completely satisfied with an answer of Liang Wei Wang on Quora on "what it is like to attend the University of Cambridge"?
...
I was an undergraduate international student at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where I read Natural Sciences (Biological) from 2010 to 2013. I had relatively similar experiences with the anonymous Natsci (short for Natural Scientist) who replied earlier, so the remainder of my post pertains to what I think was different about my experiences at Cambridge.
Academic Experience
I applied for the Natural Sciences Tripos with the long-term aim of becoming an academic. (Some enrol in the course not because they necessarily want to do something science-related after their degrees; they do so because they think that they are good enough at it to get by at Cambridge, which is a fair assumption to make of themselves.) So, as far as the course was concerned, I thought that it delivered in most aspects. I was adequately trained to read scientific articles critically and, write extended pieces coherently and persuasively. Supervisions (the Cambridge equivalent of the tutorial) at Emmanuel were also, for the large part, of high quality and I received close guidance from dedicated supervisors and my Director of Studies (who is analogous to the Tutor at other universities).
That said, no course is perfect. The course appeared to me at times to have a very rigid structure, which should, perhaps, come as no surprise, given how steeped in tradition Cambridge is. Unlike other universities where modules are taken on a termly basis, Cambridge modules are organised to last the academic year i.e. no termly switching of modules, which might not appeal to people who are more inclined to a liberal arts-style education. Cambridge also tends to focus its course material in such a way that the student is more inclined towards academic (somewhat introverted) thinking; the university does not place strong emphasis on technical/practical training (made particularly evident by the use of relic instruments in practicals) and presentation skills (I only made one formal presentation in three years... which was apparently not even graded.).
If I could summarise my three years at Cambridge in three words, one leading to the next, they would be 'driven, unfulfilling, challenged'. In the first year, I felt very motivated to work hard (especially when I felt like a small fish in a big pond) and attain the grades that I wanted (and did get). But the enthusiasm for learning quickly diminished in the second year when I found myself less consumed and fairly disillusioned by the boring topics covered by my science options and instead immersed myself in a completely different but exciting discipline, the History and Philosophy of Science. Finally, in the third year, when I had the opportunity to specialise in options that I felt passionate about, my desire to learn returned, which was quite the climax in my learning experience at Cambridge. It was during that time when I truly learnt how to discuss current scientific issues and challenge opinions in my readings, essays and dissertation, just like any other professional scientist.
Social Experience
Hey! The new week has come, and the topic will be SPEAKING! Hope you will enjoy it.
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We would like to share our LOVE with you this week :)
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This week we decided to discuss SPORT with you.
This topic is quite urgent nowadays :)
Even though the topic of money is close to its end, we have something to show you.
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After two weeks of content about students, we are ready to start a new topic.
IT'S MONEY AND FINANCE!
Enjoy it.
Have you ever wondered, how was the first encyclopedia created? Here is the answer!
https://youtu.be/jv4bWkoG4k8
Again, if I could put in concise terms what my social life and experiences were during those three years, I would say that Cambridge was a humbling eye-opener for me. I had the fortune of being friends with some extraordinarily talented people at Cambridge who had the grades and were great at many other non-academic things like sports, playing musical instruments and drawing anime. Of course, such gatherings of talent can occur at many other places but I had not hitherto been to such congregations and, the first time I was with some of these friends, I was genuinely humbled in their presence. Yet, most of them were also very down-to-earth people who would ask people round to coffee or tea and cake or, gather to have a weekend pint at the pub. Staying alone in college was made all the more bearable by the fact that there were all these nice people whom I came to know and grew to love in those years (and beyond, as I am glad to say!).
Is that to say that all the perceptibly stiff upper-class/posh things are not done at Cambridge? No. For a university as traditional as Cambridge, some things like wearing gowns at special occasions e.g. matriculation, election to scholarships and graduation, saying grace in Latin at formal dinners and black/white tie balls do not die. But those posh practices are almost certainly an overstatement in my experience; they are generally not done so often as to impress an obvious social divide, at least at Emmanuel.
... So what?
This is not entirely related to the question but previous comments did touch on it, so I thought I would give my two cents' worth as well. At the end of the day, having a Cambridge degree does open up certain avenues for career development and gives people a certain impression/preconceived notion of who I am and what my intellectual abilities are. For me, I see Cambridge as a beautiful miscalculation. Why? I concede that it prepared me better in some aspects at the expense of others e.g. thinking of the big picture, rather than preoccupying myself with technical details. What made Cambridge a positive experience in overall terms were the facts that (1) I did achieve some of the career-specific aims I had while applying to the Natural Sciences Tripos, and (2) I met some of the most brilliant (in all senses of the word, not just that which extends to intellectual prowess) people in my life and built strong friendships and networks with them.
It was an irresistable temptation - to post it.
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Hey!
We have found the best TED Talk ever - on how to speak (or not to speak) to attract attention os the audience and sound smart.
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/8S0FDjFBj8o
Don't be afraid of long texts, ladies and gentlemen!
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