University can be a daunting, dizzying experience, and studying at Cambridge is especially unique. Knowing what to expect will help bust some common myths. Read on to be let in on a few gems\u00a0the city contains, and find out what it might actually be like to study there. With all its ups and downs, there is no denying that Cambridge is a truly inspirational place to live and learn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are the highs and lows of five cornerstones of typical Cambridge undergraduate life.<\/p>\n
Positives:<\/strong> Contains practically every book ever published. Looking for Hollingsworth\u2019s The Newgate Novel: 1830-1847<\/em>? No problem. In fact, they\u2019ve probably got two copies. And once you\u2019ve found its location (in the North Wing, Floor 3, 730.c.96.544, obviously) you can sit at a mighty oak desk surrounded by ornate chandeliers and pretend to yourself that you are a proper academic. This effect is enhanced by frequent sightings of famous actual academics, like Mary Beard<\/a>. It\u2019s pretty cool to have people like her using the same resources as you.<\/p>\n Negatives:<\/strong> While reading The Newgate Novel: 1830-1847 <\/em>is likely to make anyone\u2019s day, you may be barred from the dizzy joys of academia by the fact that it\u2019s almost impossible to obtain. Sure, the library might have two, but I challenge any student to find just one of them. The UL is so labyrinthine that any attempt to borrow a book becomes an elaborate orienteering exercise, about as time-consuming as doing Gold D of E. Just to add to the challenge, you have to operate the lighting yourself, presenting the added danger that at any minute you might be plunged into darkness. It might lead to an exciting encounter with Mary Beard. It might not.<\/li>\n Positives:<\/strong>\u00a0Three times a term, the Great Hall is cleared of squashed peas and other remnants of dinner. It is then transformed into a low-budget nightclub. These in-college parties are usually accompanied by a miscellaneous theme, from \u2018Once Upon A \u2026\u2019 to \u2018All I Want For Christmas\u2019 to simply \u2018Emojis\u2019. Some people go all out (I once saw a towering beanstalk) and some people hardly look like they\u2019re going out at all (they just turn up in black). But the best thing is, you get all the benefits of going out without leaving the building. In second year, my bed was literally metres away from the dancing.<\/p>\n Negatives:<\/strong>\u00a0Occasionally DJ Tim will play something you vaguely recognise from a car advert, but most of the time nobody has a clue what is going on. As the evening progresses, you find yourself sipping your single over-priced drink and bopping vaguely in time to a beat which has been steadily pulsating for at least three hours. You look down. A single bean remains Sellotaped to your T-shirt. Your costume has fallen apart – and so, at this moment, has your life.<\/p>\n TOP TIP: For cheesy music you\u2019ll definitely know the words to, go to Ballare<\/a> (known to Cambridge students as \u2018Cindies\u2019) for the Friends theme tune, Titanic and more.<\/li>\n Positives:\u00a0<\/strong>From Ceilidhs to Caving, there\u2019s a society for pretty much anything<\/a>. This is a chance to venture beyond the beautiful but confining walls of your college and meet other students. They\u2019ll judge you for being at John\u2019s (too high-brow). They\u2019ll judge you for being at Homerton (too low-brow). But they are probably lovely \u2013 and there\u2019s nothing like bonding with someone over your shared appreciation of whisky.<\/p>\n Negatives:\u00a0<\/strong>Swaps. Most societies have swaps. \u2018Swapping\u2019 involves going to a terrible food venue with your society in order to engage in drunken revelry with people from another society. This can be great fun. But it might not be everybody\u2019s thing. Menus are laminated. The crockery is plastic. Food fights ensue. But nobody really cares because the food looks so disgusting anyway (what is <\/em>that quivering gelatinous mass in the middle of my curry?). And this is all if you have time for societies and swaps: the workload is so consuming that you may never be placed in this perilous position.<\/li>\n Positives:\u00a0<\/strong>You cover an enormous amount of material. Studying Jane Austen? You\u2019ll only need a week to cover all her novels. John Milton? Paradise Lost <\/em>is a quick read; why not study his other work, too? After all, you\u2019ve got seven days. This means that you can claim superficial knowledge of pretty much any topic related to your degree during future dinner parties.<\/p>\n Negatives:\u00a0<\/strong>This is a serious one. The courses are high-intensity for three years. That’s three years of knowing\u00a0your friends\u00a0at other unis are having pizza and film nights while you haven\u2019t even sighted your friends for a week (they\u2019re in their Study Rooms \u2013 that\u2019s right, they\u2019re not called bedrooms but Study Rooms). Candidates applying need to be aware of the mental health problems at Cambridge.<\/a> 46% of Cambridge students are depressed or think they are depressed: the national average prevalence of depression is 6.7%. There are support teams and welfare assistance, but you\u2019ve got to be alert to anxieties in case they creep up on you or your peers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n Positives:\u00a0<\/strong>After a year of toil, this is an incredible week. You\u2019re with your friends in an amazing city, with nothing to do but gorge yourself on May Ball food and try not to fall off the punts. Some of my favourite eateries exclusive to Cambridge include Nanna Mexico<\/a>, Taste of Cambridge<\/a> (they do the best falafel and pizzas), and The Rainbow Caf\u00e9<\/a>, which serves \u2018Globally inspired Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten-Free Food\u2019.<\/p>\nBops<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Societies<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The actual work<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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May Week<\/strong><\/h4>\n