<p>I've recently been interested in applying to a college from University of Cambridge, but I have some questions.</p>
<p>First, what is the whole college system? Are the colleges just your place of residence or do academics vary amongst the different colleges? If academics vary amongst the colleges, which are the best for the natural sciences?</p>
<p>How is life at Cambridge? Is it stressful or laid back? I've heard that the curriculum in English universities are more specialized. Does that mean no core requirements (ie if I am a physics major I would not be bogged down by a humanities/social science/arts requirement each year)? Also, how is grading done? I heard that there is no grade inflation and that exams are the main method for grading.</p>
<p>Hi, I can’t answer all your questions, but from what I understand, the course that you take is much more focused than you will find in US universities. A student taking an Engineering course, for example, will not have to take literature or humanities or arts subjects as a part of their course requirements. This is partly why a lot of UK courses tend to be 3 years as opposed to 4 years in the US.</p>
<p>Hopefully someone can verify what I have said, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it works (my sister is at UCL doing Biomedical Sciences, and her only course requirements are modules in Biochemistry etc. - she can choose the rest herself, and I think the choices are much more limited than the liberal arts system in the US).</p>
<p>Typically, there are two teaching methods: tutorials and lectures (science students may also have labs). Tutorials involve a professor and 1-3 students and take place in your college while lectures (and labs) can have many more students (depending on the popularity of your course) and are administered on a university-wide basis. Tutorials are considered the more important, so college choice does have academic consequences; however, you can change your tutor (and ask for one from a different college) if things aren’t working out.</p>
<p>Also, though there are no core requirements, you can’t take a class that does not relate to your major, even if you wanted to. You can sit in on whatever lectures from whatever class you like (essentially, you can drop in if you feel like it), but you’ll get no credit for the class. Your grade is entirely based upon the final exams that you take during your third year (this may vary for some science courses that last 4 years, though); grade inflation does exist, but the grade distribution doesn’t change all that much from year to year. Around 20% of people achieve 1s and 75% achieve 2.1s.</p>
<p>Can you apply to multiple colleges or do you have to choose just one? I have three/four colleges in mind that I would like to apply to. Alright, so just for clarification: actual lectures are not dependent upon which college you are in, but the tutorials are dependent upon which college you are in, correct?</p>
<p>Don’t choose a college based on the assumption that you will have your supervisions there because most of the time, you won’t. (Supervisions are the Cambridge equivalent to Oxford’s tutorials.) I’m a first-year student at Cambridge, and I have no supervisions in my college. Most people doing my course have supervisions with supervisors from other colleges; the DoS (Director of Studies) simply chooses the supervisor he/she thinks is the best. You will, therefore, most probably end up going to different colleges (or in many cases the fellows of other colleges will meet you in the departments) for your small-group sessions.</p>
<p>The choice of college is only important for social reasons; do you want old or new? Big or small? Centre of town or a little outside (or, as in the cases of Homerton and Girton, way outside)? Just a pick a college you think seems nice and which you think would cater to your needs. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter that much since colleges are more similar than different. Don’t stress over it.</p>
<p>I totally agree with cam_tra. College choice is mostly a social thing and have very little affect on academics, especially after the 1st year. if you want any tutor, at any college, you can just ask.</p>
<p>Churchill College is known at the science college at Cambridge. but that’s just because it has a higher percentage of science student (about 75%, maybe more) than any other. </p>
<p>
Well that depends of course, college and your personality. But in general it helps to be a competitive person who likes exams (and lots of them). There are no re-sits. if you fail, you fail. Some college put a lot of pressure on their students to do well in exams, and hand out rewars/penalties for the following year based on this (eg the students with poor marks get last accommodation choice. This who do well get cash prizes some times). Generally newer colleges have fewer traditions and less issues with this. Law is the most stressful subject in my observation, but that might just be the lawyers I know are all stressed-types. Science subjects are quite socialble because of practical classes. You get to know everyone and it’s a really big class. </p>
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<p>Exactly. Read the course description on the web-site. If the subject/topic is not listed there, you’re no doing it. No changing your mind (that would usually require dropping out and starting again. So you’ve got to be SURE)</p>
<p>
1.1 or 1st = 70%+
2.1 or upper second = 60-70%
2.2 or lower second = 50-60%
3 or 3rd (or turd…) = 40-50%
pass without honours = a bit less than 40% (never known anyone get this)
fail is about 35%</p>
<p>You will NEVER get 90%. If you get 75% you’re a genius. That’s the way it works. Again, if you read the course description this will tell you what percentage of the final grade comes from exams, and if there is any course work which also counts.</p>