Cambridge: Challenging Yet Rewarding Past Review
By Julie D (ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS., Wellesley College) for
University of Cambridge, Pembroke College: Cambridge - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
Yes, it was absolutely worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
The Cambridge educational experience is very different of that of a top liberal arts school, and I found that I definitely preferred the latter. That being said, a semester there was a great experience to focus on topics of study that I was passionate about. I really enjoyed my weekly meetings with my supervisors to discuss my essays and readings. What I most missed was the American classroom experience. Lectures at Cambridge consisted of a professor delivering a paper or, in rare occasions, actually engaging the audience and speaking relatively casually. Yet there was no discussion. The only discussion came in the form of seminars, in which I found the students to be extremely intelligent but all too ready to show off their knowledge rather than engaging with other students to have actual discussions. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
I actually lived in an unusually gorgeous room within a dorm that was part of Magdalene College. Other than being located a fifteen minute walk from Pembroke, it was in a great location, right in the city center. As part of Pembroke's services, a bedder came once a week to change my sheets and occasionally vacuum, which was something that took getting used to, but which was really nice. The best part of the accommodations was that I was living in a dorm building with other Cambridge students. Most of the other students in the program lived almost exclusively with other people in the program, so they didn't have the chance to get to know as many Cambridge students. Some of the best friends I made while abroad were actually people I lived with who were full-time Cambridge students, which was really great. I think that I ended up being especially lucky, since the people I lived with were so friendly, but I thought it was one of the best parts of living abroad, and I think it should be available to more students. I just got lucky, I guess. |
| * Food: |
England is not known for its food for a reason. I don't think I've ever been to any place that was more incapable of cooking vegetables, for example. However, that was part of the experience. The food in the dining halls was usually fine, and both had good salad bar options, but they usually had a lot of fried foods as well. There was always a mince option as well, which I was not a fan of. There was always the option of buying a sandwich at marks and spencer or sainsburys, or just cooking for yourself. But the best part of dining at Cambridge is definitely Formal Hall dinners, which is something I'll probably miss most. They are every day of the week at Pembroke, and three days a week at Magdalene (I believe). The Pembroke formal halls were three-course meals, usually consisting of amazing food and just incredible atmosphere. The wood-paneled room lined with the portraits of impressive alumnae and the long tables overlooked by the High Table of fellows, coupled with the sight of students in their "academic robes," and you really feel as though you're at in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Amazing. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
As I said, there weren't many events planned by the program, other than three weekends near the end of term on which they planned trips to nearby towns in England. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend any of those, though. We did have a few very nice events throughout the semester, one of which was at the college master's home, who was a former head of the MI6, which was very cool. I wish there had been more trips that were an actual part of the program, perhaps to Brighton or even to Scotland or Ireland. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I always felt very safe in Cambridge. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Because of the weakness of the US Dollar against the UK pound, I found that it was hard not to spend more than I would if I were at Wellesley. But because there is no meal plan and you pay as you go, I think it is possible that even with eating at restaurants and eating at the servery, I spent less on food than I would have with a meal plan. If you cook for yourself and eat frugally, I see no reason why you couldn't get along spending 30 pounds a week or less on groceries. The issue becomes travel costs if you're interested in traveling over break, which I would definitely encourage. It's best to book your flights and hostels as far ahead as humanly possible. I know some people who spent less than ten pounds on flights, but I wasn't as lucky, since I booked a little later. Look up deals on websites like ryanair.com and easyjet.com, which have good deals the earlier you book. Another issue is things like formal halls, which are very reasonably priced at about eight pounds, and the price of nightlife, which is not expensive but which can add up, especially if you are buying drinks. Cambridge students tend to go out a LOT--I'd say three days a week during Lent term, but they go out almost never during Easter term because of impending exams. Lucky for American students, we didn't have to worry about soul-crushing exams, and so we were able to go out well into exam term. However, this meant we were spending more money. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I would say that any student considering the program has to know herself to be self-motivating. It is also very important to have a specific topic that you are passionate about. For me, that was Modern English literature, which I studied in my first term. |
