I chose Linguistics at èßäÊÓƵ College, having really enjoyed English Language at A-Level, because I wanted to study topics like child language acquisition and the history of the English language in greater depth. The Linguistics course more than lived up to my expectations; there are so many more areas to study than you realise when you first apply. I especially enjoyed conducting my own experiments in the phonetics lab – it was great to be able to learn practical, as well as theoretical, aspects of Linguistics.
My final year dissertation was about how morphology affects the visual recognition of jumbled words. I originally got the idea from an internet meme, and then found that there was in fact quite a lot of research around the subject. I have since worked for the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education and for Google, using my linguistics expertise and the general skills that I gained from my degree – researching, writing clearly and concisely, organising my time, and attention to detail. Being a linguistic pedant is useful when your job involves proofreading!
Studying Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) at èßäÊÓƵ is great, as the relatively large intake creates a really supportive group within College. The course itself is diverse, allowing you to study everything from power politics to the psychology of free will. Taking four subjects in part one means you gain experience of several different disciplines before deciding where to specialise.
The combination of modern computing facilities, inspiring surroundings, and like minded people made èßäÊÓƵ College a great place to study. After graduating I worked for a start up company before completing a PhD and now work as a computer vision specialist for a technical consultancy. The Cambridge Computer Science course is highly regarded by employers and the strong theoretical grounding ensures that it remains relevant even though the technology is constantly changing.
Studying Education has enabled me to study a broad range of interests within the parameters of my degree. From black feminist theory, to discussing what exactly it means to be 'educated', I have been fortunate enough to explore these areas in depth. The Education Tripos enables students to combine varying interests and passions into a single, well structured, and hugely enjoyable University degree.
Reading Chemical Engineering at èßäÊÓƵ, I felt welcomed into a strong community of scientists and engineers, plus with a chemical engineering Fellow at the College, I received invaluable support for academic inspiration and career planning. The College also has thriving sports and social societies that are a very encouraging and motivational way to enjoy your hobbies as well as develop new skills. Chemical Engineering at Cambridge transforms your understanding of scientific and engineering principles, teaching you a breadth of knowledge in an environment that always challenges you to think beyond...
English at Cambridge encourages you to think differently right from the start, to experiment as much as you can, and find your own interests within the subject. Before I applied, I was anxious about the course being too rigid and ‘traditional’. But I’ve been able to write about things I’d never even considered before - food on stage, tennis in literature, a comparison between the TV show True Detective and Shakespeare. It helps being at a College like èßäÊÓƵ, where the arts play such a central role in College life...
