“From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge”University of Cambridge

With more than 18,000 students from all walks of life and all corners of the world, nearly 9,000 staff, 31 Colleges and 150 Departments, Faculties, Schools and other institutions, no two days are ever the same at the University of Cambridge. At the heart of this confederation of Departments, Schools, Faculties and Colleges is a central administration team. It is small because the Colleges are self-governing and teaching staff carry out much of the daily administration at Cambridge.

COLLEGES

Students live, eat and socialise in one of the University’s 31 autonomous Colleges. Undergraduates receive College supervisions – small group teaching sessions – regarded as one of the best teaching models in the world.

Each College has its own internal procedures. They select their own students, subject to University regulations, and most admit both undergraduate and postgraduate students. College representatives sit on the University Council and Finance Committee.

SCHOOLS

There are six Schools, which each form an administrative grouping of Faculties and other institutions. They are: Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Technology.

There is a Council of each School – including representatives of its Faculties and Departments. The Schools are represented on the General Board.

COURSES

Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic Archaeology Architecture Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Chemical Engineering Classics Computer Science Economics Education Engineering The University offers 30 undergraduate courses at Cambridge covering more than 65 subject areas.

One of the most distinctive characteristics of the courses (also called Triposes at Cambridge) is that they cover the subject area very broadly in the initial years and then offer a wide range of options in which to specialise in the later years. Students with a clear sense of the subject they wish to pursue at university can specialise, while those who are less certain are able to explore the wider subject area before deciding what to focus on.

HOW WILL YOU BE TAUGHT?

Lectures cover the basics of a subject and act as a starting point for your own research. Each lecture typically lasts around 50 minutes. Depending on the subject anywhere between up to several hundred students may attend. Many lecturers are working at the forefront of their fields, so lectures are a fantastic opportunity to find out about the latest research and be

Cambridge has a very long list of notable alumni from across the disciplines. Among the many there are Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking, currently the Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology. There is David Attenborough, whose voice you might know from the Life series, and anthropologist and primatologist Jane Goodall. A number of authors whose names you might know include Zadie Smith, Virginia Woolf, C.S. Lewis, A.A. Milne. inspired by leading academics. These provide the opportunity to explore particular topics in more detail. They’re usually for medium–sized groups (between 10 and 30 students) and last between one and two hours. They’re led by academics, but are more interactive than lectures and you’re expected to actively contribute to the discussions.

Cambridge University was founded in 1209 by students from Oxford University. Rumour has it they moved to Cambridge because they were in trouble with the police in Oxford! Practicals teach you the hands-on skills and techniques that you need to be able to apply your knowledge in subjects with a practical element to them. They may also be called ‘labs’ or laboratory classes. For some courses, your practical work may be assessed and contribute towards your degree. This more personal tuition, organised by your College, is one of our greatest strengths and a key advantage of studying at Cambridge - most students find their supervisions the most rewarding and beneficial part of their course. Supervisions are teaching sessions for one or two students or small groups. They’re led by supervisors who are specialists in the subject being studied, and who may be one of the country’s or world’s leading authorities. As well as helping you develop independent learning skills, supervisions enable you to explore course material in much greater depth than lectures allow, to gain further insights into your subject, to clarify anything you’re not clear about, to discuss your own work and ideas, and to receive regular feedback. Typically, you have one or two hour-long supervisions each week, although the frequency does vary from course to course.

You receive regular reports from your supervisors but aren’t formally assessed on this work, so you can take advantage of this opportunity to take risks with your own ideas, investigate new approaches, and discuss the set topic as well as other aspects of the course. Several courses may include opportunities to go on field trips, language courses or study visits to add another dimension to their learning. Where you go, how long for and what you do naturally varies depending on your course. The faculties, departments and Colleges often have funds available to help you go on trips in Britain and abroad.

Some courses include a period of work experience. For instance, you may: work for a company on a research project if you’re studying Engineering or one of the sciences work abroad during the third year of your Modern and Medieval Languages or Asian and Middle Eastern Studies course As well as giving you valuable experience, such placements are a great way of exploring possible future career paths and making contact with employers. They may even lead to the opportunity of a job after you graduate.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

Everyone with a realistic chance of being offered a place is invited to attend an interview. A reasonable standard in spoken English is required at the time of interview. All applicants interviewed overseas will sit the same format of admissions assessments as candidates seen in the UK. Pre-interview written assessments are organised by the Admissions Testing Service and should be taken at an authorised centre. For 2017 entry, the pre-interview written assessments will be taken on 2 November 2016 in the UK. Applicants taking the pre-interview written assessments overseas must check the Admissions Testing Service website as the scheduled start times for international centres may vary. Please note that for some overseas interview locations, these assessments may take place after your interview. In this situation, your written assessment will still be considered by your Cambridge College along with your overseas interview report. Devuni Goonewardene