Cambridge from the Inside

Stay tuned as Dylan, a master’s student at Trinity Hall, shares what his application process was like, how it differs from applying for postgraduate studies in the US, and what his experience at Cambridge has been like.A list of topic discussions can be found below:00:00 Introductions01:50 Why did you apply to Cambridge for your master’s degree?03:00 Is it common for students to apply to UK universities for a one-year master’s rather than a two-year course?04:15 Why choose the Finance & Economics postgraduate course?05:45 What are the steps between finishing your undergraduate degree and starting your postgraduate studies?07:20 What is a college?09:00 As a postgraduate, do you apply to the faculty or the college?11:30 Are funding opportunities tied to specific colleges?14:50 What’s the difference between Trinity Hall and Trinity College?17:20 How do postgraduate applicants receive an offer?22:30 What support does the university provide with postgraduate applications?25:20 What kind of accommodation is provided at Trinity Hall?28:00 Comparing accommodation in Cambridge and the US29:00 Society opportunities for postgraduates31:30 Superhalls and Formal Halls at Trinity Hall34:30 Is there much time for social events at Cambridge?36:20 Availability of information for university applications in the US compared with the UK39:00 What’s one thing you wish you’d known at the start of the application?40:45 How has the course been?42:30 What are you doing next?

Stay tuned to hear our Director of Admissions, Marcus Tomalin, explain everything you need to know about the My Cambridge Application and how it's different to the UCAS personal statement.A list of topic discussions can be found below:00:00 Introductions00:50 What is the My Cambridge Application? 01:50 When is the deadline for submission? 02:10 What happens if you miss the deadline to submit your MyCapp? 03:20 What’s in the MyCapp? 05:40 How is the statement in the MyCapp different to the UCAS personal statement? What to write in the MyCapp?19:20 Do we mark/assess the MyCapp or Personal Statement? Find more info on the My Cambridge Application below: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/how/cambridge-application

Stay tuned to hear Professor Graham Pullan share everything you need to know about applying for Engineering at Cambridge! A full list of discussion points can be found below.More information about Professor Graham can be found below:https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/professor-graham-pullan/ESAT Admissions Test past papers can be found below: https://esat-tmua.ac.uk/esat-preparation-materials/00:00 Introductions 02:35 What is Engineering?10:30 What are all the different types of Engineering? Which do you study at Cambridge? 18:30 Do students end up going into modules that they weren’t initially intending? 20:00 What are the entry requirements for Engineering at Cambridge? Do you need Further Maths? 22:45 Interviews and ESAT Admissions test advice: Application process explained 29:20 Pitfalls to avoid in the interviews 33:10 What will you be interviewed on? 34:00 Differences between Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, and Maths 37:50 Can you get into Engineering as a career via alternative routes? 43:10 What are Cambridge Engineering supervisions like? 47:30 On lectures and labs 48:30 What are drawing sessions?

Stay tuned to hear our Director of Admissions, Marcus Tomalin, explain everything you need to know about the UCAS school reference.

A list of topic discussions can be found below:

00:00 Introductions01:50 What is the school reference? 02:50 When is the deadline to submit the school reference? 03:40 Is there a character limit? 04:00 What changes were made to the school reference in 2024?06:55 What things should and shouldn’t be in the school reference? 14:30 Other than the school reference what other pieces of information do we receive about the applicant? 18:20 Do we bring up the school reference in the interview?

Stay tuned to hear our Sam, Outreach Communications Officer for the Department of Land Economy, explain everything you need to know about applying for Land Economy.

For super-curricular activities/reedling lists, please find the below:

https://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/page/preparing-land-economy-degree

A list of topic discussions can be found below:00:00 Introductions01:20 Who is most interested in Land Economy?04:00 What is Land Economy?06:20 Reading materials for Land Economy08:30 Are there any specific subject requirements for Land Economy?09:40 What to mention in your personal statement13:50 Is there an admissions test?14:10 Do you have to submit written work? If so, what should you submit?16:40 Is Land Economy more maths-based or more essay-based?18:40 Can you go into Law after Land Economy?20:40 What are the interviews like for Land Economy?28:25 Are interviews in person or online?29:40 How does the degree ensure students are brought up to speed on subjects they haven’t studied before?32:10 Land Economy course title changing

Stay tuned to hear Dr Heather Inwood, Director of Studies in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Chinese), share everything you need to know about studying Chinese at Cambridge! A full list of discussion points can be found below.More information about Dr Heather Inwood can be found below:https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/dr-heather-inwood/00:00 R.F. Kuang01:30 Introductions02:20 Is AMES a literature, language, or history degree?03:10 What languages can you study within the AMES course? Can you study more than one?04:20 How much flexibility is there in what students choose to study?05:20 Are students always reading texts in the language they’re learning, or are some texts in English as well?07:10 What kind of students is AMES for?08:50 Comparing translations with their originals11:00 Advice for those who might find learning another language daunting13:10 How is AMES taught?14:05 What’s the difference between supervisions and classes?16:20 What does the Chinese pathway look like within AMES?21:00 What’s the difference between Classical Chinese and Modern Chinese?23:50 Can you take the course if you’re already fluent in Chinese?25:30 Heather’s favourite aspects of the AMES course — East Asian Media and Popular Culture27:00 What eras does the course cover?28:00 Does the course change depending on current affairs?29:50 What makes Cambridge stand out compared to other universities for studying Chinese?31:00 Heather’s journey from undergraduate to academia32:00 Heather’s research in Contemporary Chinese Poetry and Popular/Internet Fiction33:50 What is Internet Fiction?35:30 Opportunities for new and upcoming writers in the English-speaking world38:05 Advice for students thinking about studying Chinese

Stay tuned to hear Lola, 4th-year Modern and Medieval Languages student, share everything you need to know about the year abroad!

A full list of discussion points can be found below.

00:00 Introductions

02:10 What is the Year Abroad?

03:00 If you’re studying two languages, do you go to two countries during your Year Abroad?

03:50 What did Lola do during her Year Abroad?

05:30 How Lola found moving to a new city

08:40 How Lola found living in Italy, given that she took Italian from scratch (ab initio)

09:35 What have other students done during their Year Abroad?

11:30 Financial support for the Year Abroad1

3:00 Planning the logistics for the Year Abroad

15:35 Final remarks and advice for incoming MML students

More info on the year abroad can be found below:

https://www.mmll.cam.ac.uk/undergraduates/current-undergraduates/year-abroadCheck out Lola's other podcast on what it's like to study French and Italian at Cambridge:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i4uk7ptSOA

Interviews may be online or in person, depending on which College is assessing your application. Stay tuned to hear our Director of Admissions, Marcus Tomalin, explain everything you need to know about interview format.More information about the interview format all the colleges are adopting can be found below:https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/after/cambridge-interviewsA list of topic discussions can be found below:00:00 Introductions01:00 What are Cambridge interviews?02:00 What were interviews like before the pandemic?03:20 Are interviews now online or in person? How does it differ between colleges?07:45 How is Trinity Hall conducting their interviews?13:30 What might a science interview look like in person and online?17:00 What should you do if you don’t have reliable technology or Wi-Fi for your online interview?21:45 Will the interview be different if it’s online or in person?23:00 Issues with interview questions being shared after the interview24:50 How in-person interviews are similar to Cambridge supervisions / Why interviews are teaching and learning experiences rather than debates or interrogations28:00 How do interviewers assess applicants?30:45 How many interviews and interviewers should applicants expect?

Stay tuned to hear Dr Lee de-Wit, University Associate Professor of Political Psychology, share everything you need to know about studying Psychological & Behavioural Sciences at Cambridge.

You can find more information on Dr Lee de-Wit in the link below:

https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/lee-de-witA full list of discussion points can be found below.

00:00 Introductions01:50 What is Psychology and Behavioural Sciences?03:40 How Cambridge courses enable you to take modules from other subjects04:50 What do you study in the PBS course? Do you study Freud, or is the focus on the scientific method?07:20 Is statistics involved in PBS?08:15 What is the course structure for PBS?13:10 Using evidence and statistics to validate opinions16:20 How does PBS prepare you for modern careers?17:20 How are PBS students taught?18:40 What are PBS supervisions like?26:45 Lee’s research32:50 Opportunities to study politics, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, and natural sciences within the PBS course35:50 Advice for PBS applicants38:20 What is Choice Architecture?

Stay tuned to hear Dr Cristiano Ristuccia, share everything you need to know about studying Economics at Cambridge.

We’ve recorded another podcast on what it’s like to study Economics at Cambridge with one of our students, Nikolai — which you can find below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd_yt9Lz4dMA full list of discussion points can be found below.

00:00 Introductions

00:40 What kind of student would enjoy studying Economics at Cambridge?

01:45 How to choose between Human, Social and Political Sciences, Economics, and History & Economics

02:50 The course structure for Economics

08:40 What are Microeconomics and Macroeconomics?

11:30 How are economists taught?

17:20 How Economics is not an objective science

18:30 The differences between Economics and Maths

21:00 Is Economics a science?

27:45 What makes a good economist?

50:10 How can you study History and Politics within the Cambridge Economics course?

01:00:00 What makes a strong applicant for Economics at Cambridge?

Dr Ristuccia is a University Senior Research Associate in Applied Economics. He works on production technology and economic growth during the 20th century, with particular reference to the inter-war period and the Second World War. His focus is comparative and covers industrial development in the US, Japan, the UK, Germany, France and Italy. His teaching focuses on Germany and on international financial instability in the inter-war period, and on the economics of dictatorships.

https://www.trinhall.cam.ac.uk/people/dr-cristiano-ristuccia/