Sipping on my fourth coffee of the morning, cheeks puffy from lack of sleep, frantically trying to brainstorm ideas for my essay due later that day – this is my average experience of the University Library. Cultural immersion is the last thing on my mind. But does it have to be this way? Even in times of high stress, Cambridge is a university teeming with art — and often, our easy access to it is the perfect respite from academic pressure.

Study somewhere new

Sick of the library? Looking at the same stack of books is enough to give anyone mental fatigue. Moving to a new place to study can seem as though it’s just changing the location of your essay crisis, but for me, studying on a bench in the Fitzwilliam Museum or sitting in their café keeps me grounded. When surrounded by beautiful art and ancient artefacts, it becomes much harder to stress over French verb endings.

University Library exhibitions

Home to niche books and seemingly endless tables of silent students, for most of my first year I viewed the UL as simply a more serious and intimidating alternative to my faculty library. It wasn’t until Easter term that I saw a new side to the library; it is not just a home for millions of texts, but a theatre for celebrating them. The UL’s ‘Murder by the Book’ exhibition was a comprehensive study of British Crime Fiction which both enlightened and entertained. But the main benefit of visiting was that when I would walk past the UL on my way to Sidge, I found myself reflecting on the exhibition itself, rather than the endless number of books I needed to return or how long I had until my next assignment was due. I’m sure the current exhibition, ‘Endless Stories: Manuscripts, knowledge and translation in the 17th century’, will provide a refreshing pause from studying for my translation supervisions. Perhaps it may even revive my interest in my academic pursuits.

College societies

That said, immersion in the arts does not always require projects from the University itself. A college society can be the simplest way to experience art here. The Cambridge amateur dramatic scene is famous (a warning to freshers: you will be followed by the Instagram accounts of every single play ever put on at the ADC). But it’s easy to engage in any form of art that you connect to; the Trinity Hall Femsoc committee have spent the summer planning film screenings and discussion groups for feminist media, as well as planning events with Girton Pottery Society.

College architecture

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” claims Ferris Bueller. It seems unlikely that a Cambridge student could have a worse role model than a teenager dedicated to avoiding academics, but this message applies to everyone. In the heart of term, it can become easy to forget just how beautiful our university is. Stop viewing your hall dinners simply as a break from library sessions, and take a moment to appreciate the intricacies of the portraits in your college’s dining hall.

Student photography

If viewing art isn’t enough, one of the most common ways of immersing oneself in the visual arts is through student photography. Per capita, Cambridge probably has a higher number of digital cameras than any other city I know. Student photographers are the unsung heroes of every college bop or society social event, capturing moments I’d otherwise be too hungover to remember in the morning.

When under intense academic pressure, it can be easy to forget to find joy in the simpler aspects of life. But this list should serve as a reminder that Cambridge isn’t only about work; it is also one of the most beautiful, culturally rich cities in the world. And your life shouldn’t revolve only around academics; take the time you need to experience things you enjoy.