It was nearing the end of Michaelmas when Harriet stepped on the Northern Rail and watched the countryside rolling past the train window as she returned home from Cambridge, only to step foot again in the city almost a year later. Since Varsity published its last investigation into the intermission system at Cambridge, it’s been nearly five years. With the Student Union’s 2022 Intermission Report and the University’s dedication to developing the process in their 2022-2025 Wellbeing Plan, I can’t help but wonder what’s changed. Something tells me the struggles depicted in Varsity’s investigation; the knotted web of Cambridge welfare systems and the misty haze of university bureaucracy, have not been banished to the late 2010s. People’s eagerness to speak to me about their experience made it clear that there is still much to be done.

Information available online, although sparse and decentralised, with no formal undergraduate university page on the process, describes student intermission as a “complete break from their studies” due to “serious, unforeseen circumstances” (typically related to physical or mental health). Given leave to “disregard terms”, students can then rejoin university, either where they left off or at the start of a new academic year. The process mainly seems to be advertised through word of mouth: most of the people I talked to had heard about it through friends who intermitted, and occasionally as a suggestion from college. Once students decide to intermit, their tutors must send an application on their behalf to be approved by the EAMC. Most had their applications quickly and easily approved. I spoke to students from different year groups and backgrounds about the intermission process, and their wider concerns about Cambridge.

Harriet – “I really struggled to get into the ‘groove’ of university”

“It was very much the lowest point of my life” shared Harriet as she recalled how she struggled to keep her head above water in Michaelmas of first year amid dealing with the pressure to make new friends, fears of being far from home, and ongoing anxiety and depression. She intermitted part way through November. She joked at how the process was “easy! Almost too easy!”; feeling that it was “kind of insane” that she didn’t have to submit evidence to leave but simply sign a form. At this point, intermission was a way of buying time - she didn’t see herself returning to Cambridge. When I ask her about the time away, she remembers the “inescapable FOMO” meaning being back at home was, “in a lot of ways”, worse than struggling at university. She says restarting first year “has been a really positive experience”: she has “meshed really well” with the new first years, and tells me that those in her year who had seen her at her low state pre-intermission made a real effort with her and “wanted to reconnect”. Advising those uncertain about intermission, she suggests people follow their gut if taking the time out feels right.

Annabel – “It was not made clear to me that I may not be allowed to return to study”

Soon we would get on to “how it all happened”, Annabel mused in an ominous tone. An unusually quick recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome left Annabel doing double time study despite being almost fully recovered. The isolation of double-time study led to a decline in her mental health, and she intermitted a few weeks into Lent term of first year. She looks back on the initial application process positively; she “signed a few documents” and her tutor had sorted the application “within a couple of weeks”. It was only after she left that she found out her college had started to “change the narrative” of her intermission, instead ascribing it to mental health rather than an unsuccessful swap to double-time. The result of this change was that Annabel was placed under pressure to undergo therapy in order to be fit enough to return. When she explained her aversion to undergoing therapy, the tutor attempted to place blame on her, in what Annabel described as a highly “demeaning” approach.

Esme – “I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t intermit”

The rushing sounds of traffic filtered through the phone as I spoke to Esme, who was walking through town after a shift at her new job. Feeling “paralysed with fear” as a result of her increasingly “overly perfectionist” attitude to academics in third year, and increasing academic pressure from her professors, she intermitted before exams in the Easter holidays of third year. Being quickly pulled back from a year abroad where she had made many friends and felt more grounded (“I actually contributed to the world”) didn’t make her final year any easier. The application was “fast, almost intermediate”, and her tutor was “really, really good” at sorting it. For Esme, home didn’t mean the luxury of a family support network, coming from a culture not comfortable with mental health problems, but instead, she was “painfully self-sufficient”. Esme tried to enjoy the simplicity of everyday home routines. After returning at the start of next Lent, she graduated with a high first. She reflects that “intermission was a really good thing for [her]”.

All the people I talked with noted the emphasis on ‘getting better’ felt oddly mechanical; rooted in the implication that they were supposed to return “magically fixed”. This is reflected in the lack of priority given to enabling an easy transition for returning students. The emphasis on ensuring students’ fitness to study did not translate into supporting them once returned. Multiple students reported not being consulted about the accommodation ballot; Annabel was returning from intermission hoping to integrate with the new first-years but found herself automatically given a spot in the second-year ballot rather than assigned first-year accommodation. She was “eventually allowed” to attend all the freshers events, but had to inquire herself about it. Esme’s lecturers were mistakenly under the impression she wasn’t returning and expressed surprise to see her back in Cambridge. Harriet is still left off mailing lists. Multiple Camfess posts in 2023 share post-intermission struggles, with students feeling “between cohorts”, and feeling they had “slipped through the cracks” with the university being “terrible with support” in returning.

While Esme and Sienna’s experience of the process of applying to return was relatively simple, other students criticised the need to provide evidence in order to return, with one calling the requirement “absolutely abhorrent”. The Student Union guide to intermission suggests students discuss the return conditions with their tutor, and get these in writing, before leaving. Students suggested that, at the very least, the conditions for return should be made “clear, straightforward, laid out from the moment intermission is discussed, and tailored to suit individual needs”, rather than leaving students scrabbling for last-minute doctor’s notes.

Additionally, the isolating nature of the experience was apparent. Some I spoke to were lucky to have friends who had or were also going through intermission, and Sienna emphasised that her friends were “super, super supportive”. While a Facebook group ‘DSC Intermission Solidarity & Support Group’ exists, some suggested that a more tangible network that the university can put students in touch with upon intermitting would be a great support point. I “just needed someone to tell me it would be okay”, Esme and Annabel agreed. The floods of comments offering support to concerned Camfess posts from intermitting students point to the eagerness amongst students to share advice. Adding to the sense of isolation, most had minimal contact with the university mid-intermission – Esme doesn’t remember receiving a single message from the university after the initial couple of months. Although this “‘hands-off’ approach” worked for some, the college’s approach to keeping in contact should be clarified so students feel looked after, and know where best to seek the University Counselling services or counselling funding during intermission.

We have come a long way from the ‘Degrading is degrading’ campaign of 2011, when students protested against intermission still being referred as ‘degrading’ and intermitting students being banned from Cambridge grounds. But, there is much room for improvement. According to the Student Union’s report, 44% of students found the intermission system unfair, and 75% disagreed that students were adequately supported during the process. Both the online guidance document to tutors, and the Student Union guide (both from the late 2010s) address many of the concerns of students, but this guidance does not seem to be followed in practice.

Nevertheless, everyone I spoke to seemed to look back on the period as its own episode, one potentially full of challenges, but now in the past, leaving them healthier, fuller individuals. We ended our conversations on a happy note – finding your feet after intermission is possible. Harriet laughed at how intermission for her was “kind of a bonus”; a funny icebreaker that also made her into a trusted pillar for advice. All would recommend the intermission system to others, regardless of any difficulties they faced with it. “I’m glad I came back, I really am,” reflected Esme.

A university spokesperson said:

“The University is currently reviewing its process for intermission to ensure it is transparent and communicated effectively. Some elements are subject to strict guidelines though because the University has certain obligations. For example, when a student intermits because they are seriously unwell the University has a responsibility to ensure there is new medical evidence that confirms they are now ready to fully engage with their studies before they can return. We want to ensure those returning from intermission feel supported.”

*All names have been changed.