Cambridge offers a myriad of subjects; so, we at Lifestyle have decided to delve a little deeper into what the members of the Varsity team study, when they’re not busy writing for the newspaper! Last week we heard from students studying English Literature, Natural Science, HSPS (Human, Social, and Political Sciences), and MML (Modern and Medieval Languages). This week the spotlight is on: Maths, Classics, Education (with English and Drama), and HML (History and Modern Languages).
Maths
Holly Sewell - Varsity Fashion Editor and first year Maths student
“Maths now, despite being a source of ridiculous amounts of stress most of the time, can provide a weird kind of escapism”
I didn’t know which subject I was going to apply for until I was around 15 or 16, unlike a number of the mathematicians here. There wasn’t exactly a lightbulb moment, and I often felt that another subject might suit me just as well (or better). Looking back, I’m proud that I stuck with it — it’s a hell of a leap of faith to put your first choice uni as a place that requires STEP. Maths now, despite being a source of ridiculous amounts of stress most of the time, can provide a weird kind of escapism. Unless it’s the day before an example sheet is due, you can take the time to wallow in it a little more —if you’re lucky, you can really get into it. Entering a headspace where the most important thing is mathematical logic can be oddly liberating.
On the flipside, it’s a big workload, and unless you manage your time well it’s pretty unusual to achieve that mindset. In my first term I didn’t do this at all — my work was consistently poor quality and I barely slept. There are ‘only’ two example sheets per week, but to any non-mathmos out there, that is a lot. To anyone thinking of applying, prepare yourself: it’s a great subject, but you will have to work very hard.
Classics
Amy Howell - Senior News Editor and first year Classics student
“Classics is a bit of everything, just a lot older and written in Latin or Greek”
I quite often make the joke that just because I study Classics and find myself involved in student journalism I am, contrary to popular opinion, not following in the footsteps of our Prime Minister. I know few Classicists who wander around extensively quoting The Iliad, thankfully. One of my main reasons for pursuing Classics was my inability to make a decision; put crudely, for those of you wondering what my degree actually is (you wouldn’t be the first!), Classics is a bit of everything, just a lot older and written in Latin or Greek. Although I arrived with a pre-established love for Classical philosophy, I did just want to study everything. The amount of variety is huge. The Varsity News team can attest to my newfound fascination with rivers in foundational Roman narratives: I’ll find myself reading about this, the art of memory in Res Gestae, and the intricacies of thematic verbs all in the same day. Although the course is quite literature-heavy up until IB, and will probably leave you hoping to never have to touch Cicero again (just me?), the texts that form the basis of the language papers range from epic poetry to philosophical and historical narratives. I fondly remember translating a passage of verse about cows in my exams earlier this term: inuideo uaccae, nullis exercita curis… (I envy the cow, agitated by no anxiety…). If nothing else, I can safely say that my degree has convinced me that I’d really like to be reincarnated as a cow.
HML (History and Modern Languages) - specialising in Greek and German
Anonymous student- Varsity Team and HML student
“I think it’s really important to know a language other than English"
I’m a History and Modern Languages student (we’re relatively rare!), which essentially means that I spend my study-time battling between cramming the reading for supo essays and forcing myself to open up Quizlet and run through some German verbs. My deeply tumultuous love affair with History goes way back to those heady, sun-stained primary school afternoons when the teacher had forgotten to prepare a lesson so dug out an old Horrible Histories DVD. As far as my languages are concerned, I think it’s really important to know a language other than English, as you end up with access to so many more books, films, places and people that you might have never got to know otherwise! I’m not going to lie, the HML course definitely lives up to a Cambridge degree’s reputation for intense workload, especially in first year: in a typical term, you could end up writing up to twelve essays, alongside language class and translation work. Overall, though, I’m really glad to have chosen HML, as I like the freedom to spread my time across multiple disciplines, and would never have wanted to pick just one of History, German or Greek over the others.
Education, English and Drama
Amber De Ruyt - Senior Features Editor and second year Education student, specialising in English and Drama
“The best thing about my track is that their definition of a ‘text’ is boundless, so my essays have ranged from discussing Betty Boop to Ovid”
Not niche enough to be ASNC, not basic enough to be English, so the real question is, what is Education? I may be biased, but it is without a doubt the most brilliantly wide-ranging tripos at Cambridge!
I’m on the English and Drama track, which means as well as taking the compulsory Education papers (which go from discussing philosophy to linguistics), and the track-specific papers, I also cover postcolonial literature, children’s literature and even practical theatre! I could in theory borrow papers from the Psychology or Politics tracks, but that’s for folks braver than me. The best thing about my track is that their definition of a ‘text’ is boundless, so my essays have ranged from discussing Betty Boop to Ovid. We also get to do a track-specific dissertation that can be about anything, so I wrote mine about feminism in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast!
We’re a small cohort, with 30 on the course and only 10 people on my track, so most of our teaching is seminar-based, which is great for being forced to pay attention.
The course is completely unique to Cambridge, and I could not be more thrilled to be a part of it!
