What do you want to know about Cambridge?

Reply 780

DJkG.1

17

Original post by generalebriety

...

Ahh generalebriety, not seen you in a while.

Which college were you at?

Reply 781

DJkG.1

17

Original post by jaekco

I guessed as much that it would be quite competitive and just the fact one is coming from Cambridge won't guarantee a spot. I guess I was wondering if one doesn't want an internship and does not get one, it would be a very abnormal thing to do? (I know it is a bizarre question.) :smile:

Well most law students want to work in the law and so giving up a few weeks of the 3.5 month summer vacation isn't much of a sacrifice for an internship with a law firm (called a vacation scheme typically), or even less time doing mini-pupillages if just interested in the bar, or a mix of the 2. It stands you in good stead for applying for jobs and coz most people have done it, if you haven't, it'll be a bit like 'wtf not'.

And tbh with a mid-level 2:1 or above in your first year at Cambridge and having done at least one or two things besides work to talk about, you can almost be guaranteed a vac scheme somewhere if you send off a few good applications and put in the effort to make them good.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 782

Rahul.S

14

Original post by Jian_Earle

Sweardown. Cos the college i go to needs to have a sick football team hehe. You going trinity aswell?

got an offer from Trinity...so yh I'm hoping to go Trinity :colone:

you?

in the tables....when I went for my interview students told me Trinity are no.1......another thing they top except for Baxter tables :tongue:

Reply 783

FiniteMr

13

Original post by Rahul.S

got an offer from Trinity...so yh I'm hoping to go Trinity :colone:

you?

in the tables....when I went for my interview students told me Trinity are no.1......another thing they top except for Baxter tables :tongue:

Not that it really matters...but:

"Over the twenty-eight years that this table has been running, Christ's College has averaged to be the top College for academic excellence, however, in recent years Emmanuel College lays claim to consistently having the best results"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tompkins_Table

hehe :biggrin:

Reply 784

Jenny933

Trinity sadly is a science college, it is not number one in law. The top law college is Downing. Not that this matters much. The main advantage of Trinity is that it has a lot of money so it will be able to discount your rent, pay for some of your books, etc. In Cambridge everyone reading law will have passed the exact same entry requirements.

Also, the law fellows are not too good at Trinity, some of them have not published any books of any significance. The old professors that have, do not teach undergraduates. Two of the law fellows at Trinity do not even have a PhD, which is odd given they are young career-wise (30s), and most people of their generation at Oxford or one of the top London schools would at least have a PhD. One chap has not published anything!

Reply 785

Rahul.S

14

Original post by Hypocrism

Not that it really matters...but:

"Over the twenty-eight years that this table has been running, Christ's College has averaged to be the top College for academic excellence, however, in recent years Emmanuel College lays claim to consistently having the best results"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tompkins_Table

hehe :biggrin:

lol I just said it as I say it on another thread....heck I don't even know what the baxter table is (people getting 1sts?)

how many tables are there :s-smilie:

Tompkins, Baxters.....

Reply 786

atwn

Can anyone tell me a bit more about the medical course? I know it's 6 years, and that the first two are non-clinical, then there's the BA (is that any less hectic? or equally so?), and then you go do clinical placements in hospitals - are you basically being an F1 with less knowledge and duties? Finally, do the NHS pay your fees for the final year, or the final two, or at all (through the NHS bursary scheme), considering it's 6 years rather than the usual 5? Thank you guys!!

Reply 787

LeSacMagique

9

Original post by Jenny933

Trinity sadly is a science college, it is not number one in law. The top law college is Downing. Not that this matters much. The main advantage of Trinity is that it has a lot of money so it will be able to discount your rent, pay for some of your books, etc. In Cambridge everyone reading law will have passed the exact same entry requirements.

Also, the law fellows are not too good at Trinity, some of them have not published any books of any significance. The old professors that have, do not teach undergraduates. Two of the law fellows at Trinity do not even have a PhD, which is odd given they are young career-wise (30s), and most people of their generation at Oxford or one of the top London schools would at least have a PhD. One chap has not published anything!

Although you would expect an academic of their sort of age to have a PhD, I imagine that with Law you might get people who choose not to get a doctorate, get some sort of exciting/relevant legal career, and then decide they'd rather be an academic instead. It would be strange with a subject like English or History but with Law I guess it might be a bit more understandable.

(Also, having done a bit of stalking, one of them was top of her class at Nottingham, so that's pretty impressive too I guess)

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 788

lp386

12

Original post by Rahul.S

lol I just said it as I say it on another thread....heck I don't even know what the baxter table is (people getting 1sts?)

how many tables are there :s-smilie:

Tompkins, Baxters.....

The Baxter tables are internal and more detailed (breakdown into arts, sciences, for example). They don't get released to students or the public.

Reply 789

Jian_Earle

Original post by Rahul.S

got an offer from Trinity...so yh I'm hoping to go Trinity :colone:

you?

in the tables....when I went for my interview students told me Trinity are no.1......another thing they top except for Baxter tables :tongue:

Yeah I got an offer too, for engineering though. Its a big college so im hoping its live

Reply 790

gethsemane342

11

Original post by generalebriety

Well, the point is rather that Cambridge is mostly white middle-class people and there is still next to nothing in the way of discrimination against non-white or non-middle-class people.

Yes ... and I did make that same point in my next paragraph :confused:

Reply 791

lp386

12

Original post by generalebriety

Well, the point is rather that Cambridge is mostly white middle-class people and there is still next to nothing in the way of discrimination against non-white or non-middle-class people.

This. I've always found that the problem in admissions isn't the private/public school divide but the fact that the vast majority in Cambridge, however they were educated (and I include myself in this), seem to come from the economic group who are well off, and no-one else really gets a look in.

Reply 792

Rahul.S

14

Original post by Jian_Earle

Yeah I got an offer too, for engineering though. Its a big college so im hoping its live

when was your interview? 5th? I met some engineering applicant at the common room....

Reply 793

FiniteMr

13

Original post by atwn

Can anyone tell me a bit more about the medical course? I know it's 6 years, and that the first two are non-clinical, then there's the BA (is that any less hectic? or equally so?), and then you go do clinical placements in hospitals - are you basically being an F1 with less knowledge and duties? Finally, do the NHS pay your fees for the final year, or the final two, or at all (through the NHS bursary scheme), considering it's 6 years rather than the usual 5? Thank you guys!!

We do 2 years preclinical training which is assessed in Easter term of 1st and 2nd year. In first year we do functional architecture of the body (FAB-anatomy), molecules in medical science (MIMS-biochemistry) and Homeostasis (HOM-physiology). In second year you do pharmacology (disease and drugs), reproduction, the nervous system, and I'm not entirely certain what else because I'm a first year. In addition you do your 2nd MB during the two years, which is the national curriculum including ethics and stuff. (The first MB is supposed to be 6th form qualifications).

In your third year you do your elective which can technically be a one-year course in anything, but that provides your DoS is willing to let you do it - most people do something relevant like PDN (physiology, development, neuroscience) or more biochemistry. This doesn't count towards your "medical" degree but is invaluable for clinical school applications. Third year is often thought of as a "doss" year but from what I hear, it isn't in reality.

In your third year you'll apply to clinical schools. About half our undergraduates stay at Addenbrookes (Cambridge hospital) at the moment, while the other half are normally spread between London clinical schools and Oxford. At clinical school you still take lecture, and I think you still have supervisions, but you'll also be based at the clinical school in Addenbrookes (assuming you get there) and you'll be doing a module in some ward for about 6 weeks each. A+E, paediatrics, geriatrics, etc. Formally assessed entirely (I believe) at the end of the 3rd clinical year. You're not really an F1 doctor, and you won't move around hospital much.

Right now the NHS pay for your last two years of clinical school tuition fees.

Reply 794

Jian_Earle

Original post by Rahul.S

when was your interview? 5th? I met some engineering applicant at the common room....

Nah my interview was on the 4th still. Ahh i was freezing too, if i had known where the common room was i woulda gone there to get warm! What you studying?

Reply 795

gethsemane342

11

Original post by Jenny933

Trinity sadly is a science college, it is not number one in law. The top law college is Downing. Not that this matters much. The main advantage of Trinity is that it has a lot of money so it will be able to discount your rent, pay for some of your books, etc. In Cambridge everyone reading law will have passed the exact same entry requirements.

Also, the law fellows are not too good at Trinity, some of them have not published any books of any significance. The old professors that have, do not teach undergraduates. Two of the law fellows at Trinity do not even have a PhD, which is odd given they are young career-wise (30s), and most people of their generation at Oxford or one of the top London schools would at least have a PhD. One chap has not published anything!

Downing isn't the top law college, it just has a lot of law students. They have a mix of brilliant law students and average law students. The best college for law at the moment is actually Clare.

As for fellows...

1) Many law academics come in from practice. They don't pursue a PhD but are nonetheless very reputable. For example, Stuart Bridge (fellow of Queens), who's just become a judge, is technically just Mr Stuart Bridge. You're unlikely to find a more reputable academic on leases in land law. Nicola Padfield (fellow of Fitz) isn't a doctor but her reputation for anything criminal law related is superb. Both used to be practitioners (and, indeed, Padfield still sits in as a judge).

2) The teaching you get at Trinity is pretty good, actually. The DoS wrote the clearest textbook I've ever seen and she's pretty much an authority in her own right for EU law. Their Roman law supervisor is apparently one of the most thorough out there. Gray used to basically set the entire land law course (as well as writing a GIANT textbook which is used by undergrads across the country and is only out-authoritied by Megarry & Wade which is now out of date) ,Merrett argued out some of the big Conflicts cases and Miles is in charge of a substantial amount of the family and criminal law courses.

I'd also add, for the sake of showing I'm not biased ... I'm not a Trinity undergrad, I'm a Christ's undergrad.

Reply 796

Rahul.S

14

Original post by Jian_Earle

Nah my interview was on the 4th still. Ahh i was freezing too, if i had known where the common room was i woulda gone there to get warm! What you studying?

applied for maths....your almost guaranteed to end up at Trinity....ive got STEP to do :colone:

Reply 797

The West Wing

18

Original post by gethsemane342

Not really. I didn't do a Vac Scheme last summer (I did do a 2 day mini-pupillage and a 2 week internship with the police which the Uni itself organised though) and I know quite a few people who did almost nothing at all. A lot of people don't know what they want to do so they leave it a while. You just feel like everyone's getting internships and grad jobs because of all the career info thrown at you.

I think it works for some but not everyone has your grades or natural intelligence.

I think for most people it's wise to do as much work experience and apply for as many things as you can to give yourself the best chance of getting a job. I don't think I'd have gotten my TC without having done three vac schemes and other experience beforehand.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 798

Jedbrien

8

for cambridge natural sciences (physical), are there any written tests that i have to do or just an interview?

Reply 799

gethsemane342

11

Original post by The West Wing

I think it works for some but not everyone has your grades or natural intelligence.

I think for most people it's wise to do as much work experience and apply for as many things as you can to give yourself the best chance of getting a job. I don't think I'd have gotten my TC without having done three vac schemes and other experience beforehand.

I meant in the summer imbetween for law students specifically :smile:

Since a lot of firms will let you do VS' after graduation, there's still time to do one if you don't do one in the summer. My main point was that it's not odd if you don't want to do one because not all law students will do one in the summer. But if you want a TC or pupillage, you probably should do something at some point.

What do you want to know about Cambridge?

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