Do people actually enjoy studying in Cambridge?

For all its prestige and reputation, the student experiences I hear from Cambridge tend to be surprisingly negative. The most common complaints I see concern the intense study load; that people become so concentrated on their studies that other aspects of their life start to deteriorate. This is, from what I've read, further amplified by the intensely competitive student population where being the best is considered to be the main goal of university studies. While this doesn't obviously reflect the general opinion of the whole student populace, it is noteworthy that these kinds of things are much more often heard about Oxbridge than any other universities.

What kind of people enjoy this environment; Is it people whose main interests in life are mostly academic? Or people who are exceptionally competitive? I am not discussing this in a normative sense. Rather I'm thinking about what motivates and excites the average Cambridge student.

A common opinion I've also heard often is from people who have graduated from Cambridge saying that they found the experience unpleasant, but ultimately rewarding. There is no denying that a degree from Cambridge rewards the graduate with excellent job prospects.

So in short, I guess I'm wondering about what kind of experience do people studying in Cambridge actually have. The contrast between applicants who are enthused beyond belief and actual students whose opinions seem to be more critical and introspective is overwhelmingly noticeable especially on this forum.

How many people do you actipually know who are/were at Cambridge? I suspect not too many....

Quite a few actually! I did go to IBO last year so I have around 20 - 30 friends who currently go to Cambridge. I've talked with some of them about studying there.

But the reason I made this thread was precisely to get different viewpoints, and to give people a chance to give their own opinions and dispel any myths

For all its prestige and reputation, the student experiences I hear from Cambridge tend to be surprisingly negative. The most common complaints I see concern the intense study load; that people become so concentrated on their studies that other aspects of their life start to deteriorate. This is, from what I've read, further amplified by the intensely competitive student population where being the best is considered to be the main goal of university studies. While this doesn't obviously reflect the general opinion of the whole student populace, it is noteworthy that these kinds of things are much more often heard about Oxbridge than any other universities.

What kind of people enjoy this environment; Is it people whose main interests in life are mostly academic? Or people who are exceptionally competitive? I am not discussing this in a normative sense. Rather I'm thinking about what motivates and excites the average Cambridge student.

A common opinion I've also heard often is from people who have graduated from Cambridge saying that they found the experience unpleasant, but ultimately rewarding. There is no denying that a degree from Cambridge rewards the graduate with excellent job prospects.

So in short, I guess I'm wondering about what kind of experience do people studying in Cambridge actually have. The contrast between applicants who are enthused beyond belief and actual students whose opinions seem to be more critical and introspective is overwhelmingly noticeable especially on this forum.

I will try not to repeat what the others have said as I mostly agree with them. However I think your perception that current students may not be as positive as those at other universities does have a grain of truth.It is hardly surprising when one group are facing a level of intensity similar to revising for A-levels without the joy of coming top, whereas the others are normally only part-time, less work than the start of sixth form.
However at school people do opt to revise for A-levels and in retrospect are glad they did so. This goes some way to explaining why post Cambridge students tend to be so much more positive about their time. Academically the courses are very rewarding, the teaching is excellent, ones friends are similarly committed to their subject and intellectually alike. Once you enter work you realise the preparation for the world of work both in terms of workload and skills achieved are immensely valuable.
Sometimes one doesn't ask the right questions of friends at other universities. Try asking them how much feedback they get on a one to one basis about their essays or how many one to one or two tutorials they get, or how often they go for hours without any teaching or with lecturers who seemed bored and so on. I had friends doing fewer essays a term than I had a fortnight. I think I can turn out a document at work, or absorb and analyse a great deal of new information much more quickly than had I not been at Cambridge.
Almost everybody engages with one or two extra-curricular activities. Few go clubbing every night or get up at lunchtime or go days without working. On the whole the Cambridge admissions system weeds out those for whom that is their ambition.
Where I disagree (with your assumption?) is that Cambridge is cut-throat competition. In my experience the competition is self-generated with many perfectionists who set themselves high standards and would have done so which ever university they went to. I think most students are very supportive of each other and the experience of not always being top is, in the long run, good for them.

Speaking from what I have observed about my daughter's experience at Cam, I would have to say your perception is inaccurate in its assumptions.

First, the students are competitive, but less so with each other than from within. In other words, it is much less about cutthroat competition to "win" than it is about meeting their own standards for themselves. So far as I can tell, Cantabrigians enjoy their peers because of their caliber, they do not simply fight against them for a place in the grading hierarchy.

Second, to thrive there the student must be intensely committed to his/her subject - the workload is so heavy that if you don't love it, it will be a very painful slog.

Third, the student workload experience is about training oneself for the next step, i.e. forming habits that will place them in the real-world work environment at a high level. It can be very brutal, but it enhances endurance and efficiency in ways that are largely unavailable elsewhere. Of necessity, this requires choices about how a student spends his/her time. As they say, you will neglect your social life, extracurriculars, or your sleep - work is that important because they choose it to be so.

Taken all together, this makes the Cam experience extremely dense. They are busy because of their expectations for themselves, and when they play, they play very hard. About 20% of the students there suffer from some form of depression or anxiety.

I do not mean to disparage you, but the assumptions behind your questions appear to be those of a high school student just trying to get good grades and have enough time for fun. The equation at Cam is different - and it's not for everyone.

For all its prestige and reputation, the student experiences I hear from Cambridge tend to be surprisingly negative. The most common complaints I see concern the intense study load; that people become so concentrated on their studies that other aspects of their life start to deteriorate. This is, from what I've read, further amplified by the intensely competitive student population where being the best is considered to be the main goal of university studies. While this doesn't obviously reflect the general opinion of the whole student populace, it is noteworthy that these kinds of things are much more often heard about Oxbridge than any other universities.

What kind of people enjoy this environment; Is it people whose main interests in life are mostly academic? Or people who are exceptionally competitive? I am not discussing this in a normative sense. Rather I'm thinking about what motivates and excites the average Cambridge student.

A common opinion I've also heard often is from people who have graduated from Cambridge saying that they found the experience unpleasant, but ultimately rewarding. There is no denying that a degree from Cambridge rewards the graduate with excellent job prospects.

So in short, I guess I'm wondering about what kind of experience do people studying in Cambridge actually have. The contrast between applicants who are enthused beyond belief and actual students whose opinions seem to be more critical and introspective is overwhelmingly noticeable especially on this forum.

PRSOM

Hat off to those who managed to go clubbing almost every night in Cambridge. Where did they go? Life > Cindies > bop > Fez > Lora and repeat the same thing every week?

I actually know a few (Arts subjects) who hardly ever woke up before lunch time except for a few days they had a lecture or supervision in the morning. One of them hardly ever got up before 2 pm most of the time......:and came out with first every year with distinction in the final year, now doing PhD there. Was a brilliant cox as well.

Yes probably "none" would be more accurate. Your cox friend would be just plain irritating. Yet more proof that Economics is a science. Dismal or otherwise.