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Cambridge Switching Courses

IBSurvivivor2002

Hey guys, I have a question regarding Cambridge if anyone can help. I wanted to know how easy it is to switch between courses across departments. I have an offer to study land economy but am interested in switching to natural sciences for many valid reasons, could it be done?

Reply 1

Paralove

I'd be doubtful, they're not closely related subjects. You would need to contact the college, and it would require you to have permissions from the directors of studies in both subjects. You would also need to have the right qualifications, and likely re-interview and sit the relevant admissions assessment, if they even agree to go that far and it's not an outright no.

Why do you want to switch? Why didn't you apply for natural sciences?

Reply 2

username3331778

@Reality Check moved from law to bionatsci relatively early I think.
You need to have done the appropriate a levels.

Reply 3

Reality Check

Original post by Meowstic

@Reality Check moved from law to bionatsci relatively early I think.
You need to have done the appropriate a levels.

That's right - how did you remember? :smile:

Original post by IBSurvivivor2002

It can be done, and as was correctly noted by Meowstic, I changed from Law to biological NatSci. It's not easy though to make such a big change. To start with, you need to have done the necessary A levels and got the same grades in them as a direct applicant would have done. You need the agreement of both DoSs and to have done excellently in your exams of your original tripos. You'd need to convince your DoS in the new subject that you could both hack it, and it was the right thing to do.

As an offer holder, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to switch subject like this, because it could be seen as attempting to get into NatSci 'by the back door' - i.e. by applying to a relatively undersubscribed course like L.E and then trying to 'switch' to a more competitive one. I'm pretty sure that they would ask you to decline your offer and reapply in the next cycle. It's more likely (but by no means certain) that you could change tripos at the end of the first year, after having taken your Part I in land economy.

Also note that you would need to use your extra 'gift' year of funding from SFE if you did this, and extend your degree to either four years, or five if you took an optional Part III in NatSci. You'd have to do Part I of land economy, then Parts IA,IB and II of NatSci, plus the optional part III if it's available in your subject.

Reply 4

Reality Check

EDIT: Regarding the Part III, you wouldn't actually have the funding to do it, having thought about it. LE is a standard three year course, so your funding entitlement is 3+1 = 4 years. You'd need all of these to do LE and the standard undergrad NatSci, leaving no funding for a Part III

Reply 5

IBSurvivivor2002

Thank you, this was so helpful. I have the required subjects and would definitely be willing to do some extra work as well. I was asking cause I saw on the course websites that it's very common for people to do a combination of the two courses (LE & BioNatSci) and that there is surprising flexibility for changes. Some people take part I NatSci and then change to part II LE/Management, so maybe I thought that I could do the same but in the opposite order maybe. I think you're right that I should wait to ask when I'm there if I can after the first semester maybe and if not after the first year, also because LE and NatSci have some overlap at the beginning so I hope it'll work out, even if I have to stay an extra year.

Reply 6

hy_a7

@Reality Check @IBSurvivor2002
Hi! I realise that this is an old thread but I'm currently having a similar dilemma where I have an offer to study Biological NatSci but am not sure if it's the right course for me. I am very interested in nature but also am very interested in law and the Land Economy course at Cambridge ticks both boxes. My A Levels are Maths, Biology, Chemistry and English Literature, so I don't have much knowledge about Economics but I'm willing to learn.

If I were to pursue Biological NatSci, I would like to study Patent Law after doing a postgraduate; however, my gut instinct is to immerse myself in learning about Land Economy at university to acquire more experience rather than sectioning off my academic journey.

I would definitely be willing to study part I Biological NatSci and then change to part II Land Economy but how difficult is this change? Hypothetically, after meeting my offer, would my offer to study NatSci at Cambridge be revoked if I request this change and my college doesn't allow it? I'd prefer not to have to take a gap year and reapply.

I'd appreciate any advice as I'm really worried about this. Thank you

(edited 1 month ago)

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