Natural Sciences Course at Cambridge???

Can someone please thoroughly explain the Natural Sciences course at Cambridge. I understand the gist of it however I'm a bit confused. On UCAS you can choose "Natural Sciences - Physics" (what I would like to do) but on the Cambridge website, you have to pick 3 sciences for your first year. I have a great interest in Physics and Maths - so can someone please advise and help me 🙏

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by _Avi

You pick Natural Sciences (Physics) on the UCAS form to indicate to the admission tutors that you want to study the physical sciences, rather than the biological sciences. It doesn't mean that you only study physics - indeed, in the first year you will have to study some other science subjects before you can specialise.

Year 1: You take three experimental subjects and one mathematics paper.

Experimental Subjects:

Biology of Cells
Chemistry
Computer Science
Earth Sciences
Evolution and Behaviour
Materials Science
Physics
Physiology of Organisms

Mathematics papers:

Mathematics
Mathematical Biology

Year 2: You take three subjects from:

Animal Biology
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Cell and Developmental Biology
Chemistry A
Chemistry B
Ecology
Experimental Psychology
Earth Sciences A
Earth Sciences B
History and Philosophy of Science
Materials Science
Mathematics
Neurobiology
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physics A
Physics B
Physiology
Plant and Microbial Sciences

Year 3: Pick one subject to specialise in:

Astrophysics
Biochemistry
Chemistry
Genetics
Earth Sciences
History and Philosophy of Science
Materials Science
Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour
Pathology
Pharmacology
Physics
Physiology, Development, & Neuroscience
Plant Sciences
Psychology
Zoology

Reply 2

_Avi

Original post by Snufkin

Thanks 👍

Reply 3

_Avi

Original post by Snufkin

I was just wondering whether all Natural Sciences undergraduates have Saturday lectures? Moreover, I was also wondering whether you can do Theoretical Physics?

Reply 4

Snufkin

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by _Avi

I was just wondering whether all Natural Sciences undergraduates have Saturday lectures? Moreover, I was also wondering whether you can do Theoretical Physics?

I don't know if they have Saturday lectures, but it seems unlikely (tutors are people too, they need days off). The website doesn't mention a specialisation in Theoretical Physics, so I guess not. But obviously you can study it within the broader Physics specialisation. http://www.natsci.tripos.cam.ac.uk/subject-information/part2/etp

Reply 5

limz5507

I can confirm there are Saturday lectures which can start as early as 9am. You will normally have at least one subject which has saturday lectures. They did trial the pre-recording of Saturday lectures which would allow you to not have to go to the lecture theatre but, being Cambridge, they are a bit behind the times and so that has seen very little progress.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 6

_Avi

Original post by limz5507

I was thinking of applying to the "Maths With Physics" course and then switching to the NatSci course to pursue Physics. I was just wondering whether the "Maths with Physics" course also has Saturday lectures?

Reply 7

limz5507

Original post by _Avi

I am a first year physical NatSci but I didn't take Physics and no-one at my college does that course so my knowledge of that is somewhat limited. Maths, in general, does not have saturday lectures but as your physics component is tested with the physics NatSci exam paper, I assume you have physics lectures with the NatSci's. This year, the physics lectures weren't on a saturday but there is no reason to say it won't be on a saturday next year as the timetable varies each year.