Is Cambridge for me?

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No idea how many of those 'some people' you speak of you have actually met in real life, but I can assure you they'll soon realize they haven't ascended to Nirvana as soon as lectures and supervisions hit you. :wink:

University courses are not like schools with national curriculum.
Content, level , the way to approach the subject and style/quality of teaching varies a lot from university to university. Engineering at University A is never exactly the same as at University B.
There's a good reason why some universities are valued more highly than others by employers.

I'm not saying Oxbridge are always better than other universities in all subjects in all aspects. Their courses tend to be more academic while some other universities' approach/teaching may be more practical and applicable to the real world.
Each prospective applicant has to decide which university is better form them, considering what they want from their university education.

Spoiler

Reply 41

Doones

Original post by Maker

I always found it amusing the Soviets ran rings around the Oxbridge educated people at MI5 and MI6 in part because those in MI5 and 6 thought they were superior to anyone else and the KGB took full advantage of their hubris.

You mean the Oxbridge educated students that became spies for the Soviets?

And how do you know the KGB ran rings around MI5/6? What happened to the Berlin Wall, and the Soviet Union.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 42

username1865079

Original post by Maker

Really?
Oh, good.
Good bye. Come back only when you have more constructive point to make. :smile:

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 43

alow

Original post by Maker

Makes my point.

Why should I? I'm being trained to be a scientist, not an educator.

Reply 44

alow

Original post by Maker

So what, you still learn the same stuff as everyone else renowned or not. As I said already, Cambridge is just another university, it does not make you any better than anyone else.

Where did anyone claim it made them better than everyone else?

It's more academically demanding but it doesn't automatically make you a better person.

Those people in business and academia are too stupid to assess the people in front of them and have to rely on brand names like Harvard and Cambridge. Why do you think so much money is spent getting into these universities?

The only money I spent to get into Cambridge was the £23 UCAS application fee.

Reply 45

210555

Original post by vincrows

Really?
Oh, good.
Good bye. Come back only when you have more constructive point to make. :smile:

Agreed. As some of you know I am the first to critique Cambridge at times and not everyone agrees, fine no issues with that😜 But please @maker make some reasoned comments. This thread is about advising potential applicants about he balance between work and social opportunities. Cambridge is an academic university and should be accessible to ALL! I would love to see the day when everyone aspired to apply.. No university is perfect, all are different and offer different degrees including Cambridge. There is no right or wrong choice here, it is individual. Let's support future applicants in our own way and not put them off with M15 posts which I don't get nor I am interested with the greatest of respect.Thanks

Reply 46

sweeneyrod

Original post by jneill

specifically, Oxford

Wait what?

Reply 47

Doones

Original post by sweeneyrod

Wait what?

Oops, misremembered. lol.

Reply 48

frostfly

Original post by Jakethomas99

Hi guys,
I've never posted on here before but I really need advice for choosing a uni! So I loved Cambridge when I visited, and I want to study somewhere with high standards, but I also want to have fun and make memories, and I worry that I'll miss out on the social side of uni at Cambridge! Can anyone give me their own experience of life at Cambridge?

Wow, wow. Getting into Cambridge is a big ambition - it requires consistent effort and exceptionally high grades. I don't think you realise just how hard it is to get in. Cambridge had an acceptance rate of 20.8% in 2013.

But if you think you've truly got what it takes and have genuine passion for the subject you want to study, Cambridge just might be for you. :h:

Reply 49

Maker

Original post by 210555

Cambridge is just another university, I have no problem with Cambridge or any other university. My point is some people seem to think just because its Cambridge, LSE or Harvard, you have to be special is often undefined ways to get in and fit in.

But they are just places run by humans just like any other university. They are not special, the people that work in them are not special however renowned they are in their field and the people who study there are not special. They are just people like everyone else.

Reply 50

alow

Original post by Jakethomas99

I'm a chemistry student at Cambridge.

The amount of work you have to do is very high, along with the concepts you have to understand being complicated with not much time to do it. Supervisions mean that you will never fall too far behind if you put the work in however.

As for the social side, there is as little or as much as you like. If you have good time management skills there is no reason why you couldn't both work enough to get a first and participate in a sport/orchestra/ADC/etc, along with spending time with your friends.

Reply 51

frostfly

Original post by Maker

So who exactly do you say is special?

Reply 52

alow

Original post by Maker

Mate, no one claimed Cambridge students are better people than those at other universities.

They are undeniably more academically able however.

Reply 53

username1865079

Original post by sweeneyrod

Wait what?

Original post by jneill

Oops, misremembered. lol.

Lol I was actually wondering why you said Oxford ....... :tongue:

Reply 54

210555

Original post by alow

Mate, no one claimed Cambridge students are better people than those at other universities.

They are undeniably more academically able however.

Whoa there! Yes very academically able no dispute, but MORE? Not sue I like that with respect. Thank you

Reply 55

alow

Original post by 210555

Whoa there! Yes very academically able no dispute, but MORE? Not sue I like that with respect. Thank you

There's a reason why the admissions process is so rigorous.

Reply 56

Zacken

Original post by Maker

Yep. They learn the same stuff as any other university.

Are you stupid? This is clearly not true.

Counterexample: look at the course content for maths at London Met over three year and look at the course content for maths at Cambridge over three years.

Reply 57

sweeneyrod

Original post by Jazzy Foot

Manchester will never produce a PM.

Birmingham did. Twice.

Reply 58

alow

Original post by Jazzy Foot

I meant of the UK and indeed they haven't nor of a G8 country and their Nobel Prizes will never match those of Oxford or Cambridge.

Why does it matter if they don't have the same number of Nobel prizes?

A lot of the research done by universities such as Manchester is incredibly high quality and is far better than Oxbridge in a lot of areas.

Reply 59

username1865079

Original post by alow

We should all be very grateful of manchester's two scientists for giving the world Graphene without licencing it. :smile:

My niece who read engineering at Cambridge regards Newcastle's Engineering dept much more highly than that of cambridge in their exploring and developing new ideas that's applicable to the real world and educating and inspiring their students to actually become an engineer.