Cambridge MML thread - 2018

Hey, I'm thinking of doing French and Spanish! I've not done any wider reading yet oops, which authors do you think would be good for French? I'm thinking of reading Bonjour Tristesse over the summer because it's relatively short

Thank you so much for your response! I am a little apprehensive about the interview. I will be applying for French and ab initio Italian. What sort of things do they ask? Is it purely focused on the literature and how many books are enough to discuss at interview/in personal statement? How much of the course is focused on language and literature? And the year abroad sounds so fun! So will you be staying in France too?

Bonjour Tristesse is a good book - would recommend!



Yep I'm at Newnham, and it is all-female. There are two others, Murray Edwards, and Lucy Cavendish, though the latter is a mature college. Both Clare and Selwyn (and well, most colleges) are very lovely. Careful on accommodation - if you're looking at being close to Sidgwick site, which is where lectures and classes are held, Selwyn is better. With Clare, they have accommodation all over the city, most second years move to the Colony which is a group of houses the other side of town. Definitely get to an open day if you can.

Okay, so questions:

1) What's asked in interviews vary by college, interviewer and year so I can't help you there really. You'll have a test at interview, more info here: http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/applying/how#written

2)The course is predominantly focussed on literature, yes (I'm not gonna go into too much detail here because time and you can find the info on the website). In your first year, time on language vs literature is about 60:40, and by final year is more like 30:70 (ish, not accurate but more or less to give you an idea). You don't get any choices in papers in your first year. Each language will have its own paper 1 for lit - so FR1 for French. Depending on language, this may contain a linguistics element. You'll be taught for all parts of the paper though you don't actually answer on all parts/texts in the exam so you can focus on what you prefer. Once you move into second year, there are opportunities to pick up a third language, or linguistics papers. In final year, you can borrow papers from other subjects. Check out paper choices here: (IA = 1st year, IB = 2nd, II = 4th; scheduled = not language papers, and all language papers are compulsory) http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/part-ii-borrowed-papers and http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/mml/ii

3) Read what you want to, and what you enjoy and are happy to talk about. I mentioned like 2/3 I think, though it was a while back. Do not put anything down you haven't read or don't feel like you could talk about if you had to. They also don't have to be majorly famous or scholarly - explore your own interests.

4) Nope I'm spending my year in Spain only.


Also check out applytocambridge.com - alternative prospectus written by the students, and our accounts on twitter @cambtweetcusu (general) @cambtweetmml and @cambtweetabroad (me!).

Thank you for this. When you say you can 'borrow papers' what does this actually mean? Is it when you can explore other subjects other than modern languages? Will you also be able to tell me which colleges are the most 'language-y,' although I am aware that the standard of teaching is pretty much the same!
I just realised that I already follow your twitter account so I'm following your updates!

Bonjour Tristesse is a good book - would recommend!



Yep I'm at Newnham, and it is all-female. There are two others, Murray Edwards, and Lucy Cavendish, though the latter is a mature college. Both Clare and Selwyn (and well, most colleges) are very lovely. Careful on accommodation - if you're looking at being close to Sidgwick site, which is where lectures and classes are held, Selwyn is better. With Clare, they have accommodation all over the city, most second years move to the Colony which is a group of houses the other side of town. Definitely get to an open day if you can.

Okay, so questions:

1) What's asked in interviews vary by college, interviewer and year so I can't help you there really. You'll have a test at interview, more info here: http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/applying/how#written

2)The course is predominantly focussed on literature, yes (I'm not gonna go into too much detail here because time and you can find the info on the website). In your first year, time on language vs literature is about 60:40, and by final year is more like 30:70 (ish, not accurate but more or less to give you an idea). You don't get any choices in papers in your first year. Each language will have its own paper 1 for lit - so FR1 for French. Depending on language, this may contain a linguistics element. You'll be taught for all parts of the paper though you don't actually answer on all parts/texts in the exam so you can focus on what you prefer. Once you move into second year, there are opportunities to pick up a third language, or linguistics papers. In final year, you can borrow papers from other subjects. Check out paper choices here: (IA = 1st year, IB = 2nd, II = 4th; scheduled = not language papers, and all language papers are compulsory) http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/part-ii-borrowed-papers and http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/mml/ii

3) Read what you want to, and what you enjoy and are happy to talk about. I mentioned like 2/3 I think, though it was a while back. Do not put anything down you haven't read or don't feel like you could talk about if you had to. They also don't have to be majorly famous or scholarly - explore your own interests.

4) Nope I'm spending my year in Spain only.


Also check out applytocambridge.com - alternative prospectus written by the students, and our accounts on twitter @cambtweetcusu (general) @cambtweetmml and @cambtweetabroad (me!).

Hiya!
So happy I found this thread
I'm applying for Spanish with either ab initio Italian or Portuguese but cannot decide! Any tips on how to choose the ab initio language and what to put in the personal statement for it?

Thanks x

Hey! The year abroad seems amazing, what's a typical day in the life there in Spain?

Hiya!
So happy I found this thread
I'm applying for Spanish with either ab initio Italian or Portuguese but cannot decide! Any tips on how to choose the ab initio language and what to put in the personal statement for it?

Thanks x

Hello everyone !
I'm planning on applying for French and ab initio Russian. I also study German and Spanish at school

I'm still undecided on a college... I visited Cambridge last summer for a look around and might visit again this summer, although I live all the way up in Scotland so it's quite a trek

So far I've only read l'étranger and le petit prince but I've bought other books to keep me busy over the summer, I will also be doing work experience in France in July and also work experience in Germany at the end of this month

What other uni's are you guys looking at for languages?

Also check out applytocambridge.com - it's the alternative prospectus and has pages about every college, written bythe students there.

Thank you, I will do
I remember you messaged me last year I did quite like Newnham when I visited Cambridge, it was quite pretty and I liked the location, it's near the MML buildings if I remember correctly?
Is there a 24/7 library at Newnham? I'd find that quite useful

I was also wondering, is there a gym at every college?

Yeah I do love it, I was back in Cambridge for the day in April and realised how much I missed the gardens and that. And yep, literally faces the MML department. Currently, the Strachey and Fawcett buildings (where the porter's lodge used to be, it's now in Clough) are under connstruction - but this is due to be finished for September 2018, so there wil be 90 nice new ensuite rooms!

There's not a 24hr library, no. It's open from 6:30am-1:45am everyday (outside of term, til 11:45pm), so it's still open fairly late. There is a computer room in Sidgwick though which has 24hr access if you ever wanted to work that late though.

As for gyms, I'm pretty sure every college has one, yes. Size and quality will vary though! There's also the university gym which you can sign up to and do classes - anything from spin to ballet bar to boxercise!

Yeah the gardens are so lovely and it was such a sunny day which made it even nicer! is it always so warm in Cambridge during the summer months?

And ensuite rooms? Wow, that's pretty good!

And yeah those opening hours are still quite convenient for me, being bit of a night owl, I couldn't have a library that shuts at 9pm or something.

And also I see that you are in Newham college? Isn't that the all female college or I may be wrong? I think I will be applying to Clare or Selwyn.

Yeah Cambridge is particularly dry and warm - I'm from Bristol, and spent my whole summer in Cambridge last year (and will be doing so this year!), and the weather was a lot better there than back home. I remember when I visited for the open day back in 2013 and it was super hot then!

Yup. Currently, there are only 4 across college. The building that was there (the really ugly one that didn't really fit with the rest) was just in such an awful state that it was cheaper to rebuild than attempt to fix it as it was.

As for libraries, the department libraries tend to have longer opening hours in Easter term (so, exam term), like the University Library is open til I think 10pm now until end of exams. I like Newnham's opening hours as it works for those of us who like to work a bit later into the night (I have a habit of working til midnight/1am) but it shuts at an hour such that you do need to be sensible and go to sleep. I don't like the idea of 24hr libraries because I think it puts a subtle (though unintended) pressure on students... It's really not good to be pulling all-nighters - did it once in first year and since I've just handed in an essay late than stay up til a stupid hour. Sleep > all else.

Yeah I guess you are right. How bad is the workload for a MML student anyway? I assume you need to write 2/3 essays a week?

Not quite. We get lots of different pieces of work each week. For French in first year: 1 translation per fortnight, 1 oral class per week (prepping maybe a news report), 1 literature essay per fortnight, 1 written piece in the language per week + grammar weekly. Times this by two.

Usually you'll organise your supervisions for literature such that you will hand in one essay every week, alternating languages. I do maybe 40-45 hours of studying a week - which is just getting the set work done tbh. I could probably work quicker though lol and give myself time to do other stuff (work-wise - I still get in the non-academic stuff always!). I'm awful for procrastinating and take waaaay longer to do essays than I should...