Would the stress of Cambridge be too much for me?

I'm a Year 12 student being encouraged to pursue English at Cambridge by my school. The problem is that I'm very concerned about the level of pressure the Oxbridge life mounts on its students. My mum went to Oxford and she hated it; depression runs in my family and I'm very similar to her. I worry that going to Cambridge will break me, not build me, and I'll either become a recluse or crack entirely under the pressure.

I have the typical issue that I've always been among the best at English, and I really thrive under praise, but I know that in Cambridge I wouldn't be special at all. Plus, I know that in English I'd be expected to read a great deal of books, but I'm finding that I'm not the fastest of readers; I like to trawl through every page and look at everything in detail.

I got 6 A*s, 3 As and 1 B at GCSE, and I'm targeted straight As at AS Level in my subject choices of English Literature, Classical Civilisation, Philosophy & Ethics and History. My teachers are hoping for me to get straight A*s in A2. I'm really passionate about my subject, and I have the sort of debating and inquisitive nature that Cambridge seems to encourage. I've always wanted to go to Cambridge, and ideologically it looks great. I love the history of it, the traditions, etc.

My real question then is whether you think that I'd be suited to the Cambridge life. I may be overthinking it. Perhaps the challenges I would face would really help me grow as a person!

(btw: please don't judge my level of English through what I've written here. I'm just trying to get my message across concisely!)

Reply 1

alcibiade

11

Have you visited Cam and talked to students about this? Asking here is one thing, but meeting people and seeing it would make a big difference.

From witnessing what my daughter is going through, you are correct that the place is incredibly intense. It pushes you to new levels and, to put it mildly, it is intoxicating to be with the super-elite. But it isn't for everyone and you are right to question whether it is for you. I would recommend applying, then if you get an offer, thinking about this then.

Reply 2

shonakitty

OP

5

Original post by alcibiade

Have you visited Cam and talked to students about this? Asking here is one thing, but meeting people and seeing it would make a big difference.

From witnessing what my daughter is going through, you are correct that the place is incredibly intense. It pushes you to new levels and, to put it mildly, it is intoxicating to be with the super-elite. But it isn't for everyone and you are right to question whether it is for you. I would recommend applying, then if you get an offer, thinking about this then.

Thanks for the speedy response. I went to a masterclass this week, and I got lots of info on what it's like. Overall it seemed really interesting, but we met some undergrads who clarified the intensity of the course. One girl even said she had been struggling with a mental illness for two years, and that really stuck with me.

You're right though, I guess I'll worry about it nearer the time and ask around. One of my teachers went to Cambridge, so I'll ask her opinion.

Reply 3

FrostyLemon

13

You should visit a variety of universities and pick the one you feel is best for you, not anyone else. Keep in mind that your school is pressuring you because it will make them look good too. You're the one who has to spend three years of your life there after all. Prestige isn't everything.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

TheWaffle

16

Original post by shonakitty

I'm a Year 12 student being encouraged to pursue English at Cambridge by my school. The problem is that I'm very concerned about the level of pressure the Oxbridge life mounts on its students. My mum went to Oxford and she hated it; depression runs in my family and I'm very similar to her. I worry that going to Cambridge will break me, not build me, and I'll either become a recluse or crack entirely under the pressure.

I have the typical issue that I've always been among the best at English, and I really thrive under praise, but I know that in Cambridge I wouldn't be special at all. Plus, I know that in English I'd be expected to read a great deal of books, but I'm finding that I'm not the fastest of readers; I like to trawl through every page and look at everything in detail.

I got 6 A*s, 3 As and 1 B at GCSE, and I'm targeted straight As at AS Level in my subject choices of English Literature, Classical Civilisation, Philosophy & Ethics and History. My teachers are hoping for me to get straight A*s in A2. I'm really passionate about my subject, and I have the sort of debating and inquisitive nature that Cambridge seems to encourage. I've always wanted to go to Cambridge, and ideologically it looks great. I love the history of it, the traditions, etc.

My real question then is whether you think that I'd be suited to the Cambridge life. I may be overthinking it. Perhaps the challenges I would face would really help me grow as a person!

(btw: please don't judge my level of English through what I've written here. I'm just trying to get my message across concisely!)

Hey

I was in a similar position to you a few years ago. I suffered from anxiety and depression but was really high achieving and pushed by my school to go for Oxbridge. However I decided the pressure would be too much and went to Manchester instead. This was definitely good for me as I could take things slowly with a lot of extra support. Also thanks to the great careers service I now have good links to the industry I want to go into. So please don't feel like if you are really high achieving Oxbridge is the only option. Go where you think you will be the happiest :smile:

My brother is currently at Cambridge btw so feel free to ask about his work load etc!

Reply 5

amood00

10

Yes it is and No you wont thrive at Cambridge. Unnecessary pressure and a university in decline. I would go with UCL or another one of the rising stars. My 2 cents

Competing interests:
I may or may not attend UCL.

Reply 6

HeavisideDelts

3

Sounds like you wouldnt be able to handle cambridge.-better off somewhere else

Reply 7

Lucilou101

18

This is a very difficult question to answer as every case is different and it's hard to predict how you would react to the Cambridge lifestyle.

It's great that you're chatting to students and are seriously considering all the options though! I would say it's worth applying anyway, and having a good other 4 options that you also like and would be happy going to.

The interview for Cambridge is as much a chance for you to see if you'd enjoy the supervision style teaching and lifestyle as for them to evaluate you.

If you were to get an offer, I'd then look closely at your current working style and how you deal with pressure. If you're good at managing your time and think the challenge of Cambridge would push you to thrive then it's worth going for. If you're 100% sure you would crumble and it would do you more damage than good, then there is absolutely nothing wrong with going elsewhere. It's also worth mentioning that the welfare support at Cambridge is generally outstanding and so if you were to experience mental health problems there would be support and systems in place to help you. Good luck!

Reply 8

Paralove

21

English has the lowest number of contact hours - my friends in first year have about two hours a week in supervisions, and they rarely attend lectures as most of the time they're irrelevant to what they're doing at the time. So another thing to ask yourself is whether you would have the motivation to work yourself hard, which applies to university in general anyway.

There is pressure here and the terms are so intense. But there is support available for that, and you sure wouldn't be the only one with struggles. It is very much a case of work hard, play hard.

Reply 9

ClickItBack

18

Original post by Raymat

You should aim for the best university and not be concerned about the study intensity there. If people were concerned about the study intensity at university then they would not have even went university. You need to be determined and believe that you can do it, not look down at yourself. When you get to university you should aim to be the best and learn to love what you study and in that way you will work hard and succeed. That sort of mentality is what helps individuals excel. Looking at your GCSEs I can deduce that you are bright therefore easily capable of doing well at Cambridge if you put the right amount of effort.

This is not good advice. Not everyone will perform at their best in the Oxbridge environment. Indeed, many are put off their subject by the intensity and workload that they have to deal with, which may not happen elsewhere. See the 'Oxbridge warning' thread in the Oxbridge forum for some insight into this.

Also many with those GCSEs will find Cambridge tough going even with stupendous amounts of effort.

Original post by shonakitty

I'm a Year 12 student being encouraged to pursue English at Cambridge by my school. The problem is that I'm very concerned about the level of pressure the Oxbridge life mounts on its students. My mum went to Oxford and she hated it; depression runs in my family and I'm very similar to her. I worry that going to Cambridge will break me, not build me, and I'll either become a recluse or crack entirely under the pressure.

I have the typical issue that I've always been among the best at English, and I really thrive under praise, but I know that in Cambridge I wouldn't be special at all. Plus, I know that in English I'd be expected to read a great deal of books, but I'm finding that I'm not the fastest of readers; I like to trawl through every page and look at everything in detail.

I got 6 A*s, 3 As and 1 B at GCSE, and I'm targeted straight As at AS Level in my subject choices of English Literature, Classical Civilisation, Philosophy & Ethics and History. My teachers are hoping for me to get straight A*s in A2. I'm really passionate about my subject, and I have the sort of debating and inquisitive nature that Cambridge seems to encourage. I've always wanted to go to Cambridge, and ideologically it looks great. I love the history of it, the traditions, etc.

My real question then is whether you think that I'd be suited to the Cambridge life. I may be overthinking it. Perhaps the challenges I would face would really help me grow as a person!

(btw: please don't judge my level of English through what I've written here. I'm just trying to get my message across concisely!)

I think that Lucilou answered this spot on. It's very difficult to answer as everyone is a different individual.

There are many pressures to deal with at Cambridge. One, as people have pointed out, is the workload and intensity. There is generally so much to deal with that you can't expect to stay 100% on top of the material. Are you OK with finding efficient corners to cut to get the stuff done with reasonable quality? Are you OK with knowing that the essay you're submitting is going to be at best a 65%er?

The other big pressure is that you're going to be in the company of quite probably the brightest people in your subject of your age in the country (and from further afield). This can end up being difficult for people who have always been top of their class/school to swallow. Take it from someone who did their undergrad at Cambridge and is now doing a postgrad at UCL - the disparity in cohort ability is pretty sizeable, to the point where I was in the bottom 30% at Cambridge but am probably top 5% at UCL (though my subject is Maths, and perhaps in English the difference is not so pronounced).

Another point which you identify is that you 'thrive on praise'. At Cambridge, you just won't be getting that in anywhere near the same degree as at school because the cohort ability level is so much higher, and correspondingly so is your expected performance level. Supervisors are in my experience also not particularly prone to excessive compliments - they treat you basically as junior academics rather than a child, and are pretty incisive when it comes to shredding arguments/essays from what I've heard from my essay-subject friends.

Now all that might sound terrifying but I think it's only fair to let you know what it's really like. However the fact is is that despite all that, almost everyone manages to cope and indeed have a fantastic experience overall. I certainly don't regret my time there at all. You devise mechanisms to cope with the excessive workload (basically by not aiming for absolute perfection in everything); you swallow that you're not the smartest person you know anymore, and you're probably a better person for that realisation; and you get used to not being complimented loads, which is decent preparation for real life anyway. It's up to you whether you think you can make those adjustments for the sake of attending a really good university without feeling too distraught , or whether those are dealbreakers - and there is no 'right' answer that anyone but you can supply here.

(edited 9 years ago)

Would the stress of Cambridge be too much for me?

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