cambridge stereotypes?

i just want to clear up some misconceptions and stereotypes i have of Cambridge to see if they're genuinely true or false so i feel more confident and comfortable in applying there... please be as honest as you can :smile:

1. is Cambridge full of SUPER DUPER smart people?
(i always feeel like i wont be smart enough if i was to apply there or even get a place even with high achieved A level grades...? i dont want to feel like im not good enough or not validated lol so is it true? )

2. is Cambridge full of snobby upper class rich kids (including internationals) who all went to private school?
(ive went to sate schools my whole life and am especially nowhere near rich so i again dont want to feel like an outcast or looked down upon ....)

3. is Cambridge extremely stressful? like all exams little coursework and constant revision?
(so no time for your own interest?)

4. is Cambridge full of a bunch of nerds who are really innocent (innocent as in only focus on education and dont have much of a social life) and virgins?
(lmao i know random but i just want to know the type of people there are ... not that being a nerd or virgin is a bad thing at all... again just want to know if theres some truth to it. im kind of a introverted person who also lacks social life lol :smile:

)

5. is Cambridge diverse ?
(ethnic minorities and black people and white people ratio?)
is Cambridge worth it ? (as a whole?)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 1

Chief Wiggum

Original post by Imzy010

1. is Cambridge full of SUPER DUPER smart people?
(i always feeel like i wont be smart enough if i was to apply there or even get a place even with high achieved A level grades...? i dont want to feel like im not good enough or not validated lol so is it true? )

2. is Cambridge full of snobby upper class rich kids (including internationals) who all went to private school?
(ive went to sate schools my whole life and am especially nowhere near rich so i again dont want to feel like an outcast or looked down upon ....)

3. is Cambridge extremely stressful? like all exams little coursework and constant revision? (so no time for your own interest?)

4. is Cambridge full of a bunch of nerds who are really innocent and virgins ? (lmao i know random but i just want to know the type of people there are ... not that being a nerd or virgin is a bad thing at all... again just want to know if theres some truth to it.)

5. is Cambridge diverse ? (ethnic minorities and black people and white people ratio?)
is Cambridge worth it ? (as a whole?)

In my experience (people may disagree):

1. Yes
2. No
3. Yes
4. No (although perhaps moreso than other universities)
5. Yes

Reply 2

Snoozinghamster

Original post by Imzy010

1. is Cambridge full of SUPER DUPER smart people?
(i always feeel like i wont be smart enough if i was to apply there or even get a place even with high achieved A level grades...? i dont want to feel like im not good enough or not validated lol so is it true? )

2. is Cambridge full of snobby upper class rich kids (including internationals) who all went to private school?
(ive went to sate schools my whole life and am especially nowhere near rich so i again dont want to feel like an outcast or looked down upon ....)

3. is Cambridge extremely stressful? like all exams little coursework and constant revision? (so no time for your own interest?)

4. is Cambridge full of a bunch of nerds who are really innocent and virgins ? (lmao i know random but i just want to know the type of people there are ... not that being a nerd or virgin is a bad thing at all... again just want to know if theres some truth to it.)

5. is Cambridge diverse ? (ethnic minorities and black people and white people ratio?)
is Cambridge worth it ? (as a whole?)

1: well everyone is intelligent (baring the utter lack of common sense that appears On a regular basis!) but if you get in you are also clearly intelligent. Of course you get a couple of ridiculous people who you kind of have to ignore because people shouldn’t be that clever but I haven’t felt particularly stupid compared to everyone else. Most people will panic at some point that they aren’t clever enough though.

2: those people exist. With greater prevalence in certain societies (drinking socs- trying to get rid of this issue but it isn’t haven’t muh success) I haven’t personally encountered many people like this. (Only 1 and I’m not if he was private just going on about family connections, re internships (nice for some.))

3: yes and no. There are periods which are very stressful. Namely when you end up with 4 supervisions in three days etc but if you stay on top of the work you can cope and the holidays are long compared with the term which does allow you some time to play catch-up. (At least that’s my plan!). It does depend on how good (or not) you are at time management though. People manage to go clubbing rowing and still seem to be doing fine though and I’m finding time for personal projects between continually applying for internships so there’s time for your interests you just may have to prioritise which ones you want to focus on.

4: no. Of course there are some nerds who don’t know how to socialise (that’s me) but people definitely go clubbing and have relationships etc. I’m reasonably confident that not all the guys I see walking around college (a female college) are there to study with people!

5: no. It does depend on where you come from as to how diverse it feels. But since you are asking I imagine you either are BAME or come from a diverse area. It’s not ridiculously white but I know that I found it weird how few black students there are. (At least out of the few people I vaguely know!) there’s quite a vibrant Chinese community (and other Asian societies) I believe. My friends certainly seem to go to lots of social events with them anyway. But I’m white and unsociable so probably not the best judge on this one!

6: depends on what you mean by worth it. I’m glad I came considering how many doubts I had and all the times I almost withdrew my application. I’d say that if you like the course and the uni as a whole it is worth applying, it’s only one of your choices after all.

Hope that helps.

Any other questions let me know.

If you are planning on applying check out https://insideuni.org it has some more info from students. (And the access officers are currently trying to get everyone to see this!)

Reply 3

Sinnoh

1. If you get in, then you get in. High grades are a necessity but will not guarantee you a place alone. Case in point: me.

2. No. It's not as if you can buy your way in. The actual ratio is something like 3:1 or 2:1 state schools to private schools.

3. It's only 8 week terms with intense workload, people still do manage to fit in other activities.. but from those student Q&As I've seen, it's definitely a tight squeeze.

4. Come on, of course not.

5. I think it's about 30% international students?

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Articles for you

Applying to university: a simple guide

Mathematics with physics degree personal statement example (1g) Cambridge, Manchester offers

Mathematics degree personal statement example (2m) Cambridge offer, Warwick offer

Oxford or Cambridge? How to choose