A letter from Cambridge....

Many thanks to Sophie for her letter from Cambridge, our first for sometime.

A year on from leaving Christ College, and now having finished my first year at university, I often find myself being asked, “So, Sophie, how’s life at Cambridge?” and my answer generally follows along the lines of “Intense. But I’m loving every second of it!”.

Though perhaps that is a more rested Sophie talking, and I won’t be as enthusiastic in the midst of the incredibly busy Cambridge term. After all, sitting and writing this during the summer vacation, it is easy to forget my shock when I discovered that being in the library until 11pm most nights, is not actually typical of a university experience elsewhere!

Reading Modern and Medieval Languages, I was fully prepared to better my language skills and gain a more profound cultural understanding of my chosen languages, French and Spanish. What I had not fully anticipated, was the third vernacular I would encounter in day-to-day life: Cantab. There is plodge, pidge, tripos, supo, JCR, buttery and gyp. Then, you have bops, stash, mathmos, natscis and C-Sunday. And don’t forget all the different names for the various Sainsbury’s supermarkets: Mainsbury’s, Slocals, Farawainsbury’s, and Trainsbury’s. The list of Cantabrigian colloquialisms is so extensive that all freshers ought to be equipped with a glossary of terms on arrival. It took me two terms to work up the courage to ask the Boat Club captain what the “POTB” means when she signs off her emails! (‘Power of the Boar’ for anyone interested). Let’s not even mention the fact that Thursday is the first day of the week!

There are quirks and experiences that are most definitely unique to Cambridge. Walking down King’s Parade in formal wear and a gown, will never not be absurd (but also really cool). Singing in an honorary degree ceremony, that is entirely in Latin.  Port and doughnuts in the antechapel with the College Chapel Choir after Friday night compline. Staying in a Swiss nuclear bunker on Choir Tour (granted this is a unique experience regardless of its Cambridge context!). Boat Club Wine and Cheese nights. Lent and May Bumps – the most anticipated rowing events of the year, where crews line up single-file along the river and, on the sound of a very real canon, race with the intention of physically bumping into another crew (health and safety has left the chat![1]).

With Cambridge terms only lasting 8 weeks it seems impossible to cram all of this into such a short space of time, along-side the all-important studying. Coming out of school, where terms were much longer, the concept of an 8-week term seemed a walk-in-the-park. Though short terms, as I would soon discover, does not equate to less work! I quickly had to get to grips with primary texts, lectures, wider reading, and turning an essay around, all in a short space of time, before the supervision, or supo - a 2:1 student-to-professor class, where the professor questions you, to the most minute detail, on what you have written. Whilst also completing translations and mountains of grammar exercises and doing all of this twice to cover both of my two languages. Suddenly faced with the Cambridge workload, as well as 3 evensongs and 6 rowing sessions per week, I realised just how naïve pre-university Sophie had been, and that the mythical ‘Week 5 Blues’ – the week when the pressure is high, and the workload seems insurmountable - was all too real. At least I would have the vacation to recover! No, scratch that, I’ve just been sent next year’s reading list!

Though for all the hard work, Cambridge students also know how to have a good time, and the epitome of this is May Week (…which is actually in June. Yet another Cambridge quirk!). The end of the year, the end of exams, and the time to party! Each college hosts a black-tie May Ball, including live music, fairgrounds, food and drink, and so much more. Note to self: check the dates before booking tickets for balls on consecutive nights – they last until 5am! It’s a final hurrah before everyone leaves the Cambridge bubble for the summer, dispersing to back to their hometowns, go travelling or pick up some work (its forbidden in term-time!), before doing it all again come October!

[1] NB. Coxes and crews are briefed extensively beforehand to ensure safe racing. Though for bumps-style racing gone wrong, see this video from Oxf*rd,