Want to know what it’s like to be a student at King’s? The truth is, there’s no one way to experience undergraduate life here. There is something for everyone – and for that reason, no one should be put off from applying!

KCSU has collected a few insider accounts from current King’s students; accounts which will give you an idea of what it’s like to be studying here. Simply click on the subject you’re most interested in, or start with Scott’s general description of life as a fresher.

 

 

We’re really sorry if we haven’t got a post on your subject published just yet – but you can email our access officers, Scott and Ceylon, if you have any questions! There’s also loads of other resources online. Some links to get you started:

• King’s College Access Page – A wealth of information on the college and undergraduate life
• Cambridge University Alternative Prospectus – A little outdated, but it’s written by students!

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A Fresher – Scott

As I slumped into the car to begin the four and-a-half hour drive down to Cambridge at the beginning of October, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. From narrowly missing my entry offer to being told King’s would accept me anyway, the highs and lows of A level results day had passed six weeks previously. The intervening time was nothing but a blur of goodbyes and endless list making from my mum to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything I’d need (we had). Cambridge was the place I would be spending the next three years of my life and I had no idea what I was going to make of my first term.

The intense socializing of the first few days provided everyone with a common bond and ritualistic opening lines: “Hi I’m Scott, Where are you from? What are you studying?” “What’s that?” (For the more obscure choices – ASNAC and HSPS I’m looking at you!) Everyone was experiencing the same culture shock, but adjusting to life in Cambridge was made far easier than at other universities. From day one we were introduced to our personal tutors, Directors of Studies (responsible for overseeing our courses specifically), the college nurse, the fantastic chaplain and informed of all the other systems in place to provide us with pastoral support that other universities just can’t compete with. The King’s College Student Union (KCSU) gave us no excuse not to socialize, with a well crafted timetable of events designed to introduce everyone to everyone.

Freshers week itself was a incredible combination of picking up old traditions and crafting new ones (Wednesday night Cindies and Thursday nights in Lola Lo’s specifically!). Matriculation dinner on my second night provided us the traditional Cambridge experience, a three-course meal in the beautiful hall at King’s, with everyone suited up to celebrate us joining the university, but in a relaxed setting. Students sat with their directors of studies and asked questions about Cambridge life, realizing these were the people who seemed so terrifying when they interviewed us just a few months earlier and perhaps they weren’t so bad!

The next few days provided an opportunity to go out and enjoy myself without the looming pressure of work, and realize that the other people in the year were completely normal. The unfortunate stereotype exists that everyone at Cambridge is the genius child of two Nobel Prize winners, who spends all their time locked up in their room working. Before my application I spent hours telling people how ‘I wouldn’t fit in there’ but thankfully, like most stereotypes, it couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s always so much going on in Cambridge that there’s always new people to meet and new places to see, in this time it becomes very clear that everyone here wants to have a fun student life in a challenging academic environment. We all love our subjects, but a good work-life balance is important even at this stage, as was drummed into us in freshers’ week; eight hours sleep and eight hours work still leaves eight hours to try new things and see your friends!

The wealth of societies in Cambridge means that regardless of skill level, if you want to do something you’ll be able to find a society that does it. If not, then the college will almost certainly give you the money to form the society yourself! We’re encouraged right from the start of our undergraduate life to get involved in as many things as we want to, be that running for a position in your college student union, playing sports for your college or the university, or starring in, directing or producing a play at one of the many student-run theatres in Cambridge. It’s impossible to get bored here, and college run events such as formal halls form the perfect escape from a growing reading list, for an evening of great, cheap food and fun with friends. 

My first term of course wasn’t perfect, homesickness hits everyone at some point and the first essays begin to creep into your mind, but it was definitely easier to adjust to these problems than I thought it would be. The workload hits you hard, but there are people to ask for help, supervisors are sympathetic to the ‘thrown in at the deep end’ feeling that can sometimes present itself in freshers and balance their expectations accordingly! In reality, learning completely new things in detail you didn’t even know existed, be that as a physicist or a geographer, brings you closer to the other people doing your subject and forms a close bond between you. The important thing to remember is that the workload is intense because we have far shorter terms than other universities (meaning we only pay two-thirds as much rent as them!) and therefore get much longer holidays to go home and relax in. The work can be heavy, but it’s never boring.

Ultimately, my freshers experience has been fantastic, and overridingly eye opening. The stereotypes that sprung to mind when I first applied to Cambridge have been quickly dismantled, and a feeling of normality now rests upon the place, even if King’s does look slightly like a castle! Right from the start we were made aware of the vast financial support available for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, details of which can be found publically on university and college websites, showing the university’s commitment to defeating the stereotypes, and making sure that money is never a barrier for those who want to come here. The workload is undoubtedly big, but going to lectures and supervisions is now just another interesting part of the day before I see all my friends for dinner in hall. Nobody should be put off from applying to Cambridge, because there truly is something for everyone, your university experience is what you make of it, and there are virtually no limits on what you can do here.

Scott is now KCSU’s Access Officer for 2014/15. You can get in touch with him with any questions here!

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Architecture – Isabel

What do you do on a typical day?

There are three main types of day for a Cambridge architect: lecture days, studio days, and weekends.

A lecture day happens three times a week and consists of one or two lectures and classes on a variety of themes: architectural history, construction, structures, and environment. With such a small year group (about 40 per year!), the lectures feel more like discussions, as you are able and encouraged to ask questions throughout and at the end. Lectures are usually in the morning, and the rest of the day is free to do necessary work/ extra curricular activities.

Studio days happen twice a week, and are when the year group comes in for design tutorials, which are either in small groups, or one-on-one with your tutor (a qualified architect). You discuss your current project and design, and are encouraged to take decisions and new directions.

Weekends, of course, allow you to catch up with work needed for the following week, sleep, and of course have fun doing all the things the college and uni have to offer with your friends.

What do you like most about studying architecture?

One of the best things about studying architecture at King’s is that you get to make friends with a large range of people from within college and out, meaning you have a tight-knit study group alongside people who couldn’t care less about Le Corbusier.

ArcSoc (the architecture society) runs some of the best nights out in Cambridge, and also organises some brilliant talks from inspirational architects, which guarantees many brilliant things to take part in throughout the week.

Resources

• Architecture at King’s – College-specific information on Architecture at King’s
• Architecture at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Architecture – The Cambridge Architecture Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Chemical Engineering – Emily

What do you do on a typical day?

In a typical day I have two lectures in the morning – usually starting at 9 a.m. and then once every two weeks, a two-hour lab session as well. I usually have 2 or 3 supervisions a week but these are usually organised by the students so you can have more or less depending on how difficult you are finding the work. In the afternoon I usually work in the college library either writing a lab report or answering supervision questions.

How is the course structured?

The course is 4 years long as it includes a master’s year. In the first year you either do general engineering or natural sciences. In second and third year you then do core chemical engineering modules and in fourth year you choose your modules. In the second year you have 4 exams at the end of the year and assessed labs and exercises throughout the year.

What’s the teaching like?

All of the lectures and most of the supervisions take place in the chemical engineering department. Due to there only being 60-70 students in each year it is much easier to ask questions in lectures and the lecturers equally ask us questions. The course itself is very theoretical compared to other universities. The supervisions are structured around question sheets that we have all been given in lectures and it is an opportunity to go through any topics you are struggling with, in groups of 2 or 3.

What do you like most about studying ChemEng?

From the beginning of the course there is a strong emphasis on the real-world approach and applications of what you are learning which makes the course far more interesting in my opinion. I also really like the small year group size as everyone gets to know each other and the lecturers.

What do you do with your free time?

At king’s an in the university in general there are numerous opportunities to get involved with sports and societies. These are a great way to meet people in other years and different colleges whilst also taking your mind off work! Currently I am part of the King’s Affair committee and the May Ball sustainability project. I am also on the student staff committee of the ChemEng department and have recently taken up college hockey. There are countless societies to get involved with at Cambridge so there is always something to get involved with. The ents organised by kings are also great fun including pub crawls, pub quizzes and post formal ents.

How do you handle the workload?

The workload for ChemEng is quite large like all science subjects at Cambridge but it is more than manageable. Due to the structured nature of the course it ensures that you stay on top of your work as you have coursework deadlines every few weeks. I have also found that by taking a few hours off work to do something else either with friends or as part of a society actually makes you get more work done and stops you procrastinating. There are also lots of people that you can go to in college if you are struggling with the workload such as your tutor, DoS and the nurse.

Resources

• Chemical Engineering at Cambridge –  Course information on the university website
• Chemical Engineering at King’s – College specific information about the course at King’s
• Department of Chemical Engineering at Biotechnology – Resources from the ChemEng department
• Undergraduate ChemEng at Cambridge – Department information for prospective applicants

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Classics – Qasim

What do you do on a typical day?

Usually my mornings are taken up with going to the Faculty, whether that be for lectures or language classes. I tend to come back to college for lunch, and end up sitting and chatting with friends for an hour or so before filling my afternoon with supervisions and sport. After dinner either in hall or cooking with friends, I work in the library most evenings. I’ve found my schedule changes every year, fitting to new sports and lecture schedules, new supervisors, and new friends. I like to plan my time to make the most of my days, but sometimes it’s fun just to be spontaneous and see where the day takes you.

What’s the teaching like?

Teaching is split between the faculty and the college, there are lecture course covering History, Philosophy, Art & Archaeology, Linguistics and Literature, and you can become more selective about what you choose to go to as the years go by. The lecture courses tend to correlate with the examinations at the end of the year, and lecturers often suggest supervision essay titles to colleges. However, depending on your supervisors and your own interests, the essays you write weekly for college supervisions may have wider or more specific foci. I really enjoy the opportunity to engage with the bits of a text or historical period that really interest me, and develop my own ideas about them.

Because the Cambridge Classics course is very language focused, there are lots of language classes in the first couple of years. Studying the 4-year course, I did intensive Latin in my first year and Intensive Greek in my second year, both having several language classes a week, in mixed groups of students from all over the university. The language work is hard, but rewarding, and the regular and constant support is really helpful in ensuring you can develop your skills coherently. Going into my fourth year, I no longer have any language classes, but I’ll still be looking closely at the original texts in the papers I’m doing.

What do you do with your free time?

I’ve found the busier I make myself, the more productive I become, so consequently I try to fill my time with lots of different things. I play a lot of sport on a competitive college level with mixed netball, badminton, and mixed lacrosse, which I also play for the university. Sometimes I can’t do everything I want to in one week, or even one term, but it’s really easy to chop and change your commitments, and start doing something one term, and then pick something else up the next time. I’ve also been a part of the Ancient Literature Society, a university-wide, weekly book club that meets up to discuss ancient literature in translation over tea and biscuits. I’ve really enjoyed the opportunity to chat about a wide variety of cultures and time periods outside of my degree studies, and made some fantastic friends too. I am part of the Islamic Society, which apart from providing a regular venue for prayers, also puts on fantastic talks and social events for the Muslim community in Cambridge.

What do you like most about studying Classics?

The breadth of my degree is what first drew me to it; the opportunity to continue to explore history and literature and languages all together. Learning ancient languages has always felt a little bit magical for me, like you’re accessing some arcane wisdom, and breaking a code at the same time. Being able to study a culture in its entirety, to track its changes, to read its language, to explore its philosophy, just opens up a whole world of exploration of big ideas about human history and identity, whilst also allowing you to really get to grips with the nitty-gritty textual analysis and specific ideas. That I can range around such a large and varied discipline at will is what I enjoy most about studying Classics.

Resources

• Classics at King’s – College-specific information on Classics at King’s
• Classics at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Classics – The Cambridge Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject
• ‘The Greeks, The Romans and Us’ – Classics Faculty information website for prospective students

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Chinese – Chris

What do you do on a typical day?

Most days of the week I have 9:00am classes, so I get up 8:00-8:15am (a lie-in really! – last year I did Modern Pentathlon and so on certain days I got up at 6:00am to attend running and swimming training sessions). This gives me time to shower, eat, check that I have everything for the day ahead and walk to my faculty. Our classes take place Monday to Friday, so I don’t have Saturday lectures as some other subjects do.

What’s the teaching like?

The faculty is relatively small in relation to others and so for the majority of our modules our teaching takes the form of classes rather than lectures, similar to that which you would have in school. From personal experience, this means that there is a lot more interaction within normal class compared with those subjects who’s teaching takes the form of lectures, and the class is more adapted to the students.

Also, unlike some lecture subjects, our classes usually last the full hour as most take place within the faculty building itself and therefore moving between them does not take much time. Sometimes I have gaps in between teaching in which time I will often catch up on work, do the homework for future classes or do some of the reading I have been set in the library. Although it depends on which modules you take, the majority of teaching is usually finished by 1:00pm when you can go and grab some lunch.

What about the afternoon/evening?

After lunch, some days of the week I will have supervisions in the modules I take to help consolidate and build upon my understanding of the subject. Depending on the workload, after eating dinner with my friends (usually between 6:00pm and 7:00pm), the evening will be spent either doing homework, finishing off an essay before the deadline, doing extracurricular activities or socialising with friends.

This year although I no longer do Modern Pentathlon that has not stopped me from doing other extra curricular activities such as playing football with my friends from time to time. Bedtime depends on whether I have work to finish off or am going out with my friends.

How do you handle the workload?

The workload is large but manageable. It is important to stay organised and a constantly updated calendar and to do list are important to me in keeping track of things and in balancing work with play. Everyone finds their own way of balancing these things.

Resources

• AMES at King’s – College-specific information on Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at King’s
• AMES at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Chinese Studies at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies – The Cambridge AMES Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Computer Science – Ruby

What do you do on a typical day?

First-year Computer Science at Cambridge is a course with many ‘contact hours‘ – lectures/practicals/supervisions.

From Monday to Saturday I have two to three lectures a day. These tend to be in the centre of Cambridge in various lecture halls, but on Thursdays I spend the day at the Computer Lab on the West Cambridge Site for hardware and programming practicals. I spend time between lectures chatting to friends or reading over lecture notes and usually have lunch in college at about 1pm.

How is the course structured?

50% of the first-year Computer Science course is taken up by a combination of Maths and an option chosen by you before you arrive. I chose PBS (Psychological Behavioural Studies) as I have an interest in this area, but most ‘CompScis’ choose another science as their option. PBS involves doing about an essay every fortnight, which isn’t too bad and the topics are often very interesting and allow me to look at aspects of Psychology within Computer Science.

There’s no denying that Computer Science is very theoretical in first year and days are busy, but it’s great to know that you are laying the foundations for some exciting areas of computing in years to come. 

What do you do during practicals?

Practicals are known as ‘ticks’ and involve doing a set of tasks, showing them to a ‘ticker’ (someone who will then determine if you have passed based on your work) and explaining what you have done. Hardware practicals last about 2.5 hours and involve constructing circuits with equipment provided at the lab and completing design tasks from a workbook.

Programming practicals involve writing the code to solve certain tasks given to you in a workbook beforehand – so you can spend your free time writing your code and submit it in a ‘ticking’ session on the Thursday. Practicals aim to put your new knowledge into practice and can be enjoyable – especially when your circuit does the right thing or your code compiles and runs successfully! Though if they don’t and panic sets in, there are demonstrators who are around in the lab to help you out with problems or give you some hints!

How much studying is there?

I also have three to four supervisions per week and so spend the late afternoon in the library or my room doing set questions for them or programming practice until dinner. The workload is fairly intense and I spend most afternoons working to meet my deadlines. Supervisions involve going through responses to questions, going over lecture material and discussing areas of difficulty. They really help to reinforce your understanding of the material. 

What do you during the weekends?

Although I have Maths lectures at 9am on Saturdays, weekends are more relaxed – I still have a lot of work to do but also find the time for activities such as rowing or getting involved with King’s College Student Union (KCSU), both of which I enjoy and take my mind off of work!

What’s the social life like?

It’s nice to spend time in the College bar or go out with friends in the evening, after a day’s work. Also, being a female in Computer Science, there are some great events put together by women@CL such as talks and dinners that are worth checking out.

Resources

• Computer Science at King’s – College-specific information on Computer Science at King’s
• Computer Science at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Computer Science – The Cambridge Computer Science Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Economics – Elliot

What do you do on a typical day?

I wake up at 8.50am, quickly have breakfast and race to get to my 9am lecture on time! We generally have 3 lectures every day, each lasting 50 minutes. After lectures, I always eat in college because there’s a good social atmosphere and we stretch lunch out for as long as we can.

After lunch is when the hard work begins, with the rest of the afternoon being spent in the library working on supervisions. This usually means either reading articles for essays or doing question sheets for subjects like Macro, Micro and Maths. The supervision work can be challenging at times, so I often work on it with other Economics students.

What do you do during the evening?

The evenings vary so much day to day depending on what activities, events, sports, or general socialising is going down. One night you could be going to a formal (a 3 course meal with a plentiful supply of alcohol), the next you could be playing sport, and then next just relaxing with friends. 

Resources

• Economics at King’s – College-specific information on Economics at King’s
• Economics at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Economics – The Cambridge Economics Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Engineering – Chris

What do you do on a typical day?

On most days I get up at about 7.30am, which gives me just long enough to wake up by the time I make it to the engineering department at 9am. The engineering department is only a 10 minute walk (or 5 minute cycle) from King’s, so I usually come back to college for lunch even if I have a full day of practical work.

We get two hours of lectures every day, and the rest of the timetable is made up of ‘labs’ – a mixture of experiments, design/build exercises and computing in the engineering workshops. The timetable for labs varies, with no lab time at all on some days (with a lie in until 11am if the lecture times are good…) and a full 9.00am – 4.30pm on other days.

As well as timetabled work we get set “examples papers” – maths-based (no essays here!) engineering problems which follow the topics we’re taught in lectures. We go through this work in hour-long “supervisions”, which usually involve two students and one supervisor, with an average of two or three supervisions per week.

What do you do in your free time?

As with other science subjects, engineering can have a busy schedule at times, but there’s still time to get involved with everything else that university has to offer. As well as socialising in the bar, I play badminton a few times a week and even occasionally find time to go kayaking on the river before lectures (King’s has its own kayaks!). I’m also KCSU’s ethical conscience as Green & Charities Officer, as well as being involved with a couple of other student societies.

Resources

• Engineering at King’s – College-specific information on Engineering at King’s
• Engineering at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Department of Engineering – The Cambridge Engineering Department website, with lots of information on the subject
• Recommended Reading – The Department’s reading list for budding engineers!

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English – Katy

What do you do on a typical day?

English is a largely self-directed subject, so days don’t follow a set pattern, but I try to be up and working by 9am. I usually spend the morning in the English Faculty. Lectures aren’t compulsory, so I look at the timetable each day to decide which will be the most interesting or useful.

In between lectures I work in the English Faculty Library, either reading, or writing an essay. It’s a great building with lots of natural light and different places to work, including open plan tables, individual desks, armchairs, and even beanbags. I normally go back to my room at around 1pm, where I have lunch, reply to emails, and plan my afternoon.

What’s the teaching like?

A couple of days a week I have classes with the other English students in my college year group. One of these classes involves discussing texts we have been asked to read in advance, and the other is ‘practical criticism’, in which we are given an unseen text to analyse as a group.

In addition, one day a week I have a supervision, either on my own or with one of the other English students, where I get essay feedback and the chance to discuss ideas further with my supervisor. Supervisions can seem a bit weird at first, but they’re a good way to develop or clarify your thinking. If I don’t have a supervision or class, I often do my work in the coffee shop in the afternoon, as it’s fairly relaxed.

What do you do with your free time?

Even though I can be fairly flexible and arrange my timetable the way I want, I prefer to work consistently in the day so that my evenings are free for socialising, chilling out, or extracurricular activities.

There are loads of societies for everything from drama to sport to tea-drinking – I do a bit of writing and editing, and I’m also learning Italian. Sometimes I also go to the gym, or to an event or talk, or I spend the evening in the college library if I have a lot of work to do.

Although the workload can be intense, especially around essay deadlines, studying English allows you to adjust your day according to your best working habits and gives you time to pursue other interests as long as you plan ahead and keep on top of things.

Resources

• English at King’s – College-specific information on English at King’s
• English at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of English – The Cambridge English Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Geography – Rory

What do you do on a typical day?

The best thing about first year geography is that you usually only have lectures after 10am, which means a lie in everyday of the week (especially because lectures are a mere 8 minute walk from college)!

Typically I’ll have 1 or maybe 2 lectures a day and, depending on the day of the week, an hour’s practical session where you do things such as create and analyse statistics from datasets or use GIS software to create maps (both pieces of coursework that contribute to your final year’s mark). The rest of my day is dictated by how I feel and how close my next essay deadline is.

Geography typically has 1 essay and hence 1 supervision a week, with a reading list that if properly completed takes the best part of 3-4 days to get through. I’ll usually come back from lectures and relax for an hour before having lunch in hall. Then I’ll hit the library and spend the afternoon there, trying to get enough work done so that I can enjoy the evening with friends, but again it depends on how close my next deadline is!

 

How do you manage the workload?

The workload in first year is certainly manageable if you are self-disciplined and manage your time well. The lack of contact hours and having to manage your time by yourself can be a bit daunting at first, but you soon get into a rhythm and know exactly how long it’ll take you to read for and write an essay. Reading and writing an essay typically takes me 4 full days (8 hours) to do, so if you work hard during the day you can certainly take evenings and weekends off to relax with friends, attend formals, go out and enjoy the many other non-academic things that Cambridge has to offer!

 

What other things are you involved in at Cambridge?

I’m currently the treasurer of both KCSU and King’s Affair (King’s equivalent of a May Ball), which requires a fair amount of time to sort admin, attend meetings and email various people. Other than that I play squash for the college’s first team, so I’ll train/play 3-4 times a week and that’s my main form of exercise whilst at Cambridge. I also try to take advantage of the large number of extra lectures/talks that various societies offer by attending those in the evenings.

 

Resources

• Geography at King’s – College-specific information on Geography at King’s
• Geography at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Department of Geography – The Cambridge Department of Geography website, with lots of information on the subject

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Geology – Chloe

What do you do on a typical day?

I wake up at about 8am to get to my 9am lecture on time. I have 3 lectures before lunch Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and then walk back to King’s for lunch with friends. In the afternoons I’ll then head back to the Geology Department for a 2 hour practical or just to do general lab work.

What’s the teaching like?

The practicals are always quite chilled however as the department is very social. They involve PhD students who demonstrate the experiments and answer your questions when you need help and in total we have 12 hours of practicals a week.

I have 3 supervisions a week which involve an hour session where you discuss your lectures from that week or work through practice essay questions. Supervisions are often with the lecturers of your course so you gain invaluable knowledge from these sessions and they generally have quite an open and friendly vibe.

What about the evenings?

I head home at around 6pm and either grab dinner in hall or cook dinner with friends on my corridor. After dinner we’ll often either hang out in the bar or go for cocktails. King’s has formal dinners once a week on Wednesdays but other colleges often have them every night. But in general it’s very possible to get your work done during the days so you have your evenings free.

Resources

• Natural Sciences at King’s – College-specific information on Natural Sciences at King’s
• Natural Sciences at Cambridge – Course information (including how to specialise in Geology) on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Department of Earth Sciences – The Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences website, with lots of information on the subject

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History – Krysia

What do you do on a typical day?

I get up at 5am, change into sports gear, brush my teeth, wash my face, grab some food, and cycle to the boathouse for rowing at 6am. This is unusually early for most rowers, because I don’t row for college, but it means I get back to King’s for breakfast at 8am. I nearly always eat breakfast in hall for the luxury of a cooked breakfast without any effort on my part.

After breakfast, I walk back to my accommodation, shower and so on, and if I have a lecture to go to, I head to the History Faculty by 9. If not, I’ll spend my morning doing admin, writing emails to do with the societies I’m a part of, and reading for the weekly supervision essay. Usually I sit in either King’s library or coffee shop.

Lunch is the social centre of my day, and can end up spanning from 12-2 because I get distracted by various groups of people who are keen to procrastinate on work in the bar. The afternoon is usually just more reading and writing.

How do manage the workload?

The history course requires self-discipline more than anything; if I get myself to work every day, it is manageable alongside a healthy social life and extracurriculars. However, if I find myself sucked into other things for a day or two a week, I have to sacrifice those things later in the week!

What do you do in the evenings?

The evening is the most unpredictable part of my day; meetings for committees, group meals with friends, extra training sessions for rowing, and last-minute essay panic are all potential activities. I have to get to bed early this year because of my early starts, but as a fresher I spent nearly every night in King’s bar following evenings in the library – it was a great place to socialise and relax, and still feels almost like my living room!

I try to base my social activities around meals now, so that I have maximum time to do all my extra-curriculars, but also since I drink a lot more rarely than I did last year. Historians usually only have an hour supervision a week and one or two lectures a day so the onus is on us to get enough reading done in all those free hours. Nevertheless, you can pack in a lot of other stuff if you are working efficiently and using your time well.

Resources

• History at King’s – College-specific information on History at King’s
• History at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of History – The Cambridge History Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Art History – Carys

What do you do on a typical day?

Most art historians will have about eight contact hours a week – one/two supervisions and six lectures – which seems quite low, but is usual for arts subjects (like History and English Literature too). So on a typical day, I get up between 07.00 and 08.00, respond to emails, have breakfast in my room and then walk or cycle to the department for a lecture at 10.00.

After the lecture, I spend an hour or so doing follow-up reading in either the department or King’s library, then lunch in King’s hall. If you look at the other entries on this page you may notice a trend in the descriptions of lunchtime at King’s: it often goes on for much longer than intended because there are always so many people around to talk to who are equally reluctant to go back to work.

After lunch, there might be another lecture, but if not I go back to a library to continue reading. Between 16.30 and 18.30, I normally have some kind of Athletics training (see below!), either at the track or in the CU Sports Centre. Once the training session has finished, it is about dinnertime, so I head back to my accommodation building to cook with friends and wind-down a bit before doing more work and admin related to my extracurricular responsibilities.

 

What is the teaching like?

Art history at Cambridge is quite self-directed. The lectures are intended to give an overview of a particular subject area – such as ‘The Portraits of Elizabeth I’ or ‘Marx and Social Art History’ – and then it is very much up to you how much you choose to investigate that subject area further in your own reading.

Supervisors, particularly from the second year onwards, will often give you a choice of essay questions each week, which enables you to pursue the particular areas within that week’s subject that really spark your interest. The overall intention is that by giving you the room to do your own investigation, you will develop more original and therefore interesting ideas and opinions about each subject, which can be carried forward to answer exam questions and to guide further study.

 

What do you do in your free time?

As we have so few contact hours, most of an art historian’s time is technically ‘free’ time but we are generally expected to spend 25-30 hours working on each essay (and in the second and third years that’s three essays a fortnight), so lots of the time not spent in lectures is (at least meant to be…) spent working in one of the many beautiful libraries in Cambridge. However, whilst that might seem to be all the time a person might have, I have found that there is actually still plenty left for extracurricular activities and socialising. I am part of the Cambridge University Athletics Club as a high jumper, which involves three training sessions and two-three gym sessions a week. Last term I co-hosted a breakfast show once a week on Cam FM (the student-run radio station). I take a Spanish language class (usually two hours a week plus extra study time). And finally I am on the committee of an art and art history society called The Fitzwilliam Museum Society, which puts on events for students in the Cambridge museums and collections throughout the year. So as you can see, there’s still plenty of time to get involved in activities outside of the art history degree (and to get enough sleep too, I promise)!

 

Resources

• Art History at King’s – College-specific information on History of Art at King’s
• Art History at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Department of History of Art – The Cambridge Art History Department website, with lots of information on the subject

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Law – Emma

What do you do on a typical day?

Each week I have about 10 lectures and 2-3 supervisions. This means I have quite a lot of control over the structure of my day. Today I forced myself out of bed by 8.30 to finish off some reading for a supervision at 11. The supervision was on Criminology, Sentencing and the Penal system, one of my optional modules this year.

My supervision was useful and thought-provoking. I often find that they really help me to get a good overall understanding of a topic as it’s easy to get buried down in the details whilst reading. My supervisor for this module is also really friendly and relaxed so it’s basically just an interesting one hour chat with him and two other people from my college.

Next I head back to college for lunch. I like eating in hall for lunch as it gives me a chance to see everyone and catch up and the food is generally pretty good.

I have a 2pm lecture on Administrative Law which prevents me from taking too long a lunch hour. After this I decide to go back to my room and work with some friends for a couple of hours before dinner. Most of my work is just reading and I get about one essay every week. We have all planned to cook and eat together tonight which is always fun. We then decide to head to a bar for a drink. I get back just before 11 sit and chat/chill on my laptop for a bit before getting in to bed at about 12.

Resources

• Law at King’s – College-specific information on Law at King’s
• Law at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Law – The Cambridge Law Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Maths – Andrei

What do you do on a typical day?

Maths lectures run on weekdays from 9am to 1pm which means I’ll wake up around 8. This gives me time to have a shower, make breakfast and head over to the lecture theatre ; this one is only a 5 minute walking distance which is convenient.

On Fridays there is no lecture from 10 to 11 so I’ll usually swing by the college bar to read on my notes and sometimes start working on the next example sheet (supervision work).

What do you do for lunch and in the afternoon?

After lectures finish for the day I’ll go to hall to grab some lunch with my friends. Often I’ll also indulge in a few games of pool in the bar after which I’ll go to my room to work. I’ll usually work until late afternoon. This includes rereading my notes to grasp the more abstract ideas presented in lectures and solving problems for supervision

How do you handle the workload?

Although maths students have a high and difficult workload – about 12 to 16 examples sheets a term – I try to plan ahead when possible and spread out the example sheets. We’ll usually have 2 supervisions each week which are incredibly useful to go over the work we have handed in, in particular topics we might have not understood as well.

What do you do with your free time?

Three to four times a week I’ll work out at King’s gym (which is brand new!) once I finish my work for the day. Then I’ll have some food; I live close to seven friends and most of the time we’ll cook and eat dinner together. This is pleasant as it gives us time to catch up on the latest news, have a laugh and also to think about something else than work for a while.

What about sports?

I am a member of the university tennis seconds’ team. This means that I’ll have two scheduled trainings during the weekend and a BUCS match against other university teams on the Wednesday. When I have a big deadline approaching, my commitment to tennis might drop temporarily, but I try to play as often as possible (and as often as the weather permits) to keep my level up and to relax as well.

Being part of a university team also means I go to the Hawk’s club (the Cambridge University Teams Sports Club) to have a drink with my team-mates every week or so. On Wednesdays, our social deputy will organise dinners with other sport teams and we all go out afterwards which is a lot of fun and a good way to take time off work!

Resources

• Maths at King’s – College-specific information on Maths at King’s
• Maths at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Mathematics – The Cambridge Maths Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Medicine – Cassie

What do you do on a typical day?

As a second year medical student I have about 10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of practicals per week, and three to four supervisions on top of that. On a typical day, my first lecture starts at 8:45 and I get up around 7:45.

We are eight medics at Kings and those of us who live in the same accommodation building always meet in our hall to walk to lectures together. After the first lecture, we sometimes have a two-hour break where we go to a café or back to our accommodation and do some work before going to a second lecture.

We then get an hour break for lunch from 1pm-2pm and go to the King’s dining hall where we can eat and socialise with friends that do different subjects. 

What do you do in the evenings?

Lectures or practicals usually end by 4pm and most of our supervisions are in the evening so we normally have time to go back to our accommodation for a few hours and do some light work together, in one of our rooms – with tea and snacks!

What do you do with your free time?

After my supervision, I stop working (unless I have a pressing deadline) and dedicate the rest of the evening for socialising or extracurricular activities. I cook dinner around 7:30 with the girls that live on my corridor, after having gone to a yoga class or to the gym. We then usually plan to go out for drinks in a bar with friends or stay in and watch a film.

Studying medicine is quite demanding as there are a lot of contact hours and a high workload, but medics are a very tight-knit group and if you manage your time well, you have plenty of time left to enjoy yourself!

Resources

• Medicine at King’s – College-specific information on Medicine at King’s
• Medicine at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Department of Medicine – The Cambridge Medicine Department website, with lots of information on the subject

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MML – Imogen

What do you do on a typical day?

My schedule is very variable, as some days I have far more contact hours than on others. I will usually have two or three lectures and supervisions a week, and four or five language classes, comprising about 10 contact hours in total.

I usually have a few things scattered throughout the day, but I am lucky that King’s accommodation is very close to both the Sidgwick site (where the languages department is) and college (where all of my contact time is), so I can easily go back home between them to work, eat and see friends.

How much of your work is in English/French/Spanish/Italian/etc?

My literature, history and philosophy work is written in English, and my composition, translation and other work will be done in the target language.

How do you handle the workload?

My workload is relatively high for an arts student, but depends a lot on self-motivation and discipline in terms of learning vocab, doing grammar exercises and practising speaking.

I like to manage my time so that I can relax in the evenings, as I find it difficult to concentrate after dinner. I therefore have time to have dinner with friends, go to talks and events, or go out.

Resources

• Modern and Medieval Languages at King’s – College-specific information on MML at King’s
• Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages – The Cambridge MML Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Music – Sam

What do you do on a typical day?

I get up at 8:50, which gives me just enough time to get to my 9:30 lecture. This is an ethnomusicology lecture, which lasts until 11am – it’s a smaller group than in my other lectures so has more interaction between lecturer and students.

Depending on how busy I am I either try and get some work done before lunch or just chill for an hour and grab an early lunch in hall. After lunch, I go back to my room to start one tonal skills work due for Monday. 

After lunch, I often meet a friend and walk with them to our supervision at 3. Today’s supervision was on John Cage – which turned into a very interesting discussion about the ways in which Cage succeeded or failed in putting his philosophy into practice.

What about the afternoon/evening?

At 4 (most supervisions last an hour) I walk back to my room. I continue working on the fugue until dinner. For dinner, I often decide to cook something and invite some friends round. This year, I live in Market Hostel which has really good cooking facilities.

After dinner, I often spend a couple of hours reading before going to the bar to see friends before bed.

Resources

• Music at King’s – College-specific information on Music at King’s
• Music at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Music – The Cambridge Music Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Natural Sciences – Catie

What do you do on a typical day?

I’ll wake up at about 8:15 am on the days I have 9 am lectures, which gives me more that enough time to have breakfast and walk to the lecture hall. Lectures last for around 50 minutes to give everyone time to get to wherever they have to be next.

Often, if I have another lecture close by, I will catch up on work or e-mails in the faculty library or go into the laboratories to analyse the products I have made in previous practical classes. 

Lectures are finished by 1pm everyday and so there is time to go back to college/my accommodation to pick up anything I need for the afternoon or to have lunch. 

What about the afternoon/evening?

Three afternoons a week I have practical sessions which last between three and five hours although so I am always finished by 6pm latest, although it’s often earlier. Some evenings I will have supervisions after the practical sessions, but you can schedule your supervisions to suit you so your evenings can be left free to catch up on work, socialise or take part in extracurricular activities. 

Normally I aim to be home by about 6:30-7pm to have dinner with my friends. After this I will either work or relax with friends although this tends to depend on what deadlines I have coming up and whether or not I have particular plans. Although science students do have a fairly high workload, I try to plan ahead and manage my time to ensure I have enough time to do everything I want to do.

Resources

• Natural Sciences at King’s – College-specific information on Natural Sciences at King’s
• Natural Sciences at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Natural Sciences Tripos Website – The Cambridge Natural Sciences Tripos website, with lots of information on the subject

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Philosophy – Georgia

What do you do on a typical day?

In first year, we have about eight one-hour long lectures a week, which ranges between none and three a day. We also have a logic class and discussion group every two weeks. The earliest lectures are at 9am, but usually they don’t start till 10am. For a 10am lecture, I usually get up at about 9:30, have breakfast in my room, and walk two minutes to Sidgwick site, where most of my lectures take place. Most humanities subjects have their lectures here, so I’ll bump into loads of people I know throughout the day!

I’ll have lunch in the college servery or at the Sidgwick site. Because Philosophy is a small subject, it’s easy to make friends with Philosophy students from other colleges, and we all get on really well.

In the afternoon I’ll read for my essay, either in my room or a library. I usually spend about four days of the week reading for the essay, one day planning and one day writing. In the evening I’ll either eat dinner in the college hall or cook with friends. After that, depending on the day, I could go to one of the interesting talks or events which happen every night in Cambridge, see friends perform in a play, chill out with people in the college bar or someone’s room, get some more work done, or go out to a club.

As Philosophy students, we have a lot of control over our own time, so there are also plenty of opportunities to get involved with extra-curricular activities. This year I edited a section of the Varsity student newspaper, and also took French lessons at the Language Centre.

What’s the workload like?

Every week we get set one essay (approximately 2000 words in length), and have a one-hour long supervision about it. Along with this, we may have some reading to do in preparation for lectures or discussion groups. We also have bi-weekly logic worksheets.

What’s the teaching like?

Every supervisor is different, but in supervisions (which are always one-on-one) we usually go through the essay I have handed in, giving me the opportunity to ask any particular questions I may have had throughout the week, and have a more wide-ranging philosophical discussion about the issues raised. In discussion groups, we get a chance to have a group conversation with students from other colleges about something we have been given to read which relates to our course.

Resources

• Philosophy at King’s – College-specific information on Natural Sciences at King’s
• Philosophy at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Philosophy Faculty – The Cambridge Philosophy Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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Politics – Eleni

What do you do on a typical day?

As a second-year politics student I have about 4-6 lectures per week. I wake up an hour before my lecture – which normally begins at 9 or 10am – to shower and have breakfast. My lectures are only a couple minutes’ walk away, so essentially all I have to do is stroll in!

Afterwards, I either go home to make lunch (usually pasta, because I’m lazy and hungry) or eat in hall with friends. I spend most the afternoon reading for my essay in King’s coffee shop (I tend to stay out of the library unless it’s exam term!). On any given day I could be reading on topics as varied as the political thought of Rousseau, to the ethics of military warfare, to the pervasiveness of authoritarianism in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. I even took a Statistics & Methods paper this year!

In the evening, I’ll either eat at home or in hall; every so often, we’ll go out to a restaurant or to formal. If I haven’t got too much work, I’ll head to King’s bar or to a pub in the evening for a couple of drinks. That said, if you’re more adventurous that I am, there’s loads you can do at night – like clubbing, going to see a film, a concert or a play!

What do you do with your free time?

I usually have society meetings and events which break up my afternoon reading schedule – these provide a welcome break and are a great way of working with and getting to know people, both from King’s and other colleges.

I’ve found that it’s perfectly possible to juggle your degree with important society roles/commitments, sleep, and a social life (yes, really!). Just as long as you don’t take on too much and don’t get frustrated if your day doesn’t go as planned.

How do you handle the workload?

I have 12 essays per term (which lasts 8 weeks). This translates into 1 or 2 essays per week (giving me 4.6 days for each essay). I normally spend 3 to 4 days reading, and half a day planning and writing the essay.

At the start of term, once all my supervisors have been in touch to assign essay questions, I make a big timeline on a piece of card so that I know when all my 12 deadlines during the next 2 months are. That way, I make sure that I leave enough days to do each essay, so as to avoid any crises and leave enough time for everything else.

It’s really important to do things at your own pace and not try to compete with the speed/volume of reading that you think others do. Everyone has their own way of working and you’ll be most successful if you stick to it! Also, since there are always lots of HSPS students at King’s, we tend to share essays/reading notes and discuss the questions we’ve been set, which can be immensely helpful and reassuring.

What’s the teaching like?

I find that going to lectures are a really useful way of getting my head round the structure and content of each paper, so this year I went to the majority of them – but I don’t feel too bad if I have to miss one to catch up on sleep!

That said, HSPS/Politics is quite a self-directed course, so I learn the most when reading and planning/writing essays. For each essay you write, you get a supervision. Supervisions are a fantastic way of getting valuable feedback on your arguments and your writing, and they get you to really think through the complex theoretical issues you tackle in politics.

Supervisions generally take place in college, and politics supervisors tend to be incredibly helpful when you don’t quite understand something, when you need a deadline extension, or when you need specific suggestions for reading.

Resources

• HSPS at King’s – College-specific information on HSPS at King’s
• HSPS at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Sociology at Cambridge –
• Department of Politics and IR – The Cambridge Politics Department website, with specific info on politics within HSPS

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PBS – Priya

What do you do on a typical day?

Since PBS is a composite course it lets you choose from a variety of different courses, so everyone’s PBS experience is a little different. On a normal day I wake up at about 8, leaving an hour to get ready, have breakfast etc… before my 9 am lectures. 99% of all lecture theatres are about 10 min away by foot so I have plenty of time to get there.

Lectures last about 50 min and the lecturer always leaves time for questions at the end. On average I have about 2 lectures per day, and once a week a PBS practical. Because of the proximity to college, I normally have to time to go home between my last lectures for lunch and then head back out to the practical later.

What’s the teaching like?

We have about 2/3 supervisions a week each from a different topic, which gives you great support and helps you to keep up with the lecture material. There are supervision essay to write for each one which can make it seem a bit hectic at times, but your director of studies and supervisors really help you with how to juggle extracurriculars and the workload. That’s the amazing thing about King’s: the pastoral and academic care is really good you’re never left without someone to turn to.

I break for dinner around 6:30 and then either continue working or take the nights off just to relax, go to the gym or go out. Obviously there’s a lot of work to do, but you get used to it and learn how to prioritise and work efficiently to get the most of the King’s experience!

Resources

• Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at King’s – College-specific information on PBS at King’s
• Psychological and Behavioural Sciences at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Tripos Website – The Cambridge PBS Tripos website, with lots of information on the subject

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Sociology – Amy

What do you do on a typical day?

My day usually starts around 9am, when I get to the coffee shop in King’s and start my reading for the day. What we study in sociology is so broad – one week I’ll be working through a social theorist’s concepts, the next I’ll be writing about refugees and racism. I have lunch in hall most days, then I either go back to the coffee shop, work in my room or procrastinate loads with friends. I’ll cook dinner back home, this year I live on a staircase with my friends so we try and coordinate dinner times. After food is the gym, and then the evening usually depends on how much work I have left! Ideally I won’t have too much work to do, so some of the many things I can do are head to a friend’s room for some drinks, go see a play, go out to a club, have a few drinks in King’s bar, or go to one of the many feminist or LGBT+ events happening most evenings.

How is the course structured?

In HSPS second year you take four modules – as I’m doing the sociology track, three of mine are sociology. The last one I had free choice in, and am taking a politics module as well. The course is structured to give you as much choice as possible.

What’s the teaching like?

In sociology, you’re lectured and supervised by a huge variety of people, all of them researching the topics that you’re writing essays about. The lecture size depends on the module – some are taken by everyone doing sociology, some by a lot less people. Supervisions are usually 2 or 3 people, and in the hour supervision time you usually get to talk in depth about the essay subject as well as get good essay feedback.

What do you like most about studying sociology?

My favourite thing about sociology is the independence of the subject and the fact that every essay you get can be tailored to what you want it to be. You have a lot of freedom in what you learn and that’s what I really like about the subject.

What do you do with your free time?

I’ve managed to fit loads of different things into my time at Cambridge so far! I’ve rowed, I’ve run, I go to the gym most days. I’ve been involved in different committees and societies – the King’s College Exec as well as feminist and LGBT+ societies. This year I’ve started a German course at the Cambridge Language Centre and I’ve also written for a couple of student newspapers and poetry magazines. It’s also really good to just relax sometimes in Cambridge – there are times when you just need to watch some TV or a movie with friends, and it’s important to do that!

How do you handle the workload?

At the beginning of every term I usually write myself out a schedule as soon as I know all my deadlines – this basically means that my essays get in on time, as well as letting me make sure I can take days off! Mainly, I think managing the workload takes a bit of practice and being forgiving towards yourself – taking breaks and going at your own pace is important!

Resources

• HSPS at King’s – College-specific information on HSPS at King’s
• Sociology at Cambridge University – Information on Course Structure and Admissions
• Sociology Department at Cambridge – Resources and Information about Faculty and Course Content

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Theology – Izzie

What do you do on a typical day?

I probably average two lectures a day, all of which seem to start at 9am. Luckily I live about 3 minutes away from my lecture hall, which is one of the great things about studying at King’s. The lectures are usually quite intense, but because Theology modules are largely optional, I find them all interesting. Most of my lectures have finished by 12, so I’ll head back into King’s for food/bar chat.

The rest of my working day is spent in the coffee shop/ library (depending on how close my essay deadline is), working on a supervision essay. This is usually a 2500 word essay on anything from Plato to Islamic fundamentalism. I have two supervisions a week, which means producing two of these essays on a weekly basis. Theology is a bit different from other subjects in that I will normally have supervisions with people from other colleges – this does mean traveling around Cambridge, but it is a good way to get to see the rest of the uni.

What do you do outside of your degree?

I’ll probably have meetings during the day to organise some of the charity/society stuff I do in Cambs. Getting involved with activities outside of King’s is a good way to meet people from all over the uni.

I usually have dinner in hall or cook in my accommodation block, which is a chance to unwind from work and to socialise. If I’m not in an essay crisis I will go out in the evening – everything from formal hall, live music in the bar, debates at the Union or to another society event. I may end the day with a hazy night out to ‘Cindies’ (a place you eventually learn to love).

Resources

• Theology and Religious Studies at King’s – College-specific information on Theology at King’s
• Theology and Religious Studies at Cambridge – Course information on the Cambridge Admissions website
• Faculty of Divinity Website – The Cambridge Divinity Faculty website, with lots of information on the subject

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