When I was younger, I never thought I’d actually go to Cambridge; it was more like a distant, hopeful dream. Now I’m a Classics undergraduate here, and I hope my reflections on my experience can help people who are thinking about applying.
I’ve always had a passion for the humanities, as I enjoy literary analysis, essay writing, and all things philosophy and social. Ever since I was a child, I was taken by story-writing and reading, so my path always seemed clear to me. Despite my brightness in these subjects, I was always quite mediocre at STEM subjects. On top of this, I have ADHD, so I’ve really only ever been motivated to go beyond and work further on subjects I enjoy, making my GCSEs quite difficult for me. However, oddly enough and contrary to most peoples’ experience, A-Levels were a lot more doable for me because I finally got to do only what I enjoyed; English Literature, Philosophy, and Classical Civilisation.
Of course, that’s not to say that A-Levels were easy for me, but just that I was motivated to actually work more. Besides this, Year 12 was the first time I properly started thinking about Cambridge, as early on our teachers got us to think about applications and personal statements. I was given A*A*A predictions, and my teachers encouraged me to apply, but my main motivator was my mum. As someone who moved from Albania to England during a turbulent time and didn’t get the chance to finish her education, my mum was more than excited to encourage me to apply, even though I wasn’t sure I’d get in and constantly doubted myself. Impossible as it seemed to me at the time, she’d tell me “Anyone can do it, you just need to work hard.” I frowned at her advice, thinking to myself that hard work couldn’t overcome systemic barriers, but still carried on working hard, and worked up the courage to apply.
Fast forward to a minor identity crisis in which I switched my application from English Literature to Classics, and after completing all the steps and all the interviews, I got an offer to Gonville and Caius, Cambridge in 2022. Life moved quickly from A-Levels, and before I knew it I found myself at Cambridge, almost without knowing quite how.
My time here has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. For starters, it’s a beautiful city, but more important are the new memories I’ve made and the skills I’ve developed. As a Classics student here (4-year course, as I didn’t do Latin A-Level) I feel like I’ve broadened my horizons so much more than I ever would have thought, ranging from learning 2 languages in 2 years, and so much ancient history, to critical thinking and writing skills. More difficult to adjust to, however, was the workload. Of course, I love studying here but part of the reality is that it’s a lot of work, and you’ll never really grasp the extent until you’re here. I used to think people were lying when they said they did 7 hours of work a day, but sometimes it really does get that busy. But that’s not all the time, and the pastoral support here has been very helpful for me.
I also love the style of learning, particularly supervision, which I find incredibly useful. Supervisions are similar to the application interviews, but you’ll usually do work ahead of time and then go through it with your supervisor in groups of 1-3 for an hour. Most of mine were 1-1 last year, which meant I received focused feedback and was comfortable enough to ask about anything I felt unsure about. What’s more, many of these supervisors are specialists in their respective fields, and having an opportunity for them to give you feedback and answer questions is honestly amazing, it gives you the insight you never would have had before. And, more unique to Classics and language-based degrees, are language classes with up to around 15 people. Doing languages as part of my degree was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, as I didn’t do any for A-Level and honestly hadn’t really thought about doing it until I started Classics. As part of my degree, we study Latin and Ancient Greek (and of course history, philosophy, archaeology, etc) and I had never done any of the two before at all, so starting them in Cambridge especially took a lot of adjusting and a lot of work.
When I first started, I suffered imposter syndrome, feeling that I simply couldn’t do all the new and foreign content and grammar, as it felt impossible. I went to my Director of Studies one day, as he had been one of my interviewers, and asked him what made them choose me, out of curiosity, as I was sure I hadn’t done well in my language assessment. He told me honestly that my language skills weren’t very strong, but considering the rest of my application, they were willing to help me develop my language skills. Really, he said, what made him know I was right for the course, was what he called “a determination to overcome any obstacle.” When I was stuck, I simply continued; he told me that one of the most important things for studying at Cambridge was not an already perfect intelligence, but a character that is always willing to learn more and improve. So I took his advice to heart, and every time I was stuck or felt like things were hopeless, I reminded myself that there was no skill I couldn’t learn or improve with more time. This mindset, more than anything, has helped me with studying here. Through trial and error and ups and downs I’ve been able to improve my skills and my work ethic, making things manageable.
And, at the end of the day, it’s never been so impossibly busy that I can’t take a break. Living on campus means I’m always surrounded by people, so it’s easier to balance my studies and social time. I know the stereotype, but honestly, I’ve found that I often have enough social time, and that’s incredibly important to have in a high-pressure environment. At the end of the day, it’s difficult, but it’s rewarding. And if you’re thinking of applying, but don’t think you can do it – just apply. You never know what you can do until you do it.
If you have any questions about applying to Oxbridge please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Email: elaine.tejici@icloud.com
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