i wanted to ask you about your experience studying physics at cambridge not being what you expected it to be, could you tell us a bit more why, was it maybe in terms of the type of subjects that uou dwelved into or maybe the balance between theoretical work and else ?
thank you a lot if you could respond, that means a lot, and have a good day !
Thank you for your question. I did not study Physics at Cambridge but at a different uni in England! I hope my answer can still be helpful to you.
I believe every uni would structure their course a bit differently, hence offering varying learning experiences.
My course was very well-structured and the content was up-to-date with the latest Physics research; lecturers provided us with well-written notes and every lecture was recorded for review at our convenience. We were told by the department to do at least 40 hours of work a week (adding up lectures, workshops, labs, and self-studies).
I expected myself to enjoy the course and to want to be in academia before I started uni. However, I soon came to the conclusion that academia is not for me, and I believe I would have made the same realisation regardless of which academic institution I was in.
I guess that most people would share similar feelings of choosing to study a subject at a degree level for passion, then falling out of love with the subject once faced with the overwhelming amount of work and lab hours. It is the minority of people who still feel committed to researching at a PhD level and further after the reality check.
In sixth form, I loved reading about Physics in my free periods. What initially drew me to the subject were the popular science books by Michio Kaku and Carlo Rovelli, which offer interesting ways to look at the world around us, underpinned by mathematical equations. I always enjoyed the philosophical narrative Physics provides more than the maths behind it.
At university, the focus shifted. I struggled to keep up with half of the content, and soon, my goal was simply to pass exams rather than understanding the content.
Ultimately, it all comes down to personal priorities and interests. I have several friends who are commencing PhDs in theoretical Physics this year, and they’ve sacrificed much of their social lives and hobbies for their studies. When asked what they’d do if they weren’t in Physics, they had no alternative answer. They just love Physics so much.
When I realised I did not want to do Physics anymore, I felt very lost, so I set out a plan to explore lots of different career options. I made roughly about 70 internship/job applications in total over the past 4 years, which occupied most of my free time. My uni life was not all and glamorous, but it was a necessary step for me to discover what path felt right. Doing a Physics degree has also taught me a lot of transferable technical skills and improved my critical and logical thinking ability.
I hope you will have a fulfilling journey at your dream university! If you have any other uni/course-related questions, please feel free to ask.
