#extra circulars

[askacambridgestudent]

Were you doing any volunteering or work experiences before applying to Cambridge? Like those activities to write into you ur personal statement to show that you're interested in your subject? How important are they??

The things on my resume that related to arch and anth were model UN, volunteering at the Field Museum (our local anth museum), helping design the curriculum and assistant teaching AP World History at my school. 

They’re really not that important though, I just had a ton because I was applying to US unis (who care a lot). It’s much more about grades and interview. Having something that ticks off the ‘demonstrated interest’ box is a good idea but having 1000 things is unnecessary. 

[askacambridgestudent]

Is there a flash mob society?

...not as far as I’m aware...But you could start one?

[askacambridgestudent]

Best colleges for rowing? Also, just a query... on your last day at cam, do people do pranks as you do on your last day at school?Thank you

1. Downing and Caius are usually fighting it out for head of the river. 

2. Nope, on your last day in Cam you graduate...well you graduate and then have a big fancy dinner with your family and then you go to sleep and have to be up and moved out of your room by 12 pm the next day. 

[askacambridgestudent]

Can you get a blue after a 3 year degree, from starting off completely new in a sport at Cambridge in your first year?

Probably but you’d have to be quite athletic and work at it. OR you could do a bunch of the niche sports and combine them to work your way up to a full blue! like ballroom dancing is a half blue I think, bowling is a 1/4...you just need one more quarter blue to have the full package! (you get quarters and halves for stuff that isn’t quite as...sporty). i think you can get a quarter for Tidly Winks so that’d be the whole set!

[askacambridgestudent]

Thank you! Yeah, I reckon I can get the required grades if I work hard! I was wondering what kind of stuff other than academics Cambridge look for (ie DofE award) from GCSE level onwards (like extra reading, charity work etc)?

This is basics team. Repeat after me: cam doesn’t care about your extra circulars (unless they demonstrate commitment to your degree). So maths competitions? excellent for maths for engineering. Volunteering in a hospital? Useless unless you want to be a medic (or maybe a bionatsci). Your volunteer trip to Africa? They do not care. Your grade 8 cello? 0 fucks. 

Extra reading is obviously helpful for your interview and shows commitment to your subject but it’s not all that essential and shouldn’t really take up too much space in your personal statement. Obviously it’s more important for some degrees than others (want to study International Relations? Reading the international news is essential. But if you want to be an archaeologist you don’t have to be reading journals or anything). 

So yeah, if in doubt about an activity think: does this demonstrate my passion for my subject? If the answer isn’t “definitely yes” than Cam will give no shits about it.