Academic stress

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 481.

The Colleges

Much of the charm of central Cambridge stems from the intimate character of the college courts and the beauty of the ancient buildings. These are all within a short walk of each other. Each college has its own distinctive character and unique history, explaining the way it is today.

Colleges are headed by a Master or Mistress. Other senior members of college are usually called Fellows. All are elected largely on the basis of their academic achievements.

Most have heavy teaching and administrative duties, but all regard their own research as equally important. The number of students in each college varies from fewer than 100 to nearly 1000, of which usually two thirds or more are undergraduates. Most colleges house all their undergraduates, and students may find themselves living in rooms which are centuries old.

Academic work occupies the vast proportion of undergraduates' time. Lectures, seminars and practicals must be attended, books read, essays and projects written, and all before the looming threat of finals becomes a reality at the end of their three or four years.

The undergraduate timetable revolves around the three 'Terms' that make up the academic year: Michaela's (autumn), Lent (winter) and Easter (spring-summer). 'Full Term', when lectures and teaching go on, lasts only eight weeks, a very short period compared to many other British universities.

The much-envied Cambridge system of one-to-one teaching in individual 'supervisions' is organized for undergraduates by their college. Supervisions are arranged for students by the Directors of Studies, their academic tutors, and are felt by most students to be the most important part of their timetable. Supervisors, who set and mark work, may be anything from another student who has already taken one degree (a 'graduate' student), to a professor or Fellow who may be the leading authority in their field world-wide. The supervisions themselves can be anything from friendly discussions of the set questions over tea and biscuits to high-powered intellectual sparring matches. The termly supervision report is a great source of anxiety to undergraduates.

The academic pressure on undergraduates can be very intense. Courses at Cambridge are amongst the most demanding in the country, and the eight-week terms mean that students have very little time to fit in all their studies. Often students may have several supervisions every week, each of which usually involves an essay or question-sheet being completed beforehand. It is not unusual to see lights burning well into the small hours, or indeed until daybreak, as undergraduates across the city sweat it out over their books and notepads.

While graduate students do not usually have weekly lecture courses or supervisions, the pressure remains for them to pass their exams at the end of the year. For those pursuing a doctorate, the nightmare of compiling a 'thesis' can make their last months at Cambridge a lonely time, locked in their studies or (virtually) chained to library desks. However, everybody becomes preoccupied with work during the Easter Term. Exams are generally sat at the end of May and the beginning of June, and libraries throughout the University become full to capacity at this time, packed with serious-looking students desperately trying to cram as much information as possible into their straining memories before it's too late.

Lists of exam results are publicly posted on boards outside the Senate House in June, and going to look for one's name is one of the most nerve-racking experiences students have to face.But Graduation Day at the end of June is a momentous occasion for everyone. The new graduates don their ceremonial gowns and hoods and process to the Senate House, where the Vice-Chancellor confers their degrees upon them in age-old ceremonies called 'congregations'.

Glossary