Located 50 miles north of London, Cambridge is a fascinating mix: a historic medieval town that is the birthplace of some of the most recent scientific advances; a place with high-technology science parks and ancient cobbles, with bustling streets and tranquil green spaces. It has a mix of city life, with its pubs, clubs, music venues, restaurants; and at the same time it’s small enough that you don’t have to spend much money getting from place to place.
Considered to be one of the oldest universities in the world, the University of Cambridge will be celebrating its 800th anniversary in 2009. Since 1904, there have been 81 affiliates of the university that have won the Nobel Prize, which is more winners than any other institution. Frederick Sanger is one of only four individuals to win a Nobel Prize twice; he won in 1958 and 1980, both times for Chemistry.
International Students
The University of Cambridge is one of the most selective universities around the world. Of the prospective applicants, only 25% become students, and of those only about 10% are international students. Still, of the over 17,000 students attending Cambridge, almost 3,000 of them are international students from different countries around the world, but while academic strength is definitely a prerequisite, it does not guarantee acceptance.
Cambridge’s website for international undergraduate applicants offers information for students from China, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the Indian Subcontinent. For applicants from other countries, the website offers general information; among this is information on choosing courses and a college, entrance requirements, English language requirements, tuition fees, college fees, living expenses, and how to apply from overseas.
Academics
The University of Cambridge offers over 90 courses of study for undergraduate and graduate students ranging from arts to science and technology. A sample of courses includes Aerospace Engineering, Biology, Classics, Education, Egyptology, English, Genetics, Information and Computer Engineering, International Studies, Latin, Law, Medicine, Oriental Studies, Philosophy, Physics, Psychology, Spanish, Theology, Veterinary Medicine and more.
There are 31 colleges in Cambridge. Three are for women (New Hall, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish) and two admit only graduates (Clare Hall and Darwin). The remainder house and teach all students enrolled in courses of study or research at the University.
Undergraduate Admissions
When you apply to the University of Cambridge, there are two forms to complete. One being through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), the second being a Cambridge Application Form (CAF). Both forms will go to a Cambridge College that will consider your application.
Entrance requirements for undergraduate students include the following:
- Matriculation requirements, which are minimum requirements for all applicants regardless of age or major: English, a language other than English, an approved mathematical or scientific subject, and two other approved subjects;
- GCSEs and GCE A levels for UK Students;
- International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement, SATs, European Baccalaureate, or any other advanced qualification for students from other countries;
- Applicants under the age of 18 must contact the Admissions Tutors of Colleges you are considering before applying;
- English Proficiency for International Students. This can be accomplished by getting acceptable scores on any of these tests: IELTS, GCSE, Cambridge Certificate, European Baccalaureate, Abitur, International Baccalaureate, or French Baccalaureate.
A unique aspect of Cambridge’s application process is its “Deferred Entry” process. About one in five students coming to Cambridge takes a gap year before starting their studies. Depending on the major you’re applying for, many Colleges generally prefer applicants to take a year break to apply or improve their skills, earn money, travel, and generally gain maturity and self-reliance.
Graduate Admissions
General entrance requirements for graduate students include the following:
- A 2i honours degree from a UK university or its equivalent from an overseas university (bachelor’s degree for US students);
- English proficiency tests – the IELTS is the preferred method. If you are not able to take the IELTS test, then the TOEFL exam along with the TWE (Test of Written English) are accepted. Minimum requirements include a 7.0 overall score in the IELTS or 600 in the paper-based/250 in the computer-based TOEFL exam with a 5.0 TWE score;
- GRE or GMAT scores depending on your academic field of study. Please consult your graduate program since some departments may have other requirements.
Undergraduate Tuition Fees
UK Students:
Posts Tagged ‘University Of Cambridge’
University of Cambridge
April 29th, 2010Top UK Universities: Providing Quality Education for One’s Success
August 21st, 2009r of so many people telling their different success stories every so often. As we listen to them, we realize that there really is no one way to achieve it. From top school achievers to undereducated hard workers, the stories get more and more varied. And then, every once in a while, there come the lucky ones. Those who join a contest or the lottery and win millions.
Although there are different routes to success, it cannot be denied that good education is still a key factor in achieving it. It may not be a certainty, but it sure does play a great role in directing us towards a career path that we would want to take. From the time we are prepared by our parents for our first day of school until our last year in college, they try their best to instill how important education is. Year after year, they reiterate its value and how it can help us better our status in life. They remind us to persevere in school and become a lawyer, an engineer, a doctor, a businessman, an accountant, a teacher, a high-ranking government official and so on. There are the usual aspirations of parents for their children to become when they grow up. They may be big dreams, but they are dreams that are achievable.
The professions mentioned above are just some of the professions that require higher learning. United Kingdom’s top universities offer higher education for individuals who wish to achieve such professions. To date, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine (more commonly referred to as the Imperial College of London), hold the three top spots of the list of best colleges and universities in the UK. Succeeding them are the highly noted London School of Economics and St. Andrews, sitting on the fourth and fifth slots. The rankings are determined by the ability of the institutions to earn good honors, graduate prospects, student satisfaction, research quality services and facilities, and student-staff ratio, to name a few.
Oxford, Cambridge and the Imperial College of London are consistently on the top five. They continuously offer undergraduate and post-graduate courses that have impressive curriculum to arm their students with the knowledge that will help them reach their full potential and excel in whatever profession they are preparing themselves for. These top UK universities brag having produced generations after generations of prime ministers such as Robert Walpole, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and India’s Rajiv Gandhi, who was the youngest to achieve the position in India at age 40. They have also produced numerous heads of state or heads of government around the world, and the most notable scientists like Abdus Salam and Alexander Fleming whose scientific discoveries and breakthroughs allowed us to have better understanding of many scientific concepts and rationales.
There are many students who think that getting themselves out to the workforce as early as possible would give them a head start to success. That is why so many people head off to hunt for different jobs right after high school. It is true that gaining street knowledge teaches one unique experiences that will better prepare him or her up to face the challenges of the real world. In fact, it can also be said that there are such lessons that can only be learned outside the four comfortable walls of a school. What they do not understand, though, is that the more education they have, the better informed they are about the jobs that they take, and of the possible advancements they can achieve from their jobs. In fact, the better educated they are, the better they understand money and ways they could acquire it. Education not only teaches us concepts. It gives us proper discipline and training to work hard, do our research and obtain mastery on something we have zero knowledge about.
Education is still the key to success. Although higher learning does sometimes come with a hefty price tag, it is something that many parents and students are willing to invest on. The top universities in the UK have never failed to produce the most talented, intelligent and well-rounded people. This fact is verifiable in the number of successful people, whether in the past or present, that came from these institutions. Obtaining degrees from these highly reputed UK universities grants one with an impressive resume that can definitely give a nudge towards landing the top graduate jobs in Manchester, executive graduate jobs in London and different prestigious graduate jobs in other major UK cities and around the world. A college or high degree is indeed an investment that promises many great returns.
By: Tomer Harel
