Reflecting on my time at Cambridge
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 1. 06. 2024
- Applying to Cambridge? About to start at Cambridge? Perhaps I could interest you with... the reflections of someone on the other side.
I finished my degree in Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) at Emmanuel College in 2020. But it went by so quickly, I never had the time to collect my thoughts about the experience. Today I am proud to say that I finally have, so WELCOME to a discombobulated set of reflections about choosing to study at Cambridge University. Do I regret my choice? Better watch and find out.
I'm sure I'll have forgotten something, so if there are any more topics about Cambridge you'd like me to cover, I'm all ears!
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:32 Culture (the Cambridge Bubble)
1:52 People
3:06 Social Life
4:29 Colleges
6:45 Support Systems
8:38 Careers
9:58 Diversity
11:50 Drinking Culture
12:58 Cost
Who am I? đââïž
I'm Francis, a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at Oxford University. I previously did psychology degrees at Cambridge (Undergrad) and UCL (Master's). I upload videos every few weeks about psychology, university life and occasionally self-improvement.
Feel free to have a browse of the channelđ«¶
Buy me a coffee: ko-fi.com/francismadden
For enquiries, please go to:
/ francismadden
So I finally graduated from Cambridge after finishing 1.5 years agođ„ł let's spill some TEA.
Young people who are already networked by school and professional family ties, will have those connections reinforced by Oxbridge's networks. The rest need huge personalities to break into those networks, or academic brilliance that makes new ties. Larger than life personalities tend to succeed whatever their academic background - or lack of it. Genius is absorbed into Oxbridge structures. Given the workload, it's difficult to see how short terms of intense study allow for the creation of networks while maintaining academic rigour in conventionally bright, unconnected students.
Extremely well put
Dannnmmmm
It's a very visible class system. Not just the students and networks, but the output is useless too, I've yet to meet an Oxbridge grad in engineering that was worth working alongside. Then there are the people who do 1 or 2 years post-graduation and somehow have ÂŁ60k for an MBA at Judge. Bank of mummy/daddy I suspect. Then they graduate to a certain layer of management, and barely communicate with anyone outside their bubble ever again. Purely concerned with dates/deliveries rather than ideas and features in products. This is why the UK is fading so badly in tech.
@@ivermektin6874 I agree entirely. The UK has faded. We used to be the best, no longer, and are led by fake fraudulent MA liars in subjects like Classics.
hahaha i love this subtle sarcasm towards life at cambridge - we definitely have this bubble in oxford as well :D - great video bro!
Eyy thank you bro!
I agree with most of what you said. The eight week term was a mystery even to an antique like me when I was there many moons ago. Why do they have to make students juggle everything to keep a precarious balance?
Make the terms 10 or 11 weeks so as to keep academic rigour while allowing for a richer social life to take place alongside.
the bit about networking and just not really knowing how to do it!! yes. i just didn't know how to make use of the resources and i feel like that's definitely another subtle disadvantage we face. i was at oxford (also from a low income background) and found a lot of it super weird lol. congrats on graduating finally - i'm still waiting on mine!! (also big relate to the algorithm only liking our oxbridge content lmao)
Thank you! Glad someone can relate haha, it feels like so many people figure it out but as you say I think background plays a big role in that, hope you can get your graduation soon!
I feel like this is the only Oxbridge video where you really break down in depth all aspects of Cambridge life, as a student. You actually talk about the societies, which is something I've always been attracted to, but how hard it is to manage those and do the work - all in eight weeks. What really surprised me about the video is how you said the Cambridge Union is overrated. I don't think I've seen a video where the Oxbridge student talks about the Union. I had no idea you actually have to pay to attend the Union and what's even worse, you're not guaranteed to get a spot, even if you waited for like, 2 hours. I thought that anyone who attended Oxbridge had a free entry to the Union.
Based from what I've read and from other videos I've watched, what sets Oxbridge apart from other universities is the collegiate system, which I think is pretty neat studying with like-minded students in this tight-knit community. All of the other points you talked about are very much like in any other university. What really intrigues me about Oxbridge is the architecture. I wish more schools looked like it (and not some concrete block), I think it really helps with the motivation to study in a place with such beautiful architecture. At least I still attend a uni where some buildings still have a Harry Potter-esque architecture, haha. Thanks for making this video, now I feel better in never getting into Oxbridge - two unis I've never even applied to (as an undergrad at least), haha. At the end of the day, they're just universities.
Excellent work, Francis. The Bubble has changed in some ways since the early 1970s. It appears that a lot of what I experienced myself there as an innocent lad from Up Norf hasnât changed in the last decades, It also appears that there have been some big changes, both good and bad from my viewpoint. Iâll be seeing some of The Bubble myself over the weekend: Iâll be joining some friends from the College for a 50 year reunion do. Certainly, you *can* make friends for life there: I did. Your thoughts on an early start to thinking about a career were spot on based on my experience. The best advice I got was from the Careers Advice service. Half an hour of their time and it changed my life, for the better. Itâs never too early to get in a bit of thinking about the future, and never is a good time to stop.
You voice is pretty. Speed is very good. Very smooth!
Hahahah cheers!
All very even handed it seems to me and interesting to watch. Cheers.
Iâm headed to cambs uni this Saturday for the first time so this was some really good insight to have ty man!!!
Good luck for Saturday!đ
What college?
Thank you for this video!!! I found the videos youâve shared very eloquent and engaging, just subscribed :) looking forward to more psychology-related contents from you!
Thank you so much!! More content on the wayđ
Wish I had watched this half a year ago!
I just started here this year, I'm in Homerton college and it's dawning on me how inconvenient the location is. I'm heavily regretting choosing it :') Didn't get the chance to visit Cambridge before getting my offer.
I'm missing the traditional Cambridge life, hoping I can get a taste for it somehow in my time here.
Anyways, thank you for this video, it's great to hear your experiences!
This is such a good and genuine video! It will surely help lots of future applicants approach Cambridge with the right expectations. Well done! đ
Thanks so much!
Really good to watch this informative video!!
Loved this, I'm thinking of applying to psychology at Cambridge this year would love to see a video about the course.
Good luck to everyone reading this. You can do this you will have a great time đ
Great video. Excellent information.
I don't know why you aren't a bigger channel already so I have done my part and subscribed đȘ I'm applying to one of the postgraduate programmes at Cambridge for the next academic year, but I have no hopes of getting. Nevertheless this video made me feel a lot better in terms of looking at the university with less romantized eyes.
getting in*
Thank you so much Anisha! Good luck with your application, you never knowđ
Thanks for sharing! I find this really mirrors my experience at Cam. (I relied far more on the meditations group than I did the UCS.) Also, I am a teetotaler so the drinking culture was definitely not my scene. But overall, I think it's a pretty good place to study at.
many years ago when I was applying for universities I wanted to go to Cambridge but didn't apply for many reasons, not least because I come from a working-class background and went to a state school. I ended up at a post-92 university in Canterbury and it was the best decision I could have made, it provided all the pastoral support I needed, the challenges I wanted from the History course I was on, and tutors who knew their stuff.
I would say to anyone applying to university is to look outside of the Russell Group as well as within the RG, sometimes the 'lesser' universities will be the best one for an individual and even more so when it comes to postgraduate study.
Oxford and Cambridge have come a long way in the last decade or so, but compared with other UK universities they still have a long way to go. I just hope they keep going and don't regress.
Super interesting. Having lived in Cambridge all my life to see this side of things is all new to me. The locals (myself) have absolutely nothing to do with the Students at the Uni's. We are not allowed into the colleges, and the students barely come out from behind their safe walls. I've seen many 'tussles' when some of the super arrogant students make an appearance and start talking down to the locals, that doesn't really go down well, but I guess that's the same as anywhere. Well done for succeeding
Literally NEVER noticed reality checkpoint! Fab video as ever! đ
I took until second year to find out hahah, I looked at that lamppost properly for the first time and I was like- o shit! Thanks man!
I allways walk past ot everyday but I never realised what it was but I makes sense
Thank you for this video! Could you make one about what you think of each colleges? I have applied for Pembroke though Iâm worried other colleges may offer better financial support etc.
YES I finally made it into one of your videos. Also delighted to provide the thumbnail. Consider this my application for Assistant Producer ;)
Published research! This wasn't so important when I was a student 50 years ago, but in any kind of science it's vital to get involved at a junior level in some kind of research or project as early and as often as possible, even if it's not going to discover anything important. This may clash with long foreign holidays! You pick up how to do it, and make yourself known. Write up your data or present it somewhere. Get a note into a college or society newsletter. Lecturers or "contacts" may get you into a project in an academic or commercial lab, perhaps as an intern.
Cambridge is a mixed experience for town and gown. Make sure you make good friends and reach out if/when you want to talk, don't wait until you're desperate before you reach out. Avoid illegal drugs - enjoy the river to relax instead đđ Remember You are more important than any degree any post-grad course and any job in Cambridge.
Love your videosâš
ello im born and raised in Cambridge never even knew about the bubble, im just the standard noisy car kinda guy going through town late at night. cool info btw liked the vid
Thank you for your contribution to the general Cambridge ambience
I really like this video, I had a misconceived notion that Oxbridge students were total snobs but this helped to change that toxic way of thinking. However, looking at your LinkedIn profile, I can definitely say that the academic profile of students that attend hasn't changed one bit haha. Greetings from an engineering undergrad at Manchester.
Glad you liked it! Hope you're enjoying Manchester:)
I suspect the UK will be failing hugely if the academic standards and GSCE and A level grades of Oxbridge students is ever lowered. Thankfully excellence is still not a dirty word.
You have a very soothing voice
Cambridge gives you time to think and sort yourself out. Wish I'd been there! I did spend 8 afternoons in the city in the 1980s and took 2,500 photos. Very revealing! Hope to publish some day - along with a companion volume about Oxford.
If you are thinking of going to Cambridge and wonder how you could flourish in that environment then read the second volume of Stephen Fry's autobiography 'The Fry Chronicles'. Although he's now rich and famous Fry had a troubled childhood and even ended up in prison. This book explains how he recovered and how he got the most out of Cambridge - how to make friends etc.
2500 photos in 8 afternoons? Without a smartphone? You were ahead of your time Roger, get publishing
@@FrancisMaddenYou look like the students I photographed, though more up-to-date! Hope you have great life!
How much of an advantage is maths at Cambridge compared to going to Warwick or Imperial?
I am applying to Cambridge this year!!! I also wanna study PBS at Cambridge. Actually, I really wanna see your personal statement and do some final revision of my PS. BTW your channel is super helpful! Thank you for your sharing!
Good luck with your application! đ
I'm doing PBS 1 as part of my course, it's pretty fun ngl. The work load isn't too bad too for that aspect of the course. My first 2000 word essay for example was 'explain three mechanisms responsible for behavioural manifestations of personality'
cambridge local here! re 'reality checkpoint' lamp post; it was to warn the drunks that they have to appear sober as there's a police station very close by.
incredibly well spoken.
I think this bubble applies to any major city that is not enormous, similar to Leeds, Birmingham. you don't need to leave the city centre ever. unless for natural areas
Well done. Good luck with becoming a clinical psychologist - my sibling is that and my other sibling is a psychiatrist (doctor). I am a mere lawyer (the oulier)..... although heaps of psychology goes into being a good lawyer of course. All interesting stuff.
im glad you know how to get round the pay wall :)
In terms of wellfare, I really appreciated the college families system
My college parents never turned up, I was an orphanđ
College families can be a real miss or a hit. My dad and mum are cool people but we basically never did anything past one McDonaldâs trip in freshers lol. College siblings are always great though imo
Didn't know at all about reality checkpoint, they're not wrong lol. Also congrats this video has blown up and I may be wrong, but I think it has been reflected in a very well deserved subscriber count increase!
Thank you hubbyđ„°
Super helpful thanks a lot
bro can you make an extra video on reviewing each Cambridge college. I am going to apply there next fall, and definitely need some advice
Thank you.. âšâš
Was it really ÂŁ150 to attend a single event at the Cambridge Union? Back in 2009 I paid a similar amount at the Oxford Union but that covered lifetime membership and enabled me to meet several of my heroes in person (Vladimir Ashkenazy, Roger Moore, etc.)
Nah I also paid for lifetime membership, think it's actually 185 now. But it's crazy to me how you can pay that much and still not be guaranteed entry into a given event, which happens often with the more famous guests.
It is ÂŁ185 now.
I paid it for my daughter.
I agree that the jeopardy of getting into events makes it bad value.
Hi! I am going to Cambridge (starting tomorrow) and i dont drink alcohol at all. I was wondering if you have any advice on how to network and socialise with others? I studied at KCL before and it waa honestly difficult to make friends when all the plans revolved around drinking (i dont have a problem with seeing others drink but people tend to think I do and sometimes act weird when I say I donât drink)
Best of luck! Ngl, 4 years on and I'm still trying to figure that out. Some people, especially at uni, love drinking so much that it is literally their entire personality, and fair enough it makes them happy. But there are also people who you can hang out with, and it's really not important what/if you drink in front of them. There's a lot of luck involved in who you bump into, but societies can be helpful, because the purpose of you all being there is the society's activity, which you then bond over. Regardless, be the change you want to seeđ
@@FrancisMadden thank you!!
@@MJAB. if people don't see you pour your drink then you can just lie tbh and say its a vodka coke mix so they don't react to it
There's a cafe culture in Cambridge đ
wow yt algo is something today, im not even from UK and i already finished my degree, after watching the video you pretty much manage to convince me to apply at Cambridgeđ (idk how that would work tho)
I'm currently in the process of applying for natural sciences! glad to see a more realistic review :)
Omg sameđłđł which college are you applying to if you don't mind sharing?
@@Vanessa-ty1jt St Catharine's! Absolutely terrified for the entrance exam
@@Vanessa-ty1jt How about you?
Me too, I'm applying to Churchill, good luck
@@saturdaysareforthelads8033 me too!! Iâm applying for natural sciences. Can I ask what NSAA scores you usually got on the past papers?
I live in Cambridge and I find it hilarious, I have some friends who r students and they r just normal ppl who have a stupid amount of work
Exactly.
âWhich college you go to doesnât matterâ is Girton propaganda lol
Also forget travel grants, St Johns offers bursaries of up to like ÂŁ7k itâs insane! Shoulda gone there smh
Great video as ever!!
I did not know about this Kiran nooooo I was happy when Emma gave us a free mug
@@FrancisMadden Oh cool emma gave us a free rubber duck :P
@@jamesl542 iconic
omg u were at emmanuel college???? AAA it is literally my favourite building ever. i dont go to cambridge university i just live in the area. May i ask pleeease do u have any photos u can share? i love them, ive visited once,, not enough for me lol. i cant even explain why i like it so much i just do alomg with sedgewick too
That first year kitchen was huge
Like your voice and the way you speak! (at least I donât need subtitles)
Hotdog! I never noticed that Reality Checkpoint thing. I walked past it, like a thousand times.
The biggest problem of Cambridge university is its lack of care for postgraduate students, particular in colleges who accept both postgraduate and undergraduate students. Yes, people often talk about this and that of Cambridge uni and how good/bads it is in its system, but none of these good/bads are anything to do with postgraduate students. In fact, they are simply and brutally omitted, bursary? Not applicable to postgraduates, social life? Not applicable to postgraduates, living in which college? Not even possible to live inside colleges for postgraduates.
Cambridge uni needs to recognize that their prominent status in today come from the academic effort from its postgraduates student
Thanks a lot
Wait how do I access the telegraph oxbridge table without paying ?đ
Definitely NOT using the zapper feature of an adblocker, I do not condone that whatsoeverđ
how much scholarship can international students, can recive if their income is lower than 12518 pounds?
Think I'll struggle to get over my brush with pole vault glory. I was so close
Don't worry, your career as neeps in mixed lacrosse was your true calling
also the race thing is real, I got an email before arriving warning people to be wary of racist attacks and tips to stay safe
As an international student this remains my top concern about studying in the UK in general. Certainly doesn't help when the admissions department only replies with vague responses about topics like race so I'm really rethinking this.
@@user-ci8cm2pr4d that's heartbreaking to hear, I hope that those concerns don't hold you back from pursuing the degree you want
WHAT!?!
@@morgant5680 yea I mean its sad and all but I still need uni so likeđ€·đœââïžđ€·đœââïž. I spoke to a few friends of mine who have studied across oxbridge and they all just said that there is 'regular racism like there would be anywhere else in the uk'. So as bad as it is, I'm eventually going to have to decide like- at which point is a uni good enough for me to tolerate its racism?
@@user-ci8cm2pr4d saame here. And it's quite difficult to find information about racism and xenophobia in UK unis
Did you have a part time/ weekend job whilst a cambridge or did you fund yourself just off student loans/ bursaries?
Great question, Cambridge don't recommend you have a part time job. I couldn't imagine in my schedule having time to e.g. work at a coffee shop. That said, in third year I picked up matched betting - it is the best side hustle I knowđ might make a video about it sometime
@@FrancisMadden it's a great side hustle.
@@FrancisMadden please make a video on matched betting! - thanks, a broke college student
@@marianafidalgo on the agenda!
what does financial asset mean?
Very comprehensive
Answer is in 14:48
Hi Francis, I'm applying to Cambridge this October. The deadline is in 11 days time. Please pray for me - I'm doing Music.đđ»đđ»đđ»â€
Good luck!!
@keserzthescientist8899 Did you get in?
I come from a lower middle class background by profession - dad electrician business owner. But high income ie he makes over ÂŁ150k a year and more than most doctors or lawyers etc. So income and profession not really related. But I noticed just backgrounds how people spoke. I went to a state school with low academic achievement. But found university easy at a top Russel group university. Mainly because state school kids were not spoon fed. Many independent kids are
Itâs not very often you see your old neighbour on your CZcams recommendations! Facts onlyyyy, especially on racial diversity and some of the shit we had to deal withđ„ đ
Proud to have been a tiny part of your Cambridge experience - J xxxx
J himself!! Was thinking of you in that section, hope I did it justiceđŹdon't play yourself down you were a big part of my Cambridge experience!â€ïž
@@FrancisMadden love you bro â€ïžâ€ïžâ€ïž
Great!
Great !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oxford is also a bubbble? Well, I think all college towns (Cambridge, Oxford, Palo Alto, Princeton, New Heaven, etc) are a kind of bubble
If this is was one-time miracle you can get past the Telegraph paywall if you enter the page then when it loads quickly switch to aeroplane mode and turn off Wifi
Torygraph in the mud
How are students treated in comparison to staff and as paying customers?
How else does the different College or Course experience differ other than Bursary?
Quick question - what do u mean low income ? I mean how have you manage to pay ur living ? And how u could get to UCL with low income family resources ?
Cricket is the best and most fun game
how do i get past the paywall ;)))
(totally not the zapper feature of an adblocker)
@@FrancisMadden Do you know how to totally not get rid of the "SubWall-overlay" (blur)?
Of to Cambridge on Saturday. I'm excited and shitting myself at the same time.
Best of luck!! đ
Cool welcome đ
the reality checkpoint seems almost dystopian,, in a bad way
great video tho đ
Thank you! Yeah it's certainly very... unique
As opposed to dystopian in a good way
@@thearrowhead9846 could be
@@thearrowhead9846 lmao
Girton?
:)
Oxbridge honestly sounds like my worst ever nightmare.
Never knew what the reality checkpoint meant
Damn you're gorgeous i knew u were mixed race. Interesting video - yeah Cambridge seems like a bubble and world of its own.
cheers tyrone smith hope all is well with the beta squad
@@FrancisMadden @Francis Madden Yeah thanks, it's all gravy lol. I am only a quarter black African and from Sheffield, not Camden haha. Guessing you are English and Chinese Indonesian? I would love to go for a drink with you sometime and talk about psychology and the human mind. :)
Those capes make yâall look like you go to Durmstrong lmao
Thanks for your open honest opinion. Oxbridge are stuck in medieval traditions and should be forced to modernise and ban the fraudulent "MA". They also have this false image of excellence, when in fact they offer poor degrees, and its largely a club for contacts (as you admit). For example, I am an Electrical Engineer, and for decades the Engineering Council would not accept an Oxbridge degree in Engineering for registration; the degrees were not considered good enough. I have also worked with Engineers from Oxbridge and I found them to be at best mediocre. When I was about 30 years old, I was once asked if could come and give some lectures at Oxford (by an Oxford lecturer). I was at the time stunned by this request. You see I had at the time been educated at Grammar School, followed by an EITB apprenticeship and two Polytechnics, with an HND and CEI part 2 qualifications. This lecturer from Oxford (he was also a flying instructor and doing my night rating) exclaimed at my surprise "Well you seem to have a lot of knowledge, we could do with people like you !" In retrospect he was right. Yet people with the fake fraudulent "MA" degree that you are given when reaching age 25, would look down their nose at an HND from Manchester Poly ! Likewise the ignorant general public, who have been duped by this medieval BS. I am glad to hear you are now at London University, which was set up at the start of the 19th century in order to compete with medieval Oxbridge. If you do a masters there you will have to work for it - still you will get your "MA" when 25 from your College - if was you I would reject it, its a fake.
And that's the reason MA (Cantab/Oxon) is used as a post-nominal, so that it's clear it was not studied for, i.e. the opposite of a boast. Oxbridge studied masters are Master of Studies (MSt) for arts and humanities or MSc for sciences.
@@MarkRiles1 Is it clear? Or a lie. In 2011 a private members bill tried to make these "MA" illegal. Alas it was filibusted at its second reading by a team led by Willets MP ("MA") . You don't have something, so you advertise that you do ?? Perhaps you live in a world where Up means Down. When the MP Chris Leslie researched this topic before his Bill, he found that the vast majority of people questioned thought that the "MA" from Oxbridge was a postgraduate qualification, which it is not. If you wish to make it clear, then its simple just put MA (not a real one). But of course you WANT people to think its a real one, that's why you do it; deception. In the world there are 2500 Universities. An MA at all these institutions means what it says a postgraduate Masters Degree - except for two. So the probability of deceit is 1 - 2/2500 = 0.9992. QED
@@nosnibor800 I am not trying to defend it as some kind of 'nudge-nudge' clever subterfuge. I'm not convinced it really is one. After all, what good does it do? It would be plain to potential employers if you needed a studied master's. When these MAs were instituted, nobody studied for one - and everybody got a BA regardless of subject (there was no BSc), something that also still happens (you're an Oxbridge BA even if you studied pure science). The MA was a recognition of 'life experience' in the years that followed, it was DPhils that marked higher learning. Over time, masters' became studied degrees globally (as indicated by the MSt/MSc at Oxbridge). So, like BAs, matriculation and wearing gowns to exams, it's a maintained tradition. Not understanding it doesn't mean it should be removed. And one more fun discussion would then disappear! đ
@@MarkRiles1 It has been a lie now for 200 years when London University set the new standard of Diploma, Bachelors, Masters, Lower Doctorate and Higher Doctorate. 200 years ago we used many medieval practices in medicine, now obsolete. Likewise the Oxbridge practice of fake fraudulent MA degrees. When you have an infection do you use a poultice or an antibiotic? "Not understanding it" i.e. deliberately confusing a topic for status gain is deception and a lie. But I note that people like yourself continue to defend the indefensible. To defend a lie which was archaic 200 years ago. Like Lord Willets you hang on with your finger nails producing illogical arguments. I do not get any fun proving lies. Instead anger like everyone else who has a true Masters (like me) in 2500 Universities across the world, and we come across liars who deceive, like yourself.
It seems the best benefit to studying at oxbridge is being able to create youtube videos documenting it for people who still think its a good place to study.
Its pretty shocking to hear about the alcohol part. I wouldn't expect a high ranking university to bring such bad practises upon their students.
no offence but there is a very simple equation we engineers use: smart ppl go into uni - smart ppl leave uni and dumb ppl enter uni - dumb ppl leave uni - no idea why ppl think uni is some magical sausage maker that is going to make ur average brain a whole bunch better
This is so confusing?
'Ignorance' is not racism of any kind. Being from a 'white middle class' family is not wrong or a bad thing at all. You will always find, as institutions and groups become accepting of other 'out' groups, say, non-ethnic english in Cambridge, that the bar for what is considered 'racist' gets lower and lower. People never accept when an issue is over. They will always simply find some little bit more to point at, particularly if the entire idea of believing issues of racism are over is a social taboo in itself. People take a conservative stance when it comes to the consideration of race issues, and sexism, etc, in that even if they can't find genuine issues, they'll try to justify the attitude of being anti-racist or anti-sexist by fabricating those issues where none exist. You don't need racism to be anti-racist.