Academic Affairs

After sitting the A-levels or other 12th grade examinations, academic life in Cambridge can seem quite daunting in terms of the work load and the depth of material covered - but don’t worry, everyone feels this way. It’s just a matter of time before you slip into the swing of things. It’s important for you to balance academic work with your other activities (like sports/music/arts) so that you get the most out of the Cambridge University experience!

The official starting date of term is Tuesday (October 6th) but most lectures only begin on Thursday, giving you plenty of time to relax and unwind before your course begins. Keep an eye out for meetings with your Director of Studies (DoS) and Personal Tutor on Monday - these two people will be invaluable to you throughout your degree. My job is to help you with any problems or issues you might have with regard to your studies in Cambridge. We also have Subject Reps playing a larger role this year to help you get to know fellow Homertonians doing your course and for you to get the inside scoop on your subject. In addition, you get to battle against the other colleges/universities in the University Challenge this year! And don’t forget - to reward you for academic excellence, Homerton’s Tripos Awards come up at the end of every year.

Learning in Cambridge Supervisions are probably the best thing about studying at Cambridge. Your supervisions are where you are taught by a Fellow or PhD student, either alone or with one or two students. Supervisions last for one hour in which your week’s work will be assessed. It is important that essays are in on time; you arrive on time etc, thus the easier your life will be and the better your end of term report will look. They are experts for a reason, so it’s better to ask questions than go on not understanding something vital. Don’t get a reputation for disorganisation or laziness, as your DoS and Personal Tutor will remember your name for all the wrong reasons. If you feel you really aren’t getting what you need from your supervisor, speak up to sometime, you may be able to get a few extra supervisions with someone else. Don’t be afraid of your supervisor, they will help you during exams with revision and filling in gaps of your knowledge.

Every student is assigned to a DoS and a Tutor. They are generally members of the College, and are available to help you in your academic and personal affairs respectively. Remember your DoS and Personal Tutor are crucial if you have any academic or personal problems.

Your Personal Tutor may write your reference, so make sure they know who you are for good reasons. Some first year exams are prelims, i.e. they don’t determine your final grades, such as Education Studies and History. However, many other subjects do not have prelims, such as Natural Sciences and Economics. Whether you have prelims or not make sure you work during the year by attending most of your lectures, make decent notes and essays to revise from. There’s nothing worse than revising from patchy or non-existent notes, or reading books the first time for revision. Most of all don’t stress about exams they aren’t everything and when they are done we get to celebrate in style — May Week.