Rowan Gray reports from an incredible day out at Cambridge University where he witnessed the very best academia has to offer
We arrived by minibus, parking in the yard of one of the many residences. We were greeted by two students, one of whom was days away from the graduation, having studied the natural sciences; the other was studying philosophy in their second year, and was kind enough to show us her room followed by the shared kitchen.
“Most students eat out,” she smiled, “so this is barely used.” Which was just as well, as the room was snug enough with three people in it.
We made our way to the library, which was set parallel to the student halls. It was magnificent, and had a great Hogwarts-like feel due to the ancient books and medieval design.
We then met the college’s punt (a kind of flat boat) club and took a stroll by the river to visit the chapel. We were amazed to see some students actually climbing on the roof. The architecture was glorious. Did you know the King’s College Chapel has the largest fan vault in the world? Neither did I, nor did I know what that meant, until I looked it up. It’s the magnificent stone arched roof.
After this, we were shown the college bar and splendid dinner hall. This was closely followed by saying farewell to our tour guides and being passed on to a Classics academic. She explained how to apply to Cambridge, as well as answering numerous questions.
By this point, the group had done an awful lot of walking and the convoy needed to refuel. The kitchen served fresh modern and modest food in the grand and glorious dining hall. It was like dining in a castle - King’s College being aptly named.
We ventured out into the city, speed walking to keep to our schedule, to Cambridge’s own legal deposit library. A legal deposit library is a library that keeps a copy of every published book in the UK. And that really does mean every published book since the 15th century. Today, the library has over 8 million items. Eight million!
At the newly built James Dyson Building, we were told about the courses offered in engineering, and how they are taught. We were then shown the materials lab - filled with great beams of wood and metal, the electrics and software lab - populated by robots and a magnetic accelerator gun, followed by the mechanical engineering (wind tunnels and engines), the tech lab (with more robots, only locomotive, hopping ones), and a general projects lab. The whole effect was stunning.
I found my experience at Cambridge informative and inspiring. It's definitely persuaded me to apply. That is, if I get that triple A* of course!