Anywhere But Here: University of Cambridge
The Cambridge Crest
James A. Sharpe a current History student at Cambridge University gives us the highs and lows of studying at Cambridge.
Since it was founded by those monks who didn’t really want to die at the hands of the plebs at Oxford, it is understandable that Cambridge has always had a reputation for hard-nosed pragmatism. After all, when Henry VIII wanted a divorce, it was the Cambridge dons who provided the intellectual weight for it to happen (and were rewarded with Trinity College.) It’s no wonder that Cambridge has produced more Nobel Prize winners than Prime Ministers: one explains the world, and the other thinks he can change it. This is not to say
that Cambridge is not prone to those wistful fantasies to which academics often succumb. After all, Blunt and Burgess would probably have thought twice about helping Stalin if they had bothered to see the pain of Russia’s citizenry instead of simply reading Engels. The fact that so many degrees falter not out of intellectual dullness, but the all-consuming passions of extra-curricular activities is indicative of the split between earthy professors and divinely-inspired students.
Of course, drunken debauchery is rife, but then there’s also the Adonians, the Pitt Club, the Draghounds, the Conservative Association, Footlights, Rowing, and the Union. The con of believing that you’ll get more CV points by being General Member of the Amateur Dramatics Club rather than getting a first is as pervasive at Cambridge as at any university. But that has not stopped this misguided author taking on whatever roles he can get his hands on. I could describe for you my course in history, but I am afraid that it would be rather fruitless since I have spent so little time studying it that there is practically nothing I could say. To be fair, that’s not entirely true: stop going to lectures sooner rather than later. You won’t feel nearly as guilty sleeping in that way. Oh, and, since Cambridge is the best university in the
world to study history – it is, look at the league tables – it means that, if you think you’re lecturer or supervisor is wrong, you’re probably right. And the more shrilly you can state your claim to universal wisdom – “I’m sorry, but your entire life’s work is bunk” – the better.
My time has been monopolised rather more by the Cambridge Union Society, the oldest debating society in the world, and, ironically, a charity that is also a private members’ club. Isn’t charity law wonderful? Once upon a time, to pass your degree, you had to debate in front of your professors. Now, it’s just an excuse to wear black tie on a Thursday night.
Unfortunately, however, because Cambridge has never produced many Prime Ministers – 14 to Oxford’s 26 – it is difficult to justify absorbing oneself in the political scene totally. The arts: that’s where Cambridge has flourished – and the sciences – everything really apart from Prime Ministers really. Acting is a great passion of mine, and when you can keep company like Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Peter Hall, Sir Trevor Nunn, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Michael Redgrave – pretty much every actor who has ever been knighted – you know you’re acting with the greats. It was Claude Hulbert (it may have been Julian – they were brothers and I can’t remember which one said it) who said to his beleaguered supervisor that Cambridge is the best drama school in the land. What do you mean you’ve never heard of them!? Well, obviously you know nothing about good comedy!
Of course, Cambridge may be a great university, but it is situated in a provincial backwater. Having lived in Cambridge all my life, one would have thought that I would have run to Oxford as quickly as those thirteenth century monks ran the other way. But, alas, King’s College Chapel makes us do terrible things, as does knowing the daughter of the Master of Fitzwilliam College through your mother. The point is that, without the university, Cambridge would be nothing other than a stopping point on the way from Ely to London. There are no bars, clubs (gentleman or otherwise), discotheques, casinos, or any other place where a dapper young thing around town can go and enjoy himself (or herself if you want to be PC) to speak of other than within the educational establishment. As such, the less said about these particularly less than fine institutions the better. This is not to say that conspicuous frivolity is not integral to the Cambridge experience. When you’ve been working (or idling) too hard – idling takes a lot out of you, you know – what better way to wile away a few hours and forget the stresses and strains of ordinary existence than a five hour punt ride to Grantchester with copious amount of Bollinger’s best (with a couple of bottles of Dom you lucky dog.) But it is to say that such enjoyment only comes after studying Aristotle (or some equally tiresome Greek) for seventeen hours. I’m still bitter.
With that, I don’t think there is much else that one can say about Cambridge other than to say that you should pay a visit asap. Just make sure it’s term time and you bring a bottle of gin and a couple of limes. We can’t be doing with entertaining without some suitable beverages now can we?
By James Sharpe
Monday 28th September 2009
Since it was founded by those monks who didn’t really want to die at the hands of the plebs at Oxford, it is understandable that Cambridge has always had a reputation for hard-nosed pragmatism. After all, when Henry VIII wanted a divorce, it was the Cambridge dons who provided the intellectual weight for it to happen (and were rewarded with Trinity College.) It’s no wonder that Cambridge has produced more Nobel Prize winners than Prime Ministers: one explains the world, and the other thinks he can change it. This is not to say
that Cambridge is not prone to those wistful fantasies to which academics often succumb. After all, Blunt and Burgess would probably have thought twice about helping Stalin if they had bothered to see the pain of Russia’s citizenry instead of simply reading Engels. The fact that so many degrees falter not out of intellectual dullness, but the all-consuming passions of extra-curricular activities is indicative of the split between earthy professors and divinely-inspired students.
Of course, drunken debauchery is rife, but then there’s also the Adonians, the Pitt Club, the Draghounds, the Conservative Association, Footlights, Rowing, and the Union. The con of believing that you’ll get more CV points by being General Member of the Amateur Dramatics Club rather than getting a first is as pervasive at Cambridge as at any university. But that has not stopped this misguided author taking on whatever roles he can get his hands on. I could describe for you my course in history, but I am afraid that it would be rather fruitless since I have spent so little time studying it that there is practically nothing I could say. To be fair, that’s not entirely true: stop going to lectures sooner rather than later. You won’t feel nearly as guilty sleeping in that way. Oh, and, since Cambridge is the best university in the
world to study history – it is, look at the league tables – it means that, if you think you’re lecturer or supervisor is wrong, you’re probably right. And the more shrilly you can state your claim to universal wisdom – “I’m sorry, but your entire life’s work is bunk” – the better.
My time has been monopolised rather more by the Cambridge Union Society, the oldest debating society in the world, and, ironically, a charity that is also a private members’ club. Isn’t charity law wonderful? Once upon a time, to pass your degree, you had to debate in front of your professors. Now, it’s just an excuse to wear black tie on a Thursday night.
Unfortunately, however, because Cambridge has never produced many Prime Ministers – 14 to Oxford’s 26 – it is difficult to justify absorbing oneself in the political scene totally. The arts: that’s where Cambridge has flourished – and the sciences – everything really apart from Prime Ministers really. Acting is a great passion of mine, and when you can keep company like Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Peter Hall, Sir Trevor Nunn, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Michael Redgrave – pretty much every actor who has ever been knighted – you know you’re acting with the greats. It was Claude Hulbert (it may have been Julian – they were brothers and I can’t remember which one said it) who said to his beleaguered supervisor that Cambridge is the best drama school in the land. What do you mean you’ve never heard of them!? Well, obviously you know nothing about good comedy!
Of course, Cambridge may be a great university, but it is situated in a provincial backwater. Having lived in Cambridge all my life, one would have thought that I would have run to Oxford as quickly as those thirteenth century monks ran the other way. But, alas, King’s College Chapel makes us do terrible things, as does knowing the daughter of the Master of Fitzwilliam College through your mother. The point is that, without the university, Cambridge would be nothing other than a stopping point on the way from Ely to London. There are no bars, clubs (gentleman or otherwise), discotheques, casinos, or any other place where a dapper young thing around town can go and enjoy himself (or herself if you want to be PC) to speak of other than within the educational establishment. As such, the less said about these particularly less than fine institutions the better. This is not to say that conspicuous frivolity is not integral to the Cambridge experience. When you’ve been working (or idling) too hard – idling takes a lot out of you, you know – what better way to wile away a few hours and forget the stresses and strains of ordinary existence than a five hour punt ride to Grantchester with copious amount of Bollinger’s best (with a couple of bottles of Dom you lucky dog.) But it is to say that such enjoyment only comes after studying Aristotle (or some equally tiresome Greek) for seventeen hours. I’m still bitter.
With that, I don’t think there is much else that one can say about Cambridge other than to say that you should pay a visit asap. Just make sure it’s term time and you bring a bottle of gin and a couple of limes. We can’t be doing with entertaining without some suitable beverages now can we?
By James Sharpe
Monday 28th September 2009
Anywhere But Here: University of Arts London
UAL Logo
Scarlett Fu, 21, is studying BA (Hons) Graphic and Media Design, & Design For Advertising at University of the Arts London: London College of Communication.
The concept of the stereotypical art student is that they are constantly stoned or drunk (or both) and do no work, right? Wrong. It makes no difference if we don't have to do written exams, we get just as much work as any other academic degree! I began University with a background in Fine Art. Even though I knew that I was more capable of doing art than anything else, somehow it felt wrong that I was doing Fine Art; my eye for grid systems and being observant over colour palettes and letters being slightly off on signage won't particularly help with paintings. I was glad that my one year course of Foundation at Central Saint Martins made my choices and goals a bit clearer; to be a graphic designer.
Design for Advertising focuses on environmental, political, social and cultural issues, then examines and questions the ethics of advertising on a global and local level. Now, progressing into the final year this coming September, you can't help but to be at least a little geeky and critical about designs that are around you in everyday situations; billboards, posters, TV ads - love it, hate it, a bit rough around the edges. It keeps our creative juices flowing. The workload is hectic, and there isn't as much time you'd wish with your tutors, but everyone is on my course is so dedicated to the work that they do, with the tutors' passion in teaching and spreading their influence, I feel very much part of the community of London College of Communication.
Our School of Graphic Design is head-to-head with Central Saint Martins within University of the Arts London. (In my opinion, we're even better...but I guess I can only be biased.) Even though LCC's location isn't associated with the most glamorous part of London (it's situated in Elephant and Castle) its nightlife isn’t bad; with Ministry of Sound just round the corner and Coronet for gigs, cheap pubs and grub surround the area, and it’s also part of the central network for transport, with pretty much every single night bus headed south going through Elephant. In terms of nightlife, if we don't hang around Elephant, there is always the upcoming East London; Shoreditch, Hoxton and the
like, where fashionistas, designers, and hip students alike join forces and go to Electricity Showrooms, Bar Music Hall and more around that area, with salt-beef baegels as post-clubbing grub, you can't not love nightlife in London.
During my (little moments of) spare time, I freelance as a graphic designer of multi-disciplines; branding, logo design, advertising, interaction, web and also sideline as a photographer. I have just finished working as a Graphics Assistant on the film "The Infidel" written by David Baddiel, starring Omad Djalili (due to screen early 2010,) as I believe it's now more important than ever to get as much work experience in the creative industry, especially in light of the recession. We all feel the pinch, surely? Give it all you've got,
and it pays off.
By Scarlett Fu
Monday 28th September 2009
The concept of the stereotypical art student is that they are constantly stoned or drunk (or both) and do no work, right? Wrong. It makes no difference if we don't have to do written exams, we get just as much work as any other academic degree! I began University with a background in Fine Art. Even though I knew that I was more capable of doing art than anything else, somehow it felt wrong that I was doing Fine Art; my eye for grid systems and being observant over colour palettes and letters being slightly off on signage won't particularly help with paintings. I was glad that my one year course of Foundation at Central Saint Martins made my choices and goals a bit clearer; to be a graphic designer.
Design for Advertising focuses on environmental, political, social and cultural issues, then examines and questions the ethics of advertising on a global and local level. Now, progressing into the final year this coming September, you can't help but to be at least a little geeky and critical about designs that are around you in everyday situations; billboards, posters, TV ads - love it, hate it, a bit rough around the edges. It keeps our creative juices flowing. The workload is hectic, and there isn't as much time you'd wish with your tutors, but everyone is on my course is so dedicated to the work that they do, with the tutors' passion in teaching and spreading their influence, I feel very much part of the community of London College of Communication.
Our School of Graphic Design is head-to-head with Central Saint Martins within University of the Arts London. (In my opinion, we're even better...but I guess I can only be biased.) Even though LCC's location isn't associated with the most glamorous part of London (it's situated in Elephant and Castle) its nightlife isn’t bad; with Ministry of Sound just round the corner and Coronet for gigs, cheap pubs and grub surround the area, and it’s also part of the central network for transport, with pretty much every single night bus headed south going through Elephant. In terms of nightlife, if we don't hang around Elephant, there is always the upcoming East London; Shoreditch, Hoxton and the
like, where fashionistas, designers, and hip students alike join forces and go to Electricity Showrooms, Bar Music Hall and more around that area, with salt-beef baegels as post-clubbing grub, you can't not love nightlife in London.
During my (little moments of) spare time, I freelance as a graphic designer of multi-disciplines; branding, logo design, advertising, interaction, web and also sideline as a photographer. I have just finished working as a Graphics Assistant on the film "The Infidel" written by David Baddiel, starring Omad Djalili (due to screen early 2010,) as I believe it's now more important than ever to get as much work experience in the creative industry, especially in light of the recession. We all feel the pinch, surely? Give it all you've got,
and it pays off.
By Scarlett Fu
Monday 28th September 2009
