International StudentsLeah Aw (Sign in to reveal the email address)
Before I came to Cambridge in October 2002 I had never been away from my family before - I hadn’t even visited Europe previously. Choosing to apply to and matriculate at Cambridge was very much a leap into the dark. Looking back now, having done almost two-thirds of my degree, I am, frankly, quite amazed at how far I have progressed (and mostly not in academic work, which may be a surprise for someone at Cambridge!)
Being an international student anywhere is exciting, but difficult - and Cambridge isn’t an exception. I had the usual case of culture shock (although coming from relatively westernised Singapore helped to lessen it) - bad weather, strange food, peculiar Cambridge traditions and lingo, typical British reserve. Because of the difficulty of adjustment for many international students, a great number and variety of organisations and societies have sprung up to cater to their welfare and need for support and familiarity, especially in their first few months here. There are associations for students from particular countries, for instance the Indian Society, European Society, and more; there is also CUSU International, which is an independent subsidiary of the university students union responsible for representing international students to the university, and caring for their general welfare. It also aims to draw together international students from all sorts of different countries and backgrounds. Although the tendency to stick with the international crowd is initially strong, many international students, having more or less found their footing in Cambridge, then proceed to venture out and get to know the home students in their college better, or to join other societies which allow them to meet different people, or to become more active members of their faculty and in doing so expand their circle of friends. The options are limitless, and you can do entirely different things each term (like dress up as a banana and extol the merits of Free Trade at Market Square).
Internationals often find themselves spending long holidays here in Cambridge. Christmas break is particularly awful - it’s cold, grey, and everyone’s gone home to have a good time with their families and Cambridge morphs into a ghost-town. Fortunately, there are usually other internationals around, or a thoughtful British friend has invited you to spend the Christmas with his/her family, or the international workers at churches here in Cambridge have sought you out. Of course, there is always the option of travelling to warmer climes. Being at the doorstep of Europe is fantastic, what with the advent of budget airlines. For many of us international students, especially non-European ones, our time here in the UK is one of the best and most affordable opportunities we will ever get to explore Europe, a continent so utterly different from where we come from. The fact that Cambridge terms are ludicrously short - albeit hectic - also helps!
Work-wise (yes, I’ll have to at least mention that to not sound like a complete loafer!), it has proved to be much more independent that I envisioned it to be - at least that is the case for arts students (lucky scientists who get piles and piles of ready-compiled notes!). There isn’t very much of a structure to my days - there are lectures in the mornings (and even then not every morning of the week), and basically your afternoons and nights, and weekends, belong exclusively to you. This kind of system is drastically different from what I grew up in, and as a result, I frequently have problems with self-discipline (or lack thereof). That aside, the freedom to study what you choose to (well, mostly), and the intellectual rigour of one-on-one supervisions with some of the most brilliant minds in the field, have been truly liberating and exciting.
Having decided to pursue my undergraduate studies here in Cambridge, I can now say that I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without this experience - and that after barely two years here (less if you consider that we’re on holiday six months a year)! That is how much being an international student in Cambridge has changed me, be it my general outlook to life, or my personal character, or my intellectual state. What I tell every timorous junior who seeks advice about coming to Cambridge is: It isn’t going to be easy, but offer your energies and talents to Cambridge, and you will find that it has much more for you in return.
