Pre-Summer School

I wasn’t keen on applying for exchange because of how expensive it is, I will have to be away from amazing home-cooked food, friends and family for at least 4 months and I didn’t think my CAP was good enough. I was homesick enough when I was in hall for the whole of 7 days straight without going home?!?! Yeah, that was how bad my homesickness is going to be.

Somehow it came up in conversations with my fated travel buddy, Cherrybelly and from there we decided on Cambridge! Yahoo!

We decided to apply for Cambridge’s Interdisciplinary Summer School Term I, which was held for 2 weeks in end July. Knowing that the last day of summer school coincided with the first day of Ramadan, I applied anyway.

It took a bit of time reading the brochures for the program. It is quite detailed and sufficient. The modules (better known in Cambridge as electives) available has a pretty wide range where it really is up to one’s interests to decide.

What one needs to know about applying for Cambridge:

• Be prepared to not get your first choice of elective after applying because if signups do not meet the minimum quota, the elective will be cancelled.
• As long as you have the money, you can apply for Cambridge. There is no age or academic requirements whatsoever, as they didn’t ask for grades while applying. So, go forth and apply to gain knowledge (and credits)!
• Accommodation is a very tricky thing in the application. Cherrybelly and I applied a bit on the late side,  so the college (same meaning as halls/hostels here in SG) we wanted was left with one, which she got, but I had to select another college. We were pretty lucky though, the one we ended up in was like RIGHT IN front of our lectures haha. It was less than a 5 minute walk. Probably a 20 seconds walk.
• Cambridge does not usually receive a big number students from NUS as compared to other universities in London like UCL (they had 130 students while we only had 18 in Cambridge, and these 18 people were split because we were all in different summer school programmes) –> Quick note: We have to map our modules first before going, and did not have much guidance on it. Therefore, administration for getting credits and module mapping is just….terrible.

I highly DO NOT recommend going to Cambridge to settle last minute credits to graduate because it is just too…horrible. You have to pay extra fees to write essays and for them to mark your scripts, pay even more to get transcripts, and pay again to send them your final results and transcript. To only get less than 4 Modular Credits (MCs) because Cambridge does not actually assign credits to their modules at all, which is really a pain in the ass because when you map your modules, you have to manually count the contact hours and my home uni really doesn’t help clarify things properly and does not trust us when we say we should get the credits that Cambridge suggested.

Summer School

Despite whatever I just said about the module mapping, CAMBRIDGE WAS AMAZEBALLS. Really, you just have to experience it for yourself. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Just a side note: Cambridge university is made up of many colleges. Imagine smu + nus + ntu as one entity.

• Accommodation: Newnham College

I was lucky to get one of the bigger rooms WITH A FREAKING WALK-IN WARDROBE, super big windows that look out to the pretty fields…and a fireplace?!?! The place was super comfy! And it was cold even without fans or air-conditioning. Typical British weather. And they will help refill tea & coffee bags and change your bed sheets at the end of each week. HAHA

The whole place was so pretty. The fields and the greenery. I was in loveee (with nature). I actually didn’t mind the bugs!!

I was fasting at that point of time, and they were very kind to provide me some food to eat for my pre-dawn meals and were very nice to help me with whatever they could. The food was not bad too. BUT, the wifi sucked. Not worth getting the line to have 4G for your phones here.

The people that came for the summer program is another point worth mentioning. Everyone is really friendly and approachable where you will always make new friends from all walks of life. There were some that I respected a lot from hearing them talk about their motivations in life, their purpose and their vision. Everyone went through different paths but ended up here, with an interest to somehow learn more and trying to make the world a better place. There were people that we instantly clicked with, even with age gaps and all.

They were so helpful I managed to plan a successful birthday surprise for my travel buddy, Cherrybelly!!! Because we took the exact same electives, our timetables are the same and basically we are stuck together. So, I decided to ask people around to help me out.

First, was buying the presents. I wanted to ebay some GoT-related merchandise but it was freaking expensive and too risky. Thankfully, there was a bookshop in the city center and a group of us went together one day after school to explore the city. When I got to the shelf with the GoT books, there were like 8 books and I didn’t know which one was it. I got her to tell me the order of the books (hehe smart acting). Then, I asked one of them to stall and talk to her while she was away from that shelf, quickly grabbed the books and head to the first floor, like in a spy movie, to buy it and quickly stuffed it in my friend’s backpack. Phew, mission accomplished!

Second, was to get a birthday card! Again, feeling all James Bond-ish, I managed to buy the birthday card when she was a mere 10 metres away from me hehehe. Then, I went around different rooms the next few days each night to fill up the card, and got to know some of the neighbors more.

Third, was to get the birthday cake! Managed to ask for help from our trusty friend, Giulia, and she went to the city centre to buy it for us! We chanced upon Giulia as Cherrybelly and I were walking back to Newnham from the city centre and we had this ‘hehe, I know that you know where I am going to go. May the Force be with you’ look. Again, feeling the James Bond vibes. HAHA

Finally, the actual birthday surprise was a success! The spy in me is legit. Call me Bond. Umi Bond.

• Main People in Charge of the Program

With the best of their abilities, they were always willing to help. Personally, the experience felt very close and personal because the director is always in our proximity and she could directly answer our queries on the spot. She knows the program inside out and really tries her best to ensure we learn from this summer school.  She also had to sign our library card for us to enter, meaning we really see her everyday. (I don’t even see my provost or FASS head in one sem..)

• The English Renaissance I. Myth, Magic and Make-Believe

This was one of the electives that I took. Surprisingly or not, the class was made up of all females. There was this girl that was always late for class because she drinks daily with her friends in college till the wee mornings and our prof always mentioned how amusing it is that she could still wake up for a 9.30am class. And how her accent is the most beautiful accent of all time (which obviously I couldn’t understand the fascination with it). And I remembered how Cherrybelly and I both think that our prof really looks like a witch, while we were discussing a on witches during the English Renaissance. However, she is very nice (SHE GAVE ME AN A FOR MY LIT ESSAY WHAT) and I was so surprised she actually knew about Hari Raya and the fasting month and asked me about it. Such a thoughtful prof :’)

The prof was also super funny while sharing her experiences and wisdom, but she was exceptionally funny when she thinks that 18 degrees weather is..humid for her?! and there I was wearing a jacket with jeans..

Class was interesting because what we learnt was unfamiliar as we were not usually taught in depth about that period as it was before Shakespeare’s times. My main takeaway from this elective was that humans will always be human. The things that people do and believe in, during those times, are parallel to our current generation. And it’s amazing how easy people overlook these parallels to justify their actions today. And I’m truly amazed how it doesn’t feel like it’s a coincidence and am truly humbled at Allah’s creations.

• Britain and the World since 1900

Oh this was another equally insightful elective. The prof was a kid back in the days of WWII and his father joined in the war. This was a very small class of about 11 people, but only 3 of us were students. The rest were all elderly people from all over the world, who had actual experiences in the war. Which i think, is pretty amazing in itself to be a part of that class. The way they express their thoughts and opinions still brought about a lot of emotions for them. Politics is pretty interesting. And I love how they keep coming back to this summer school just for the love for learning and sharing knowledge.

The prof is absolutely super smart about history. He can answer any question straight on the spot with the exact months and years pretty much without blinking. I want his brains!!!

• Animal Behaviour

From taking this elective, I have finally come to accept that I am not made for science. His lectures are pretty funny with his homemade videos and super interactive tech and animals. We actually got to see a guide dog and its trainer, see some insects and snakes up live in the lab and all. But, it was something I really didn’t understand even with all the notes. Interesting, but it wasn’t my calling.

 

If you actually read this post/essay till the end, wow I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading it. *(virtual hugs and kisses for ya)*

I shall end it on a positive note…that

CAMBRIDGE WAS AMAZING.