Blog by: Ru

It was in my (overly ambitious) attempt to try and experience all Cambridge has to offer that I seized the opportunity to get involved with two shows at the ADC theatre this term. I myself, am no thesp, I have never acted before, comedy is not my strongest point and the thought of memorising countless lines makes me shudder. However, I was determined and I am so glad that I got involved.

Here’s a quick backstory to the theatre in Cambridge:

Theatre is important in Cambridge. We have two student-run theatres, one is called the ADC Theatre, and the other The Corpus Playroom; both are student run. It is remarkable therefore that there are two to three shows put on each week, every week, every term! Students run the production, the direction, the acting, the performing, the publicising, set design, lights, projections, props….you name it, a student is running it.

And that is for me what makes theatre life in Cambridge so wonderful. It is wholly a product of students’ hard work and passion. It’s long hours, but people are determined to put on a show, and boy, do they put on a show.

What’s more, it has been home to some of the most successful actors and comedians of today; including Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Sir Derek Jacobi, Alexander Armstrong, Ben Miller, and Emma Thompson to name only a few.

So in the second week of this term (after my exams) I decided to get involved as a scenic painter for a production of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. The set was incredible, a student had designed a shipwreck, and with a small team, had constructed a remarkably large wooden ship. It was my job to paint it along with a few others. I was so pleased with the result, I didn’t mind the fact we had been painting until 1:30am the morning before opening night!

Then in Week 3, I was involved as the publicist for a show called ‘Her Naked Skin’. This was perhaps more work for me, it involved organising posters being designed, printed, laminated, and put up around Cambridge. The role also included online publicity, such as advertising via Facebook, Twitter and the student newspapers. There was a rota for leafleting to think about and generally just trying to encourage people to leave their revision and come see the show! It was a considerable amount of work but once again, when you see the theatre packed with people coming to see a show you’ve been part of; it’s really something very special.

Cambridge theatre can be a great deal of hard work, long hours, and clothes ruined by paint…but I have made a new set of friends, experienced life in the theatre which I never thought I would (considering I simply cannot act) and had so much fun along the way.

Student theatre in Cambridge therefore, is definitely a highlight for me.

So I have just completed my first set of Cambridge exams and its taught me so much in terms of how I learn and what to expect from studying here.

Cambridge is one of those places that even when you’re here studying and learning, its formidable reputation can still leave you a bit bewildered, confused and at times, intimidated. But I would like to argue that this is a good thing (although if you had told me this a few weeks ago whilst I was in the depths of my revision, I may have argued otherwise).

As a first year History student, I have 3 exams at the start of third term (Easter term) and these are called Pre-Lims (short for preliminary examinations). They don’t count for my final grade and are held as soon as term starts, in Week 0 in fact. When I first arrived, prelims were hardly a worry. A greater concern lay in how I was going to manage writing my essays and actually making friends at university, without thinking about the exams at the end of the year. Moreover, I was consistently told that they do not count for anything and naturally I put them to the back of my mind.

However, as third term approached (I have managed to make friends by the way, although a perfect balance of work and socialising appears elusive), I increasingly became aware of the fact that I would have to take some exams when I came back to Cambridge next. Easter was thus spent revising (we are advised to take two weeks relaxing since terms are so intense – I happily obliged) and then I began my work. Third term arrived and so did my exams. Admittedly, I was petrified. Not only were they the first exams I had done since A-levels, but they were “Cambridge” exams, and this was a scary thought. However I am glad to tell you that I survived to tell the tale (write the blog) and it really wasn’t as awful as I thought it was going to be.

The questions were approachable if you had done the revision and whilst I was continuously scared of not being able to answer the minimum of three questions which each paper required, my mind was put at ease when I opened the paper. I wrote what was needed (although whether or not it was necessarily written well, I have yet to find out) and generally, I felt that I had done the best I could.

There is this tendency to wrap “Cambridge University” up into a parcel and put it on a pedestal which you consistently believe is out of reach. This mindset is unhelpful and I think more people need to realise that whilst Cambridge has exceedingly high expectations, they understand you are only human. This may seem rather hypocritical of me, and I admit that I have a tendency to feel like I am not up to the standard necessary to study at an institute of such high calibre as this, but this is silly.

Cambridge University is just like any other university in this respect. You are here to learn and absolutely nobody expects you to be perfect straight away. Allowing these fears to stop you from being ambitious or performing to the best of your ability is just a shame. Cambridge provides the opportunities for you to perform intellectually to the best of your ability, and whilst this may seem terrifying, it is in fact incredibly valuable.

If you think of Cambridge, rowing is not far behind.

It is undeniable that rowing is a BIG aspect of Cambridge University life and I would like to take a few moments to tell you a little more about it.

Rowing is not a necessity for Cambridge students, indeed the majority avoid it as if it were the plague (whether that is because of an aversion to exercise, water or early mornings – maybe all three) however you do NOT have to be the tall, athletic giant which many people believe you have to do to get involved with rowing in Cambridge.

Lesson #1: Cambridge is what you make of it.

At the end of the day, if you want to get involved in rowing you should do and if anything, I would actively encourage everyone to give rowing a go at least once. I personally had never rowed before I came to Cambridge (so forget those assumptions that you need to be a pro-rower to row for you college Boat Club) and overwhelmed by my give-anything-a-go attitude of Freshers Week I decided I would brave the boathouse and go along to the taster day. At my College (Murray Edwards) the Boat Club run a fantastic policy of, “if you want to row, we’ll put you in a boat” and that’s exactly what they did.

Now I wouldn’t go as far as to say that rowing has changed my life. It hasn’t. But it has made me fitter, relieved my stress levels and enabled me to meet many more people not only in other years in my own College, but other rowers from other Colleges.

So don’t be put off by those tightly-clad rowers you see flexing their enormous muscles in the annual Oxbridge Boat Race. Get involved – it’s one of the most iconic opportunities which Cambridge University offers its students and even if you decide rowing isn’t the sport for you, at least you can say that you were (for a very short time) a Cambridge rower!

One of the things which people often ask me is, do you ever relax?

And the answer, of course, is yes.

Okay, so we may not have as much ‘relax’ time as other university students may be able to afford, but we are only human and there is a strong ethic within Cambridge to not only work hard, but also play hard. So here’s an outline of a few things I do in the week to take my mind away from the 12 book reading list I have to get through in order to write my essay…

1. Clubbing
Standard university go-to. It’s perhaps the biggest thing associated with university life (minus actually working). Admittedly Cambridge isn’t renowned for its massive night scene, there are only four main clubs of which a couple are rather small, but that’s somewhat reflective of the city itself and in a way it’s somewhat endearing. I was never a big clubber at home, but even I’ve found a night out to be enjoyable! Clubbing isn’t the be-all and end-all, but it’s an option – if you’re worried about not having any mad clubbing nights at Cambridge, let me assure you, this is certainly possible.

2. ADC theatre
The home of many celebrities and talented individuals, the ADC is a refreshing non-alcoholic way of relaxing in Cambridge. Tickets are cheap and there are performances to suit any theatre taste, whether that be the Footlights, musicals such as Anything Goes, dramas such as Frost and Nixon, or original works written, directed and performed by Cambridge students. It’s a really entertaining evening and a particularly unique entertainment accessible to Cambridge students.

3. College night in!

Sometimes you just don’t fancy leaving college. All you want to do is make a cup of tea and stay in your room. Everyone needs their own space so watching a movie, having an evening in with friends (or FRIENDS) can be equally beneficial. Last night a couple of friends came to my room to play Monopoly which was much better for me considering my extremely tired state. Cambridge has a warm, family atmosphere and some of the best ‘play’ time can be spent in your own college, spending time with the people you live with.

It’s natural that people outside of Cambridge speculate that we never sleep or that there are no activities available for relaxing, but in truth, the University (or more accurately, the students of the University) go to great lengths to provide many different options for its students. It’s a fallacy to say that Cambridge is all work. There is of course a great deal of work to be done, but this is not all-consuming. There are a couple of people who will only work, stay in their rooms and slave over their essays all day and an unhealthy proportion of the night, but these people are the exception, not the rule.