Here you'll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about admissions and life at °µÍø½ûÇø.
If you still have questions or you need more detailed answers, please email us at undergraduate-admissions@jesus.cam.ac.uk.
No. We welcome anyone who has the potential to thrive on our courses. We take some contextual information into account, such as the average performance at your school, but this is only to make sure we're assessing you fairly. No one who applies is successful or unsuccessful simply due to their background.
Always busy, sometimes intense, but never boring. Our students work hard and take their studies seriously, but they also have a huge range of other interests. You'll have the opportunity to do everything you would do at any other university. You can dedicate your spare time to almost anything that interests you, from sport and music to student volunteering or spending time with your friends. There's no such thing as a typical student at °µÍø½ûÇø, we're proud of our diversity.
College choice is a social decision, and the best way to choose a College is to consider whether you'd enjoy living there. Consider whether it offers the facilities you'd like, where it is in the city, and simply whether it 'feels' right when you visit. The important thing is not to worry about it too much. People almost always end up loving whichever College they apply to; it's far more important to get your choice of course right.
There's no magic formula for success apart from hard work at school and a genuine interest in your subject. You should be engaging in your subject outside of school, but there's no set way you have to do this. Reading books or articles, attending talks or lectures, watching videos, or listening to podcasts are all great ways to prepare. Whatever you do, make sure you're actually interested, and don't be afraid to start a new book or consider a new idea if what you're working on isn't engaging you.
The interview is a structured but relatively informal discussion about your subject. We won't expect you to know about subjects you don't study. We'll discuss questions which ask you to apply what you know to unfamiliar scenarios, to solve problems, and to think critically and flexibly. It doesn't matter what you wear or how you speak, and we're not looking for a 'smooth' performance. Just stay calm, listen to the questions being asked, and be prepared to consider things in new ways; many people find they enjoy their interviews.
The Colleges’ shared approved policy and procedure for the can be found under Admissions complaints and appeals on the University website.
Studying Archaeology at Jesus has been a fantastic experience. For the last three years, I have been able to choose from an enormous range of papers, allowing me to tailor the course to my personal areas of interest. Throughout this, I have benefited from the continued support of (among other brilliant academic staff in College) an archaeologically-specialised Director of Studies and a well stocked archaeology section in the College library, meaning I rarely need to borrow from the department. °µÍø½ûÇø also offers a range of travel and study grants...
Studying Education has enabled me to study a broad range of interests within the parameters of my degree. From black feminist theory, to discussing what exactly it means to be 'educated', I have been fortunate enough to explore these areas in depth. The Education Tripos enables students to combine varying interests and passions into a single, well structured, and hugely enjoyable University degree.
The combination of modern computing facilities, inspiring surroundings, and like minded people made °µÍø½ûÇø a great place to study. After graduating I worked for a start up company before completing a PhD and now work as a computer vision specialist for a technical consultancy. The Cambridge Computer Science course is highly regarded by employers and the strong theoretical grounding ensures that it remains relevant even though the technology is constantly changing.
I chose Linguistics at °µÍø½ûÇø, having really enjoyed English Language at A-Level, because I wanted to study topics like child language acquisition and the history of the English language in greater depth. The Linguistics course more than lived up to my expectations; there are so many more areas to study than you realise when you first apply. I especially enjoyed conducting my own experiments in the phonetics lab – it was great to be able to learn practical, as well as theoretical, aspects of Linguistics. My final year dissertation...
Studying Maths at Cambridge is demanding, but very interesting. The first year of the course builds a solid foundation of knowledge, and then the many optional modules available in later years allow you to specialise in the topics you really enjoy. One of the main benefits of our shorter, fast paced terms is the amount of progress you make in such a short time. Jesus is one of the friendliest Colleges. It has a medium sized cohort, which means you get to interact with a huge variety of people while...
