In this article let’s take a look at all the advantages and disadvantages of studying engineering, medicine, and other courses in Cambridge University.
This is the most comprehensive article on this topic online so I would recommend you to bookmark and share the article.
So without further ado let’s get started.
Is Cambridge university good for engineering, medicine & is it worth it?
Yes, Cambridge University is definitely good for engineering and medicine, It is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world, Cambridge University ranks in top 50 best universities for engineering and top 25 for studying medicine, more importantly the university is located in a beautiful place, It is very affordable, etc.
Now let’s take a look at all the advantages and disadvantages of studying in Cambridge University.
Advantages and disadvantages of Cambridge University
Advantages of Cambridge University
History & reputation of the university
One of the main advantages is the history and reputation of the University.
Cambridge University is the second oldest university after Oxford in United Kingdom and English speaking world as it was founded back in 1209, basically the University was founded by the scholars of Oxford University who fled to Cambridge to escape the riots & gown in Oxford.
And if you look at the current rankings, Cambridge University ranks In third position in the list of top global universities, and 8th position in best universities according to US news. And for various education programs Cambridge University ranks in
top 50 best universities like It is third best university in the world for studying arts and humanities, 5th for biology and biochemistry, 40 for computer science and 57 for engineering, 27 for clinical medicine and many more.
So whenever you apply for any job then just mentioning that you graduated from this university in your CV can help you stand out from the competition & crack the job because of the reputation of the University is such.
Alumni & strong network
Another advantage is the alumni and strong network that you get from the University.
There are popular poets scientists artists philosophers writers actors politicians and leaders who are alumni of Cambridge University like Stephen Hawking Rajiv Gandhi Charles Darwin Srinivasa Ramanujan Isaac Newton Sam Mendes and many more.
As a matter of fact more than 40% of the students who attend Cambridge University are from foreign countries outside UK from 140 different countries so you can meet and get connected with a lot of people out different cultures and ideologies, grow your network.
Clubs & fests in university
And there are many clubs and societies you can join in Cambridge University, You can find clubs In various genres like sports health arts philosophy science archaeology space LGBT and many more.
And You can also participate in various sports clubs in University and the main benefit is that you will meet like-minded people and grow your network and also improve your skills like communication networking teamwork leadership negotiation and other important soft skills by participating in the clubs and competitions and events organised by the members.
Courses & it’s structure
Another advantage is that you can study both undergraduate and postgraduate education in Cambridge University.
There are 30 different courses in undergraduate education covering more than 65 subjects and 300 different courses in post graduation, You can find courses in various fields like arts humanities engineering science medicine architecture philosophy etc.
And what’s good thing about the courses is the structure, for example if you study computer science engineering in Cambridge University then
your education course will be 4 years long which is divided into two parts and each part has 2 years, and in the first part you will be taught broad education and fundamentals and in the next part you will be taught the specialisation courses of computer science.
And another interesting thing is that you also need to have industrial experience after completion of your third year which is really good in Cambridge University and it is also possible for you to change your course in middle.
You can click here to check out all the undergraduate courses in the university.
Beautiful Location
Another thing is that the location of the university is also very good and beautiful in Cambridge.
There is a popular river called river cam that flows in the Cambridge University Which looks really good and peaceful, and also there are various tourist spots and
attractions in Cambridge like many museums, libraries, historic buildings like kings College Chapel, gardens, cinemas, parks, mosques, restaurants, churches, laboratories, and many more interesting places to visit.
And most importantly the weather is also very good in Cambridge and the distance between the University and London city is 50 miles which is not very long for travelling.
Entrepreneurship culture
Entrepreneurship culture is also very good at Cambridge University.
For example you can join innovation and entrepreneurship summer program of Cambridge University which is a two week intensive foundation like a boot camp to train people who want to start their own businesses in future.
Similarly you have many of the facilities for entrepreneurship and startups at Cambridge University which is really great.
Staff & faculty
Staff and faculty is probably the most important factor and aspect of any university and when it comes to Cambridge University, It is no surprise that they have one of the best faculties and professors to teach the subject.
Most of the faculty and professors in various departments have high level of college degrees like PhD and masters in their specific subject and they have those degrees from universities like Oxford and other popular universities and also have some teaching experience.
What I really like is the learning method in Cambridge University, there is something called a supervision system where you will get support, mentorship and advice from knowledgeable academic in your field.
Your faculty or department will assign you a personal supervisor whose role is to guide your programme of study or research, apart from that you also attend lectures practicals seminars independent research work experience and field and study trips all of them help you a lot during your studies.
The idea of supervision system is really great with Cambridge University and you can also find similar Idea in Oxford University also.
Infrastructure and facilities
Another good thing is the infrastructure and facilities in the university.
Just like most other popular universities Cambridge University also has a similar infrastructure and facilities and more importantly the University is famous for its
libraries and museums as already mentioned earlier and there are also world class hostels computer and IT services laboratories auditorium sports complex cafes gyms hospitals in the University itself.
And what’s more amazing is, most of the undergraduate and postgraduate students like at least 50% of them actually live and reside in the college housing only for at least 3 to 4 years depending upon their education period.
Overall it is actually very affordable to live and study in Cambridge University.
Scholarships and financial aid
Another advantage is that you can also get scholarships and financial support both as the citizen of UK and also international student if you want to study in university.
For example you can apply for gates scholarship and Cambridge trust if you want to study masters and PhD programs and
you Do not belong to UK but study in Cambridge University, similarly there are many other scholarships you can apply for both local and international students in Cambridge University which is really great.
You can also apply for Cambridge bursary scheme to get some financial aid to help you with living cost in Cambridge and the money you receive will be dependant upon your financial income of family for example Bursaries of up to £3,500 per year will be given to students with a household income of up to £62,215, and you can also get college awards like free books and transportation free costs which will help you financially during the education.
And if we take a look at numbers in specific then, every year Cambridge University awards more than 100 million pounds of scholarships to new postgraduate students to study in the University, the University gets most of the funding and money from grants endowments and trusts, etc and as a matter of fact In 2020, 74% of our new PhD students and 26% of our new Masters students were awarded funding.
Students can also seek for loans and government schemes to fund their education if they cannot get the scholarship and aid.
Good employment opportunities
Another good thing is that there are many employment opportunities in Cambridge University.
As I already mentioned earlier that Cambridge University has a very good teaching method through supervision system and if you are studying engineering then you will definitely have some work experience and also practical in your education which can help you get skills required for a job.
The average salary of engineers in Cambridge is around 60000 British pounds per annum Which is really great.
Apart from that you can also join Cambridge phenomenon and cluster Which is also called as silicon fen where you can get employment by various software and tech companies and businesses as There are more than 5,000 knowledge-intensive firms based here, employing more than 69,000 people and generating £18 billion turnover.
These are all the advantages of Cambridge University Now let’s take a look at the disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Cambridge University
Lack of many engineering courses
The main disadvantage I have found is that there are not many engineering courses you can study in Cambridge University like you cannot study petroleum biotechnology or agriculture and other engineering branches which are popular in some countries, the list of engineering branches you can study in Cambridge are aerospace, civil electrical and electronic mechanical computer science information technology and few other branches
I feel that there are not many UG courses in Cambridge like there are only 30 subjects as compared to PG.
Restrictions on part time working during study
Another disadvantage is that you are not allowed or restricted to work during your study especially your undergraduate and postgraduate education if you want to make some money during your studies because Cambridge University believes in having work life balance for the students.
So there are many other options of financing for your education like getting the bursaries and student loans and also scholarships but the University does not allow the students to work outside the university but you can work in some places like college bars and libraries which are not outside the university gate.
And it sometimes feel good thing because you have a lot of workload of studies and academics in your UG especially in the first year in Cambridge University because you need to take a lot of practical tests assignments and essays.
Scholarships for mostly for PG & PhD students
Another disadvantage is that the scholarships you get from Cambridge University are mostly for the students who are studying for post graduation and PhD degrees.
Whether you are applying for Cambridge trust or gates scholarship, there are not many scholarships and approximately 85% of this scholarships awarded to the students are studying PHd and
post graduate degrees not undergraduate, so if you only want to study undergraduate education in Cambridge University then it can be hard for you to get the scholarship because there are not many available for UG programs.
Difficult to get admission
Another disadvantage is that it is very difficult and tough to get admission into just like most other top global universities like Harvard and Oxford.
You can click here to check out the admission process in Cambridge University but in your application they look for certain things like critical thinking analytical thinking motivation curiosity academic ability performance in written assessment and interview.
And the average acceptance rate of Cambridge University is around 20% which is not very bad and not also good as well but yeah if you want to get admission in one of the most prestigious universities in the world then you need to definitely work hard and have some luck with you.
College fees and expenses
And the last disadvantage is that the college fees and expenses are also quite high especially for international students who want to study compared to the citizens of UK.
Basically there are three types of fees you need to pay which are tuition fees college fees and living costs and if you want to study for example computer science engineering then it will cost you around 35000 British pounds as tution fees for international students and £11500 is average living cost depending upon the lifestyle,
so it can cost you a lot of money for international students to study in Cambridge but thankfully there are many scholarships and loans you can take to finance your education and also the fact that there are many colleges you can stay in Cambridge University to reduce your living expenses.
With that said let’s end the article.
Conclusion
These are all the things you need to know about Cambridge University.
Do comment down what are your thoughts about Cambridge University and also share the article and subscribe to my blog to receive notifications as whenever I publish a new article in future.