Faculty of Classics - University of Cambridge
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Thinking about applying to Cambridge to read Classics?
Frequently Asked Questions
This section is designed to answer the questions you are likely to have relating to the Undergraduate Classics Course at Cambridge.
If you have any additional questions about the course, please contact one of our Access and Outreach Officers at:
schools.liaison@classics.cam.ac.uk
Information about finance, international applications etc. can be found on the University’s admissions pages. As undergraduate applications are handled by the colleges, you are also advised to consult their individual websites.
- Why should I study Classics?
- What kinds of careers do those with a Classics degree go on to?
- What courses do you offer?
- Can I study Classics with another subject?
- Can I study Classics if I have never studied Latin or Greek before?
- Will I be at a disadvantage if I have not studied Ancient Greek?
- What A-Levels are best for me to take in preparation for a Classics degree?
- What are the entry requirements for your courses?
- What is the standard offer and how will the new A* grade affect it?
- Which college should I apply to?
- What should I put in my personal statement?
- What happens in an interview?
- How will I be taught?
- Is there a lot of language work on the course?
- Will I have the opportunity to travel and do fieldwork?
- Does Cambridge welcome mature students on its Classics courses?
- Am I disadvantaged if I decide to take a gap-year?
- You make the Cambridge Classics course sound great; but what do your students say?
1. Why should I study Classics?
Classics is the study of ancient Greece and Rome in its broadest sense: Greek and Latin language, literature, philosophy, ancient history, art and archaeology. It is about where we come from and who we are today. Many of our ideas about law, beauty and justice come from the classical world. This breadth makes Classics at Cambridge vibrant, challenging and fun. It also makes our graduates highly marketable. In the Guardian’s 2010 University Guide to Classics, Cambridge came top in the country for ‘Career Prospects’.
2. What kinds of careers do those with Classics degrees go on to?
Few degrees offer the opportunity of acquiring language skills alongside such a wide range of other expertise from essay-writing to critical thinking, from visual analysis to digging. No wonder that Classicists are amongst the most employable graduates in the country. Our students have gone onto law, journalism, film and television, banking, marketing, museum and gallery work, teaching and academia.
3. What courses do you offer?
We offer two Classics courses at Cambridge: a 3-year course, normally for those who are studying Latin up to A-level or equivalent, and a 4-year course for those who aren’t. This second course is for those with no Latin and Greek at all and for those who will have e.g. GCSE or AS level. On arrival, each student is taught at their particular level. In exceptional cases, a candidate with Greek but not Latin at A-level may be admitted to the 3-year course.
All of our undergraduates learn both languages as part of their degree programme. But the languages are just the tip of the iceberg. Our courses are designed to give you an excellent grounding in all areas of the Classical world, and you will have the same breadth of choice in your studies regardless of which course you take. Those on the 4-year course do a preliminary year in which they focus on learning Latin. In their second year they then join the new in-take of 3-year course students and both groups will follow the same course structure:
Year One (Year Two for 4-year course students): known as ‘Part IA’ – in this year you will work on your Latin and Greek, studying texts from a wide range of authors. You will also attend a huge variety of lectures and supervisions on literature, ancient history, art and archaeology, philosophy and linguistics. The language courses are structured according to individual student needs (see, also, questions 5 and 6 below).
Year Two (Year Three for 4-year course students): known as ‘Part IB’ – in this year you will read texts from an even wider range of authors and have the opportunity to choose from a greater number of more detailed courses.
Year Three (Year Four for 4-year course students): known as ‘Part II’, this year is truly unique – you will have almost complete freedom to choose from a huge range of rich and diverse topics. You can write a thesis on a classical subject of your choice, or even take a paper from another Faculty such as English or History.
Throughout both courses you will be given the opportunity, should you wish, to go on an archaeological dig, travel to an ancient land, or take part in the Faculty’s triennial Cambridge Greek Play.
4. Can I study Classics with another subject?
The Classics course is wonderfully diverse in its own right and offers the opportunity of borrowing a paper from another Faculty (e.g. the Tragedy paper from the Faculty of English or Metaphysics from the Faculty of Philosophy) in Part II. You can, however, combine Latin or Greek language and culture with a modern language. For this combined degree, see the relevant pages of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages: http://www.mml.cam.ac.uk/courses/scheduleC.html
5. Can I study Classics if I have never studied Latin and Greek before?
Absolutely! We have a 4-year course available (see question 3 above) for all those who have yet to study Latin or Greek, or will not have reached A-level standard or equivalent in one or the other by the time they start their degree. The course is designed to ensure that you will have the same opportunities as those taking the 3-year course, so you will be at no disadvantage.
6. Will I be at a disadvantage if I have not studied Ancient Greek?
Not at all; the majority of students who are offered a place on the 3-year course do not have A-level or equivalent Greek, and many have none. The course is designed to give everyone the language support they need, with intensive Greek classes for those who are new to the language. The aim is to provide every student with good Latin and Greek regardless of prior experience. If you are entering onto the 4-year course, you will receive the same level of support for both languages, with classes tailored to match each student’s needs.
7. What A-Levels are best for me to take in preparation for a Classics degree?
We are looking for people with the potential to do well. What matters is that you show a real desire to study the subject (whether it be reading beyond your set texts in the original language or in translation, or volunteering on a local archaeological dig!). The same goes for those of you interested in the four-year course: A-levels in Physics, Maths and Sociology are great, as long as you can persuade us that Classics is your next step.
Our course is designed so that you will receive all of the training you need when you get to University, but any subject that calls for the capacities needed in a Classics degree, such as writing essays, criticising literature, learning languages, and handling historical evidence would be useful preparation.
8. What are the entry requirements for your courses?
Classics (3-year) course
Greek or Latin at A level (or equivalent) is an essential requirement for the Classics (3-year) course. Most people who take the three year course have a Latin A-level, but this is not an absolute requirement.
Classics (4-year) course
While GCSE Latin or Greek, or A-level Classical Civilisation are useful, no specific A level (or equivalent) subjects are required for the Classics (4-year) course.
9. What is the standard offer and how will the new A* grade affect it?
The standard offer for a place on the Classics course is A*AA at A-level or an overall 40 points in the IB, but this is not written in stone. Offers are made on the basis of individual students, taking into consideration their ability and potential. The A* grade is not something to worry about unduly – the majority of students who have gained places at Cambridge in the past received high enough marks in their exams to have achieved this grade. For more information about admissions, including the Pre-U, applying with an Access to HE Diploma or from abroad, or about the Special Access Scheme, see:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/apply/
10. Which college should I apply to?
All lectures take place in the Faculty, as do many supervisions; you will receive the same quality of teaching regardless of which college you are at. So you should make your choice of college on other grounds. Do you want to belong to an old college, or a new one? A college for women only, or one that is mixed? A large college, or a small one? Different people, quite properly, have different tastes and preferences in these matters. College websites
(http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/)
will give you the information to help you decide for yourself. If you don’t mind which college you join, then you can make an open application:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/choosing.html#open
Regardless of which college, if any, you initially apply for, you will have the same chance of getting into Cambridge: there is a ‘pooling system’ (see ‘After the Interview’:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/apply/)
designed to ensure that deserving applicants to oversubscribed colleges are considered by other colleges, and that the best-qualified applicants all get places.
11. What should I put in my personal statement?
There is no set rule for what you should put in your personal statement. The personal statement is your opportunity to tell us about yourself and your interests. Your hobbies and achievements are important, but not as important as why you are interested in Classics. Be prepared to talk about your personal statement in an interview – if you write that you have loved reading the Iliad, we will probably ask you why. Questions such as this enable us to better understand your intellectual motivation and how you approach a subject.
12. What happens in an interview?
If you are invited for an interview, you will be interviewed by the college to which you have applied (or been allocated, if you have made an open application) and by a second college selected by the Classics Faculty. All our applicants have this second interview. The thinking behind this policy is that because some colleges are over-subscribed, others under-subscribed, worthy candidates might slip through the net – but we don't want anyone good to get away! If it so happens that your first-choice college is swamped, you will have an opportunity to shine somewhere else, and optimise your chances of entry. So there is no reason to calculate odds: pick your favourite college, and the Faculty will make sure you have a good second chance.
Each college has its own process of assessing candidates. If you are applying for the 3-year course, you may find that you have a short test in either Latin or Greek, and either orally or on paper. For a detailed list of each college’s interview process, see:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/classics/tests.html.
4-year applicants will have their aptitude for language tested centrally by the Faculty.
We assess candidates based on the whole application process, so if you have a written test that does not go well this does not mean you will have ‘failed’; our primary concern is to assess your potential, not how much you know. The most likely topics of conversation will relate to your personal statement and your reasons for choosing Classics.
13. How will I be taught?
How we teach is as important as what we teach. All students in Classics benefit from tuition which is organised centrally by the Faculty and, on a more individual basis, by the college through your Director of Studies. This variety of provision allows us to offer a unique level of care and flexibility. Lectures are offered on all parts of the course as well as in some areas that cut across the disciplines, while classes (especially in Part II) allow you to debate issues and formulate your own arguments.
Throughout your degree course specialist teaching, ‘supervisions’, will give you the chance to study the ancient world in depth, often emphasising a different angle from the lectures. The format of supervisions varies from college to college but often you will write an essay in advance and then discuss it with your supervisor and one or two other students. Supervisions train you to think critically and independently, giving you a real opportunity to work on your intellectual development.
In addition to lectures and seminars the Faculty has excellent up-to-date facilities to support your studies. These include: the Museum of Classical Archaeology, housing one of the finest collections of casts of classical sculpture in the world and a regular base for supervisions and art and archaeology teaching, and a Library which houses an excellent collection of primary and secondary literature as well as providing a comfortable environment in which to study. The Greek and Roman galleries of the Fitzwilliam Museum are just up the road.
14. Is there a lot of language work on the course?
Yes, there is – because we believe that studying Latin and Ancient Greek is integral to gaining a complete understanding of the classical world. It will be hard work, but ultimately very rewarding. Our aim is to enable you to reach a level of proficiency that will allow you to read ancient sources independently, whether for literary, historical or philosophical purposes. The teaching you receive will be very different from in school and language-learning is treated as an intrinsic part of your learning about ancient culture.
15. Will I have the opportunity to travel and do fieldwork?
Yes the Faculty offers many opportunities for travel and archaeological fieldwork. Every summer there are opportunities for students to go on a dig in the UK or abroad and there is a wide range of travel grants available, including prizes for those students who perform exceptionally in their exams. In past years our students have been on digs in Yorkshire and Italy as well as on trips to Troy, Carthage and Greece. We also run an annual exchange programme with Classics students in Munich.
16. Does Cambridge welcome mature students on its Classics courses?
Yes, it does! We currently have several mature students doing undergraduate degrees in Classics. For more information, see:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/apply/
17. Am I disadvantaged if I decide to take a gap-year?
No, you are not. That said, if you have already done some Greek and Latin, it is important to try to ‘keep these up’ over the course of the year.
18. You make the Cambridge Classics course sound great; but what do your students say?
The majority of students love the course, drawing particular attention to the breadth of the subject, and friendliness of the Faculty, as well as to the social life. Check out some of their views in our undergraduate video:
'Classics@Cambridge'.
If you still have a question which is not addressed by the website, please feel free to email schools.liaison@classics.cam.ac.uk
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