Cambridge Scholars Study Abroad Program
Deadline Date for 2008/2009 Academic Year Program: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by 2 pm
Turn in all materials including transcript & references to:
Lauren Stolper, Director of Study Abroad
Room 319 in the Student Services Center on Holliston, Mail Code 319-87
Please read the following pages carefully as this information is essential for completing an application. You will find most of your questions answered.
The Cambridge Scholars Program is a study abroad program in which Caltech students study at Cambridge University, England during their junior or senior year. Students can study during the fall or winter term. Note that four places are available for the fall (Michaelmas Term) and six for the winter (Lent Term). Students may apply for both or either term, but if selected would only go for one term.
Note that participants must remain in Cambridge for the entire term. Students may take weekend trips or travel in Britain or Europe before the program starts or after it ends. However, students are required to attend all classes and be in residence in Cambridge for the entire term with the exception of weekend trips.
The fall term (Michaelmas) dates for 2008/2009 are October 7 through December 5. Students are required to arrive in Cambridge the Friday prior to the beginning of the Michaelmas Term, i.e., Oct. 3.
The winter (Lent) term dates for 2008/2009 are January 13 through March 13. Students are required to arrive in Cambridge the Friday prior to the beginning of the Lent term, i.e., January 9.
These dates allow sufficient time for travel before or after the Michaelmas (fall) or Lent (winter) terms.
Cambridge Location, History, and Study Body
Cambridge University is located in the town of Cambridge, England. Cambridge has a population of about 90,000 residents and is located in East Anglia in Cambridgeshire. Cambridge is ~60 miles northwest of London (55 minutes by express rail from London) in beautiful English countryside with plenty of opportunities for country walks and cycling. Cambridge is located on the River Cam and is both a lively market and university town, abounding in clubs, pubs, and cultural opportunities. The university was founded in the 13th century and is at the top of the academic league of British universities. Cambridge University has 16,000 students of which about 10,000 are undergraduates. Therefore, about 15% of the population of Cambridge is comprised of students!
Room and Board
There are 31 colleges (residence complexes in which students live and receive instruction in some situations). Of these 31 colleges, 29 admit undergraduates and all are co-ed except three. Our exchange involves four of these undergraduate colleges and all are coed: Pembroke (est. 1347). Corpus Christi (est. 1352), St. Catharine’s (est. 1473) and St. John’s (est. 1511). Participating students live in single rooms in one of these historic colleges. Note that placements are not available at any other colleges — no special arrangements can be made regardless of individual desire regarding placements. Furthermore, students cannot specify a placement. The Director of Study Abroad makes all college placements.
Each college has a dining hall, but there is no board plan. Colleges offer breakfast, lunch and dinner on weekdays and usually have brunch and dinner on weekends. Caltech students are charged standard Caltech room and board fees. Caltech remits these room fees directly to the host college. Each student’s board fees are given to him or her minus the set college kitchen-operating fee (about $250 depending on the exchange rate). Caltech students can use board funds to pay for meals in their college dining hall. Students can also use such funds to eat out or cook for themselves. Note that students must eat in their own college’s dining hall unless invited to another hall by a member of that college. Also note that all colleges offer in addition to the regular dinner a served meal called formal hall at a slightly later time than regular hall. Some colleges do this almost nightly, while others limit formal hall to several nights a week. Formal hall requires that participants wear a college gown while dining. Students bring their own wine and grace is said in Latin. The fellows of the college also eat at formal hall usually at a high table. Formal hall requires a reservation/ticket and is more expensive than a regular meal in college.
Due to the higher cost of attending Cambridge and the exchange rate, Caltech students must pay a tuition and room supplement. In Michaelmas 2007 and Lent 2008 the supplement per term for tuition was $425 and for room $400. Financial aid recipients may request additional funds for the room and tuition supplement in their financial aid application. Such funds will be awarded based on the individual need level of the student.
Note that most of our partner Cambridge colleges charge a modest fee for internet access, which students will remit directly their host college.
Caltech students must register for a minimum of the equivalent of 36 Caltech units while abroad. However, it is usually possible to take additional classes. The host university’s rules regarding the number of courses or units allowed visiting students must be adhered to.
There are about 25 distinct undergraduate degree options at Cambridge in the sciences or engineering plus mathematics and economics. Although Caltech students can choose to be in one of the physical or biological sciences, mathematics or engineering or in the case of those in the Economics or BEM option in economics, there is ample opportunity to meet and interact with students from a range of disciplines that enrich the Cambridge experience. Note that the undergraduate degree takes only three years at Cambridge, as there are no distribution requirements to fulfill in other subjects. However, many physical science and engineering students take a 4th year and get a type of non-research master’s degree as a part of their undergraduate training. Seniors and well-prepared juniors may take these 4th year courses. The math tripos and biological sciences fields such as neuroscience, physiology and zoology are strictly three-year degree programs, but the 3rd year is equivalent to Caltech upper division junior and senior courses.
The heart of the Cambridge curriculum is the tripos. Each tripos is divided into three parts. In some subjects there is a two year long Part I (sometimes divided into Part IA and Part IB and a one year Part II. In others, Part I lasts a year and is followed by a two-year Part II. In Engineering and many science subjects there is a fourth year course called Part II B or III. Note the Natural Science Tripos includes 17 distinct subjects. On your application where it says to note the tripos, note the subject within the Natural Science Tripos or Engineering Tripos that you wish to undertake. Note that students take all courses within their subject/tripos. In other words students cannot take electives in the humanities or social sciences. Students in the economics tripos take all of their classes in the economics department. Some subjects such as engineering offer a range of elective courses within the tripos including languages, management, etc.
Another interesting aspect of a Cambridge education is the supervision system in which you meet typically every two weeks with a faculty or graduate student supervisor in each course with one or two other students to go over the work and discuss course concepts. Essays or problem sets are due before each supervision. Caltech students have greatly enjoyed the experience of supervisions. Note that in subjects such as engineering and physics, the 4th year courses are called modules and do not have supervisions. To fully appreciate the Cambridge system, it is advisable to take one or two courses that do have supervisions. Some subjects in the biological sciences such as neuroscience have lectures and small group work and it is up to the student to set up supervisory sessions, as these are not automatic.
Courses by Correspondence
Note that it is
possible to take one Caltech course “by correspondence” while abroad. This is
not uncommon especially for students who need to do ACM 95 a or b as there is
no exactly comparable course in Cambridge. The course taken by correspondence
must be listed in your proposal and you must, if accepted into the program,
have the CIT faculty member teaching the course next year complete a required
course credit agreement evaluation form.
You choose one tripos subject and select courses only from the third and fourth year of a tripos-Part II or Part III level courses.
Sophomore applicants should usually choose courses from the tripos/subject part equivalent to the third year of study, but with proper prerequisites may choose 4th year courses.
Junior applicants may choose from the 3rd or 4th year of study. Note it is possible to take course from the 3rd and 4th years of a tripos. However, you need to be aware of schedule conflicts when taking courses from more than one part of the tripos/subject since the courses are set up to avoid conflicts as much as possible only within that part.
Due to the way that university study is structured in Britain, students will only be able to study in the area of their Caltech option or a highly related area unless their own program offers a broader range of courses. For example, engineering offers management and economics subjects taught especially for engineers. Note that Caltech students may only choose a subject in the biological sciences, physical sciences, mathematics or engineering. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO TAKE COURSE IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES OR HUMANITIES with the exception of courses offered within a tripos. Note the BEM/Economics option students may choose the Economics tripos. Note that some tripos subjects such as physics allow students to take math courses. Other subjects such as electrical or mechanical engineering allow students to take courses in the tripos in foreign languages, economics, or management. Note that engineering students must take at least 3 courses in engineering and may opt for a fourth engineering course or one or two from these non-engineering electives.
Under exceptional circumstances, a student needing to take a science or engineering course to fulfill a Caltech requirement not in their tripos that can be filled in no other way and in no other term, after a student is selected to Cambridge, permission will be sought to determine if it is possible for the student to take one course outside of the tripos. It is usually best to handle such situations by taking the course by correspondence or as an independent study at Caltech before or after study at Cambridge. Note that taking a course outside of your tripos or subject within the tripos can only be done with the permission of the Cambridge department and is in no way guaranteed. Note that students should not seek such permission-this will be done by the Director of Study Abroad after the student is accepted into the program. Students will receive 36 units of credit for 4 courses and 45 units credit for 5 courses. Credit can be sought for option requirements or electives or for general credit.
Students will take four or five lecture or module courses. For example, some lecture series only run for half a term, but can be combined with another half term series. Chemists should note that they choose 3 courses per each half term for a total of six. In some subjects such as chemical engineering or neuroscience, students will be required to take all courses, but should note which four or five courses for which they wish to receive credit. This means setting up a schedule of work versus just attending lectures. GPS students must take at least 3, but may take 4 classes. Each class has a lab and each class will receive 12 units.
Students will also take required or customary supervisions and labs. Note that labs are usually not counted as a separate course in Britain. Students will not take final exams, but will be evaluated by Caltech and Cambridge faculty on a special evaluation form. Students will not receive grades in Cambridge only credit at Caltech. All courses are noted by name of the student’s transcript and whether or not the student received credit. All courses must be taken for credit. Course not completed to the satisfaction of Caltech or Cambridge professors will be noted as no credit on the transcript.
Science students will be able to study in the natural sciences tripos including:
Astronomy; astrophysics; biochemistry; chemistry; earth sciences; genetics; pure/applied mathematics; neuroscience, physiology, development and neuroscience; plant sciences; physics; and zoology. There is no biology tripos: students may elect one of the following areas, Part II only: zoology or the recently restructured subject - neuroscience, development and physiology.
Note that students cannot take anatomy, clinical or veterinary medicine, pathology, or pharmacology. These courses are limited to Cambridge students studying medicine or veterinary science. No exceptions can be made!
Again, only choose course from the 3rd or 4th year of the tripos, usually Part II or III for your subject. If a department, e.g., Chemistry and few other subjects have different tracks for those pursuing either a 3 or 4 year degree program. It is best to choose courses from the list for those pursuing the 4-year degree track, as those are more comparable to Caltech level courses.
Again, students cannot take elective courses in the humanities or social sciences with the exception of engineers taking the engineering/management track in the engineering tripos. Also some other departments such as Physics offer some management-like electives. It is important for Caltech student to understand that Cambridge students are actually admitted to their colleges in a particular tripos and read (take courses in) that subject their entire university career. There are some choice points within a tripos for Cambridge undergrads as they move from foundation courses to selecting a specific course of study (subject) to follow with their tripos. However, do not have distribution requirements or electives in subjects outside of their field.
Biology Students should look at the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Tripos. Students should choose to concentrate in Part II of one of the following major subjects in this tripos: Neuroscience, Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, Plant Science, Psychology (if you have the necessary background) or Zoology. Go to http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/natscitripos/ps/structure/part2.html to get an overview of the subjects and then to http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/dept.html for specific course information in each subject. Click on Teaching or Undergraduate Teaching. Some information is not available to non-Cambridge students. In that case you can write to the instructor or course organizer for the timetable, course booklet, and specific information about the classes.
Chemistry sophomores should carefully study the timetable for Part II courses. http://www-teach.ch.cam.ac.uk. Click on course guides and then on the timetable for Part II and III. The chemistry terms in both Part II and III are divided into teaching blocks. The issue with Part II courses is that the courses are not wholly taught within one term. Therefore, chemistry option sophomores who wish to go to Cambridge as juniors should select courses from Part III and from Part II courses that do not overlap two terms.
Computer Science and Chemical Engineering Students should note that these subjects have their own tripos.
GPS students should choose 3 or 4 classes, but 3 are sufficient since each has a lab and the combined lecture class and lab will get 12 units per class/lab. GPS students are usually allowed to participate in fieldtrips and may get credit for these. However, in some cases the student will be required to pay for their own expenses and travel – this may especially be true for the post term field trips that are abroad.
Mathematics students who are juniors may choose courses from Part II or III Maths depending on availability. With permission exceptionally well-prepared juniors and sophomores may take up to two courses from the Part III course offerings. Note that these do not have traditional supervisions.
ME and EE students should note that while Part IIa classes have regular supervisions, Part IIb) have no supervisions and supervisions are a distinctive aspect of the Cambridge experience. Therefore, EE or ME students are advised to take at least two Part IIa courses, but this is not required. Engineering students can take course from the management/economics track of the engineering tripos (similar to BEM), and can also take classes in languages if they take a course at the appropriate level. Note again that 3 of the 4 or 5 courses that you choose must be taken in an engineering subject versus a non-engineering elective in the offered in the tripos.
Physics students should note that Part IIb courses have supervisions and Part III do not have regular supervisions. Supervisions are a distinctive aspect of education at Cambridge and students are encouraged to take two courses from Part IIb.
DO NOT HESITATE TO COME BY OUR OFFICE (FELLOWSHIPS & STUDY ABROAD-STUDENT SERVICES CENTER, ROOM 319) IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. It is helpful if you call first, ext 2150, and schedule a meeting time with the director, Lauren Stolper. She will handle walk-in question as time allows.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION — READ CAREFULLY. A list of URL’s for departments in which you can study appears below. Remember that you must choose courses from one department only unless the department allows crossover, e.g. physics and astronomy. On occasion we can obtain permission for a student to take a course in another tripos or subject if that course is the only way and only term the student can fulfill a Caltech requirement and the subject is in a closely related field, e.g., engineering student who needs a physics course. Discuss all exceptions with Lauren Stolper before doing your proposal. Note that when you copy course descriptions from a web page, please adjust the spacing so that the descriptions are single-spaced.
General Information:
Cambridge University: http://www.cam.ac.uk/ - Search for a specific field.
Administrative and Academic Departments/Offices: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/
Subject Guide: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/publications/index.html
(Download guides to subjects-note this is not specific class information, but an overview of each subject.)
The Cambridge Tripos System: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/tripos.html
Natural Sciences Tripos (NST) General Information: http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/natsci/part2.html
NST department list: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambuniv/natscitripos/links.html
Engineering Undergraduate Teaching: http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/ click on Third and/or Four Year
Engineering Department Homepage: http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/
Lecture List: http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/reporter/current/special/01/
This URL gives the lecture (course) list for the current year.
Host College Information: http://www.cam.ac.uk/colleges
Click on Corpus Christi, Pembroke, St. Catharine's or St. John's
Index of University Web Servers: http://www.cam.ac.uk/global/az.html Click on specific departments.
Cambridge Area: http://www.cam.ac.uk/cambarea/
At this URL you can find information about the Cambridge area.
Specific Departments
NOTE WELL THAT IN CAMBRIDGE THE TERM COURSE MEANS COURSE OF STUDY (Subject), NOT SPECIFIC CLASSES. DO NOT BE CONFUSED. YOU NEED TO GO TO THE SPECIFIC LECTURE LISTS IN THE TEACHING AREA OF EACH SUBJECT/TRIPOS. Note that some departments only allow enrolled students access to the class list. In that case search for a course booklet, which will provide the names of the specific classes and a description, but may not provide a timetable of when courses are taught. Note that M (Michaelmas) means a course is taught in the fall and L (Lent) means a course is taught in the winter.
Also note well that the web pages designed for undergraduate admissions are very general-you need to look for specific classes in the department homepages not in the admissions pages. This can be very confusing and frustrating. Look for links for information for current versus prospective students. And write to the department or faculty course organizer for details. Note again that the course organizer is not the instructor for a particular class, but the faculty member who has oversight of the subject-a bit like CIT option reps!
NOTE: LOOK AT PART II OR III CLASSES ONLY
Astronomy/Astrophysics: http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/IoA/teaching/undergradprog.html and http://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/teaching/undergrad/
Applied Math/Math: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/ and http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/course/
Biological Sciences: See Neuroscience; Physiology, Development & Neuroscience (PDN); Plant Science; or Zoology listed below:
•Neuroscience: http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/teaching/part2/pdn/studying.html
• PDN: http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/teaching/part2/pdn/introduction.html and read the general information. Then click on undergraduate teaching or go directly to Part II http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/teaching/part2/index.html. Note the course brochure and provisional timetable that can be accessed by students not currently enrolled — http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/teaching/part2/pdn/NSTBrochure.pdf and http://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/teaching/part2/pdn/timetable.html.
• Plant Sciences: http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk
Go to Part II of course outlines: http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/teaching/outlines.html.
• Zoology: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/ and http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/degree/index.html.
Chemistry: http://www-teach.ch.cam.ac.uk/
Chemical Engineering: ChemE Department Homepage: http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk
Overview of Course Structure: http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/moreinfo/contents/index.html
http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/moreinfo/index.html
3rd year courses IIa: http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/moreinfo/contents/year3.html
4th year courses: IIb: http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/moreinfo/contents/year4.html
For the timetable or more information on individual classes go to this link and contact the relevant faculty member: http://www.cheng.cam.ac.uk/research/themes/directory.php
Earth Sciences: http://www.esc.cam.ac.uk/ - Click on “teaching and then click on either Geological or Mineral Sciences. At the top of each section you will see Parts. Click on Parts II and III.
Engineering: http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate.html and click on Undergraduate Syllabuses. Also go to: http://www.eng.cam.ac.uk/teaching/.
Material Science: http://www.msm.cam.ac.uk/ - Go to teaching and then Part IIb and Part III.
Mathematics: http://www.dpmms.cam.ac.uk/ - Click on teaching or go to http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/course/. If you are an advanced mathematics student you may be allowed to take courses in Part III, which is considered to be a graduate level program. Go to http://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/postgrad/casm//
Physics-Experimental and Theoretical: http://www.phy.cam.ac.uk/teaching
Click on Teaching and then on Parts II and III.