Sylvie is from Prague, in the Czech Republic, and wrote this at the end of her second year studying Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) here at Christ’s College, Cambridge. At school, Sylvie took the Czech Maturita, with Czech language and literature and Maths for her compulsory subjects, and Biology, Social Sciences, and Chemistry for her optional subjects.
What attracted you to Psychology at Cambridge?
What I love about Psychological and Behavioural Sciences (PBS) at Cambridge is the flexibility we are offered in the course. Every year, we have optional papers from different courses, for example Biological Anthropology or Natural Sciences. Without this, I would never discover how great Biological Anthropology is as a subject, and how well it complements Psychology. This year I am also taking a paper from Sociology, which I’m really excited about. This unique structure of the course has really allowed me a wider, more holistic understanding of the topics discussed by these disciplines.
And why the UK?
Amongst Europeans, the UK is well-regarded for its excellence in education, which is why I began considering applying in the first place. Apart from that, I have multiple friends already studying in the UK who recommended it. Plus, I wanted to go to a country where I knew the local language, and my French was definitely not good enough at that point.
Why did you apply to Christ’s College?
A key reason for me was Christ’s location – I was used to long commutes at home and I was more than happy to leave those behind. Apart from location, it was the gardens that attracted me to Christ’s, I wanted a college that has a lot of green spaces I could walk around in (and I was not disappointed with the Fellows’ Gardens, that’s for sure!).
Christ's has exceeded my expectations! What I love most about the College is how friendly and kind the staff here is – from Porters (special shout-out to Terry!), upper hall and buttery staff, or the gardeners. I love chatting to them when I’m spending time in the College. And living in the centre has certainly been a game-changer to my social life – I don’t have to plan meeting with friends in advance anymore (as I needed to at home) because everything is so close by!
What is your favourite place in college?
Definitely the Gardens – whenever I’m stressed about anything, I just take a stroll through the Gardens to get some peace and quiet. And there’s nothing better than watching those adorable squirrels hopping around.
What do you think of the collegiate system in general?
I think it’s truly amazing – I get to meet and live with people from so many different courses, which would certainly be much harder at home where you mostly get to meet people who study the same degree as you (not that psychology students aren't lovely, of course!)
Did you understand the College system when you were applying?
I think I was fairly able to understand the idea – what surprised me, however, is how your College sort of becomes part of your identity. Whenever you meet people outside, you always get questions on your name+degree+College To future students who are choosing a College, I’d say this: think about what’s important to you. Are you dreaming about attending a Hogwarts-like College, or does that not matter to you? Are you willing to cycle to lectures, or do you want to be close by? But overall, don’t worry too much about it, once you go to a specific College, you’ll find things you love about it that make it unique for you – whether that be the people there, the places etc.
How did you find the application process?
Quite nerve-wracking, to be honest, but that is hardly surprising. At home, Oxbridge is often regarded as this institution where only the best and the brightest can study – basically out of reach for mere mortals. So my self-esteem was a bit like on a swing – one day I woke up thinking: “there’s no reason I shouldn’t be accepted” and then a bit later was thinking “Who am I kidding? It is a world-class university.” All of these worries dissipated, however, once I received my offer. I knew I wouldn’t get accepted if I didn’t stand at chance at making it.
Was the interview what you expected it to be?
I found it quite exciting actually. I got to engage in very stimulating conversations with some very brilliant people – and some of them became my Directors of Studies later. And all my interviewers were very nice to talk to. And most importantly, I learned some things during the interview, which made me realise how beneficial the supervision form of learning can be. You get pushed outside your thinking comfort zone and realise things you haven’t thought of before. In preparation, I was reading around the subject, and trying to think of the style of questions I could be asked. I didn’t have many people around me who could do a mock interview with me, so I did one with myself. It was a quite funny experience, but I believe it still was somewhat helpful.
What specific advice would you give prospective applicants?
I suppose one thing I can say is – be opinionated. Find things in Psychology (or any other subject you would like to study) that you are interested in, think about why you find it interesting, and don’t be afraid to express your opinion throughout your personal statement, essay, or interview.
Before you came to Cambridge, what were you looking forward to and what were you most worried about?
I was excited about living abroad – before Cambridge, I had always lived in my home country with my family, so I was curious what living on your own is like. And I was really looking forward to having my own space. On the other hand, that was also the thing I was most worried about – after all, I didn’t know anyone here. But the College really makes it much easier to settle in a different country – they support you every step of the way (how to get a GP etc).
Did you find it easy to settle in?
I had to quarantine upon arrival, which was quite unfortunate. Finding friends 
was a bit more difficult given social distancing rules at the time, but I did find two close friends in the first few days of Fresher’s week. I think what helped me is to realize that everyone is going out of their way to find new friends because most people start from scratch – so don’t be afraid to mingle and introduce yourself to people you don’t know. Everyone is looking for friends.
What are your favourite memories of Freshers' Week?
I loved the scavenger hunt organized by the Freshers reps, it was a great way to look around Cambridge as well as to meet new people. I suppose I was surprised by the existence of the tutorial system – where you get an individual appointed as your tutor whom you talk to at least once a term to discuss your well-being. I hadn’t encountered that at home. And my experience with that has been nice – my tutor, Dr Monie, has been very helpful whenever I needed anything.
How did you find starting lectures and supervisions etc.?
My lectures were online in my first year, which meant I could watch them whenever was most convenient for me. On the other hand, now that we have in-person lectures again I find it much easier to focus during the lecture. I would say the lectures were what I expected – I’ve attended a fair number of lectures at home (because in our school system, university lectures are by default public and anyone can attend them, not just the students) and they are pretty similar. Supervisions are what I expected based on my interviews and I am enjoying those immensely! But don’t worry – not knowing an answer to your supervisor’s questions is normal.
What is different with your work now, compared to what you experienced at school?
A lot of my work here involves writing essays, unlike at home where we don’t write almost any essays. And of course, the workload is much higher – but I would be surprised if it wasn’t! Apart from that, I have learned how to organize my work by myself. At home, we had a few tests every day, which somewhat forced you to work on the subject at home, but here we don’t get marked for our work apart from the exams at the end of the year. So you need to be more disciplined.
What are the best and hardest things about your course?
The best is definitely the supervisions, where you can discuss your thoughts and ask questions. I think the hardest thing is generally the workload – especially in second-year there is a lot to cover. But I think that prepares you for the future – when you make it here, I’d say you’re ready to tackle or learn how to tackle anything your career might throw at you.
Overall, I would say that the course is as I expected it to be when I applied. What I didn’t expect, however, was that I would so interested in biological anthropology, and I am so happy the course has allowed me to explore that interest.
Looking back over the course, what do you feel you have got out of it?
I think my understanding of nuances in psychological research and the ability to critically assess research has definitely become more fine-tuned. As well as my abilities to express myself in academic writing. Writing an essay on an academic subject is now much easier than it was when I started in first year. It feels much more natural as well.
What has been your favourite supervision from this year?
I don’t think I can pick only one, but I loved my one-on-one supervision with Robert Attenborough in Biological anthropology. I was able to discuss my ideas with him and he is such a pleasant person to talk to. We were talking about hunter-gatherers and their ways of living. I also adore my supervisions with my Director of Studies, Dr Camilla Nord, particularly the ones on learning and vision. She is absolutely brilliant and a great supervisor to have.
How does your teaching work?
During my second year, I had one or two lectures every day apart from Sunday, which might sound a little intimidating, but I like going to lectures. They help me maintain a routine during term. Otherwise I usually had three supervisions a week, for which I usually had to write an essay and learn the material. The supervisions were a nice way to solidify and deepen what you’ve learned during lectures. For one of my papers, PBS4, we also had weekly practicals, which included learning to code in R, which I enjoyed a lot.
How do you manage your workload?
I think, for me, the key to work-life balance has been to realise that your work will never be perfect and you will not reach a point when there are no further improvements to consider. And hence I wouldn’t sacrifice my sleep or other healthy habits for it. I always try to make time for fun things in my schedule – as Robert Brown put it, this is not meant to be a vale of tears.
I usually work in my own room as there are few distractions. Or, to be precise, the distraction are more disciplined based – watching youtube, chatting with you friends, so fundamentally I like that I am in control of those distractions. Whereas in public places, I cannot remove those distractions.
What is your favourite thing about the college?
I love that I’m living close to my friends – I can just go knock on their door and catch up with them!
What do you do when you’re not working?
I cherish my free time in Cam so much and I love picking up new activities – I joined the University’s Acrobatic Rock’n’Roll Team, and it has become one of my favourite things about Cambridge. I am now its captain, and I found some of my closest friends there. We get to perform at events, including last year’s Cambridge Union Winter Spectacular or Churchill College Guest Night, which is so much fun! Otherwise I love walking around the city, or drawing as I find both of those activities really relaxing.
Where have you lived this year?
I lived in Blyth, facing the Fellows Garden. I must say the view has been my favourite part about living there, apart from living next doors to my wonderful college husbands. Now I live in Y, which is opposite Blyth, and I am loving it. It is a lot of stairs, however, since I’m on the third floor!
How do you spend your holidays?
I always go home for some of the vacation because I miss my family and friends so much. Other than that, I try to travel and visit some of my international friends in their home countries. I love exploring new places and recently I was able to visit my close friends in France, which was an absolute delight.
What are you most looking forward to next year?
Spending more time with my friends and trying out some new societies. I want to make the most out of my last year at Cambridge – make sure to visit all the colleges, attend formals and other events. I’m also looking forward to the research project – it’s going to be unlike the rest of my degree so far, so I’m curious about what I will be working on and with whom.
Do you know which papers you’ll be taking next year?
I picked Developmental Psychopathology, which I am really excited about, because the main lecturer on the course, Claire Hughes, is really great. Apart from that, I am doing a sociology paper, called Health, Medicine and Society, because I am really interested in topics concerning health. And lastly, I am again doing biological anthropology of course.
Sept 2022
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