A Unique Experience! January 25, 2026

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Overall, I found the academic experience to be unique and rewarding. I felt that the writing-intensive nature of the courses was a good skill-building opportunity, and I particularly enjoyed the supervision system and the option to write a dissertation for a course. The work itself was quite rigorous, but I found it to be manageable since actual contact hours (time spent in lectures and supervisions) were low. However, based on what I saw and heard from other study abroad students in my program, I do feel that the academic experience varied a lot from person to person and was very dependent on the supervisor they had.

On-site administration of your program

The Semester Programme team was generally very responsive and helpful. We also had a Director of Studies for academic matters and a Tutor for personal wellbeing. The program occasionally hosted some events throughout the semester, although most were concentrated towards the start of the program.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Housing could vary quite a bit depending on where you were assigned to live. For instance, I was assigned a house that was a 15-minute walk away from Pembroke, whereas others in the program lived in houses right next to Pembroke. Facilities and room size also varied between the houses (e.g., some houses had laundry inside). The house I lived in was quite old, with thin walls. There were a number of problems (plumbing, heating, flickering lights, etc.) that were slow to be addressed. I did appreciate that we had a housekeeper who cleaned common areas every day and our rooms once a week.

There is no meal plan, although we did receive a discount on food at the servery. I mostly cooked at home and sometimes ate out, although food around Cambridge can be quite expensive.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I felt that it was a bit difficult to integrate with the rest of the student body at Cambridge and to naturally meet the regular undergraduates (unless you specifically put in a lot of effort to actively approach people and regularly participate in societies). I think a large part of this was due to the fact that all of us in the semester program lived in off-campus accommodation, so there were less chances to meet and interact with the other Cambridge students.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I visited the College Nurse once, but it seemed to be more of a consultation/a way for her to redirect you elsewhere if actual treatment was needed.

I felt like Cambridge was a very safe city and don't recall feeling unsafe (even when walking at night). One student in my program did have their bike stolen though when it was left unlocked.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Cambridge is pretty expensive, especially with the conversion from dollars to pounds. I spent a lot on food since there was no meal plan included.

Select all that apply

• Other

Select all that apply

• Americans

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• Friends in the program
• Supervision system
• The city of Cambridge

• Housing
• Integration into the Cambridge student body
• Food/affordability