Anna - English and Education Studies

Name: Anna Horvai

Subject: English and Education Studies

Year: Second

A-levels taken: In an American school so didn't do A-levels - offer based on final 3 Advanced Placement exams in: European History, English Literature and Art History

What does your working week entail?

My working week really varies; rather
than having a weekly essay, I have 4-6 major essays throughout each term.
In addition to these essays (each specific to the English courses I'm
taking), I also have reading to do for my weekly lectures, since
discussions are based on these set texts. I generally have some Education
reading to do, and have three essays that I submit as coursework this year.
During the week I also have to work on my practical projects and on my
English dissertation. Basically, I have a lot of major, long-term projects
that I have to devote a certain amount of time to each week, but it is up
to me how I decide to divide this work. My course is extremely independent.
I have five lectures a week and supervisions roughly every other week.

How easy was the transition from A-level to the first year of your degree?
The transition wasn't too difficult because my high school program was
extremely rigorous. I actually found that the fact that my course wasn't
very rigidly structured was more difficult to get used to than the work
itself!

How easily can you fit social activities into your working week?

It is usually not too difficult balancing work and extracurriculars, although at
some points life does get a bit hectic! I'm the JCR President so that's
quite a time-consuming commitment, but I am also women's basketball captain
and still get a chance to go out during the week. Time management is key-
and I usually am able to balance everything I have to do even if that means
I'm busy a lot of the time! But it's definitely worth getting involved in
Cambridge life, so make sure you take a chance to explore all of the sports
and societies for when you want a break from work.

What sort of things did you talk about in your interview?

For my general interview, I had a lot of questions about my interest in English and the
subjects I studied in high school that made me enthusiastic about applying
for this course. In my subject interview, I was asked questions about major
issues in education today and why I was interested in the course. We also
discussed the writing piece I had sent in. The general interview was only
about 20 minutes, whereas the subject-specific interview lasted over an
hour. My interviewers were friendly and encouraging, and it was clear that
they were looking for students who showed passion for the subject and were
willing to critically think through the relevant issues.