Cambridge Calling

Cambridge Calling

Talk for classes 11 and 12 by Mr. Sumant Dhamija

On 13 September, 2012, students of classes 11 and 12 assembled for a talk by Mr. Sumant Dhamija, President of The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India. The subject of the interaction was the opportunities offered by University of Cambridge, UK.   We were shown a power-point presentation on several Cambridge colleges, namely, St. Johns, Pembroke, and Mr. Dhamijas alma mater, Emmanuel. The presentation lent a glimpse of the ambence of the pretty and historic university town; the Cam river the quaint colleges, the cobbled streets, it's wired intellects and it's famous alumni-Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton, Pandit Nehru, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and so many more.  

Mr. Dhamija narrated for us his own time studying at Cambridge. He assured us that, if we did head there, the time would undoubtely be the best 3 years of our lives. We would meet and interact with people of diverse backgrounds, interests and nationalities; we could participate in several types of sport (rowing in particular being the most typical to the university) and learn through an experience-based curriculum. The training steadily constructs the skill for research and independant thinking with it's system of periodic essay writing and then learning to defend one's argument.

  He also provided us with valuable tips on how to apply to Oxford or Cambridge and improve our chances of geeting accepted. A personal report will be required and it may be useful to remember the following: Be short, yet informative and honest, with facts which you can defend. Definitely do not exaggerate.   [gallery]   Lay focus on the subject youve chosen, and exhibit your keen curiosity for it.   Detail your personality, talents, and extra-curricular activities.   Mr. Dhamija added that, if the report was good enough, the admission interview may be waived altogether!   Finally, we had a question-answer session. Many students were keen on asking questions and Mr. Dhamija answered happily.   The first question was on obtaining scholarships. Mr.Dhamija named a few, but said the best option was the OCSI scholarship which, though small, opens up avenues for obtaining other scholarships.   A question on Cambridges foreign language offerings was responded to, with, a description of the variety it offers in the field. There is a famous story of how once, there was a single student studying a particular language!   A student asked about which college to choose and Mr. Dhamija remarked that all were equally good and the course was commonly conducted. So the choice really depended on personal preferance of one college over another for location, facilities fees etc. Mrs. Goradia recounted a story of how, her daughter, when seeking admission to Pembroke, was asked if she would bring a horse or a piano! The level of expectations is one of the things that differ between the colleges apparently!   The final question was regarding media studies. Mr.Dhamija remarked that the U.S. was probably a better place for studying such new- world subjects but that didnt mean Cambridge did not offer on it.   Principal ma'am raised a hearty vote of thanks.   As reported by Ashis Mansingh, class 12A.