Why study in Cambridge?
Cambridge is easily one of the most famous cities in the UK, which is strange when you consider that it is not even one of the 50 biggest cities in the UK (54th in 2021). A large part of this fame is because Cambridge is home to the second-oldest university in the UK, which also commonly features among lists of the top 5 universities in the world, along with Oxford, Harvard and Yale. However, while the University is a huge attraction to the city, it is not the only reason to come and study in Cambridge.
The University
Of course, the university is a major draw for students from all over the world. Established in 1209 by a group of professors from Oxford University, the university today consists of 31 colleges and has become somewhat synonymous with science. The university’s alumni include such notable mathematicians and scientists as Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Alan Turing, Sir David Attenborough and Stephen Hawking. One of the most famous discoveries in Cambridge University however, is the discover of the helix-shape of DNA by Francis Crick and James Watson.
It is not only famous scientists to graduate from Cambridge however. Many politicians, actors, writers and philosophers have all passed through Cambridge University. The university has produced over a hundred Nobel prize winners in science, peace and literature. Cambridge graduates have also won 189 Olympic medals!
In addition to the famous Cambridge University, there is also Anglia Ruskin University or ARU. Although Anglia Ruskin might play second fiddle to its older cousin, the university was recently ranked 39th in the UK and in the top 350 in the world.
Culture
There is no shortage of things to do in Cambridge, such as visiting the large number of museums in the city such as the famous Fitzwilliam museum, the MAA (Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology), the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, the Zoology Museum, the Scott Polar Research museum and many others. All of these museums are expertly curated to provide an interesting experience.
In addition to the museums, there are the Botanic Gardens in the city centre, which contain more than 8,000 species of plants from around the world. The city is also home to many festivals such as the film festival, folk festival, rock festival, beer festival and club festival.
Speaking of the city’s film festival, many films and TV shows have been filmed in the city including the Theory of Everything, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Red Joan, The Man who Knew Infinity, Grantchester and Ludwig.
The River
Cambridge takes its name from the river that flows through the city, the River Cam. Originally built up around one bridge over the river, today the city has many bridges over the river including the famous mathematical bridge and Cambridge’s bridge of sighs.
At many times of the year you can see people punting on the river (a punt is a small flat-bottomed boat, propelled by a chauffeur using a long pole). This is a great way to get to look at a number of the university colleges from the back and learn about their history.
Further east along the river, you will likely see many rowing clubs. Rowing is an important hobby in Cambridge due to the university’s long-running annual boat race against Oxford university. The first boat race was in 1829 with Cambridge emerging victorious 87 times to Oxford’s 81.
Transport
Cambridge is located north of London, taking just over an hour to get to London and Heathrow airport. From Stansted, Cambridge is even closer, taking just 30 minutes by train. In addition to London, Cambridge offers direct trains to Birmingham, Brighton and Ipswich.
As it is a small city, the city centre has most attractions within an easily walkable distance of each other. However, if walking is not your thing, many people choose to get around the city by bicycle or bus. You can’t walk around Cambridge without noticing hundreds of people riding their bicycles, and this helps to keep the city air clean.
Buses are also quite reliable and many routes operate frequent buses at peak times to the suburbs and surrounding towns.
Green Spaces
Cambridge has many green areas such as Parker’s piece - the birthplace of the modern rules of football, and formerly used as a cricket ground. This large green in the centre of Cambridge also once held 15,000 people who had turned out for a feast in honour of Queen Victoria.
This is not the only green space in Cambridge however, with Midsummer Common, Christ’s Pieces and Jesus Green all offering great places to walk.
Safety
Cambridge is known to be one of the safest cities in the UK. With a rate of 26.2 crimes per 1000 people in 2023, Cambridge has a much lower rate than the national average of 82 crimes per 1000 people.
With such a low crime rate, Cambridge is a great place to be able to relax while studying on an English course.
There are many reasons why people choose Cambridge to study. Not only does it have one of the most famous universities in the world, but Cambridge is a very safe city with a lot to offer in terms of history and culture. We hope to see you or your students in Cambridge one day!