Julie
"The Department of Sociology stands out as being an incredibly friendly environment and the lecturers and supervisors are really approachable which makes such a difference to the student experience."
I think the reason why I initially chose to apply for HSPS is the interdisciplinary nature of the course. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to study politics, sociology or anthropology as I had never previously studied any of these subjects. The opportunity to study all of these disciplines in my first year before having to decide which I preferred, is something I find quite unique to HSPS at Cambridge.
After my first year, I decided that Sociology and Politics were the subjects I enjoyed the most. I find that they both complement each other very well and enable me to draw upon some of the same themes but from different perspectives. One of my main academic interests are issues surrounding refugees and migrants in Europe which makes this subject combination perfect! The Department of Sociology stands out as being an incredibly friendly environment and the lecturers and supervisors are really approachable which makes such a difference to the student experience.
If I were to give prospective applicants one advice, it would be to be careful not to overthink the process. I was in the unusual situation of only deciding that I wanted to apply three weeks before the deadline. Nonetheless, I do think this was positive - I don’t think I realised how big it is to apply and get an offer from Cambridge before I had been through the process. This meant that I was very relaxed about it. I am not sure I would have had the confidence to apply if I had properly thought the decision through.
