Academic in Queens'
Teaching At Cambridge
Amidst everything else people get involved with, there is of course the small issue of working towards your degree, though especially early on it's easy to forget that that's what we fundamentally came here for...though don't worry too much about reading lists before you come here - if you want to read something, just pick what interests you most - this is your summer holiday afterall!
Faculty/Department
All students taking your course, across the University, will have some teaching arranged for them by their Department or Faculty. It is also the Department or Faculty which sets and marks your end-of-year exams.
Lectures
Lectures can be held in several different theatres and departments situated around Cambridge. In the case of certain arts students, you might find that some lectures are not an essential part of your course. For Science students, it's a little more straightforward. In both cases, if you have any difficulty with a topic covered in a lecture, most lecturers are happy for you to ask them questions at the end of the lecture, or to contact them via email. Alternatively, you can always bring up any queries with your supervisor.
Practicals
Practical classes are generally the domain of Science students, their structure can vary widly depending on the department.
Classes
The group size in a class is the midpoint between lectures and supervisions. The number of classes you receive as part of your course varies significantly between subjects. These are usually used to allow for lecture-style teaching with more opportunities for interaction and questioning.
College-Organised Learning
Supervisions
This is the small group teaching system that Oxbridge is famous for, and one of the best things about studying your subject at Cambridge. Supervisions are arranged by your Director of Studies (DoS) but for some subjects you will have to sign up for them yourself, or contact the relevant person in the faculty (often the case for revision supervisions). They usually take place for an hour once a week, though the number will vary depending on which courses you're taking. They are designed to be a discussion between students and teachers who are experts in the field, thus enabling you to personalise your study. In supervisions, you have the opportunity to ask questions, clarify problem areas or raise any issues you may be having with the course. The situation might seem a bit intimidating at first, but remember they aren't 'tests of your intelligence' as much as tools for your own development in a particular subject. And don't worry too much about workload - most of your worst fears are probably unfounded.
The Important People in Your (Academic) Life!
Director of Studies
They are your principal academic contact. Their role is to act as the link to your Department or Faculty and to arrange your supervisions and supervisors for you. They should meet with you within the first week to discuss the course objectives for the academic year, the teaching you will receive, and will inform you of any Department or Faculty introductory courses taking place. They will also meet with you individually on a regular basis – usually at the end of each term – to discuss your academic progress, making use of supervision reports and your responses on feedback forms.
Supervisor
They should be experts in their field of study, and may be either a Fellow or a PhD student. They will deal with a specific aspect of your course: e.g. medics will have Anatomy supervisions; philosophers will have Ethics supervisions. They should see you as part of a small group of students, or individually, about once a week - however this can vary by subject.
Tutor
Your tutor should be a Fellow of the College in a subject different to the one you are studying. They are responsible for your pastoral support and may be consulted on any problems you may be having, including academic, financial or personal problems. Trouble settling in? Your student loan hasn’t come through? You can’t stand your next-door neighbour’s love for heavy metal? Problems with your DoS? Your Tutor should hold weekly drop-in sessions when you can come to their rooms and discuss anything that’s troubling you. Alternatively, you can email them to arrange an appointment at a suitable time.
If you have any concerns of an academic sort during your time at Queens' that you don't want to raise officially with the College, then you can always just drop me (Ben, your Ac/Ac officer) an email!
Queens’ College Library
Queens’ Library is reasonably well-stocked and you should be able to find the essential books for your course on one of its three floors. You can search for a book manually, or you can make use of the two computers in the library foyer to search the online catalogues of either the College or the University. Should a book on your reading list not be available in Queens’ Library, a polite request to the librarians should ensure its appearance on the shelves – eventually! If you have a particularly urgent need for a book, let the librarians know and they will speed up their procedures in order to deliver to you as soon as possible. A list of new additions to the library appears online every month, and an increasing number of books are now available as e-books as well so its worth checking out if you can get a book online. For those of you that work a lot from textbooks and find that there are only 3 between 40 of you, don't fret because there are reference only copies that cannot be taken out and should always be in the library for you to use. However, if you still find it hard to get hold of a textbook then let either the librarians or myself know, and we will see about getting hold of another copy either for loan or reference if the demand is high!
The library is pleasant and quiet, and these attractions make it quite a popular study space for students, but even if you don't use it to work, make sure you get to know what relevant resources it does/doesn't have - it could save you the occasional unwelcome trip to the faculty or the UL.
Access to the library is gained via your University card by presenting the barcode to the electronic lock on the door. Your card also enables you to use the photocopier – copies are charged at five pence a sheet to your College Bill – and to take books out. As the system of borrowing books is “do-it-yourself”, remember to stamp the return date in the front of the book and try to avoid getting fined! Also remember to rub the barcode in the inside front cover of the book with the scanner so that the alarm doesn't go off! If the alarm does go off, don't worry about it, just note it down in the book availalbe so that the librarian knows that you didn't try to steal it!
As of Lent 2009, the library is closed at 2 AM every night during term time and will be closed at 12 PM during the Easter Vacation. It will be open all the time during the exam period.
Contact
If you have any concerns of an academic sort during your time at Queens’ that you don’t want to raise officially with the College, please don’t hesitate to contact Academic Affairs. If you are interested, please also see www.skills.cam.ac.uk for information on various skills that you should be aiming to pick up during your time at Cambridge.