Cadence Ware

Date: 27/7/19

Cadence Ware

Tell us about yourself?
I’m Cadence, a first year English student from Gloucestershire. In Selwyn, English students start by studying literature from 1830 onwards (so no scary medieval stuff in your first term), and we have also been looking at the (very) long 18th century. Next year, as well as finally braving the scary medieval stuff, I hope to write my second year dissertation on EM Forster.

What do you do outside of study?
After a term of being too terrified, I braved the Cambridge theatre scene in Lent and found it was neither as intimidating nor as impossible to get into as I had imagined. I’ve met so many great friends doing shows, and there really is something for everyone, whether you want to act, sing, direct or work backstage doing lighting or sound stuff. All opportunities are advertised and accessible to all Cambridge students, so if you want to try it out, there really is no obstacle to doing so! Aside from theatre, I have taken up ballroom dancing (it was the random hobby I really wanted to start at uni, so if you have something you’ve been desperate to try, you can definitely do it!), which is great fun and doesn’t need to be stressful or competitive.

How do you manage your work with everything else going on?
I’m not going to pretend it isn’t difficult at times, but it’s definitely doable. Sometimes it means taking a laptop to rehearsals or missing an extra-curricular commitment one week, but if you get the balance right (and it’s something which first year is all about learning, nobody expects you to be perfect at the start) it is incredibly rewarding. Nobody can work constantly, and I find that I am often more able to focus on essays if I know that I only have a set amount of time to do them in. I’ve also learnt that it’s really important to learn how much you can feasibly take on, not just to allow you time to do work but also so that you are able to rest occasionally!

How did you choose the college you wanted to apply to?
This was something I was quite stressed about when I was applying, as I was worried that if I picked the wrong college it would negatively impact my experience at Cambridge (it’s not true, everyone I know loves the college they end up at). In the end, the decision was easier than I expected. I came on an open day with my school, and rushed round Selwyn on the way back to the coach at the end of the day. I really loved the mixture of traditional pretty architecture and a relaxed atmosphere, as well as the proximity to the Sidgwick site where all my lectures are held, and, of course, everyone’s favourite college dog.

What do you think the most important thing to know before you arrive at university is?
Don’t let anyone else tell you what your experience is going to be like, or that you won’t fit in, or that you should try certain activities and not others. Part of the liberating thing about university is that you are given the freedom to shape your experience however you like. There’s no one type of person you have to be, it’s about finding friends, extra-curricular activities and subjects that make you happy, not anyone else.