Cambridge
The story of the University begins in
1209 when several hundred students and scholars arrived in the little
town of Cambridge after having walked 60 miles from Oxford. As it was
the custom then, they had joined themselves into a ‘University’ or
Society-the word ‘university’ like the word’ college’ originally
meant a society of people with a common employment; it was only later it
came to be associated with scholarship
These students were all churchmen and had
studied in Oxford until one day a student accidentally killed a man of
the town. The Mayor arrested three other students who were innocent and
they were put to death by hanging. In protest all the students moved
elsewhere, some arriving on Cambridge, so, the new University came into
being.
Of course there were no colleges in those
early days and student’s life was different from what it is now. The
students were armed’ some even banded together to rob people of the
countryside. Gradually the idea of the College developed and in 1284
Peterhouse, the oldest college in Cambridge was founded.
Life in the college was strict; students
were not allowed to play games, to sing, to hunt or fish or even to
dance. The classes were in Latin which students had to speak even among
themselves. They studied Grammar, Logic and rhetoric; and when the
student went for his degree examination it took some time for him to
show his knowledge of the subject. So he was allowed to bring a small
stool or “tripos” to sit on .So to this day the degree exam at
Cambridge is called “Tripos” exam
If any student proposed to be a teacher,
he also had to show that he could use a rod which he would do by beating
a small boy who was afterwards paid for his pains.
In 1440 King Henry vi founded King’s
college and another colleges followed.
There are more than 6000 students at
Cambridge so naturally the Colleges are overcrowded. Since the space is
so scare, undergraduates share rooms when possible and the authorities
try their best to ensure that these living together are suited to one
another.
The students are mainly English, but
there are plenty of others .there is a variety of faces, religions and
points of view.
The discipline nowadays is not very
strict, of course. There are rules, but the undergraduate is treated as
a sensible person able to discipline himself and no longer a schoolboy
who must be told everything. The students can stay out as late as they
wish.
The Tutor in Cambridge is a man who acts
as a parent to the student away from home. He gives advice, help in time
of need and is an understanding friend to his pupils Then is the Dean
who is in charge of the discipline among the 300 students inside College
last there are the Directors of Studies and their assistants, The
Supervisors. At the start of the term the Director of Studies arranges
times for classes and suggests books to read and lessons or lectures to
attend.
