Carl-Fredrik Eriksson - Japanese Studies

'Before coming to St John's I studied at an international school in Stockholm where I completed the IB diploma. When I left school in 2011 I went straight into a gap year that involved a combination of work and travelling in Europe. At the beginning I was looking at studying in Japan, and it was really a coincidence that I discovered the amazing AMES course at Cambridge.

'The best thing about studying Asian and Middle Eastern studies is that it gives you unprecedented access to classes with a high degree of personal attention. There are nine students in my year at the Faculty who are focusing on Japanese and so far I have not been in a class with more than 25 people. On top of that we are also given the opportunity to participate in supervisions just like other courses in Cambridge (although most of them are carried out by the Faculty rather than by a College).

'Our year abroad (in the third year of our degree) gives us the opportunity to develop our individual interests in the field as well as discover the country that we are studying. The important thing to grasp about AMES is that it is much more than just a language course. In fact, it is more similar to a combined degree of History, Politics, Sociology, Languages, and more.

'Studying at St John's certainly enhances the Cambridge experience in every way. Great access to everything from sport fields to free laundry is certainly helpful but it is worth mentioning that the College also shows great commitment in enabling you to pursue your ambitions as well as feeling at home. We also have an excellent May Ball at the end of the year and a student body that is active in most societies throughout the University.

'The College is committed from the first day to provide you with encouragement and support to enable you to raise the bar and to reach targets that one may think of as unreachable.'

 - Carl-Fredrik Eriksson, October 2013