Chloe Tayali – Architecture

Students of Architecture at Cambridge are lectured on a range of subjects beyond the core design curriculum. Art, design, writing, history, engineering and their various combinations and offshoots make a dense but coherent degree.

Lectures are supplemented by supervisions. From the second year students choose the lectures for which they will have supervisions. Unlike some other Colleges, St. John's will support a student with all the supervisions that they need.

The College subsidises purchases of course related books and materials, encouraging exploration into one's own interests within and beyond the curriculum. I used the fund to buy recommended textbooks in first year; the next year I became fascinated by details and bought a series of construction books; in my final year the fund was essential for my dissertation research into an esoteric subject.

 My first lecture on architecture at the university took place in College. A Fellow told all freshers about the ages and designers of the College courts, describing college-related details along the way. This was an excellent introduction to the buildings among which I would be living.

 Chloe Tayali – July 2016