Boyko Vodenicharski - Natural Sciences (Physical)

My name is Boyko, and I am an undergraduate in my third year reading Natural Sciences. Before coming to St. John’s I studied in a public school in Bulgaria that specializes in languages and literature. Two years before graduating high school I got involved in Physics competitions, which sparked my interest in problem-solving and Science.

A couple of years back, I was faced with picking a college and there were a number of factors to consider. St. John’s is located right in the middle of Cambridge and while living on site, you will be close to pretty much everything. The College is also famous both for music and for sports, with practice rooms and playing grounds available whenever you feel like you need to take a break (oh, and did I mention a weights and cardio gym?).

One of the important factors for myself, when I was applying, was financial support. The College offers numerous awards for both academic and non-academic achievements, as well as additional support that is based purely on need. There are also awards that can help fund work abroad during the summer.

As for the course itself, the Natural Sciences framework is very flexible. During the first two years, you have a range of courses available, from Biology of Cells to Physics, and Computer Science. You specialize in your 3rd year, but you could pick courses that are relevant to your subject earlier as well. For example, since I have an interest in all things technical, in my first year I took the Computer Sciences and Materials Science options, along with Maths and Physics, for which I was originally applying. A few years later, the ideas I learned from the other courses are helping me with my work in Physics: picking up new programming languages and writing my programs is much easier. I also have a head-start on topics that address how materials behave.