Holly Hampton - Education

I was attracted to the Education tripos because of its multi-disciplinary nature, and it has certainly delivered. No other subject at Cambridge offers such a range of topics throughout the duration of the whole three years. I’ve loved studying topics as diverse as the globalising secularisation of our society, Mary Wollstonecraft and the French Revolution, the scholarship of fairytales and the psychology of IQ testing. I think this degree genuinely produces well-rounded people, able to excel in a range of careers, and I wish more applicants knew how challenging, exciting and rewarding the course really is. Applicants are forgiven for flicking past the Education page in the prospectus, reading the title and thinking ‘I don’t want to be a teacher’. I’d like to say to those people ‘keep reading! It’s not about teaching, it’s about learning, and so much more than that!’.  

St John’s is a fantastic place to be an Education student. We represent the biggest cohort of Education students outside of Homerton and the benefits of this are enormous; having Education peers and college parents has enlivened and supported my studies and was particularly key in building my confidence in first year. Dr Morrison-Helme is also a wonderful support base, always making the effort to be available to answer my questions and calm me down in exam term. I wouldn’t have chosen any other course and I’ve relished the flexibility and breadth of knowledge it’s given me. 

Holly Hampton - March 2017