History
(Nick Grafton-Green has written an article on History at Cambridge, which can be found by clicking here.)
Cambridge is generally recognised as having the best history faculty in the world (no joke) and then Peterhouse has something of a good reputation for history within the university. We have four history fellows with specialisms as varied as early modern Britain, ancient philosphy, modern Europe and the history of political thought. This means that a lot of the papers that you study can be studied in college which is a major plus point. The history side amongst the undergrads is pretty strong too, we're the largest bloc of students, rivalled only by the scientists so you'll be in excellent company if you chose to study here. Teaching is based on lectures at the faculty and your one hour weekly supervision to discuss your essay, on the whole though you research your own degree by doing a lot of (or a little) reading. The library at Peterhouse is excellent for history and you can usually find most books that you need there. Any that you can't get there you can find in the faculty or university libraries. Peterhouse is a great place to study history, with an excellent reputation and a great atmosphere.
A bit about the course: In your first two years studying history you have to take one British Political & Constitutional history paper, one British Economic & Social history paper and one European history paper. You then take two papers of your choosing from around about 25 or so options and at the end of the first two years you sit an exam on each paper. You also take a paper called themes and sources which is taught through fortnightly classes and for which you submit a long essay (3000-5000 words).
Matthew Bennett
Doing history at Peterhouse is fun and challenging and it might just make you a better person. Peterhouse has a very strong reputation for history and the resources available (the library, basically) are excellent. As a first year, you will be offered choices about what periods and subjects you want to cover, from ancient Greece to twentieth century Europe, and you cover one wide topic each term. The work revolves around one essay and supervision per week for which you have to do quite a bit of reading. If you've got in, the chances are that you are pretty keen on the subject and so the work is enjoyable. Even if sometimes there seems to be a lot of pressure (late night essay crises are a staple diet of historians) the terms are short and the fellows at Peterhouse are generally quite supportive. Historians do not have as many lectures or hours work as some other subjects, which is nice.
The history faculty has lectures and classes that become more important in the third year with the choices for part two of the tripos. You can meet people and make friends through the faculty if you try. The tripos system means that your degree is based on your performance in the third year so although there are exams in part one, you can relax and see how you work best without pressure. At Peterhouse, you don't have to do exams at the end of the first year like you do at most colleges so you can have fun while others are stressing. It is also useful being quite near the faculty and libraries.
The lecturers and supervisors you get in Cambridge and in Peterhouse really are the best in the world. History can be challenging, but you can get great satisfaction from the work and there is lots of time in Peterhouse for having fun.
Gerald Breatnach