What comes to your mind when you hear the word Cambridge? Foggy streets, the River Cam with its gondolas, ancient spires and students in robes? Yes, that's all true. But Cambridge is more than just an ancient university. It's a place where tradition lives side by side with world-changing discoveries.
Here are some curious facts that will definitely surprise you:
1. A university born out of a dispute
Cambridge was founded in 1209... because of a quarrel in Oxford! A few professors and students, dissatisfied with the order, left and founded a new center of knowledge in Cambridge. Since then, there has been a legendary rivalry between the two universities (including the annual Rowing Race on the Thames.
2. 121 Nobel Prizes
Cambridge people have won 121 Nobel Prizes - more than many countries. Alumni include Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking. They say if you accidentally step on the college lawn, it's likely that someone who changed science has already walked in that spot.
3. "May Week in June
Cambridge loves non-obvious traditions. For example, “May Week” is celebrated... in June. This is the period after exams, when there are graduation balls, fireworks and boat parties. Students jump into the Cam River in tuxedos and evening gowns at the end of the celebration - this symbolizes freedom and graduation.
4. The largest library
Cambridge Library has 8 million books and is one of six libraries in the UK to which free copies of all the country's publications are sent by law. It has some of the rarest manuscripts including the works of Kepler, Newton and Darwin's letters.
5. Duck in an exam
According to university tradition, a student can bring anything they want to an exam, as long as they can get it there (as long as it's not cheat sheets). Legend has it that a student once brought a live duck to an exam to cheer himself up.
6. Discovery Lab
It was in Cambridge that the electron was discovered, the nucleus of the atom was split, and the structure of DNA was discovered. Startups and developments that change medicine, energy and technology are born here. The “Silicon Valley of Great Britain” - Cambridge Science Park - was formed around the university.
7. A place where the spirit of learning lives on
But the most important thing about Cambridge is the atmosphere. Small college courtyards where students discuss philosophy until dawn, tea parties to the sound of the organ, fog in the morning when it seems that the world is a book that you are just beginning to read.
8. Cambridge is the color of education
Few people know, but thanks to the famous uniforms worn by Cambridge students, a particular color has come into fashion - the Cambridge blue-green hue, often described as a soft, muted tone of blue or green. View the color here https://colors.muz.li/color/cambridge-blue
Life at Cambridge is not just about lectures in ancient classrooms, there are dozens of events that make education holistic and inspiring:
1. Theater festivals and student performances
In Cambridge, student theater is alive year-round. Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson have all started here. The annual Cambridge Footlights is a famous troupe from which many British comedians have emerged. The festivals range from classic plays to daring comedy improvisations.
2. Musical evenings and choral performances
Cambridge colleges host organ evenings, chamber concerts and choir rehearsals in chapels with fantastic acoustics. Students can participate or simply enjoy the atmosphere by sitting on the ancient pews under the vaults.
3. Sports competitions
Cambridge actively participates in inter-university tournaments (e.g. Varsity Matches) with Oxford: rowing (Boat Race), rugby, cricket and even chess. There are over 80 sports clubs open to students, from equestrian to fencing to judo.
4. International conferences
Cambridge organizes Cambridge International Model United Nations, conferences on climate, artificial intelligence, biomedicine. Students from dozens of countries come here to discuss the future of the world and make international acquaintances. By the way, at CIS we also organize this event both inside our campuses and send our students abroad to participate.
5. Cambridge Science Festival
Every spring, the university holds a Science Festival, opening labs and lectures to the public. Students can interact with professors, Nobel laureates and startups working on the technologies of the future. If you've been to CIS or are already part of our community, you probably remember our Science Week - a week where the whole school immerses itself in a chosen science topic and conducts research, experiments and presentations.
6. Debates and Tea Parties
Colleges have weekly discussion clubs and debates where they discuss science, politics, and the arts. These are often in a ‘tea and talk’ format: a cup of tea, cake and conversation about important topics.
What is the main message that CIS has adopted from Cambridge?
Cambridge University shows that studying is not just about passing exams, but about lifestyle, curiosity and the joy of discovery. Great ideas are born where there is the courage to ask questions, which means that students' freedom and interest comes first.
That's why at CIS we are always:
📌 Encourage curiosity and engagement
📌 Use only modern and engaging teaching techniques
📌 Promote all the successes and endeavors of our students
