(electronic music)
- Hi, I'm Mary Maboz for Crimson Education
and we're here today at Cambridge University
to ask some big questions.
- Oh, it's May Week.
So some person summed it up best.
They said, "It's not really May Week,
because it's not only not in May,
but it's not even a week, it's nine days.
So, it's a period after the examinations are finished
where basically the students are allowed
to kind of go wild.
They haven't really got any supervision
or commitments and the colleges kind of cater to that
through these very lush and very grandiose events.
- Which is why you're wearing the swarthy attire.
- Yes, it's not great for the sun, I will admit.
♫ Now I do
♫ Don't it make my brown eyes
♫ Don't it make my brown eyes blue
- [Mary] What's the best thing
about being at Cambridge University?
- I think it's probably the fact that
you get a first-class education.
The difference between Cambridge and lots of other unis
is that you get to have a supervision system.
So you'll get regular time with academics
who are at the top of their field
which is something for me
that's been really really excellent this year.
- The proximity to everyone else,
it's quite small.
- Oh, it's a very beautiful place.
Yeah, it's really nice.
- Good people, you know. It's, I don't know really.
It's just quite tough.
It's just hard, I don't know.
- You were asked the best thing, mate,
you were asked the best thing.
- I dunno, mate, I dunno.
- There's a lot of really helpful financial support
that benefits a lot of people.
People don't tend to know that about Cambridge
but there's actually a lot of money
that goes into students from different backgrounds.
So, I've really benefited from that.
- Honestly, everything.
I actually just love it.
I know it's hard work, but the people are amazing.
It's a wonderful place to study, and yeah.
I don't really have a best thing.
It's just, I love it all.
- I've had a standing May Ball.
I haven't been because this guy here said we couldn't go.
- The balls, indeed. - The balls, today, this week.
- And the weather in the last two weeks.
- [Mary] Okay, what's the worst thing about
being at Cambridge University?
- Am I allowed to say the work?
- It's so (bleep) hard. It's really hard.
- The work.
- Yeah, the work, it's quite stressful.
- Yeah, exam term has been intense
and everyone spends every hour in the library.
It's like you are forced.
- The entire college is just a ghost town,
for weeks on end.
- Student welfare wasn't very well looked-after,
especially student mental health
was quite an issue.
Lots of things like that, and there were
lots of people getting quite down in their work
'cause all the pressure of things.
But they've started to address that now,
I think there's free counseling, and things you can use.
- It's very white.
- Some of the traditions, I think,
I don't see the need in having class lists anymore.
- What's that?
- It's basically when your mark is put up
outside of Senate House.
And I think Cambridge is one of the only,
or maybe the only university, that has it now, in the UK.
- The looks you get when you tell people
you go here.
People jump to the conclusion that you're smart,
even though you don't feel smart.
- Most of the rest of it, I reckon.
- That's not true.
The work, but the rest of it's not that bad.
- [Mary] Without any bias,
what is your favorite May Ball at Cambridge University?
- John's the best ball, but Magdalene will be a lot of fun.
I'm going to Magdalene.
I have really high expectations.
It should be really good.
- This is the first one I've gone to,
so I can't make too confident a claim.
I know Magdalene always tries to say it's the best,
because it's one of the bi-annual ones,
but I'm afraid I would not have the experience
to make a very confident claim I'm afraid.
- Yeah, we've only been to one.
So our judgment will probably come afterwards.
But, rumor has it, it's an excellent ball.
- But then John's and Trinity have a better reputation.
- I've heard really good things about Trinity and John's,
but obviously they'd be good,
'cause they spend a lot of money on it.
- Magdalene. - Magdalene?
- Hundred percent. - Why?
It's my only ball I've ever been to.
It's the only May Ball left at Cambridge
where you have to wear white tie.
- I mean, objectively, I think Trinity is the best.
But, you always have the most fun at your home one.
Because you walk around,
you bump into people you see,
and you know the buildings.
- Last year I went to Clare, and that was really good,
that was my favorite.
But Pembroke, I've gotta say, Pembroke.
- I've had a couple people say Jesus is really nice,
'cause it's themed.
And King's Affair which is like
their replacement of a May Ball
is meant to be good as well.
- Magdalene's garden party.
- I was gonna say that! - Yeah.
- Okay, and why are you guys dressed up tonight?
What's this, and what are you?
- Juliet!
- We're a valley, the theme is Uncanny Valley.
- I'm in the valley now. - Yeah.
You can be the sheep in the valley.
- I'm not sure if I want
to be the sheep in the valley, guys.
- The King's Affair which I'm queuing for now
is probably my favorite
because it's about half the price of a normal May Ball,
it's more fun, in my opinion.
The costumes are more entertaining
than just black tie.
- Could you tell me a bit about your costume today?
- The point is to project the idea of cereal
and the idea of killer and then
make things really obvious with a caption.
- I'm not actually a student here, I'm from Texas.
I'm just visiting Sam, but my days here in Cambridge
have been really awesome.
(oboe music)
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