Daisy is a student ambassador studying the engineering tripos. Daisy and I took some time out of a busy week welcoming candidates for interviews in early December, to discuss her course and what she enjoys most. If you are considering studying engineering at university or deciding whether to take Further Maths at A-Level, this is our student guide.
What kind of course is Engineering at Cambridge and what drew you to studying it?
It’s a very broad course. Before starting my degree, I didn’t have the best idea of what engineering covers, so it was good to try out different topics to find out what I liked. Some main areas are mechanical, electrical and structural engineering. In the first two years you study all of them, and then you get to fully specialise in third year as well as choosing some modules in second year.
One of the main reasons I chose engineering was to use Maths and Physics to solve real world problems. I am passionate about sustainability and the environment and engineering gives me the opportunity to develop the technology that takes us in a greener direction.
I always knew I wanted to do something to do with the renewable energy industry and hoped to specialise in mechanical engineering. Since starting the course, I am also considering structural engineering.
So you get to learn about lots of areas of engineering rather than specialising from the start. That sounds like a lot of content to learn. Will you need all of this for future work?
For big projects like designing wind turbines, you need electrical, mechanical and structural engineers so whatever
discipline I specialise in, it doesn’t close off options. Thanks to the broad nature of the course, when we are on multidisciplinary teams in the future, we will have a better understanding of the project as a whole.
In a project I did recently, we built a robot that navigates a course and picks up blocks. It had to identify whether the block was magnetic and sort them. The electrical team designs the electrical circuit, the software team programmes the microcontroller, and the robot has to be CAD designed and laser cut from plywood by the mechanical team.
I was on the mechanical sub-team, but the project highlighted the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and good communication between teams was important for doing well.
As with all courses at Cambridge, your course isn’t limited to lectures. What are your weekly hours like?
As well as lectures you have regular practicals during the week which demonstrate the concepts learned in lectures, as well as a few individual projects which run throughout term.
In a typical week I have around 10-14 lectures, between 2-4 labs, and 2-3 supervisions.
Ok, let’s talk about preparing to study engineering. How important is studying Maths?
The course is very theoretical. It focuses on understanding the fundamental physical and mathematical principles behind engineering concepts with a heavy emphasis on the Maths. For A-Level I did Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry. This Maths heavy background is essential and extremely useful. We are always using Maths to solve engineering problems.
What could school students do outside of lessons to help decide whether engineering is the right course?
Try and understand what engineers actually do and what role engineers take in projects. Go on YouTube; many companies share information and tours of their sites which give an insight into the work of engineers.
For women considering studying engineering at university, a male dominated course can feel daunting. How does this influence your experience at all?
The course is male dominated which took a bit of getting used to, but the atmosphere is inclusive and friendly and friendship groups have people from all sorts of courses. Societies are also
a great way to meet people with similar interests. I do dance and play for the Trinity Women’s Netball team so there are plenty of ways of meet people outside your course.
Other than societies, which are a big part of College life, name one fun thing you like to do in Trinity.
Having a picnic by the river in summer!
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