Sophia is from Singapore. She studied for A Levels, and is studying Economics from 2021-2024.
What is King's like?
King's has been the most welcoming environment I could have asked for! I've met wonderful friends here, and there are always activities to be involved in organised by the various student officers in the college.
Were there things that you were worried about before you arrived (socially)?
I was initially concerned that as an international student with no one else I knew going into King's, it would be hard to make friends, but I think I should have kept in mind that everyone here is new too and meeting many fresh faces for the first time! It was initially intimidating to be launched into new social situations where I might not fully understand certain cultural nuances, but with everyone being so welcoming and the diversity of voices here, it did not become a problem at all.
What advice do you have for people thinking of applying for Economics?
I think the first tip would be to make sure you really do like math - economics, at least in first-year, is genuinely 60% math, and Cambridge places a lot of emphasis on the quantitative analysis involved. Other than that, I wouldn't stress too much on technical knowledge!
What are supervisions like?
Supervisions are really what you make of them! The small group teaching setting means that many times, you could decide where to focus the discussion with the questions you ask. At the same time, when going through problem sets together, there is a lot more space for going over aspects that you would like to focus on. I've really loved the flexibility in teaching in this regard!
Where do you do your work?
Mostly the various libraries around Cambridge! There's so many different ones to pick from, and some of them are genuinely gorgeous. A recent favourite has been the Haddon library - it's so close to King's, and the large windows are gorgeous.
Where in college do you live this year?
Keynes! It's been recently refurbished with its own kitchens now, which also serve as lovely communal spaces.
