Undergraduate diaries: this week – from Kabul to Cambridge

Every morning as I walk to lectures, I have a passing glance at the oak doors of Christ’s College gatehouse. With its heraldic badges and statue of the foundress, Lady Margaret Beaufort, it attracts attention from a distance.

Charles Darwin and the poet John Milton are among its alumni. Milton, already an established poet when he completed his studies at Cambridge, summed up his sentiments about his life’s fleeting vicissitudes in Sonnet VII ‘How soon hath time the subtle thief of youth, stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!’ At 23, I kind of share his feelings save that I have just started my second term, that’s Lent term in Cambridge lingo, and have an exciting few years of medical school ahead of me.

I am older than many other students on my course and I am studying at a college for mature students. St Edmund’s has a strongly diverse and international community of undergraduates, graduates and Fellows who mix freely in a relaxed atmosphere. Although I did not have any of the common misconceptions about Cambridge, I had little hope of an offer when I sent my application last year. My interest to study here started in summer 2004 when I attended a Sutton Trust summer school at St John’s College which helped dispel many myths surrounding Cambridge. I met students from non-traditional backgrounds and I was particularly inspired by a Sikh medical student’s experience.

I come from a background which is far from traditional. I was born in Afghanistan and spent most of my childhood there and came to Britain as a political refugee at the age of 15. I took my A levels at Uxbridge College, an FE college in west London and went on to UCL to study Biomedical Sciences, and I later switched to Anatomy & Developmental Biology. Although becoming a doctor was my childhood dream, it took me a while to realise fully my passion for medicine - and studying a subject I absolutely love at Cambridge is still quite surreal.

My admissions interviews at St Edmund’s, two each of about 20 minutes, went well. I was greeted warmly and was given ample time to answer the questions. I was asked about my interest in medicine and the work experience I’d done. In the second interview I was interviewed by an expert on the topic of my research, which naturally made me very nervous, but the interviewer never made me feel embarrassed, even when I could not guess the answer - it was like a relaxed discussion.

At the outset, I thought that doing a medical degree at Cambridge would mean thinking and breathing medicine with hardly any time to relax, let alone have fun or do extracurricular activities. But within a week of coming to St Edmund’s College I found that taking break from studies is an essential part of learning effectively.

Last term, at the fresher’s fair, I signed up for more clubs and societies than I can remember (daily messages still clog up my email inbox!). I decided to join the boat club just for fun. I found it more challenging and demanding than I initially thought but with commitment and perseverance I progressed from novice crew to men’s second division (I still need to improve a lot!). Getting up at 6 for a 7 am outing in the freezing cold on the river Cam has not been easy - but with the college rowing suit on, jumping into the boat, placing the blade of the oar into the water, with the cox cheering us on at every stroke, it is an experience not to be missed!

Michaelmas term was an effervescent experience for me with lectures, practicals, dissection sessions and supervisions. The pace was expeditious but I still managed to pursue my old hobbies and develop new ones. On top of everything else, I began learning French and joined Arabic classes, participated in interfaith discussion groups, attended various talks, Union debates, the Astronomy Society’s observation nights and a lot of social events. However, I quickly learned that better time-management is crucial to getting on at Cambridge with the operational advice of my supervisors ‘hit the ground running’ always in the back of my mind.

Cambridge is very different from what I was used to in the big crowded city of London. UCL, where I did my first undergraduate degree was also a diverse university, but here I feel part of a very welcoming and pleasant community. The highlight of the Michaelmas term for me was the Christmas pantomime by the Master and Fellows. I never anticipated that the college staff will find time in their busy schedules to entertain students, but this is all part of being at Cambridge.

The friendly ethos of the St Edmund’s is also present in the formal hall dinners, where you could find yourself sitting next to Master or Fellows, but tradition is also observed. In the first few formals the grace was said in Latin, and I couldn’t even guess what was said - but it was reassuring to know that I was not the only one. Some rules, like asking Master’s permission before leaving the dinner hall, are quite amusing. I’ve sneaked in and out of the hall many times without being caught.

I have developed an interest in poetry especially Shakespeare and John Milton, much to my own surprise! It’s a welcome break from anatomy and physiology. For me, Cambridge means not only being taught by world-renowned academics at the cutting edge of medical science and practice but it is also the freedom to have unconventional thoughts and be as genuine as I can be – and this has greatly boosted my confidence and self-esteem.

Finally, with Cambridge University’s 800th year anniversary being celebrated, it’s a wonderful time to be here. A few days ago as I stood outside the Senate House and Old Schools watching the spectacular light show featuring iconic images from the University’s past and present, I felt an immense sense of joy and gratitude at being part of something really great.

Read an account by our third diarist for this term next week – and catch up with Mohammad in three weeks’ time.