Modern and Medieval Languages

Modern and Medieval Languages

The study of Modern and Medieval Languages (MML) at Downing centres around a dedicated scholarly community pursuing an interest in the very roots of how we use language today.

Admissions overview at Downing College 

Why study MML at Cambridge? 

MML at Cambridge is designed to provide you with unique skills tailored to your needs and interests and applicable to a wide range of professional careers. By becoming an MML student, you will develop proficiency in at least two languages, high intercultural competence, strong analytical and critical skills, and you will be able to express your ideas in a sophisticated manner, both orally and in writing.  

To help you achieve these goals, the MML tripos is organized around flexibility and variety. In the first year, students will study two languages (at least one of which must be post-A-level) and their cultures; this provides the necessary foundation for students to take charge of their learning process from the second year on, when you might choose to take on a third language, and/or focus on what interest you the most: literature, theater, film, cultural studies, history, linguistics or translation are all covered in a wide variety of papers. Students might also borrow papers from other faculties such as Classics, Philosophy, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, English, Linguistics, or History. The joint Tripos with History allows students to pursue the study of History and one language of their choice.  

In this short video, you can learn more about MML at Cambridge. 

MML Faculty and students seek to foster autonomy, initiative, and collaboration. For this reason, papers offer a combination of different teaching methods: lectures will present you with new information delivered by experts in each field, seminars will offer you the chance to learn collaboratively through discussions with peers and teachers, and supervisions will address your work through individual feedback. 

Autonomy, critical thinking, and research skills are further developed during your Year Abroad. All MML students spend their third year in one or two countries of their choice. During their year abroad, students can choose to study at a university, work, do internships at different institutions, or even teach English.  

You can learn more about the year abroad in this short video. 

Why study MML at Downing? 

MML at Downing is shaped by you. We are a small group, with 4 students admitted each year, and two Directors of Studies. This makes us a close-knit community where Directors of Studies and students from every cohort get to know each other well. We all meet regularly throughout the academic year to share experiences and support each other, embracing our differences and collaborating through the different languages and cohorts. The MML Society, founded and run by students, offers the opportunity to build an autonomous space that works for all.  

As an MML student at Downing, you will have the continuous support of your Director of Studies, both in Cambridge and during your year abroad. 

You will have some supervisions in-house; however, Downing also has agreements with other colleges, which will give you the opportunity to be supervised by experts in different fields and to work with students from other colleges, thus being exposed to a great variety of teaching methodologies, voices, and backgrounds.  

Who are we looking for?

At Downing MML, we are looking for students who are open to new ideas and have a desire to inquire critically about how language and culture shape our society, politics, and everyday lives.  

Our standard conditional offer for this subject is usually A*AA at A level or 41-42 points overall and 776 at Higher Level in IB. All Colleges may modify offers to take account of individual circumstances. Further information can be found on the University website. We also accept applications from students on or thinking about taking a gap year, and encourage traveling to countries where at least one of the languages you are planning to study is spoken. 

All Colleges require A Level/IB Higher Level in at least one of the languages you want to study. It is not possible to study ab initio French at Cambridge. 

At present, Modern and Medieval Languages applicants receive two 20-30 minute interviews on the same day, each with either one or two interviewers. Along with the majority of Colleges in Cambridge, Downing now conducts a written test for all students coming to interview. This test will consist of an essay in a foreign language of the candidate’s choosing, written in response to a short passage in English. More information about the test and examples can be found at the Faculty website. 

You may be asked to arrive ten minutes early for one or more of your interviews to look over a written passage in an appropriate language studied at A or AS Level. Also, prior to interviews, we ask to see some of the written work you have produced during your studies, which may provide some of the basis for discussion. 

Further advice about entry requirements and interviews for all subjects can be found in the Apply to Downing section of this site. 

What MML students have studied 

According to the University, the majority of MML students (who had studied A levels and started at Cambridge in 2018, 2019 and 2023) took two languages. 

Other common subjects were: 

• English (Language, Language & Literature, or Literature)
• History
• Mathematics

How can you find out more about MML?

• MML Faculty Web Page 

• Information for Prospective Students 

• The Year Abroad