Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences 

Why study Natural Sciences at Cambridge?

At Cambridge the Natural Sciences course begins broadly, giving you the chance to study a range of subjects before you decide upon a specialist for your 3rd year. Some people discover science options that perhaps they hadn’t been aware of; others become confident in their pre-arrival choices through ‘trying out’ other fields; but all gain immensely by being exposed to teaching in the different science courses, learning from those at the cutting-edge of their subject, and gaining an invaluable scientific foundation.

Much of today’s important and exciting science happens at the interfaces between traditional subject areas, and all science depends to some extent upon interdisciplinarity. The University of Cambridge, and the integrated teaching within the Natural Sciences program it offers, is perfectly set up to exploit this; you get to see inside, and work in, different departments, with those who are driving current scientific research. It’s a fantastic opportunity to discover what sciences you best enjoy and where you want to advance your work in subsequent years.

Why study Natural Sciences at Downing?

Downing has always had a strong tradition in Natural Sciences. The College admits about 22-28 Natural Scientists each year, for a total of around 70 Natural Sciences undergraduates in the College at any time.

At Downing there are many Fellows involved with teaching within the Natural Sciences courses, and we have links with all of the teaching departments involved. The Natural Science Fellows at Downing work collaboratively to support all our students, ensuring that they can take full advantage of what’s on offer. Your application to Cambridge will either be for ‘Biological’ or ‘Physical’ Natural Sciences, but this delineation is only to help us in choosing the most appropriate team to interview you and assess your application. Your subsequent choices are remarkably flexible and you will be able to get advice and guidance from us in choosing your 1^st year options well before you arrive. Students who originally applied as Biological Natural Scientists, sometimes change their plans and become Physical Natural Scientists and vice versa – there is no fixed dividing wall, and we encourage those whose interests span disparate areas to take advantage of the choices on offer within the Natural Sciences program.

The Downing Fellows directly involved in teaching and Direction of Studies for Natural Sciences, along with their subject areas are:

• Professor Zoe Barber (Material Science)
• Dr Marta Correia (Mathematical Biology)
• Dr Neda Farahi (Pharmacology)
• Professor Chris Haniff (Physics)
• Professor Amy Milton (Neuroscience)
• Dr John Morgan (Chemistry)
• Professor Nick Rawlinson (Earth Science)
• Professor Guy Williams (Mathematics)

Who is Natural Sciences looking for?

The study of the natural world relies upon varied and complementary skills, many of which you learn and develop during your time with us. On entry, then, we look for candidates who are passionate about better understanding the natural world, are inquisitive, and who enjoy the cycle of critical evidence-based theory-building that characterises scientific enquiry. Being numerate and being able to present and justify your ideas logically and effectively are also valuable skills.

Our standard conditional offer for this subject is usually A*A*A at A level or 40-42 points overall and 7, 7, 6 at Higher Level in IB. For other qualifications see the University website. For both Biological and Physical Natural Sciences you must have A level Mathematics (Or an equivalent qualification in Mathematics) and A levels (or equivalent) in two other science/mathematics subjects (out of Biology, Chemistry, Further Mathematics and Physics). Some first year options have further entry requirements- for full details please read the course brochure.

Applicants for Natural Sciences are also required to take a pre-interview assessment. Further information about this can be found on the Faculty website.

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

Professor Zoe Barber is Director of Studies for all first–year Physical Natural Scientists. Zoe is here to help new students choose their options, to guide them and ensure they are happy with their choices and are making good progress.

After the 1st year, people focus on their particular areas of interest, until deciding on their final subject for years 3 and, usually, 4. As they move on, they are assigned a Director of Studies closest to their own field.

Dr Marta Correia and Dr Neda Farahi and Dr Alice Sowton look after the Biological Natural Scientists. Marta, Neda and Alice provide academic support for the biologists and arrange their supervisions during Part I, the first two years of the Natural Sciences degree, in addition to conducting some of the supervisions themselves.

They also meet regularly with students, in groups and individually, throughout the year to monitor progress, check that the students are happy with their chosen subjects, and to advise on what to do after the degree, whether that means graduate study or employment.

Supervisions are the small group teachings for which Cambridge is famous. At Downing you will generally find yourself being supervised weekly in groups of two or three students for each of the subjects you are taking.

Supervisions usually last for an hour, and your supervisor may be a fellow of the college, an academic staff member from the relevant department, a post–doctoral research worker, or a post graduate student.

Whilst it is a fantastic opportunity to be taught on this basis by an eminent professor, students often enjoy being supervised by graduate students who sometimes become good friends and, being closer in age and experience, can empathise and relate closely to specific issues.

Whoever your supervisors are, they will be in close contact with your director of studies, to ensure that things are going well, and to be able to make any required changes to your course choices or teaching requirements.

As with all subjects at Downing, there’s plenty of mixing between students in different years. So, those in later years can report on their own experiences and offer advice on subject choices to the newer students. And, of course, there’s plenty of advice on offer from fellows and others associated with the college.

Students run the Downing Science Society, The Danby Society. It holds regular meetings, and dinners, often with invited speakers from various walks of life. The club is run on very informal and friendly lines and anyone is welcome to join, at whatever level of involvement they prefer. Science thrives in Downing and the enthusiasm shown for the Danby Society reflects the excitement the subject generates in the College.

For Natural Sciences (Biological), Mathematics A level is strongly recommended. Chemistry is highly desirable, but not essential, for some subject combinations. For the third subject, either Biology or Physics are preferred. If more than three A-Level subjects are being taken, then the offer will specify which subjects are counted as the required A*A*A grades.  For the IB, Standard Level mathematics will meet the requirements of the course.

For Natural Sciences (Physical), Mathematics at A-Level is essential. It is preferable, but not essential, for the other two subjects offered to be from Physics, Chemistry and Further Maths. Other scientific subjects, such as Biology, Electronics or Geology are also usually acceptable. If more than three scientific or mathematical subjects are being taken at A-Level, then, normally, A*A*A grades in any three of them will be taken as satisfying the offer.

AEA is not required, although a good performance might be taken into account when deciding whether to accept a candidate who has narrowly failed to satisfy an offer.

At present, Natural Sciences applicants receive two 25 minute interviews on the same day, each with two interviewers. All interviews are largely subject-based, although more general questions may also be asked.

The conduct of the interview itself is informal, and the types of topic covered are flexible. Background scientific knowledge will be useful, but questions may range outside the material covered in the A-Level syllabus

How can I find out more about Natural Sciences?

The reading list on the Faculty website is given as a guide to help applicants gain a better understanding of the subject matter. They are not intended as preparatory reading and interviewers will not expect candidates necessarily to have read any of these titles:

Further details about the Natural Sciences course can be found at the University of Cambridge website.