Director of Studies
Sub-Director of Studies
A-level/IB Higher level in the relevant language (for languages to be studied post A-level).
If you would like to study Russian from scratch, evidence of language ability will be required.
All applicants invited for interview are required to sit the following assessment at interview:
For continuing languages studied at A-level or equivalent: discursive response in Foreign Language (40 minutes); discursive response in English (20 minutes).
For languages from scratch: discursive response in English (40 minutes); Language Aptitude Test (20 minutes). More information can be found here.
Applicants are required to submit two pieces of written work. The first of these should be a piece of work you have written as part of your school History course, or for another essay subject. Typically, this will take the form of an essay. This can include coursework, extended projects and timed work written in class as well as homework essays. If you are applying to study a language at Cambridge that you are studying for A-level or equivalent, the second piece of work should be written in that language. If you are applying to study a language from scratch, the second piece of work should be in any other foreign language you are currently studying, or in English if you are not studying any languages at present.
St John’s has almost 20 Fellows across these two disciplines. They are able to provide tuition in a wide sweep across the Tripos, giving our students access to focused academic advice whatever their language choice and historical interests.
College Fellows are directly involved in undergraduate teaching. The College appoints external Directors of Studies to support any area where additional expert input is needed.
We generally have four or five undergraduates studying History and Modern Languages, part of an overall community of over 30 students in history and around 40 in MML, giving you a ready-made network of friends in St John's who share your enthusiasms and academic interests.
There are dedicated scholarships and prizes, book grants and funds for travel, courses and conferences available to undergraduates studying History and Modern Languages.
History and Modern Languages students can be members of both our Modern Languages and History Societies, both active student-led societies hosting academic-related and social events.
Watch this video to find out more about studying History and Modern Languages at St John's.
St John’s students in history and modern languages are intellectually curious, deeply interested in current affairs and academically ambitious. We seek to admit students who have been reading, writing and thinking about their interests in the historical and political world beyond the requirements of their school/college curriculum.
We look for real curiosity about the subject, as well as evidence that you can make the leap from school to Cambridge. Have you read works of historical scholarship outside the school curriculum, perhaps in areas of interest not covered in your formal examination course? Tell us what you have read, watched or listened to, and why you found interesting – whether it’s music, film and TV, novels, non-fiction, news articles or podcasts.
All aspects of culture can prompt us to think in new ways and teach us more about languages and the places where they are spoken. Candidates who stand out can usually show us how under their own initiative they have engaged with their chosen languages, in whatever form that works for them.
If you are applying to study a language from scratch, it is important to show that you have thought about what draws you to it. We understand that you may use translation to engage with material in that language; the important thing is that you have started to explore it. It is good to tell us about the steps you have taken to find out how the language works, and any related reading and viewing,
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