Studenica Foundation scholarship holder Đorđe Ogrizović is currently a master's student in sustainable development engineering at the University of Cambridge's engineering department. He decided to share with us interesting details about social life at the mentioned University.
The university is located in the city of Cambridge, which has about 125,000 inhabitants, of which 25,000 are students. All students belong to one of 31 colleges, which have an administrative, social and educational role. Colleges often have the role of dormitories. However, they are much more than a place where students can sleep. Special, formal dinners, concerts, exhibitions and other events are often organized.
„"The college I belong to is called Girton, it was founded in 1869, and it was the first institution in Great Britain where women were given higher education. At the very beginning of the academic year, new students were introduced to the college, relevant services and a tutor - a professor who is in charge of monitoring our progress. The goal of all events at the college is to encourage the exchange of ideas and establish lasting friendships," explains Đorđe.
„"The college I belong to is called Girton, it was founded in 1869, and it was the first institution in Great Britain where women were given higher education. At the very beginning of the academic year, new students were introduced to the college, relevant services and a tutor - a professor who is in charge of monitoring our progress. The goal of all events at the college is to encourage the exchange of ideas and establish lasting friendships," explains Đorđe.
He points out that Oxford and Cambridge are known for organizing formal dinners that are held several times a week and last about two hours.
„"Specially prepared dishes are served on that occasion. At Girton College, at one such dinner, there are about a hundred students and several professors. At the beginning, the president of the college (Master or Mistress) greets everyone gathered and blesses the dinner. During such a gathering, students are expected to be elegantly dressed, with the obligatory wearing of gowns (gown-cloaks) that differ according to their academic degree," says Đorđe.
„"Specially prepared dishes are served on that occasion. At Girton College, at one such dinner, there are about a hundred students and several professors. At the beginning, the president of the college (Master or Mistress) greets everyone gathered and blesses the dinner. During such a gathering, students are expected to be elegantly dressed, with the obligatory wearing of gowns (gown-cloaks) that differ according to their academic degree," says Đorđe.
Holidays are given special attention, Đorđe explained to us what the Christmas celebration looks like and what kind of atmosphere prevails among people on those days.
„"Here it is a national holiday, regardless of the religion a person belongs to. Numerous charity concerts are organized. I also attended the big Christmas concert in St. John's Chapel, one of the most famous Christmas services in England. During the service, the Boys' Choir of St. John's College sings, along with the Vienna Boys' Choir among the most famous choirs, and the concert/service is broadcast by BBS. A special service was also organized for children, where pastors explained the meaning of Christmas, shared presents, and for those of us who are no longer children, cakes and mulled wine were distributed".
„"Here it is a national holiday, regardless of the religion a person belongs to. Numerous charity concerts are organized. I also attended the big Christmas concert in St. John's Chapel, one of the most famous Christmas services in England. During the service, the Boys' Choir of St. John's College sings, along with the Vienna Boys' Choir among the most famous choirs, and the concert/service is broadcast by BBS. A special service was also organized for children, where pastors explained the meaning of Christmas, shared presents, and for those of us who are no longer children, cakes and mulled wine were distributed".
Numerous student competitions are also organized at Cambridge, and those related to environmental protection are very common. At one such competition, our scholar achieved an excellent result.
„"I am very happy that I was in a group together with Filip Bošković, a PhD student at the Department of Physics who led the group, and Campbell Matthews, a PhD student from New Zealand. We won the St. John's College "Climate Crisis Award" for the project "The hum of bees is the voice of the garden": Increasing College's impact on wildlife diversity via pollinator housing".
„"I am very happy that I was in a group together with Filip Bošković, a PhD student at the Department of Physics who led the group, and Campbell Matthews, a PhD student from New Zealand. We won the St. John's College "Climate Crisis Award" for the project "The hum of bees is the voice of the garden": Increasing College's impact on wildlife diversity via pollinator housing".
At Cambridge there are also numerous student associations specializing in different fields. One of them is Serbian Students' Association, which consists of about thirty students, including Đorđe. They carefully nurture the tradition.
„"Recently, we also organized the celebration of St. Sava's Day, preparing celebratory cake and wheat, and I had the honor of giving a speech on the occasion of this our greatest holiday," Ogrizović proudly points out.
„"Recently, we also organized the celebration of St. Sava's Day, preparing celebratory cake and wheat, and I had the honor of giving a speech on the occasion of this our greatest holiday," Ogrizović proudly points out.
