Appendix 1. What ASNaCs say about the course

Comments from Current Students

It seems a very lucky chance that brought me to read the ASNaC entry in the Cambridge prospectus during my Lower Sixth year. It's safe to say that I've never regretted applying for this truly unusual subject. Although I considered myself an historian when I arrived here, I was soon steered towards languages, and have enjoyed learning Old Irish, Old Welsh, Breton, Cornish, and Old Norse over the past three years. However, the structure of the Tripos meant that I didn't have to concentrate my studies on one area, geographical, chronological or otherwise, although in my third year I'm a definite Celticist!

One of the best things about being an ASNaC is that you get taught by the people who write the books, and you get to know them well. Talking to students from other disciplines you soon learn that being supervised by someone who has 'Professor' in front of their name is a truly rare experience in other faculties. Sounds scary? Not at all - departmental lectures, garden parties and other social events mean that you get to know your lecturers outside the classroom too.

You also get to meet people from other colleges, which can be quite unusual in Cambridge. On the down-side you're unlikely to have a large group of people doing the same course as you in your college, but that means you get to make friends with all sorts of different people, and don't end up like the engineers, medics or lawyers, who tend to congregate in subject-based clans.

Basically, it's wicked. Oh dear, I suddenly feel very eighties. It's a strange, weird kind of subject to choose, but I promise you, it's the kind of subject that will surprise you every day of your student life.

Velda Elliott, St John's College (3rd year)

 

I came to Cambridge originally intending to read the English Tripos, and to focus on medieval literature in particular. However, I soon was drawn to the close community and interdisciplinary approach of the ASNC department. My lectures in English were with hundreds of people; in contrast, in an ASNC lecture, the lecturer knows everyone by name. This leads to a strong feeling of academic support and encouragement, something which in many fields is offered to you only by your college. I have never regretted my decision to change to ASNC from English. Every day I am challenged and inspired; for every day I apply a variety of disciplinary perspectives (historical, literary, archaeological, linguistic) to my work. I really believe that ASNC has something for everyone who is interested in looking back in time.

Phoebe Putnam, Girton College (Affiliated Student, 2nd year)

 

ASNaC provides a multi-faceted, yet closely interrelated approach to a fascinating and important area of historical study. The course combines the best aspects of historical and linguistic subjects, which, although taken as separate papers at examination level, are inextricably interrelated. The department itself is small and informal, and means that a teacher-student ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 can be possible - unusual even for Cambridge, and of great benefit.

James Tout, Girton College (2nd year)

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Comments from Former Students

Hey ho! I started doing ASNaC in 1997, and really enjoyed it. So much that since I graduated in 2000, I've been doing postgraduate research (but in Glasgow, not in Cambridge). So I'm a bit biased (but hopefully I've got a bit of perspective :-) ). I never did find a good answer for /why/ I wanted to do ASNaC (and admitted it in my interview). Looking back, I think it's something to do with the fun you can have not having much evidence (you reach the boundaries of knowledge quicker) and the way ASNaC, having got you to the boundaries of knowledge, then helps you to push them back for yourself. Teaches you to handle primary sources in the original languages, that kind of thing. And there was the pleasant combination of the exotic and familiar that comes from studying the early history of the culture I grew up in.

Like a lot of ASNaCs, I came from a state school and I was impressed even before I applied with how well the teaching and community in the ASNaC department gets to be a leveller in terms of ethnicity/class/age. (Sounds like such a ridiculously elitist subject doesn't it? My teachers all wanted me to apply for English or history. Completely misguided!). None of that asking for essays before your interview and all that, and the variety of students you get makes it an interesting department to be in. Not that other departments are bad this way; just that ASNaC, as in many things, is a bit special.

The community life which the department generates is certainly special. Most students' social life in Cambridge is based on their college--which is great. But arts students especially tend not to get to meet folks from other colleges who do their subject, and can get a bit tired of that after a couple of years. Likewise, they often don't get to know many of their staff at a personal level. ASNaCs are again a bit special that way: the ASNaC Society provides a great community for the students and staff. (Other exceptions seem to be Archaeology and Classics. Could there be a trend...?)

ASNaC students go to the pub together, organise field trips for themselves, that sort of thing. The staff often come along/help out. When I had a bit of a bumpy ride in my third year, I got a lot more effective support from my departmental staff than my college tutor, whose was supposed to handle my pastoral care. Not his fault exactly, nor is that sort of thing in your lecturers' job descriptions. Just to show that that's the kind of relationship folks get to build up. And, as you can probably guess from me writing this, I'm still in touch with them!

So, hope you give it a go. Drop me an email at alaric@cantab.net, if you like, or check out www.alarichall.org.uk. Don't get too worked up about the whole Applying to Cambridge thing, mind. Hey, why not take Glasgow as your second choice?!

Alaric Hall (Magdalene, 1997-2000)

 

There are many sterling academic reasons to read ASNaC. You can spend three years stretching your mind challenging the boundaries of known fact, unlocking hidden literary gems in fascinating languages, studying a multidisciplinary course. You may also find you love the subject (you'd be the first ASNaC I've found if you don't). However, the incontestable benefit of an ASNaC degree is knowing the subject of the first ten minutes of every interview you will ever attend.

That comfort was sorely lacking as I approached my ASNaC interview. I applied with no prior knowledge of the subject, save some background reading of a couple of Icelandic sagas, and expected the interview to be daunting. Not so, in fact, the process was rather more of a challenging chat. Just with world experts. The interview was interesting and two way (although I drew the line at asking staff which three words they would use to describe themselves). I hadn't studied history or languages at A-Level and don't think this disadvantaged me at all during interview and didn't really affect my studies.

It followed - much as the Red Bull follows Old English on Friday - that the ASNaC would be a challenging three years. Within weeks of starting you are reading texts in the original language, learning how to interpret every minutiae of evidence and construct arguments with very few solid facts. In fact, evidence is so scarce for some parts of the Tripos there was a shadowy rumour the entire ASNaC period was a job creation exercise conceived in the late Forties. Well, it might be ludicrous but therein lies the beauty of an ASNaC degree - you will spend hours rebutting bizarre theories armed only with a handful of facts and a measure of tenacity!

Upon graduation I resisted the time honoured ASNaC-to-Barrister progression, but not too effectively as I now work in a law firm. I can't say I use a much ASNaC knowledge in my job in the press office, but I certainly use plenty of ASNaC skills - research, presentation and, of course, persuasion over a pint... If you are not sure attend one of the open days, though don't be scared by staff lapsing into quoting passages of dead languages. Better still, pick up the phone and talk it through with the department members attached to the College of your choice. That way you'll see the one to one staff interest and enthusiasm which sets the ASNaC Tripos apart in Cambridge. If you have any questions, drop me a line at kirstenjohnson_uk@hotmail.com

If you decide to apply, good luck. Remember, if you go on to read ASNaC this is the last interview you won't have ten minutes to work out who's the good cop and who's the bad...

Kirsten Johnson (Newnham, 1997-2000)

 

The main reason I chose Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic was my interest in the period. However, I was also reluctant to give up either historical, literary or linguistic studies; I hoped the course would provide an opportunity to further my skills and knowledge in all these areas and I was not disappointed. I thoroughly enjoyed my study at Cambridge and have benefited a great deal from my degree.

The skills I learnt from the course have equipped me well for my life since leaving Cambridge. In 2000-2001, I taught history at an independent school in England and whilst my knowledge of the Venerable Bede was a surprisng ommission from the GCSE and A-level Syllabi, the methods of approaching sources, formulating arguments and conveying one's thoughts, which I developed at Cambridge, were invaluable.

Having left teaching, I am to begin Pupillage at a Barristers' Chambers in London in October 2003, after I have completed my conversion from ASNaC.

My choice of degree has been a useful point of conversation in my job interviews to become a barrister and a teacher and always marks you out from the crowd of applicants with less imaginative degrees. As much as anything, it guarantees that they cannot ask you embarrassing questions about your degree; it is one thing you can be confident they know less about than you!

Few of my Cambridge contemporaries speak as highly of their subject, lecturers or directors of studies as my friends from Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic and that is a powerful testimony to the quality of the Deaprtment and the satisfaction and enjoyment that can be taken from a unique degree.

Miles Harris (Trinity, 1997-2000)

 

I graduated from ASNC in 1999, after which I worked for two years in marketing, for a small Cambridge-based scientific company. Since July 2001 I have been in Japan, on the JET Programme, teaching English to Senior High students.

Both of these occupations are seemingly unrelated to my degree subject; but one of the main attractions that ASNC held for me was its broad range of subjects; learning to diversify and enjoy it is an important element of the Tripos. Additionally, ASNC provided me with the means to assimilate and organize knowledge quickly and effectively; this proved invaluable for the strategy-making which is essential for effective marketing. More recently, I have been finding that the discipline of learning Old Irish and Old English at a fast pace (you will be reading original texts within weeks) has given me a head start in learning Japanese. (And after confronting Old Irish grammar, no language can ever scare you again!)

But practical skills are not all I gained from ASNC. The small size of the department makes it easy to form many friendships both with fellow students and with lecturers. The Tripos is certainly challenging, but it has a familial environment, which means you will never be afraid to say, 'I don't understand', or, on the other extreme, to contest the arguments of a lecturer.

Good luck if you decide to apply, and I hope you have a chance to enjoy ASNC as much as I did.

Emma Connolly (Trinity, 1996-9)

 

I read Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic from 1995 to 1998. My primary interest was Anglo-Saxon history. I did the Anglo-Saxon History and the Conversion of England to Christianity papers, as well two History dissertations. The course's flexibility allowed me to put all this in perspective: I studied the language and contemporary literature of the time (Old English and Insular Latin), sometimes by looking at the manuscripts in which they were written (Palaeography and Codicology) and by studying it in conjunction with the history of the Vikings (Scandinavian History).

I loved my time reading ASNaC. The course gave me a comprehensive overview of the scholarship of the period and also gave me the freedom to explore topics which I found to be particularly interesting. By my third year I was working on a dissertation on Anglo-Saxon place-names, a far cry from first-year fumblings with the word 'hegemony' [I can vouch for that - ed.]

The department benefits from being extremely friendly and informal. Whenever a supervision essay appeared impenetrable, or a piece of translation impossible, I found that a helping hand was never far away, either from other students or tutors. I made a great number of friends within the department and remain in contact with most of them.

Having graduated in 1998, I went to London to study law and am now a barrister in London (together with two other ex-ASNaC's from my year).

Tim Cooke (Trinity, 1995-8)