The Times Higher Education World University Rankings lists 980 top universities in the world for 2016-2017 and ranks the University of Cambridge as the fourth best university in the world (1st place: Oxford). It is therefore not surprising that students from all corners of the world are drawn to the small city on the Cam, around an hour's drive from London. As the second oldest university in the English-speaking world (founded in 1284), over 18,000 students live and study in Cambridge today, 4,000 of whom come from over 120 different countries. The International Summer School offers 150 courses each year, with students from over 50 countries taking part. Cambridge University is divided into 31 independent colleges, the best known of which are certainly King's College and Trinity College.
This internationality, the high standard of learning, the excellent reputation, the time-honored walls, the student life and the beautiful location also make Cambridge an extremely popular destination for language students for their language study trip to England. The Cambridge English Diplomas enjoy a worldwide reputation, and you can of course also prepare for and complete them during your language study trip to Cambridge.
The university city of Cambridge is of course not only well equipped with colleges, but also with language schools where beginners and advanced learners can take a wide variety of English courses. In addition to standard courses, intensive courses and semi-intensive courses, the Cambridge Diploma courses are particularly popular at all levels. IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC preparation courses are also very often offered. Almost every language school in the city also offers business English language courses, many of which also prepare students for the BEC language diploma. Business courses are also offered for different target groups, such as doctors, lawyers, managers, pharmaceutical representatives or economists who want to improve their specific technical English.
There is a large selection of language courses and language schools in Cambridge, so it's not always easy to decide on a school and a course. But you have to if you want to go to Cambridge, so some research and preliminary considerations at the start of planning your language study trip to England are extremely helpful.
Look for a few language travel agencies that offer language travel to Cambridge and find out more about the individual schools. The reviews of former language students, which you can also find via Google Maps search, are always helpful. There you can see exactly how many people have already rated a language school in Cambridge and what their rating is. You can also view these ratings or testimonials on social media so that you can get an initial assessment. However, as these are generally not always enough to ultimately decide on a school, other criteria are also extremely helpful for the selection process. The location of the school, for example, could be an important selection criterion for you, as could the range of language courses on offer and the infrastructure. The guideLanguage courses in Englandprovides you with detailed information about planning and organizing your language study trip and helps you to find the right language school in Cambridge for you and your stay based on important selection criteria.
There are various types of accommodation in Cambridge that you can choose from for your language study trip. On the one hand, of course, there are host families (homestay), where you can stay in a single room or twin room with a family and receive breakfast or half board. The host families' apartments or houses can be located all over Cambridge, but are usually within 15 to 40 minutes of the school. If you choose this type of accommodation, it is advisable to ask the language tour operators about the maximum distance from the school to the accommodation and from the accommodation to the city center. In this way, you can be sure that you don't have to invest a long journey at least twice a day, which will cut into your free time.
It is usually much easier to find out the location of other accommodation, such as hotels, residences and halls of residence. You should make sure that the accommodation is not located in too remote districts, such as Milton or Trumpington, as you will always have to take public transport from there to get to the heart of Cambridge. The areas around the parks Jesus Green, Midsummer Common, Parker's Piece and of course the streets around the individual colleges are much more attractive and also offer a varied evening program.
As Cambridge is a city full of students, life there is also geared towards the young target group in many places. This means that there are countless small cafés, pubs, restaurants, theaters and nightclubs. But there are also museums, shopping opportunities, churches, parks and libraries.
If you're in Cambridge, you can't miss a visit to at least one college, King's College Chapel and the Fitzwilliam Museum. And of course don't forget a punting tour on the River Cam. From there you have a wonderful view of the historic buildings of the university and can be chauffeured in a relaxed manner or even grab the stick yourself. The 50-minute tours start from £79, which you can book through the Cambridge Punting Company, or from £16.00 per adult for a 45-minute ride through Quayside Punting Station. You can find other providers directly via the tourist information office.
There you will also find a large selection of guided tours that you can take in Cambridge, such as a Highlights Tour, Library Tours, Evening City Highlights Tour, The Riverside College Tour, King's College and The Backs and more. It is recommended that you make time for at least one of these guided tours during your language study trip in Cambridge, not only to marvel at the sights, but also to gain interesting background knowledge about them. Via Visitcambridge.org you will also find a whole range of festivals and events that take place in the city throughout the year.
You can also explore the city of Cambridge by sightseeing bus, but this is obviously not a suitable means of transportation for getting to the language school in the morning and the pubs in the evening. If you want to get around the city, you can walk or, like most students, cycle. Depending on the length of your language study trip in Cambridge, it may make sense to buy a second-hand bike or hire one. For around £20 you can hire a bike for a week, for £55 for eight weeks. You can find more information about this from the provider City Cycle Hire.
If cycling is too strenuous for you, take an e-bike or the city bus. You can find the current timetables and bus routes on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.
Although Cambridge is a student city, it is not necessarily cheap, but with good budget planning you can of course get through your language study trip without any financial losses. The cost of living in Cambridge is extremely dependent on the type of service. For example, a soft drink costs around £1, a beer £4.5, a coffee £3, a liter of milk £0.45. For around £12 you can get a weekly bus pass, but you can't usually have a two-course meal for that price, for around £8 you can get into a club and for a hamburger you pay around £6. For £0.80 you can get a loaf of bread, but a sandwich costs £3.5. Guided tours cost from £7 to £20 and entry to one of the many parks is free.
What you spend on a language study trip in Cambridge therefore depends very much on what you buy or consume, not least where you buy it, what you want to do and how big your budget is. Generally speaking, the cost of living in Cambridge is lower than in Zurich, but you will probably want to do something every single day during your language study trip there in order to get to know the fascinating city north of London in all its facets. So it's best to factor this into your travel budget.
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