The SciSoc Guide to NST 1A
To help demystify the Natural Sciences (NST or NatSci) course to new arrivals, would-be applicants or just curious minds, SciSoc has produced ‘The SciSoc Guide to NST 1A’. The guide was written with students for students – in it, you will find frank and honest assessments of the courses offered in your first year studying NatSci as well as hopefully helpful advice, both products of recent students’ experiences. Information contained within the guide should be accurate as of Summer 2023. If there are errors, please do let us know by whichever means is most convenient for you.
We hope this helps incoming students with their subject choices and with their courses through the year and gives prospective applicants an insight into their future course. If you found the guide helpful, please do share it with anyone else you think might benefit from it.
The PDF version can be found here: 2023 NST 1A Guide.
Congratulations on getting here! You must be very excited to explore what Cambridge has to offer ‒ it will definitely be great! SciSoc is the largest and most active science society at the University of Cambridge. We organise talks on a wide range of scientific subjects and many social events throughout the year. We can’t wait to get you involved!
To help you get started with your studies, we have put together this booklet with advice on your subjects from our own experiences and those of NatSci students who have just completed first year. Of course, everyone is different so not all of these tips may apply to you, but we hope some of the advice will be useful throughout your first year.
Many thanks to Hamish Trowell who started this guide in 2017, and the 2018 and 2020 SciSoc committee who reviewed the guide and added to his advice! Also our sincere gratitude to Daniel Lim, Brendan Ng, Xianjing Hou and Alea Yang for updating the information for 2021.
Mathematics A/B
Mathematical Biology
Biology of Cells
Chemistry
Earth Sciences
Evolution and Behaviour
Materials Science
Physics
Physiology of Organisms
Acknowledgements
