Varsity Masthead
  • News
  • Comment
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Science
  • Lifestyle
  • Arts
  • Theatre
  • Music
  • Fashion
  • Film & TV
  • Sport
  • Shop
  • Write for us

Varsity Masthead

Tuesday 9 September 2025 | Cambridge, UK
  • News
  • Comment
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Science
  • Lifestyle
  • Culture
    • Arts
    • Fashion
    • Film & TV
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
  • Shop

COMMENT

  • Popular articles
  • The reality of the Tompkins Table rankings
    3 September 2025
  • Editor's pickI think I…like myself?
    5 September 2025
  • My problem with the year abroad
    29 August 2025
  • A fleshy realisation
    8 September 2025
  • A fleshy realisation

    Comment

    A fleshy realisation

    Jasper Finlay Burnside places communities at the heart of his argument for cycling infrastructure

    8 September 2025
    A fleshy realisation
  • I think I…like myself?

    Gabrielle Saraway

    I think I…like myself?

    Gabrielle Saraway argues something very radical: that we should like ourselves

    5 September 2025
    I think I…like myself?
  • The reality of the Tompkins Table rankings

    Katie Nicholson

    The reality of the Tompkins Table rankings

    3 September 2025
    The reality of the Tompkins Table rankings
  • Why do we need to glow up?

    Jamilla Wichmann

    Why do we need to glow up?

    1 September 2025
    Why do we need to glow up?
  • My problem with the year abroad

    Comment

    My problem with the year abroad

    29 August 2025
    My problem with the year abroad
  • Cambridge needs to reach out to disabled students

    Ellana Cowan

    Cambridge needs to reach out to disabled students

    27 August 2025
    Cambridge needs to reach out to disabled students
  • Who could possibly want more exams?

    Comment

    Who could possibly want more exams?

    25 August 2025
    Who could possibly want more exams?
  • Time’s up for the Tompkins Table

    Ben Curtis

    Time’s up for the Tompkins Table

    22 August 2025
    Time’s up for the Tompkins Table
  • Yes, I love Britain

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Yes, I love Britain

    20 August 2025
    Yes, I love Britain
  • A plague on your new-build houses

    Jasper Finlay Burnside

    A plague on your new-build houses

    18 August 2025
    A plague on your new-build houses
  • Put an end to the unpaid internship

    April O'Neill

    Put an end to the unpaid internship

    April O’Neill argues that unpaid internships are a barrier to social mobility that we need to knock down

    15 August 2025
    Put an end to the unpaid internship
  • Oxford wins the ceremonial Varsity

    Charlie Rowan

    Oxford wins the ceremonial Varsity

    Charlie Rowan argues that Cambridge is losing its grip on national attention

    13 August 2025
    Oxford wins the ceremonial Varsity
  • Supervisions are about more than teaching

    Katie Nicholson

    Supervisions are about more than teaching

    11 August 2025
    Supervisions are about more than teaching
  • What the civil service has got wrong about class

    Elsie McDowell

    What the civil service has got wrong about class

    8 August 2025
    What the civil service has got wrong about class
  • Are degrees still worth it?

    Katie Nicholson

    Are degrees still worth it?

    4 August 2025
    Are degrees still worth it?
  • I stand by my sixteen-year-old self's vote

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    I stand by my sixteen-year-old self’s vote

    26 July 2025
    I stand by my sixteen-year-old self’s vote
  • Stop disarming people of their nuance

    Ben Lubitsh

    Stop disarming people of their nuance

    23 July 2025
    Stop disarming people of their nuance
  • The next Chancellor has their work cut out for them

    Ben Curtis

    The next Chancellor has their work cut out for them

    19 July 2025
    The next Chancellor has their work cut out for them
  • What is originality, anyway? 

    Jamilla Wichmann

    What is originality, anyway? 

    14 July 2025
    What is originality, anyway? 
  • Where is the humanity in our politics?

    Jasper Finlay Burnside

    Where is the humanity in our politics?

    7 July 2025
    Where is the humanity in our politics?
  • It's not just Trump who's after international students

    Bernard Shiu

    It’s not just Trump who’s after international students

    Bernard Shiu argues that the rise of populism poses a threat to international students’ access to education across the world

    30 June 2025
    It’s not just Trump who’s after international students
  • So, what are you up to this summer?

    Tia Ribbo

    So, what are you up to this summer?

    Tia Ribbo argues that the pressure placed on our summer vacation highlights harmful aspects of Cambridge’s culture

    11 July 2025
    So, what are you up to this summer?
  • Why shouldn't we share our libraries with A-level students?

    Sophia Bosworth-Gerbino

    Why shouldn’t we share our libraries with A-level students?

    25 June 2025
    Why shouldn’t we share our libraries with A-level students?
  • No platform, no progress

    Ben Lubitsh

    No platform, no progress

    23 June 2025
    No platform, no progress
  • Good riddance to exam rankings

    Jack Deasley

    Good riddance to exam rankings

    20 June 2025
    Good riddance to exam rankings
  • May Week isn’t going anywhere

    Greg Quinn

    May Week isn’t going anywhere

    16 June 2025
    May Week isn’t going anywhere
  • Open(ing up about) AI

    Maddy Browne

    Open(ing up about) AI

    13 June 2025
    Open(ing up about) AI
  • All aboard the Varsity line? 

    head to head

    All aboard the Varsity line? 

    13 June 2025
    All aboard the Varsity line? 
  • Cambridge students need to resurrect the rave

    April O'Neill

    Cambridge students need to resurrect the rave

    13 June 2025
    Cambridge students need to resurrect the rave
  • Why Cambridge needs college chapels

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Why Cambridge needs college chapels

    11 June 2025
    Why Cambridge needs college chapels
  • The importance of student protests isn't up for debate

    Katie Nicholson

    The importance of student protests isn’t up for debate

    Katie Nicholson argues that the right of students to protest is an essential facilitator of political expression

    6 June 2025
    The importance of student protests isn’t up for debate
  • Labour is betraying disabled people

    Olive Watt

    Labour is betraying disabled people

    Olive Watt argues that the government is betraying disabled people, and its roots, through cuts to disability benefits 

    4 June 2025
    Labour is betraying disabled people
  • Is Cambridge really accessible?

    Calum Murray

    Is Cambridge really accessible?

    2 June 2025
    Is Cambridge really accessible?
  • There must be more to the sciences than exams

    Anonymous student

    There must be more to the sciences than exams

    30 May 2025
    There must be more to the sciences than exams
  • Keir Starmer’s ‘New Deal’ era?

    Maddie Harding

    Keir Starmer’s ‘New Deal’ era?

    28 May 2025
    Keir Starmer’s ‘New Deal’ era?
  • Not all state schools are made equal 

    Ffion Edwards

    Not all state schools are made equal 

    26 May 2025
    Not all state schools are made equal 
  • Impostor syndrome isn't a rite of passage

    Katie Nicholson

    Impostor syndrome isn’t a rite of passage

    23 May 2025
    Impostor syndrome isn’t a rite of passage
  • Are college-mandated quiet periods more harm than good?

    April O'Neill

    Are college-mandated quiet periods more harm than good?

    21 May 2025
    Are college-mandated quiet periods more harm than good?
  • The lies we tell prospective students

    Martha Rayner

    The lies we tell prospective students

    19 May 2025
    The lies we tell prospective students
  • Lectures are optional so give us the recordings

    Katie Nicholson

    Lectures are optional so give us the recordings

    14 May 2025
    Lectures are optional so give us the recordings
  • What Scotland can teach us about Reform's coming wave

    Jasper Finlay Burnside

    What Scotland can teach us about Reform’s coming wave

    Jasper Finlay Burnside argues that as Reform’s popularity grows, we ignore the politics of the devolved nations at our own peril

    12 May 2025
    What Scotland can teach us about Reform’s coming wave
  • The case for reading weeks

    Katie Nicholson

    The case for reading weeks

    Katie Nicholson argues that a mid-term break would improve, rather than undermine, the Cambridge degree structure

    9 May 2025
    The case for reading weeks
  • Is networking dead?

    Chiraag Shah

    Is networking dead?

    5 May 2025
    Is networking dead?
  • Why Cambridge debates matter

    Johana Trejtnar

    Why Cambridge debates matter

    2 May 2025
    Why Cambridge debates matter
  • How colleges shape the way we see the world

    Luca Chandler

    How colleges shape the way we see the world

    30 April 2025
    How colleges shape the way we see the world
  • Pope Francis helped young people reconnect with the Church

    Dylan Stewart

    Pope Francis helped young people reconnect with the Church

    28 April 2025
    Pope Francis helped young people reconnect with the Church
  • Pick an exam format and stick to it

    Evie McMahon

    Pick an exam format and stick to it

    25 April 2025
    Pick an exam format and stick to it
  • Multiculturalism is under fire 

    Luca Chandler

    Multiculturalism is under fire 

    25 April 2025
    Multiculturalism is under fire 
  • Cambridge has its own toxic masculinity

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Cambridge has its own toxic masculinity

    25 April 2025
    Cambridge has its own toxic masculinity
  • Cambridge builds up the housing crisis

    Maddy Browne

    Cambridge builds up the housing crisis

    25 April 2025
    Cambridge builds up the housing crisis
  • Does the AI revolution render coursework obsolete?

    Jake Altmann

    Does the AI revolution render coursework obsolete?

    Jake Altmann argues that AI can compliment coursework as a mode of assessment

    23 April 2025
    Does the AI revolution render coursework obsolete?
  • Cambridge students are too opinionated 

    Gabrielle Lee

    Cambridge students are too opinionated 

    While our student culture encourages social awareness, Gabrielle Lee argues this is often performative 

    21 April 2025
    Cambridge students are too opinionated 
  • Cambridge's tourism risks commodifying students

    Martha Rayner

    Cambridge’s tourism risks commodifying students

    18 April 2025
    Cambridge’s tourism risks commodifying students
  • The Cambridge workload prioritises quantity over quality 

    Patrick Dolan

    The Cambridge workload prioritises quantity over quality 

    16 April 2025
    The Cambridge workload prioritises quantity over quality 
  • We have a fixation with tracking ourselves

    Ellie Buckley

    We have a fixation with tracking ourselves

    14 April 2025
    We have a fixation with tracking ourselves
  • Death of the June Event?

    Madeleine Wood

    Death of the June Event?

    9 April 2025
    Death of the June Event?
  • Cambridge's gossip culture is a double-edged sword

    Yashraj Garg

    Cambridge’s gossip culture is a double-edged sword

    7 April 2025
    Cambridge’s gossip culture is a double-edged sword
  • Cambridge can't train public servants

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Cambridge can’t train public servants

    4 April 2025
    Cambridge can’t train public servants
  • More Cambridge students should study abroad 

    Ffion Edwards

    More Cambridge students should study abroad 

    1 April 2025
    More Cambridge students should study abroad 
  • Cambridge's spaces still bear the past's misogyny

    Johana Trejtnar

    Cambridge’s spaces still bear the past’s misogyny

    28 March 2025
    Cambridge’s spaces still bear the past’s misogyny
  • ‘We’ have always been here

    Varsity Comment

    ‘We’ have always been here

    Queer communities have been present at Cambridge for much of its history

    26 March 2025
    ‘We’ have always been here
  • Times up for exploitative porn

    Jess Standring

    Times up for exploitative porn

    Jess Standring draws attention to the prevalence of exploitation on platforms like Pornhub

    24 March 2025
    Times up for exploitative porn
  • Cambridge is in a public transport crisis

    Chiraag Shah

    Cambridge is in a public transport crisis

    21 March 2025
    Cambridge is in a public transport crisis
  • Why international aid matters  

    Maddie Harding

    Why international aid matters  

    17 March 2025
    Why international aid matters  
  • Flying the Pride flag is only the first step

    Maddy Browne

    Flying the Pride flag is only the first step

    14 March 2025
    Flying the Pride flag is only the first step
  • Cambridge is a masterclass in nostalgia

    Nick Davis

    Cambridge is a masterclass in nostalgia

    11 March 2025
    Cambridge is a masterclass in nostalgia
  • Letters to the Editors

    Letters

    Letters to the Editors

    7 March 2025
    Letters to the Editors
  • Bring back unsexy activism

    Martha Rayner

    Bring back unsexy activism

    7 March 2025
    Bring back unsexy activism
  • Are May Balls worth their budgets?

    Rosie Roberts

    Are May Balls worth their budgets?

    7 March 2025
    Are May Balls worth their budgets?
  • Weekly essays don't do justice to important topics

    Duncan Paterson

    Weekly essays don’t do justice to important topics

    7 March 2025
    Weekly essays don’t do justice to important topics
  • Why I'm not a girlboss

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Why I’m not a girlboss

    A culture of corporate feminism risks alienating women who do not fit the girlboss image

    7 March 2025
    Why I’m not a girlboss
  • We should all be able to Access-a-Ball

    Hattie Holford-Smith

    We should all be able to Access-a-Ball

    Hattie Holford-Smith argues that May Balls need to do far more for disabled students

    3 March 2025
    We should all be able to Access-a-Ball
  • How a culture of knowing shapes the Cambridge application process

    Daisy Hewitt

    How a culture of knowing shapes the Cambridge application process

    1 March 2025
    How a culture of knowing shapes the Cambridge application process
  • Why we should teach Latin in state schools

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Why we should teach Latin in state schools

    27 February 2025
    Why we should teach Latin in state schools
  • Letters to the Editors

    Letters

    Letters to the Editors

    22 February 2025
    Letters to the Editors
  • What colleges can learn from international relations

    Elsie McDowell

    What colleges can learn from international relations

    21 February 2025
    What colleges can learn from international relations
  • Do you know your housekeeper's name?

    Nicole Banas

    Do you know your housekeeper’s name?

    21 February 2025
    Do you know your housekeeper’s name?
  • The University must get to grips with gender attainment gaps

    Daisy Hewitt

    The University must get to grips with gender attainment gaps

    21 February 2025
    The University must get to grips with gender attainment gaps
  • Why you should keep (either side of) term

    Evie McMahon

    Why you should keep (either side of) term

    21 February 2025
    Why you should keep (either side of) term
  • How to breathe new life into Cambridge’s chapels

    Johana Trejtnar

    How to breathe new life into Cambridge’s chapels

    19 February 2025
    How to breathe new life into Cambridge’s chapels
  • There is a hypocrisy of tolerance here at Cambridge

    Erin McGurk

    There is a hypocrisy of tolerance here at Cambridge

    Erin McGurk argues that the tolerance advocated by left-leaning Cambridge students is often not put into practice

    14 February 2025
    There is a hypocrisy of tolerance here at Cambridge
  • Our lives shouldn't be products 

    Rosie Roberts

    Our lives shouldn’t be products 

    Social media is making us commodify our lives, argues Rosie Roberts 

    13 February 2025
    Our lives shouldn’t be products 
  • Why Oxbridge's offers day matters

    Benjamin Barrett-Miles

    Why Oxbridge’s offers day matters

    10 February 2025
    Why Oxbridge’s offers day matters
  • It's time to change travel grants

    Martha Rayner

    It’s time to change travel grants

    7 February 2025
    It’s time to change travel grants
  • It’s pay-to-win for health and life skills at Cambridge

    Max La Bouchardiere

    It’s pay-to-win for health and life skills at Cambridge

    7 February 2025
    It’s pay-to-win for health and life skills at Cambridge
  • Student politics is at a crossroads

    Martha Lucas

    Student politics is at a crossroads

    7 February 2025
    Student politics is at a crossroads
  • The news reads like satire, but the joke's on us

    Luca Chandler

    The news reads like satire, but the joke’s on us

    7 February 2025
    The news reads like satire, but the joke’s on us
  • Letters to the Editors

    Varsity Letters

    Letters to the Editors

    7 February 2025
    Letters to the Editors
  • The nasty aftertaste of Cambridge students' stupidity 

    Duncan Paterson

    The nasty aftertaste of Cambridge students’ stupidity 

    5 February 2025
    The nasty aftertaste of Cambridge students’ stupidity 
  • Holocaust remembrance is Gen Z's responsibility 

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Holocaust remembrance is Gen Z’s responsibility 

    31 January 2025
    Holocaust remembrance is Gen Z’s responsibility 
  • Universities need fewer students

    Freddie Reid

    Universities need fewer students

    Freddie Reid argues that universities cannot manage swelling student numbers

    29 January 2025
    Universities need fewer students
  • Veganism shouldn’t be about perfection  

    Elsie McDowell

    Veganism shouldn’t be about perfection  

    Elsie McDowell looks at what happens when Veganuary ends

    27 January 2025
    Veganism shouldn’t be about perfection  
  • The new History tripos is a step in the right direction

    Eloise Thompson

    The new History tripos is a step in the right direction

    24 January 2025
    The new History tripos is a step in the right direction
  • It's not sharking, it's harassment 

    Rosie Roberts

    It’s not sharking, it’s harassment 

    24 January 2025
    It’s not sharking, it’s harassment 
  • Why university rankings don't add up 

    Johana Trejtnar

    Why university rankings don’t add up 

    24 January 2025
    Why university rankings don’t add up 
  • In praise of part-time jobs

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    In praise of part-time jobs

    24 January 2025
    In praise of part-time jobs
  • Letters to the Editors 

    Varsity Letters

    Letters to the Editors 

    24 January 2025
    Letters to the Editors 
  • Let's be more literal about Lent 

    Matthew Taylor

    Let’s be more literal about Lent 

    22 January 2025
    Let’s be more literal about Lent 
  • What happened to being well-rounded?

    Chiraag Shah

    What happened to being well-rounded?

    20 January 2025
    What happened to being well-rounded?
  • Have we become too open about our mental health?

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    Have we become too open about our mental health?

    18 January 2025
    Have we become too open about our mental health?
  • Fighting climate change on your (college) doorstep

    Luca Chandler

    Fighting climate change on your (college) doorstep

    The power of colleges to drive climate action is only just being realised

    15 January 2025
    Fighting climate change on your (college) doorstep
  • Cambridge's outreach departments deserve some love

    Evie McMahon

    Cambridge’s outreach departments deserve some love

    College access and outreach departments and their student-led initiatives are the backbone of accessibility at Cambridge

    14 January 2025
    Cambridge’s outreach departments deserve some love
  • The case for handwritten exams

    Chiraag Shah

    The case for handwritten exams

    10 January 2025
    The case for handwritten exams
  • Head-to-head: West Hub revision raving

    Head to Head

    Head-to-head: West Hub revision raving

    8 January 2025
    Head-to-head: West Hub revision raving
  • The privilege of not thinking politically 

    Duncan Paterson

    The privilege of not thinking politically 

    7 January 2025
    The privilege of not thinking politically 
  • It's time to confront society's rape culture

    Long Read

    It’s time to confront society’s rape culture

    3 January 2025
    It’s time to confront society’s rape culture
  • Tolerating anti-intellectualism supports the ‘career-ification’ of university

    Max La Bouchardiere

    Tolerating anti-intellectualism supports the ‘career-ification’ of university

    1 January 2025
    Tolerating anti-intellectualism supports the ‘career-ification’ of university
  • Gen Z’s (not so) unlikely hero

    Ben Lubitsh

    Gen Z’s (not so) unlikely hero

    30 December 2024
    Gen Z’s (not so) unlikely hero
  • Deck the halls and do the dishes

    Maddie Harding

    Deck the halls and do the dishes

    27 December 2024
    Deck the halls and do the dishes
  • All I want for Christmas is (tof)u

    Alex Lee

    All I want for Christmas is (tof)u

    25 December 2024
    All I want for Christmas is (tof)u
  • London has a Cambridge problem 

    Elsie McDowell

    London has a Cambridge problem 

    Elsie McDowell reflects on what it means to be a working class Londoner at Cambridge

    23 December 2024
    London has a Cambridge problem 
  • In pursuit of the Protestant work ethic at Cambridge

    Daisy Stewart Henderson

    In pursuit of the Protestant work ethic at Cambridge

    Cambridge’s extreme workload worsens our work ethics, argues Daisy Stewart Henderson

    20 December 2024
    In pursuit of the Protestant work ethic at Cambridge
  • University chancellorships are not fit for the 21st-century

    Maddy Browne

    University chancellorships are not fit for the 21st-century

    18 December 2024
    University chancellorships are not fit for the 21st-century
  • Why can’t voters trust women leaders?

    Rosie Roberts

    Why can’t voters trust women leaders?

    16 December 2024
    Why can’t voters trust women leaders?
  • The supervision system that doesn’t supervise itself

    Ezra Izer

    The supervision system that doesn’t supervise itself

    12 December 2024
    The supervision system that doesn’t supervise itself
  • How do I write about street safety?

    Eliza Ousey

    How do I write about street safety?

    10 December 2024
    How do I write about street safety?
  • COP29 failed those who need it most

    Luca Chandler

    COP29 failed those who need it most

    6 December 2024
    COP29 failed those who need it most
  • Trump's second election hits Americans harder than his first

    Zoë Randolph

    Trump’s second election hits Americans harder than his first

    2 December 2024
    Trump’s second election hits Americans harder than his first
  • Let's stop pretending drinking socs can be inclusive

    Fatima Zahra Yusuf

    Let’s stop pretending drinking socs can be inclusive

    29 November 2024
    Let’s stop pretending drinking socs can be inclusive
  • Overcompensating or culturally in touch? On being an international student

    Maria Eduarda Paixao

    Overcompensating or culturally in touch? On being an international student

    29 November 2024
    Overcompensating or culturally in touch? On being an international student

Sponsored Links

  • Limo Bus
  • Plasticplace
  • The Mays Anthology

Partner Links

  • Amomama
  • Easy Limo
  • Student Marketing
Back to top
Varsity Masthead

First published in 1947, Varsity is the independent student newspaper for the University of Cambridge.

All content © 1996-2025 Varsity Publications Ltd.

  • Paper Edition
  • Editorial Complaints
  • About Varsity
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • RSS
  • Get Involved
  • Trust
  • Donate
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube