Supervisions are the unique selling point of an education at Cambridge. The opportunity to discuss your subject with an expert and receive specialised feedback is marketed as invaluable. But is it really the best way to learn? And is their value purely academic?

Undeniably, the often one-on-one attention from supervisors supports students in a way other universities are unable to offer. However, these settings can omit the benefits that other methods of teaching can provide. Being able to formally discuss a topic in larger groups, as undertaken through seminars in other universities, allows for a broader range of views and ideas to be put forward and debated. Especially in the humanities, where essays are based around acknowledging and interacting with differing views and positions, the chance to hear these arguments put forward firsthand can sharpen our own thinking, resulting in more nuanced essays.

"Supervisions teach more than content; they help develop life skills"

The benefits of larger teaching formats extend beyond academics. Socially, it provides a natural space to foster a relationship with those on your course. Not only does this create a friendlier environment, but it can also harvest a vast support network within cohorts in a way that small supervision groups do not allow for.

Whilst their marketing as an unbeatable educational tool may be challenged by the favourable aspects of other teaching methods, supervisions aid students in other ways. Before my Cambridge interview, mock interviews with teachers were an integral part of my admissions journey. Gaining the confidence, which I would need in my interview, to say what I believed, and support those ideas under scrutiny from experts, was undeniably daunting. The thought of sitting in my room, facing my laptop, while three people stared back at me expecting immediate and well-thought-out answers seemed impossible - I didn’t have the confidence to defend my ideas.

It was highlighted to me by a teacher that the interview process mirrored the supervision-style teaching I would receive if my application was successful. This did little to calm my nerves. The thought that, week on week, I would be interrogated on an essay I had spent the previous week working hard on didn’t appeal, and the formal nature of supervisions scared me. However, just as I adjusted in the interview, soon I began to value what supervisions were teaching me: confidence, analytical and critical thinking, and to not be afraid to be wrong.

"The chance to hear these arguments put forward firsthand can sharpen our own thinking"

By nature, this contributes to the academic value of supervisions. Conducting supervisions in small groups, or even individually, doesn’t mean a range of views cannot be acknowledged. In fact, in some respects, it demands understanding of views that differ from your own because it is up to you to explore and defend multiple viewpoints. To look at something through multiple lenses, and to find supporting arguments for each of these standpoints, offers the range of ideas seminars do - just through an alternative process. However, it is outside of academics that supervisions truly excel over other teaching methods.

Speaking now to friends studying elsewhere, the concept of having to defend work directly to a professor, often under intense scrutiny, terrifies them. To me, it is normal. I write essays taking into account counterarguments and prepare to justify my thinking. Writing an essay aware of what the supervisor will argue with, and crafting a defence in preparation, discussing academics with others and being okay with admitting my viewpoint has changed or that I do not understand aspects of the debate, but still speaking with confidence, are all consequences of what can be a daunting system.

Although supervisions may omit beneficial factors that other teaching methods offer, such as a chance to interact with a wider scope of your cohort, they excel in other aspects. Supervisions teach more than content; they help develop life skills. For job interviews, public speaking, and debates, the ability to present my ideas clearly, speak with confidence, engage with criticism, and think on my feet, supervisions are invaluable. These lessons are where the true benefits of supervisions lie - not just in the academic knowledge, but in the confidence and skills they build for life beyond university.