At first I was anxious about the workload, but once I arrived I soon realised that it’s very manageable - almost everyone seems incredibly passionate about what they're reading, whether that’s medicine or Machiavelli, and that sense of enthusiasm made getting into the groove much easier.

My course threw me in at the deep end, in the best possible way - for Italian literature there was Calvino, with his obscure, meta-literary style, and for history there was the Reformation, bursting with heretical pamphlets, Jesuits in the jungle, Baroque buildings galore. It was intensely stimulating and genuinely exciting to learn about.

All I would say to someone either applying or coming to Pembroke is that they should enjoy it - not only do you have some of the best experts available to chat to about your subject, you also have a great college community and a wonderful city at your disposal, full of interested, interesting people. Life is good!