Barbaros Zeren, a first-year Aerospace Engineering undergraduate student under the supervision and mentorship of Dr Rehan Shah and part of the Queen Mary Centre for Undergraduate Research, was awarded the QMUL-Cambridge Long Vacation Scholarship, which enabled him to spend a period of four weeks from July-August at Kings College, Cambridge to pursue academic scholarship activities by making use of the world-leading academic facilities including reading and borrowing rights access to the Cambridge University Libraries.

He was able to write a reflective summary of his experience at Cambridge in which he noted:

Before I went to King's College, Cambridge, I was expecting to meet interesting people and gain access to a wide range of resources. Without a doubt, this is the case. There are a bunch of opportunities available, and each one of them can open up new worlds for you. However, nobody tells you the gravity and profundity of the place. If you stop and look around once in a while, you might think, “This is where Alan Turing also ate” or “Newton probably walked on this same exact street and maybe even sat down right here.” I found this fascinating to think about.

Other than this feeling of being at a very important place for western academia, I can say that staying at the college and feeling like a member of the community really pushed me to be at the best in terms of my productivity. Furthermore, being a member of the college made connecting with fellows and other members of the college extremely easy. For example, I contacted multiple academicians who are working in the engineering field; moreover, I was able to easily meet some other experts who specialised in economics, art, film studies, and philosophy.

The best advice I can give to other recipients of the scholarship is to have a plan and put your plan on your calendar. Also, contact people who you want to meet a few weeks beforehand and send follow-up emails at a closer time to meet. Lastly, I would say don't forget to explore Cambridge and the events outside the college, such as concerts, recitals, and art shows. But most importantly, have fun.