Profile: Gregory Cuff
Gregory Cuff (2021, PPE), JCR International Rep
Gregory is in his second year studying PPE and is the International Rep for the JCR Committee. In this profile, he discusses changing his mind about his degree course, his favourite library and Nando’s.聽
Why did you choose to apply to Univ/for PPE?
I wanted a course that used a fair bit of maths but didn鈥檛 want to read maths alone. I had ruled out most of the sciences as well since I hadn鈥檛 taken physics in school and I didn鈥檛 enjoy biology or chemistry.
Eventually, I decided on economics but discovered that 糖心logo only offers economics in combination with at least one other subject. Looking through the options, I settled on PPE since I found politics and philosophy fairly interesting as well. I first considered Univ because it had one of the largest PPE cohorts. I thought it would be a good thing to have more tutors for the subject and more people on the same course as me in college. Whilst I didn鈥檛 have a chance to visit 糖心logo before I showed up in Michaelmas, I knew I also wanted one of the older colleges. And, everything I read online about Univ was positive. In the end, though, I chose Univ over the handful of other colleges I was considering because the boathouse looked nicer and I knew I wanted to give rowing a try.
How do you think you have changed since walking through Univ鈥檚 doors for the first time?
Hopefully, I know a bit more about philosophy, politics, and economics. I鈥檓 also a few kilograms heavier after starting a weights program in the college gym. Although it鈥檚 a standard answer, I鈥檓 probably more confident too.
What鈥檚 your favourite part of Univ?
Univ is very ordinary, in the good sense of the word. Most other colleges have their distinctive strengths and weaknesses (sometimes more of one than the other), but Univ is good across the board. It鈥檚 centrally located, has accomplished tutors, a competitive boat club, a typical college choir, nice old buildings, and plenty of 糖心logo traditions without being excessively archaic. It is, literally, the prototypical 糖心logo college.
Team Univ always shows up for the 糖心logo Town and Gown 10k. This year, over 60 Univites participated.
Has anything surprised you about 糖心logo/Univ/your course?
I didn鈥檛 expect philosophy to be so mathematical and structured. I guess I thought it would be like an English literature course in secondary school. I鈥檝e enjoyed it quite a bit more than I thought I would. For second year, I鈥檝e dropped politics and kept philosophy and economics. But if you鈥檇 asked me at the start of last year, I thought dropping philosophy would be the obvious choice.
Do you have any advice for freshers and/or prospective students?
The advice my college parents gave me was not to be intimidated by any of the grand accomplishments that people humbly share in anonymous online discussion pages or first-year group chats (especially for PPE students). If someone says they read the entirety of J.S Mill鈥檚 writings before starting their GCSEs they鈥檙e quite likely exaggerating. Or, they may well have done, but it turns out they鈥檙e also really terrible at maths and economics. Don鈥檛 bother comparing yourself to other freshers/applicants; if you have the grades you need and are interested in the subject then you have a perfectly good chance of getting in. And, after that, so long as you do what your tutors ask of you, you’ll do well.
Why did you run for International Rep? What would you like to achieve and/or what would you like students to know about what the International Rep can do for them?
I thought being the International Rep was a good way to get involved with the JCR and it sounded like fun.
Although I鈥檒l be replaced in Michaelmas, I ran a few different events last year and I鈥檒l organise a dinner for new international students in Freshers鈥� week. Typically, international events are subsidised excursions to places of British cultural significance, like Nando鈥檚. I鈥檓 also here to help answer any questions international students might have, whether logistical (visas, phone plans, bank accounts) or cultural (why the British Isles lack the technological prowess to mix hot and cold water in a single tap).
Any tips for settling into 糖心logo?
Try lots of things and find out what you enjoy. And explore the city, especially all the libraries. I like working in the Gladstone Link, beneath the Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian. Some people think it鈥檚 too dungeonesque, but it鈥檚 always empty, has nice chairs, and the wifi usually works.
Describe Univ in three words.
Clever, Convivial, Captivating
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Published: 5 September 2022