Students' testimonials
Read what our students say about the teaching and support from AMES in Cambridge, their reasons for choosing us and the enriching experiences they've had at our Faculty.
Our current undergraduates
Chinese Studies student
Ines Elliott Granger, currently fourth year (2026)
"I decided to read Chinese at Cambridge simply out of a love for the language, and a desire for academic rigour that would allow me to get as close to fluency as possible. With 15–20 contact hours per week, small class sizes, and attentive lecturers, there is clear accountability and strong support for staying on top of the workload. This became especially tangible during my year abroad in China, when I was able to rely on my language skills to do everything from acting in a short film to a solo stay in a rural Jilin guesthouse."
Japanese Studies student
Vivien Short, currently second year (2026)
"I chose AMES because I fell in love with studying Japanese on a solo trip to Japan. I also had a broader interest in its literature, film, and music, and I liked that Japanese Studies allowed me to study within multiple disciplines at once. Since being here, I’ve enjoyed pushing my Japanese to a level I didn’t expect to get to in just over a year!"
Japanese Studies student
Ariunaa Alaszewski-Khargana, currently second year (2026)
"I applied to study AMES because I am interested in Japanese history and politics and want to read source texts in their original language. I love my course because I can study a diverse range of topics in Japanese studies, ranging from Japanese literature to Classical Japanese."
Japanese Studies student
Elizabeth Mackie, currently second year (2026)
"A few years ago, I would've never imagined I'd be studying my dream degree at university. It's opened so many opportunities for me like studying in Japan over the summer or the year abroad, and I genuinely look forward to attending the classes I take. Studying a large variety of topics is definitely a benefit of the course at Cambridge."
Middle Eastern Studies student, Arabic and Persian
Dylan Fillingham, currently first year (2026)
"I chose AMES at Cambridge to embrace new linguistic challenges and study some of the world’s hardest languages. I love the opportunity to study more than one Middle Eastern language (Arabic + Persian), opening even more doors to the cultural, historical, social and literary framework of the Middle East."
Middle Eastern Studies student, Arabic and German
Rebecca Rae, currently second year (2026)
"Having studied French and German at A Level, I was keen to continue language study at university but wished to explore a language which was quite different to this pairing. I’ve enjoyed studying Arabic as you learn both Fusha and the Egyptian Dialect. I have also enjoyed the combination of Arabic and German as they both have their own unique challenges."
Hear from our former undergraduate students
"I studied Arabic and French at Cambridge, and the skills I developed - beyond the 2 languages themselves - have been invaluable. I now work as a freelance journalist for Middle Eastern and North African cultural publications, and as a Research Analyst for the MEA Institute for Strategic Studies.
"My AMES year abroad in Cairo was transformative for me, both personally and professionally, as I got my first job in journalism over there, and I developed a greater understanding of Arab youth culture, political dissatisfactions and social organisation, which informs my approach to policy analysis and policy recommendations in the reports I write for the Institute."
“AMES has opened up opportunities for me that I would not have had otherwise. During the four years, I was immersed in varied research and discovered new avenues of interest until, at the end of my undergraduate degree, I found myself on a new path, one which was exciting and fresh and which I could not have predicted before coming to AMES. I will always be grateful for the linguistic and critical thinking skills I learnt in Japanese Studies.”
“AMES has opened up opportunities for me that I would not have had otherwise. During the four years, I was immersed in varied research and discovered new avenues of interest until, at the end of my undergraduate degree, I found myself on a new path, one which was exciting and fresh and which I could not have predicted before coming to AMES. I will always be grateful for the linguistic and critical thinking skills I learnt in Japanese Studies.”
"I like studying Arabic in a small faculty. You get incredible lecturers, and one-on-one contact with world-leading experts, who are keen to help you!
"The Arabic language courses have surprised me in the way that they’ve changed how I think. I have found that learning grammar systematically has made me better at applying systematic thinking in other contexts.
"I also love the variety of courses. When I started my degree I was interested in Arabic literature, but I’ve found that I’ve really enjoyed the history courses too."
"Originally I applied to study Arabic, but I moved to Hebrew because I found it was really well suited to my interests. The course has challenged me to seek things out for myself.
"I’ve opened up to different ways of thinking about history and culture - I like looking at human interaction through the lens of history and poetry, and using Hebrew language to do so. I’m particularly interested in understanding how people relate to notions of god and religion.
"On my year abroad I’m going to Israel. First I’m going to stay on a kibbutz doing pottery, then I’m going to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
"I enjoy the community aspect of AMES. It’s a small faculty, so you really get to know your peers, and you get to personally interact with teaching staff."
"I knew that I wanted to study a language at university, and wanted to learn one from scratch. There is so much more to Japan and its culture than I anticipated.
"The cultural courses have really surprised me - we are taught to challenge everything, even the questions we’re being asked! I like that the Japanese language courses are taught by mother-tongue speakers, and the staff are always very helpful. I have also enjoyed being able to tailor my degree to my interests in second year by choosing the courses I took.
"I went to Japan for the first time at the end of my first year and could already communicate fairly well.
"I’m doing an internship in Japan this summer - I’m going to see where this takes me, I might like to work in Japan for a while after my degree."
"For me, the BA in Middle Eastern Studies is perfect - it gives you all round skills, and a sense of cultural awareness. You can also really tailor the degree to yourself.
"I especially like the Arabic literature courses. Knowing the original language allows you to access this written heritage and the rich stories within it. On my year abroad I went to Morocco and studied at a language school, which massively boosted my speaking ability.
"The teachers really make AMES. The teaching groups are small, so you really get to know them and you form personal relationships. I still chat to faculty staff who taught me in my first year.
"After I graduate this year, I’m going to Paris to study an MA in International Public Management with Middle Eastern Studies and Human Rights."
