Initially founded by the Romans, Saxons and then the Vikings, the roots of Cambridge spread far and wide across the globe, and have never stopped reaching. It goes without saying that, when it comes to the university’s impact on the city, the University of Cambridge draws amazing minds from around the world, students and leading academics alike. But the legacy of the University isn’t the only reason you can see the world in Cambridge.  Read on to find out some of the ways attending a Reach Cambridge summer program can enrich students’ lives and broaden their horizons!

World-famous exports

The city of Cambridge has an international precedent all of its own.  For example, the first game of Association Football (i.e. played by Association Football rules) was played on Parker’s Piece in Cambridge city centre.

When it comes to culinary delights, students can sample food from all around the world in Cambridge. Whether it’s tasting some fresh Vietnamese noodles, Chinese fried rice or Belgian waffles in the world-famous Marketplace, or sampling the diverse restaurants in town (from established chains to quirky independent eateries), there’s cuisine from all around the world on their doorstep.  

See how Cambridge impacts the world

We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the medical legacy that Cambridge has previously set, and continues to set, on the world’s stage.  Renowned teaching hospital and research centre, Addenbrooke’s, is a centre internationally famous for transplants, the first in the world to achieve several specialist transplants such as the combined liver and pancreas transplant.  It also has the largest neurological intensive care unit of its kind in Europe.

Where research is concerned, the trials done here in Cambridge provide the data for medical breakthroughs with international impact; for example, it was recently announced that scientists in Cambridge had collaborated with scientists in Sweden to develop a new way to target the toxic particles thought to cause Alzheimer’s.  The breakthrough is the first of its kind and could result in the development of a cure for dementia.

Finally (but by no means the end of this extensive list), Cambridge is also home to one of the most important technology centres in Europe.  Named in reference to Silicon Valley in California, ‘Silicon Fen’ is a cluster of high-tech businesses built on the Fens (a coastal plain in Eastern England, part of which is situated in Cambridgeshire).  Over 60,000 tech employees from all over the world have made Cambridge their home so they can work at Silicon Fen, both in local headquarters of established companies and also for many start-ups.

Given its status as an international centre of academic excellence, it’s unsurprising that there are some amazing museums in Cambridge. In Fitzwilliam Museum, a museum of art which students often get the chance to visit on our programs, you can find original artwork by Titian (Italian), Rubens (Flemish), van Goyen (Dutch), Picasso (Spanish), Renoir and Monet (French). You can also gaze at beautiful antiquities from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, as well as modern rugs and samplers from China and Japan.

With all these amazing and influential places to visit, we believe there’s no better place for students to start contemplating their place in the world and their future than in Cambridge. And with our courses being attended each year by students of around 50 different nations, our international summer programs are truly a great way to sample Cambridge’s world-renowned attractions.