This page is part of the Christ's applicants from Scotland section.
We welcome applications from students in the Scottish SQA qualification system who would like to apply for Classics at Christ's. We define our offers individually, but for students in the scottish system, the minimum offer for Classics is A1, A2, A2 in three Advanced Highers.
Our Classics course is open to everyone. We have a four-year course for those who have not studied either Greek or Latin before, or there's a three-year course, which you take if you have studied either Latin or Greek (or both) before.
Advice for choosing Advanced Higher subjects
If you're applying for the three-year Classics course then Advanced Higher Latin is a required subject. Our applicants taking scottish qualifications do not normally study Classical Greek as it's not available as an Advanced Higher, but If you are taking another qualification in Classical Greek but not Latin, please contact us for further information.
If you're applying for the four year Classics course, there are no required Advanced Higher subjects.
If you have the choice (and we realise you don't always!), our advice is that Classical Studies, English, History, and/or a language (ancient or modern) are all particularly useful Advanced Higher courses to consider, and though none of these are a requirement for Classics applications, choosing at least one of these would be a very safe option, with the extra benefit of helping you to to keep your options open, as they provide an excellent foundation for a range of Arts, Social Science and Humanities courses if you later change your mind about applying for Classics! We recommend that you also read the Classics Faculty advice.
When choosing any remaining Advanced Highers, our advice is that competitive applicants study traditionally "academic" rather than practical or vocational subjects, in order to improve their ability to read widely in independent study, to conduct critical analysis of primary texts, and to engage with long and complex traditions of intellectual thought. With this in mind, other good subjects include Economics, Geography, Mathematics, Modern Studies, Music, Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies, and Sociology, and you could even take a science (Biology, Chemistry or Physics), Computing Science, Mathematics of Mechanics, or Statistics.
We recommend attending our regular webinar on choosing subjects if you can, and of course, please feel free to send us an email if you have questions about your choices.
- What if my Advanced Higher options are limited?
- What about the subjects not mentioned above?
- What about National 5's and Highers?
Next steps
Please read our Classics page thoroughly, including profiles by some of our students, information about what the application process involves and resources for developing your interest and relevant skills.
If you attend Considering Cambridge (October of S5) or our February Open Day (February of S5) - both available either online or in person - you will be invited to an online Classics subject meeting later in the year. Other events with Classics content include the University open day online or in person in July of S5, and look out for any Classics masterclasses as well.
If you attend a school that does not charge fees, we also encourage you to look at our World of Words Residential (S5).
Please don't worry if your school is not able to provide support for your application to Cambridge, as we provide support directly via our ongoing support emails and events in the lead up to application, our UK application support pages and our current applicants section.