She arrived facing a sense of the unknown and left with Gonville & Caius College’s leading undergraduate academic prize. Jasmine Wong (Land Economy 2023) was presented the Schuldham Plate “for the most worthy of the incepting bachelors” after achieving first-class degrees in each year, topping her Tripos.

“It was a very, very nice surprise – it was so unexpected,” Jasmine says. “You put in so much work during exam season, spending so much time in the library with your friends – it’s a nice way to recognise the effort.

“Land Economy as a subject is so broad, with so many aspects of law and economics. It’s really hard to know every specific bit – you’re aware of how much you don’t know! 

“At the beginning I struggled to know if the course was the right one for me. My results and this award show you’re capable of more than you think when you begin.”

As well as growing in her course, for which she is thankful to her Directors of Studies Professor Li Wan and Dr Justin Kadi, Jasmine reflected on applying to the University of Cambridge as an international student, being unfamiliar with the College experience and finding a community at Caius where she could thrive both personally and academically. 

“I got so lucky with the College,” Jasmine says. “I hadn’t done the most research and wasn’t able to visit, but I ended up choosing Caius for a bunch of different reasons.

“Coming to Caius, there's such a wide breadth of activities to get involved in, in terms of like sport and everything else, and I really love that. With the MDR (Minimum Dining Requirement), you sit next to different people and meet people who are studying things that they are really, really passionate about, not for any external validation. The pursuit of knowledge in Cambridge is very intrinsic to people and that produces a lot of stimulating conversation. That's one of the highlights of the Cambridge experience.”

Although these conversations happened daily, she is able to recall particular occasions where they were “really special” and stimulating, discussing law and environmental law with a fellow undergraduate and, another time, a friend studying anthropology about their approaches to studying environmental justice from different angles. Invariably, as has happened over centuries at Caius, the conversations happened in the Hall.

In her first year in particular, Jasmine explored many societies – including finance activities and societies – wrote about fashion for Varsity, the independent student newspaper, on labour market policy with The Wilberforce Society, and trying a variety of sports, while also fundraising for the Climate Society. College sport is informal and offers flexibility. She adds: “Sometimes you just want to have a spot on the weekend to spend some time with friends. The College societies where it's very friendly and very flexible provided the perfect environment for that.”

Jasmine went from General Admission on July 2 to an internship in foreign exchange trading, having interned last summer with a hedge fund. 

Through remote research work with a professor at MIT and writing her dissertation on the spatial attenuation of agglomeration externalities, Jasmine developed her interest in economic research. She is intrigued by the ability to use data to explore questions like ‘Why cities exist?’ and is particularly interested in the areas of spatial economics and monetary policy. She will begin an MPhil in Economics at Oxford University this autumn. 

She adds: “Something I wish I had known was about the process. Be confident in yourself and in your ability to pick up things. As a student, you change so much in your tastes and you’re also flexible. I grew a lot as a person in Cambridge, putting myself out there, meeting new people and trying new things. Something I would tell others is don’t be afraid to try things and 'fail’, or have it not turn out. Just be glad that you tried it in the first place.

“Coming from Singapore, where the path to success might be a bit more narrowly defined than in the UK or even in Cambridge, it is such a blessing and a privilege to have the freedom to explore different things.”