The Cambridge Tab’s most read articles of 2021

CN: Mention of Racism

It’s the end of the year and here at The Tab, we decided that this is the perfect opportunity for a moment or two of reflection. After going through the articles that never were, we became curious. Out of the many, many creative ideas our writers put out this year, which ones did YOU guys like the most?

10. THE RESULTS ARE IN: These are Cambridge’s Top 10 BNOCs 2021 

Are we surprised? The Tab’s infamous BNOC competition (which will be returning this year… keep your eyes peeled) takes the number 10 spot. In case you’re unaware, thousands of Cambridge students vote every year to crown one winner as Cam’s ultimate BNOC – people are already looking forward to it.

9. Cambridge Degrees now and then: Day in the life of a mathmo

I mean, this article is the closest most people ever got to a mathmo, so of course, it intrigued many. Ex-Editor-in-Chief Harriet Wadey spoke to three mathmos at Girton set to graduate this coming year, as well as one mathmo alumnus, who now works as a Group Treasurer for a multinational company.

Interestingly yet unsurprisingly, not much has changed for mathmos in thirty years – at least not at Girton. I guess we’ll ask again the next time we see them – in 2048?

8. We asked Cambridge Students to show us their brutal essay comments

The second article incumbent Ed-in-Chief Hannah ever wrote for The Tab, this was a comprehensive list of the most brutal essay comments submitted by our readers – and you guys certainly did provide.

With comments ranging from “nononono” to “try using a dictionary next time” to a  straight up  “this is a disaster from start to finish”, these supervisors certainly did not hold back – and honestly made me appreciate my nice supervisors a bit more.

7. Female Students make up a minority of undergraduates at almost all Cambridge colleges

This serious investigation highlighted a much-discussed issue in the University. Jacob and Izzy, through official data from the University, discovered that Selwyn is the only co-educational college with more female than male undergrads.

They also noticed that the data does not include figures for students identifying as non-binary, and was written before Lucy Cavendish began taking in male students.

6. Fez Club Cambridge has permanently closed down and will not be reopening

Fez? Who’s she? Nearly one year ago now, Fez Nightclub shut down after the lease on the property expired and was not removed. The nightclub has since reopened as MASH. However, the company that owns Fez still owns Lola’s – so they still have a presence in the city!

This came as a real hit to Cambridge nightlife, coming shortly after Cindies shut down forever (still upset I never got to go to a Cindies night).

5. Ranked: Here’s how much time Cambridge students are spending on their phones based on their subject

Back in Lent of last year, Rosie decided to reach out to ten different Cambridge students to compare how long each of them had spent on their phone. These times were then ranked based on super scientific and incredibly technical categories – such as what these times imply to their commitment to their degree.

Have to admit, we are super impressed history is topping the list with a daily average of nearly 12 hours a day (although this figure was taken during the holidays so… fair enough).

4. Some rules must be broken: why an outdated tradition at college formals needs to be abolished

Opinions writer, Anisha Mehta, shone a light on some of the major environmental and welfare issues that some college formal traditions cause. 

Writing in October, Anisha pointed to the Queens’ Halloween formal that left 33 plates of food uneaten as students were turned away all because they arrived four minutes late. We absolutely do not love to see the wastage and distress some old college rules cause.

3. 12 notable alumni who prove you don’t need a 2.1/1st to be successful

Back in May, in the midst of exams season, Features writer Izzy Porter proved that success in life is not defined by the final grade at Cambridge. Using examples such as David Mitchell (who got a 2.2 from Peterhouse) and Hugh Laurie (who received a 3rd from Selwyn) Izzy gave us all hope that your degree doesn’t define your future.

Hey, acclaimed Maths Genius Carol Vorderman, got a third class degree in Engineering from Sidney Sussex, so there’s definitely hope for us all!

2. Vinyl Club manager uses n-word in conversation with Black Cambridge Student

The most important and serious news story broken by the Cambridge Tab this year occurred in June, when a manager at Vinyl Club was filmed using the n-word in conversation with then first-year student Aaliyah Liburd. The Murray Edwards Student was “upset and disgusted” by the incident and the manager’s “behaviour and attitudes.”

While Vinyl Cambridge told The Cambridge Tab: ”We strive to create a safe and inclusive place for everyone, with a zero tolerance to discrimination of any kind.”, the Tab understands that the story led to a student boycott of the nightclub, supported by the Cambridge SU BME Campaign.

1. We asked Cambridge students to send us their favourite Tinder messages

And now, last but absolutely by no means least, we present you with the most read Cambridge Tab article of 2021. Features writer Erin Visaya-Neville decided to celebrate Valentine’s day in L*ckdown a little different this year by collecting the strangest Tinder messages seen by Cambridge students.

Ranging from the Pandemic themed pick-up lines to the worryingly long paragraphs of longing, by way of many a red flag, Erin really showed us (and scared us) what the University Prospectus would call “new insights that shift and deepen our understanding of the world.”

Sure, if you say so Prof. Toope.

So there, we have it, 2021 at the Cambridge Tab in a nutshell – a year with more than 874,600 article views. If you think you can top this and make 2022 the year of the Tab, why not apply to join the Tab Team for Lent Term. Could be a good New Year’s Resolution?

Featured image credit: Zac Copeland-Greene and Hannah Huang