Cambridge University professor tells new students not to have a 'good time' because it is 'not possible or acceptable'

'Remember you are NOT at any other uni, where students do drink and do have what they regard as "a good time"'

Cambridge University has previously been criticised over the pressure placed on students (PA)

A Cambridge University professor has warned new students not to have a “good time”, telling them: “Such a behaviour pattern is not possible or acceptable.”

In an email Professor Eugene Terentjev said that even if they refrained from drinking, many of them would not be intelligent enough for the course

Those who “enjoy their social life” with “not survive”, the Director of Studies for natural sciences at Queens’ College, added.

“Please be careful how you handle yourselves here in these early weeks: remember you are NOT at any other uni, where students do drink and do have what they regard as ‘a good time’ – and you are NOT on a course, as some Cambridge courses sadly are, where such a behaviour pattern is possible or acceptable,” he wrote to first year sciences students.

He added: “Physical Sciences is a VERY hard subject, which will require ALL of your attention and your FULL brain capacity (and for a large fraction of you, even that will not be quite enough).

“You can ONLY do well (i.e. achieve your potential, which rightly or wrongly several people here assumed you have) if you are completely focused, and learn to enjoy the course. People who just TAKE the course, but enjoy their social life, can easily survive in many subjects – but not in this one.”

He said students should “not be fooled by the number of people you see partying around” and suggested first-year students would not make it into higher years if they followed suit.

Instead, they should “do well at your job, learn to enjoy it – and then see if you have any desire to drink an extra bottle”, he said. He signed the email: “End of.”

The warning was widely shared on social media and provoked an angry response from students at Cambridge, which has previously been criticised for the pressure it places on students, amid concern over mental health issues.

Student-run mental health awareness group, Student Minds Cambridge, told The Independent that it condemned "this demand that students should not pursue anything other than academic work."

It added: "The email in question reflects outdated viewpoints present within some areas of the university hierarchy which encourage students to place too much pressure on themselves at the expense of their mental health. Maintaining a healthy work life balance is important for positive mental wellbeing, and we believe this is largely the opinion of university staff and students."

Micha Frazer-Carroll, Welfare and Rights Officer at Cambridge University Students’ Union, said: There are pertinent remarks to be made regarding student wellbeing in Cambridge. To offer support regarding drinking culture in Cambridge could have been a positive thing - words of wisdom on work/life balance, or getting enough rest among social commitments might be another. But the email sent last week took neither opportunity - it only looked to criticise the very premise of having a social life, or any sort of life, outside of study.

Professor Terentjev, who specialises in the study of liquid crystals, said he felt the need to send the email after hearing “rumours that there is again a rise of various ‘drinking games’”, especially during formal dinners.

He added: “I hope all of you enjoy your time in Cambridge. I must say, I am a bit spoiled by the string of years that came before you – which almost without exception are excellent, exciting (and excited) people with a lot of promise. With you, this remains to be seen.”

Queens’ College referred all enquiries to the University of Cambridge.

A spokesperson for the institution said: “The welfare and mental health of its students is a priority for the University. The University believes that all first-year students in all disciplines, having undergone the thorough admissions process that Cambridge requires, have the capacity to succeed academically."