Chapter 82

Andrew settled into the sleeper berth as the train pulled out of Waverly. The next two days were going to be vital in giving him a sense of where he should apply and what he should study. University College London was world class in Engineering and it was at this Faculty he was going to spend the first day. He had prepared a list of questions he wanted to talk through with the faculty staff and other students. Fortunately for him, the logistics of this trip could not be any easier. University College was a five minute walk from King’s Cross station where the Edinburgh train terminated. King’s Cross is also where the Cambridge trains departed from so there would be no traipsing around London to switch terminals or catch the trains.

The visit was an eye-opener to the difference between life as a school pupil and as a university student. Most of the prospective candidates were late teenagers, 16 to 18 years of age. In a new environment he found himself reverting to quieter Andrew again, not old Andrew necessarily but his inherently quiet, shy nature came through. There were a lot of loudmouth, show offs dominating conversations and Andrew tended to stand at the back of groups and observe. Partly it was sheer size, at 6’5” he could see over everybody and if he was at the front would have blocked a bunch of people, but more truthfully he was not great at mixing in these ‘large group of strangers’ settings. But he forced himself to make some small talk and learned answers to most of his questions even if he never asked any of them himself.

There were no undergraduates to ask questions of but there were plenty of post-grads who answered a lot of the general inquiries. The tour was comprehensive and the facilities looked good. But without students it was an odd experience. Before Andrew could consider going there he would be back for the autumn open day to see the department when the undergraduate students were there. That was the consensus at lunchtime. Andrew was at a table with four other students, three guys and one woman. Only one of them had done an open day before and he commented that this was very different than his other experience.

“You get an unfiltered view of the place when you talk to people our own age or just a year or two older. Most of these post-grads did not do their undergraduate course here and a lot of them are just sucking up to the professors.”

The conversation turned to subjects and universities, the one common thing they could all contribute to. Andrew listened to the others talk about where they applied. One name that came up repeatedly was Imperial College, also in London. He had only considered applying to University College but if anything Imperial College sounded better suited for him. He would combine trips in the autumn and visit both colleges. Two of the others were considering Cambridge but were not going to the open day the following morning. Everyone asked a bunch of questions about the Scottish Education system and the differences between it and the rest of Britain. Andrew answered as best he could, although he was to find that it was a recurring refrain on his visits.

As he sat in a café opposite King’s Cross after the Open Day had concluded he wondered if this had been a good use of time. They had gone through most of the different departments within the Faculty of Engineering. Even if Andrew chose to study Engineering there he then needed to narrow it down further. Mechanical or Civil Engineering resonated with him but it was one more decision he would have to make and something else to think about while at Cambridge the next day.

It all kept coming back to feeling unprepared. Andrew was a clever pupil, knew he was good at maths and the sciences but did not feel ready or knowledgeable enough about the different courses and options being presented to him. Within the next four months his UCCA form, the application form for admission to universities in the UK, would be submitted. Andrew had to choose a university and a course. It was only the rest of his life! Yet all the school had cared about was that he kept studying a language in 5^th year. Every one of his year should have had a course in careers guidance. They should have been made to talk through the options, future careers, everything that he was struggling with. Andrew envied the pupils, like Moira or Tanvi, who knew what they wanted to do after school, and after university. Andrew felt lost.

The centre of Cambridge is compact and so he walked from the station to a small Bed & Breakfast near the town centre. The following morning he turned up at Trinity College and things in life started to get better and more interesting. There were fewer prospective students there than had been at University College in London. Andrew got to talk to several professors covering Maths, Physics and three Engineering disciplines, Civil, Mechanical and Electrical. The best thing that he got from the day was the information that the first two years of engineering at Cambridge were general, specialisation did not occur until year three; he had two more years to make up his mind. He was also able to spend some one on one time with members of the College. No more 30 minutes in total spread over four separate conversations. He talked about his academics to date, which always painted him in a flattering light, top of the year for four straight years at Maths and Physics always looked good. He listened as they explained what would be required in his application and subsequent interview. He took mental notes as they talked and then quickly scribbled them down in a notebook at the end of the conversation.

Arrogant though he knew it sounded, Andrew had never worried about getting into university, even the exclusive ones like Cambridge. He was clever, and had enough extra-curricular activities that all admission departments love, so was confident that he could gain admission anywhere he wanted to go. He got a nice vibe about Cambridge and Trinity, and with Engineering over the Natural Sciences. A small group sat and had lunch in the Hall and chatted away just like the previous day in London, Andrew again explaining the Scottish education system. After lunch he walked around the centre of Cambridge, stopping and looking around at several other colleges without attending any of their functions. He had enjoyed his time at Cambridge more than London and had a lot to think about as he walked back to the station.

The following day at school, Andrew spent a lot of time talking about the trip to the two universities. He did not mind as by answering questions it helped cement different aspects of each of them in his mind. At the end of the day Pete walked with him from the last class.

“Did it help, this trip?”

“Yes it did. I was more impressed with Cambridge in a way that I am struggling to fully explain. The key thing if I study Engineering there is that it is general for the first two years. Gives me another couple of years to figure what I want to be when I grow up. University College London was good, but Cambridge and Trinity just felt better. I also got to talk to some of the faculty one on one, even if only briefly. UCL had a bunch of show offs that hijacked the whole thing. Now I am sure Cambridge is going to be full of them as well, I just was spared them this trip.

“UCCA is not until September but I am thinking Engineering now, all the way, and Cambridge, UCL and probably Imperial. I don’t think I am going to apply to Manchester or Edinburgh.”

“It looks like it helped, that’s a narrower list than before.”

Pete was right, maybe the trip had been useful after all.

Thursday was the last day of school, with graduation for the 6^th years and the prize giving ceremony for the whole school. The same as the previous year Andrew received acknowledgement for being top in Maths and Physics with Vinnie Kirk regaining top of the year honours. Andrew clapped loudly when Allison was announced as the Dux of the school and got a small sad smile from her as she walked past. And with that the school year was done.

He and Suzanne spent the afternoon wandering around the city centre, doing nothing but hanging out. Andrew had his second driving lesson that night and hoped it would go better than then stall-fest that had been his first lesson. They had spoken on and off about the two days in England but now had a chance for an extended chat.

“So you don’t think you are even going to apply to Edinburgh?”

“I don’t think so. The best places to study Engineering are in England. I think I am only going to apply to Trinity College at Cambridge and Imperial and University Colleges in London.”

“So you really are going to leave? You never thought about staying closer, going to Edinburgh or Glasgow?”

“I want to escape the restrictions of home. I have been living this independent life for years now. I come and go as I please and I think it will be good for me to live on my own.”

“I understand that completely. Life would be a lot simpler for us both if we could just come round to the other’s house when the mood struck us.”

She giggled at the thought. She was in a flirty mood with him which he was encouraging. She knew she had lost a little weight and was tighter all over as a result of the daily swimming. They were both anticipating a chance to be alone together for the first time since before the Easter break. Andrew was going to call her as soon as he got back into town.

In contrast to the relaxed and flirty time with Suzanne, he and Ara had a series of long conversations on that first day of his summer break, which were stilted and awkward at first. They set off to Blackford Hill to walk and talk. It was close by and quiet.

“When I asked you if we can still be friends, you didn’t answer but said that we should talk. Are you that upset with me that we can’t be friends?”

“I just think we should chat face to face Ara. I am not one for long phone calls, I prefer to see people when I am talking to them. I was surprised how quickly we slipped back to being comfortable with the other person. There is a chemistry between us and I wanted to make sure that we talked everything through. That’s all.”

“I know what you mean. I kept telling myself all year I hated you but it was the exact opposite. I was devastated when I thought you hadn’t called. Last Friday everything seemed to unlock again very easily, as you say almost too easily. So why the uncertainty about being friends?”

“Your family, our different situations in life. I am happy to be friends but your mother would not even pass on the message from me. It is not the ideal basis for a friendship, is it?”

She sighed.

“No it is not. Mum is a very concerned with who someone is, titles, connections, breeding, all that rigmarole. Dad goes along with it but mostly doesn’t care but George is as bad as she is. I really don’t care about stuff like that and I haven’t since I was a little girl. I want to marry someone for love after Grandfather told me the story about how he and my Grandmother met and all the obstacles that they had to overcome, the terrible things that were said about them both. I am sorry to break the bad news to you but you know you thought I was posh already?”

Andrew nodded.

“Well it is even worse than that. My Grandmother was an Indian Princess. I know that you had worked out that I had some Indian heritage when I reacted the way I did to you going out with someone named Tanvi. My grandmother was the daughter of the Raja of Chamba. Chamba was a Princely State and was part of Punjab Province before independence and is now part of the state of Himachal Pradesh. My grandfather married her and they came back to the Britain when his posting was over.”

There was a grassy bank beside the trail and Andrew sat down to process all this.

“That is quite the tale. So your grandparents married for love, left India and came to Britain. Your mum ends up married to your dad who is a hereditary Baron and they have you. And now your mum wants to complete the circle and marry you off to Prince Andrew. Indian Princess to British Princess in three generations.”

He shook his head.