Official Imperial Applicants Thread (2012 Entry)

Imperial College London

London

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I'm dropping ICT at A2, it's pointless. This year nobody got over a C at A2, the teachers are just that bad.

Plans for English Lit: remark it and keep my fingers crossed.

There is a reason why I haven't mentioned my GCSEs :bawling:

but apparently my reference is 'dealing' with that problem. I can give you a clue and say I got no A*s.

Hobby-wise I don't really do programming and stuff, did a bit of work experience at a small game company which was the closest I could find. I do mention in my PS that I have dabbled in programming (very basic). I have also a book on it, and a book on Computer Science.

And yes Imperial is the highest I'm aiming for, second highest being UCL (subjective of course). I'm pretty sure I'm going to be predicted A*A*A, and since I'm self-teaching F.Maths I can't really predict my own grades.

If I fail I could always take a gap year, I don't really have an insurance apart from St. Andrews asking for AAB (not really an insurance) because if I'm going to spend 27k on something, I'm going to make it worthwhile.

Oh it's good you swapped ICT for FM coz ICT really is pretty useless in terms of skills/time/effort you put in. I'd say you're tempting fate with the remark in English, instead of resitting but I hope it goes to plan.

If you don't mind me asking, what exactly were your GCSEs because 'no A*s' isn't THAT bad at all! You're really putting your abilities down you know? Just don't do that in your interview :wink:

I'll be honest, unless for personal/medical reasons, I doubt they'll allow for extremely poor GCSEs. They don't count for much, but they do count for something. If you have an amazing PS and reference, I'm sure there will be leeway.

The work experience in a games company sounds amazing! Make sure you dedicate a good portion of your PS to it. Talk about what you did and what you learned from it. Loads of people say 'I programmed blah blah' but never what they learned from it (e.g. a new sorting algorithm). Also, it's good that you've dabbled in programming, say you learned to program a certain task, mention that.
This guide here is very idiot friendly (I like idiot friendly) and it teaches you lots of little 'games' that you can start programming so if you dedicated a bit of time before you sent off your PS, it's worth a mention.
http://inventwithpython.com/
You can read the e-book free online and practice those little 'games' and stuff. If games is something you're interested in, it might be doing a bit of research into artificial intelligence and reading like news articles on it. You could also mention how interested you are in AI in your PS, which shows the areas of CS you're interested in.

Oh UCL is a good university too. Erm, you might want to look at UCL/Southampton and Bristol on an even scale coz they all have a standard AAA offer. Personally, Bristol won for me, for overall course and city life. Bristol was my insurance actually. Other universities you might want to check out are Bath, Exeter (anywhere in the West Country is good). I hear Manchester and Edinburgh are good too. What unis do you want to apply to anyway?

If you're looking for a good Russel Group uni with a low offer, try Nottingham, their offers go as low as BBC I believe. :biggrin:

If you need help with your PS, want me to review it, PM it to me, but I can't help you until the 20th of September I'm afraid as I'm away with no internet connection :tongue:

Do make use of the TSR PS help section though, it's confidential and very credible!

Imperial College London

London

Reply 121

Sweetcorn_1

Original post by nikita_atikin

If you need help with your PS, want me to review it, PM it to me, but I can't help you until the 20th of September I'm afraid as I'm away with no internet connection :tongue:

Do make use of the TSR PS help section though, it's confidential and very credible!

I know a few people who have had worse GCSEs but got into Imperial anyway, so I'm not super worried. Universities are Durham, Imperial, St. Andrews, Warwick and UCL.

Ain't finished with my Personal Statement just yet but I'm gonna get round to it soon, running out of excuses with this terrible weather.

As for the English remark I thought I'd do much better and all I need is one more mark for an A (prettier) so why not, going to request for one when I get back to school. Andyeah dropping ICT was a given since the IT department is terrible. Only subject in the entire school no-one got an A in.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 122

Inglip

Original post by Beth1234

Changed

I wonder sometimes if I should make that change myself...

I think it'd be good to do CS in a more formal way and keep doing Maths.

I'm feeling quite outnumbered with all the Cambridge applicants, me being an Oxford one.

Reply 123

Inactivity

There are about 120 places available for Chem Eng with over 800 applicants usually :frown:

Reply 124

Beth1234

Original post by Inglip

I think it'd be good to do CS in a more formal way and keep doing Maths.

I'm feeling quite outnumbered with all the Cambridge applicants, me being an Oxford one.

My thoughts also.

On the other hand, I wasn't sure how a joint degree would look. I also thought that if I did start Uni and feel like switching degrees, it would be easier for me to switch from Maths to Maths and CS, than the other way round...

Reply 125

Edwin Okli

Original post by Beth1234

I guess it depends if you're more interested in the related areas of Maths and CS rather than the unabridged Maths course. Hmm... I don't think joint honours degrees are any less respected that a normal degree. It's not like you're less knowledgeable, you just know more related things.

Reply 126

fluteflute

Original post by nikita_atikin

Oh very precarious! Computing at Imperial is oversubscribed and their offers are ridiculous. Mine was A*AAA. The E will definitely disadvantage you unfortunately because Imperial respects Physics a lot. However, if you are planning to drop it, I recommend you take the full Further Maths A2. Imperial really does respect a Further Maths A Level. Your position is iffy tbh, because you're doing 3 A Levels out of which 1 is very weak and you're going to swap it for further maths, and there isn't a predicted grade in FM for Imperial to go on. I'd make Imperial your highest 'take a punt' university if I were you because in terms of grades, it's a bit iffy.

Have you had previous computing/programming work experience or any interests in certain computer science concepts? Also, what are your GCSEs like?

A*AAA! What subjects were you taking to get that offer? Are all Imperial offers like that? Or are some worse... :tongue:

Oh and hi everyone on this thread :smile:

I'm a Computer Science applicant (well Imperial is unusual in calling their course Computing).

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 127

arianex

Whew - just returned from ICL M'sian Freshers' camp, let's get back to business! :biggrin:

Good to see y'all again, future juniors. Let's begin...

Edwin Okli

Inglip

CompSci peeps: nikita_atikin is now away in India for 3 weeks (20 Sept) with cruddy internet - if you have any Q's, either a) log them down and ask her when she gets back, or b) ask me and I'll compile a list of CS-specific Qs for her - which I'll pass on when she returns. :smile:

I'm also more than happy to provide help with PS-es, interviews and extracurrics though, as they're my forte. And yes, I'll do my best to answer other miscellany that won't require in-depth knowledge of the CompSci course. :wink:

@Edwin - Summerdays on TSR knows about self-teaching Math modules; he actually taught himself the whole Maths and FM syllabus (Additional FM too, but he dropped that.) But I agree with Chaz that STEP may be more useful than Additional FM; though if it's JMC I really wouldn't worry about STEP (unless you don't have FM at A2, because they'll take AEA or STEP in lieu of FM A-level.)

like_a_star

Beth1234

ben-smith

deejayy

Mathmos on the other hand...I -would- worry about STEP or AEA; especially if you're not from a comprehensive. They usually tend to give STEP offers to those not from comprehensives.
Since Imps don't interview for Maths, something like that is probably the best way to prove your capabilities + added interest in the subject (apart from Additional FM.)

Original post by ShahzaibMuneeb

Thank you so so much, you do not realise how helpful this post is... copied+pasted right into a text file for me to refer to whenever I want =D One more thing, would working in a car garage still be a good experience to write down? It's more of a hands-on thing and although I'm taking Aeronautical Engineering I love the car aspect of Engineering.

Thanks again!

You're welcome. :smile:

Well you'll find there's a fair bit of crossover between Aeronautics and Automotive engineering, so yes, by all means. :smile:

There *are* people who do get into automotive engineering after Aero from Imps, and it doesn't mean that they're disadvantaged by a huge margin or something; it just means they'll be used to working with vehicles on land than those that go into (allow me a Portal 2 quote here) SPAAAAAAAAACE. :tongue:

Just don't forget to briefly mention what you've learnt from working in said garage. You don't have to go *too* in-depth; chances are they might well ask you about that in interview as well (or you can bring it up in your interview when they ask you what your fave bits about Engineering are, etc.)

Original post by starburst01

Username: starburst01
Course: BEng Electrical and Electronic Engineering!

question: how Important is Further Maths for EEE and engineering in general?

Very much so for EEE; it's one of their core entry requirements. Even in BME/Biomed Eng where I don't need FM to gain entry, half the Maths syllabus in the first year is comprised of FM modules.

Also, if you try to apply for EEE without FM, you're pretty much screwed (it's the WHOLE of your first year!) They won't even interview you, they'll palm off your app to my department "for consideration". I'm not kidding; there have been peeps who've applied for EEE without reading the reqs that state you need FM at AS level at the very least. They've then been rejected and then moaned "WAAAAAAI" even though we at TSR have already said "uh-oh, you're not going to get in."

So I guess it depends on which stream...for all engineering streams, FM is helpful. For some, it's essential to even getting an interview in the first place.

PS// Dark-Myth got in for EEE, I suggest giving him a PM. :smile:

Beth1234

May I suggest compiling both Physics and Theoretical Physics together, with a bracket saying (+ Theoretical) beside the names of those who do end up in said streams? It just makes the list less big-ish.

Also, if you find any PG peeps, just tack (PG) at the end of their names. :smile:

Reply 128

arianex

Original post by fluteflute

A*AAA! What subjects were you taking to get that offer? Are all Imperial offers like that? Or are some worse... :tongue:

Oh and hi everyone on this thread :smile:

I'm a Computer Science applicant (well Imperial is unusual in calling their course Computing).

She did Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Francais. :smile:

It really depends on how many A-levels you're doing. Some peeps being made to do 5 A-levels by their schools only get a 3-subject offer like A*AA; others get a 4-subject offer. I think the general consensus is that in most cases, people only do 4 A2s because it's their choice; not because their school makes them do that many (usually if they're being made to do extra it'll be FIVE o.O) - so Imps is more likely to want to give offers based on all their subjects if they know it's their choice to continue 4 A2s.

If by worse you mean A*A*A instead of A*AAA...I'm not too sure. :tongue:

Reply 129

fluteflute

Original post by Inglip

Could you change me from Maths to Maths and Computer Science please?

Original post by Beth1234

Changed

I wonder sometimes if I should make that change myself...

Do it! Computer Science is amazing. Please can you add me to the (pure) CS list?

Reply 130

fluteflute

Original post by nikita_atikin

Oh UCL is a good university too. Erm, you might want to look at UCL/Southampton and Bristol on an even scale coz they all have a standard AAA offer. Personally, Bristol won for me, for overall course and city life. Bristol was my insurance actually.

I think it's worth mentioning that for 2012 entry, both Southampton and Bristol are increasing their standard offer to A*AA for CS.

Reply 131

fluteflute

Original post by arianex

She did Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Francais. :smile:

I'm surprised they made an offer based on performance in French. Makes me a bit nervous about taking a humanities/essay based subject that I may not do so well in.

Reply 132

.1415

I am hoping to study medicine in Imperial,
AS Levels:
Biology - A
Maths - A
Spanish - A
Chemistry - B (will be resitting)
Physics - B

For A Level I am thinking of dropping physics

GCSE's:
10 A*'s, 4 A's

What d'you think?

Reply 133

arianex

Original post by fluteflute

I'm surprised they made an offer based on performance in French. Makes me a bit nervous about taking a humanities/essay based subject that I may not do so well in.

Actually, there's a Year Abroad option for CS, so French would really come in handy :/

And like I've said, it depends. Wheelyjoe is a fellow BME-er who did 4 subjects, but his 4th is Music Tech (which is a non-subject in Imperial's eyes) so his offer was AAA as well - it didn't take into account his 4th option.
In the case of Francais and the other subjects Niki picked, though, it's very likely that the admissions tutor will go "okay, if you're STILL insisting on going with 4 strong A-level subjects instead of dropping one like most, prove your worth - we won't give you a slacker offer because of the 'spread too thin' argument."

Original post by .1415

Bump up Chem as best as you can; because Chem grades are also one way most med schools weed out those with sub-par abilities in science (well, when you have EVERYONE taking biology...)
I hope your B in Chem was because of the jump from GCSE to AS being a bit of a shock; not because of other things... :/

How are you like on the work experience front?

Reply 134

aleviodema

Hey guys, will be applying for Mechanical and Aeronautical engineering (I know two courses at the same time) .
A levels: A*A*A*a ( Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry AS) Achieved (Currently doing a YINI) any chance?
GCSE's a*aabbbccc (Mediocre I know)
Anyone else applying for aero and mech at the same time, and which is more competitive?

Reply 135

.1415

Original post by arianex

Thanks, Chemistry was going well until the last exam (CH3) - I had sat double figures of exams that exam period and it was my last one. I got a D in it (it went pretty badly) and that pulled down my A to a B. I'll be resitting the exam in Jan though. Do they look at your AS level results/will the B pull me down?

So far I've had work experience in a hospital for a week (shadowing doctors, surgeons etc.) and I have been volunteering in a care home for a year and a half. Also been volunteering in stuff in school too.

Reply 136

aleviodema

Any Oxbridgers applying too.

Reply 137

arianex

Original post by aleviodema

Mech is hands-down the more cut-throat in terms of competition...it *is* Imperial's star course after all. So many applicants haven't even been interviewed before being redirected to other Engineering streams :/

Original post by .1415

Ah, then you should be fine - get your teachers to attest in your PS that you're generally more than capable in Chem and that it was just that one exam that kinda had it in for you. :smile:

I'm afraid that yes, you -have- to declare AS results (I believe it's a new ruling, but check what your school's policy is on stuff you're resitting modules for - you might get away with putting your grade as "pending"); but if you've got the aptitude for it generally, one bad exam shouldn't kill you that badly. It happens.

I'd also recommend taster med courses as well; I know a friend of mine forked out for Medisix. She said that it was the most eye-opening thing she'd been on...she always thought she might go into pathology but after having a glimpse into other specializations, she's going to hang on before deciding. :smile:

They also cover med school interviews (they have practice ones which are the closest you can get to the real thing, compared to some school practice interviews) so they'll help loads.
Reading around the subject would be good too...PLENTY of it, especially in areas of medicine that you're interested in. Also look up on what you're expected to know; you'll be damned if you can't tell your interviewers what the GMC is and what they do.

Reply 138

Dirac Spinor

Hi all,
As per the list, I'm applying to do maths but thinking of taking maths+mathematical physics. However, I can't actually find any info about the course. Has anyone got any idea of how maths and maths+mathematical physics are in any way different?

Reply 139

arianex

Original post by ben-smith

You can only do 3 years if you do the specialized degree with Mathematical Physics in the title (so not an MSci.) If I'm not wrong, though, you can still opt to take Mathematical Physics modules if you do the MSci; just probably not as much as you would if you specialized from the word go.

As I write the Maths department are still rewriting their page that gives details of each separate Mathematics course stream, so keep checking their site. :smile:

(http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/mathematics/admissions/ug/bsc_and_msci_course_content/yearbyyearcoursedescription)