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Ask an Admissions Tutor VI,13 April - 8 May

Original post by Christ's Admissions

Well, Physics, Chemistry and Biology are all changing to linear next year so you will not have UMS for them. We will thus only have UMS for Maths and FM which we will (as far as I know) still be asking you to provide.

Thank you so much for the reply :smile:

I thought some Schools will be still using some AS tests for the sciences....my School has been vague about it so far.
I was hoping to drop Biology at A2 and focus more on Maths :frown:

OP

Original post by Melanie Leconte

Thank you so much for the reply :smile:

I thought some Schools will be still using some AS tests for the sciences....my School has been vague about it so far.
I was hoping to drop Biology at A2 and focus more on Maths :frown:

It will still be possible to do a stand alone AS in the Sciences and some schools are going to do that I think. As I understand it, however, these AS exams wont produce UMS in the same way as the current AS exams as they are stand alone and do not count towards the overall A Level.

It looks like schools are going to do things in lots of different ways and a lot of decisions may depend on the next government as Labour have said this will return to the current structure for A Levels.

Reply 122

Melanie Leconte

2

Original post by Christ's Admissions

It will still be possible to do a stand alone AS in the Sciences and some schools are going to do that I think. As I understand it, however, these AS exams wont produce UMS in the same way as the current AS exams as they are stand alone and do not count towards the overall A Level.

It looks like schools are going to do things in lots of different ways and a lot of decisions may depend on the next government as Labour have said this will return to the current structure for A Levels.

Thank you very much.
I understand why my School has been vague about it.

Reply 123

C0balt

16

Sorry I messed up, meant to post on another thread but it behaved weirdly
Deleted

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 124

florencemarch

1

Original post by Christ's Admissions

Hi there and thank you for your question. Many private schools (and a lot of State schools) do indeed to provide extra preparation for STEP and this will vary considerably. One of the boxes on the SAQ form is there to tell us how much STEP preparation applicants get from their school and this helps to contextualize their performance at interview and also, if they do receive an offer, in STEP itself. We are thus more likely to be lenient with a student who misses the offer slightly if they had no assistance than if they did.

The box also helps us decide who to choose for the intensive STEP Easter Course, where the university provides a four-day course in preparaing for STEP. Only students from non-selective state schools with no help from the school are eligible and they are nominated by their college. Even then, places are limited so not everyone who is nominated can get a place but there also the correspondence course and the nrich website which is there to help students.

The barriers of interview and STEP do seem intimidating but we do our best both at interview and in STEP provision to ensure that good students are not disadvantaged by their background and Maths has an above average contingent of state school students.

Thanks very much for your help, you've definitely given me more confidence in applying!

Reply 125

samb1234

13

Original post by florencemarch

Thanks very much for your help, you've definitely given me more confidence in applying!

If you don't mind I'll ask a couple more questions. I'm going to be applying for nat sci next year and I take maths FM physics and chemistry. Because of the way my school does FM modules, I will take some a2 units this year and some of the as units next year so I won't get an as in FM until next year. Is this a problem?

Secondly, if I were to get an interview, would the interviews be based on all of my subjects or just the ones that I want to do modules of at Cambridge? I'm guessing it would be all of them but I'm just checking.

Thanks again.

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Reply 126

kishoret

Hello.

May i ask what your attitude to Post A-level applicants for English is?

Also, what other than wider reading would you recommend to post A-level applicants for English to prepare for interview?

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 127

TurtleberrySoup

8

Hello,

Thank you for answering my previous question, it was really helpful :smile:

May I ask how Cambridge views Extended Project qualifications? Could grades achieved in them form part of an offer?

OP

Original post by florencemarch

Thanks very much for your help, you've definitely given me more confidence in applying!

Delighted to hear that - that's one of the purposes of doing this thread! Best of luck in your application when it comes.

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OP

Original post by samb1234

If you don't mind I'll ask a couple more questions. I'm going to be applying for nat sci next year and I take maths FM physics and chemistry. Because of the way my school does FM modules, I will take some a2 units this year and some of the as units next year so I won't get an as in FM until next year. Is this a problem?

Secondly, if I were to get an interview, would the interviews be based on all of my subjects or just the ones that I want to do modules of at Cambridge? I'm guessing it would be all of them but I'm just checking.

Thanks again.

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Not at all, it's fine to ask as many questions as you wish. Applicants do just about every possible combination of Maths and FM modules and they are all fine as far as we are concerned. We will look in detail at which modules you have done and how well you have done in them but we don't mind how you spread the modules across Years 12 & 13 (or Year 11 in some cases).

Interviews will naturally differ depending on who is conducting them. Generally, interviewers will have a number of problems that they will ask everyone which is helpful in being able to compare how each candidate does in these problems. There is obviously some flexibility within this and it is important for you to let interviewers know if they are asking you to do things that you have not yet covered. They will then either move on and ask something different or give you some help and see how you assimilate this new knowledge.

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OP

Original post by kishoret

Hello.

May i ask what your attitude to Post A-level applicants for English is?

Also, what other than wider reading would you recommend to post A-level applicants for English to prepare for interview?

Hi there and thanks for your questions. We have a neutral attitude to post A Level applications in that we absolutely welcome them but do not feel that they confer any particular advantage or disadvantage.

Wider reading is clearly the most important thing but I think another useful thing, especially for an English student, is to keep practising your essay writing as most colleges ask you to take a written test in Cambridge before interview and this can be an important aspect of their deliberations.

In terms of wider reading, it is obviously good to read widely as an English student and I am sure you will have good ideas about what you wish to read. I would make two suggestions, however. First is to read as much poetry as you can. Poetry is a big part of the English course and it is also very likely that you will be given at least one poem to read during the interviews. Secondly, you should try to read criticism and not just literature as practical criticism is a compulsory element of the course and helps us separate out a potentially good English student from someone who just likes reading.

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OP

Original post by TurtleberrySoup

Hello,

Thank you for answering my previous question, it was really helpful :smile:

May I ask how Cambridge views Extended Project qualifications? Could grades achieved in them form part of an offer?

You are welcome. The EPQ is definitely a good thing. It gives students the opportunity to research and write about a subject which they find interesting and, in terms of a Cambridge application, gives you something to talk about in your personal statement and at interview. We do not include the EPQ in our offers, however, because not all schools are able to offer them and our offers are always based on A Levels or equivalents.

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Reply 132

Vesniep

15

Hello,

I want to apply at Cambridge for the Mathematics Course next year and I have been preparing for STEP1,2.I learnt that I have to declare my STEP marks.So I want to ask: would it be a disadvantage to take a grade 2 or 3? I think I will take 1 or S in STEP1 and 1 or 2 in STEP2(usually these are my marks from past papers).Would you recommend sitting STEP 1 and/or 2 this year?

Reply 133

Sonusha88

Hi, I'm currently in year 12 and doing 5 a levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Russian and German. The reason being for so many A-levels is that I had no clue of what I wanted to do, and since my parents told me academic subjects will always get you a job as long as you work hard, I went along with it. Only half way through the year i realised that what I want to do is languages: specifically Russian and German.

I achieved 2A*'s 7A's and 2B's at gcse - so pretty much average (obviously not for oxbridge standards). I love Cambridge and the course... but the problem is, is that although I am not a native speaker and have never lived in Russia, it is my official first language. However due to my upbringing in the UK it had now become my second. But I love the culture and literature and would love to completely master it. I think universities will think that I just want an easy degree

This is not the case, and in fact I really want to learn the two languages as I've moved around a lot and I think it's a real shame that I've forgotten them/not got to a native standard!

I am confident that I will be able to achieve an A* in my Russian, and A in Maths and German by the end of a2, but the problem is my Biology and Chemistry - to what extent will they question my choices of such heavy-based science A-levels? :/ (Even if I achieve A's in them?). I was thinking doing my EPQ next year on German history/literature, to show some evidence of good english essay skills and passion for the subject. I do like my literature, and in the past people have told me I'm a good writer.

I love the city and the course and it really is a dream to go there... Do you think I have a chance? Will they see me as lazy due to my Russian being fluent?

Thank you in advance.

Reply 134

Duke Glacia

16

What else do successful applicants have in common. For engineering ?

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OP

Original post by Vesniep

Hello,

I want to apply at Cambridge for the Mathematics Course next year and I have been preparing for STEP1,2.I learnt that I have to declare my STEP marks.So I want to ask: would it be a disadvantage to take a grade 2 or 3? I think I will take 1 or S in STEP1 and 1 or 2 in STEP2(usually these are my marks from past papers).Would you recommend sitting STEP 1 and/or 2 this year?

Hi there and thanks for your questions. A 2 in STEP II taken in Year 12, especially if it was a reasonably high 2, would certainly not disadvantage you and would be seen as a decent result. A 2 or a 3 in STEP I would, I think, be seen as disappointing, even if taken early, for a potential Maths student. A 1 or S in STEP I would be seen as a good result.

In STEP II, anything less than a 1 would mean that you need to retake it in Year 13.

In general my advice would be that unless you think there is a good chance of doing well then it is not a good idea to take STEP early - they are called Sixth Term Examination Papers for a reason. You can get as much out of the process simply by practicing STEP papers.

OP

Original post by Sonusha88

Hi, I'm currently in year 12 and doing 5 a levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Russian and German. The reason being for so many A-levels is that I had no clue of what I wanted to do, and since my parents told me academic subjects will always get you a job as long as you work hard, I went along with it. Only half way through the year i realised that what I want to do is languages: specifically Russian and German.

I achieved 2A*'s 7A's and 2B's at gcse - so pretty much average (obviously not for oxbridge standards). I love Cambridge and the course... but the problem is, is that although I am not a native speaker and have never lived in Russia, it is my official first language. However due to my upbringing in the UK it had now become my second. But I love the culture and literature and would love to completely master it. I think universities will think that I just want an easy degree

This is not the case, and in fact I really want to learn the two languages as I've moved around a lot and I think it's a real shame that I've forgotten them/not got to a native standard!

I am confident that I will be able to achieve an A* in my Russian, and A in Maths and German by the end of a2, but the problem is my Biology and Chemistry - to what extent will they question my choices of such heavy-based science A-levels? :/ (Even if I achieve A's in them?). I was thinking doing my EPQ next year on German history/literature, to show some evidence of good english essay skills and passion for the subject. I do like my literature, and in the past people have told me I'm a good writer.

I love the city and the course and it really is a dream to go there... Do you think I have a chance? Will they see me as lazy due to my Russian being fluent?

Thank you in advance.

As far as I am aware there is no such thing as an 'official' first language - if you are not a native speaker and have never lived in Russia then I think that people would say that your first language is English.

I think it is fair to say that we are slightly suspicious of 'native' speakers doing that language at Cambridge but it need not be a problem providing that you are clear about why you want to do it and that your other language, in this case German, is of a sufficiently high standard. I would not be surprised that, if you were to receive an offer, then the A* requested would be in German.

There is no problem doing a broad mix of Arts and Sciences if you want to pursue a languages degree, they are seen as good, strong A Levels.

OP

Original post by Duke Glacia

What else do successful applicants have in common. For engineering ?

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Generally speaking excellent results in Maths and Physics. Beyond that successful applicants have all sorts of different traits and interests. There is no identikit engineering student.

Reply 138

Damien_Dalgaard

16

Original post by Christ's Admissions

It will still be possible to do a stand alone AS in the Sciences and some schools are going to do that I think. As I understand it, however, these AS exams wont produce UMS in the same way as the current AS exams as they are stand alone and do not count towards the overall A Level.

It looks like schools are going to do things in lots of different ways and a lot of decisions may depend on the next government as Labour have said this will return to the current structure for A Levels.

Hi again, may I ask do Labour intend to return back to back in the day where there were January exams or the present exam format.

Also sir grades aside, what would stand out about a good applicant? E.g. 20 fighting for 5 places. All 20 have identical A*s & top-end grades. What would the 5 successful applicants have (more of) that the rest don't?
Any tips on how to get involved with my subjects extra-curricularly to show interest in Economics/Maths,
Is Cambridge only only concerned with academia & the applicant's interest in their subject.

Reply 139

username1162972

18

Original post by Damien_Dalgaard

Hi again, may I ask do Labour intend to return back to back in the day where there were January exams or the present exam format.

Also sir grades aside, what would stand out about a good applicant? E.g. 20 fighting for 5 places. All 20 have identical A*s & top-end grades. What would the 5 successful applicants have (more of) that the rest don't?
Any tips on how to get involved with my subjects extra-curricularly to show interest in Economics/Maths,
Is Cambridge only only concerned with academia & the applicant's interest in their subject.

They would probably know how to 'think'

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Ask an Admissions Tutor VI,13 April - 8 May

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