Ask an Admissions Tutor VIII - 28 September - 2 October

Hey,

Just a quick question?
Please rank the following in order of what is most competitive for applying for econ?

1. A2: Maths A*, further A* , econ A/A* AS: french A

2. A2: Maths- A*, further A*, econ A/A* french B

3. A2 maths a*, further a*, econ A/A* AS: French A, Additional further (done in yr 13) A

Debating whether to continue with French in yr 13, drop it completely or possibly drop it and do an independent additional further maths AS

Hello ! I have a question on COPA. If you are self studying a subject what should be entered for the class size ?

It's usually best to apply to a different college - especially if your original college pooled you. And yes it's too late to get feedback.

Thanks for your input.
Could you explain why that is?
My logic was that if they pooled you, they thought you were good enough but didn't have enough places that year.

Hi!

I made an open application from India and asked for an interview at Singapore. Unfortunately, I received an email today from the Cambridge Colleges’ Overseas Applications Centre saying that I cannot be offered an overseas interview.

Now, in my COPA, there was the following question:

"If you are selected for interview but it is not possible to interview you outside the UK, would you be able to come to Cambridge for interview, normally in November/December?"

To this question, I answered "No", because my parents thought that it would be financially uncomfortable to go the the UK from India for just one interview; Singapore was much more viable. However, now that I cannot be interviewed in Singapore, we have agreed that I can go to Cambridge if I'm offered an interview there. So,

Hello,
Does Cambridge have a general policy on re-applicants?
I was pooled and then rejected last year and was wondering if it would be wise to re-apply to the same college.
Would my application this year be dismissed immediately or does it differ from college to college?
Also, I have only just found out about interview/application feedback - is now too late to ask about last years application process feedback?
Thanks

Hello again, I just got my interview invite - and I just saw that you had mentioned international applicants with 8/10 would be pooled for sure. Is this applicable for all colleges? And do you have any tips for an English interview, haha, so sorry but nobody in my college has much advice for humanities?

Congratulations. Yes, it is a university-wide policy on compulsory pooling - all compulsory pooling criteria apply to all colleges.

The best advice for English is to think critically and not emotionally - all interpretations are not valid if they are not based on a firm and rigorous analysis of the text. If you are given prompt material, a poem for instance, make sure that your response is based on the text and refer to it.

Good luck!

Thank u so much, I'm really grateful to you :-)

You should put N/A in it.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Page 34 of the COPA guide says to enter a class size of 1, I've already done this - should I now enter N/A if I'm self-teaching it?

On a side note, the Data protectiction, fee status and UMS form thingy that we have to send by post - what should I tick under the nationality bit. I don't currently have a visa (and don't need one for the interview, but do for studying for a long period of time) so should I tick the "none of the above" box?

Thank you so much, once again!

Hello and I am sorry to hear that you have not been selected for interview in Singapore. You can indicate that you want to be considered for application in Cambridge by emailing [email protected] and they can keep that info on file and send it to the college you are eventually assigned to after 15 October. Once you know which college that is, it might be worth emailing them to confirm this.

The college who receives your application will assess your application as they would any other. There is a decent chance, however, that given your deselection for interview in Singapore that the college may come to a similar conclusion having reviewed your file themselves. Obviously, without seeing your file, I couldn't comment further.

Yes, this has been brought to my attention on the other thread - as I said there, I don't think it's a major thing but if the guide says, say '1' then do that.

I'm not sure what you mean about the Nationality box. On the fee status assessment questionnaire, you have to write your nationality/ies in not tick a box.

Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.

At the risk of seeming arrogant, I'll tell you my grades at school to give you an idea for why I'm so shocked. Converting Indian grades to the UK system (>90 = A*, >80 = A),

GCSE: All A*s
AS level: A* A* A* A A

I realise that grades are only part of the admissions process, but believe me, I cannot think of any reason why I was not even offered an interview! I'm sorry if this seems to be a big rant, but I really am confused.

At any rate, thank you so much for the information. I have written to the admissions office about getting an interview in Cambridge.