Ask an Admissions Tutor - applying at 21+

HI there,
This may well be more or less the last post on this thread that I've enjoyed so far... They say the journey is as important as the destination; the journey towards reading medicine continues and sadly I now know the destination is not Cambridge in 2016... Although obviously still hopeful of interview invites elsewhere and an offer, but if not, I wondered whether you might be able to advise the best course of action, after graduating next summer with a BSc in Biomedical Science, with a view to 2017 entry: a year out to gain health care-related work experience, or a Masters such as the MPhil in Public Health at Cambridge, the MSc in Global Health at BSMS, or something similar? I've heard a lot of conflicting opinions so far as to the relevance/value of these two options and would really be interested in hearing from an admissions tutor in this respect, and particularly one who deals mostly with graduate and mature students. Some have even said it's not worth doing "just a Masters" and that it would be better to go for a Phd, but honestly, with my passionate desire to practice medicine rather than a career in research, it's hard to imagine spending three to five years on a thesis, however fascinating the topic, before even starting to read medicine on a four or even five-year course (given the even steeper competitivity of graduate entry courses). Your informed advice would as always be greatly appreciated.

Should students who are 21 and over at the time of applying/at entry age of first year undergraduate choose mature colleges or not.

Like if you are 21 and apply would you get auto-rejected from the non-mature colleges, I do not understnad how it all works.

The decision you make about the College for which you express a preference at application should really be based on what is important to you, whether that is architecture, location, size of the student body, size of a particular subject community, deadline (mature colleges accept applications in most subjects up until March 1) or general demographic profile (mature colleges are very international, and most students there are 21 or 22 at entry, non-mature colleges are often less international and most students are 18 or 18 at entry).

You will not get auto-rejected by a non-mature college, no. A non-mature college might seek help in assessing your application from a mature college, particularly if you have non-traditional qualifications, but in principle, you should not be disadvantaged, wherever you apply.

I hope this helps?!

That very much depends on the College, whether you have one or two interviews, and who they are with. Can you provide any more detail?

I applied to St. Edmunds for HSPS (Politics and International Relations) as an affiliate student, and i asked here because i can't find any other place where I could ask these questions.I have a single interview with the DoS and the admissions tutor via Skype. What should I be expecting as an affiliate applicant - questions revolving around my first degree? My personal statement? Or from the course that I'm applying to?

If you are having a single interview, I imagine most of the focus will be on the course for which you are applying (to which I assume your personal statement also relates). You may however get one or two questions about your trajectory to date.

Hi,

Thank you very much for having reassured me that I was extremely likely to get an interview - I actually got an interview! Would you mind if I PM you? I want to ask you a few more questions.

Hello! After the graduate medicine interviews last week we were told that we would be informed of the outcome before Christmas. I was just wondering if it would be at all possible to give a more specific date/week when we are likely to hear?

Many thanks for all your help!

It should be some time in the week beginning December 7, I think.

Hi, I am an international student, and I intend on applying in the 2017 cycle to read Law. I'm not eligible to apply for Lucy Cavendish, but I hope that you can answer some of my queries. I would be 21 when I apply.

I achieved AAA/AA in the Singapore-Cambridge GCE A levels, so I think I technically qualify in terms of academic achievement. My concern is that Cambridge colleges state that they require evidence of recent academic achievement, but those results were from two years ago, and nearly three by the time I apply in 2017. The gap would be attributed to mandatory military conscription service. My concern is whether I need to take up a private exam (there are not many options here unfortunately) to show that I am still competitive and able to achieve academically.

In between this time and my application, I intend to take up internships at firms/government legal service offices, to further my interest in studying law. I also intend to do independent study/wider reading by finishing reading lists prescribed by colleges. Would this suffice?

Can I apply for deferred entry as a mature student? And if I do apply as an affiliated student, do I still do the full three years of a course, and start at the same time as other freshers? I am currently already studying for a degree at an American university.

Do mature students attend separate lectures? Or are they basically treated as freshers?

Affiliated students. Has the deadline passed for affiliated applications?