The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

Original post by mackie1212
Hello :smile:

In recent years, how many mature Medicine applicants have been made offers to Peterhouse? Would you say that mature students have as equal a chance of receiving an offer for Medicine as younger applicants or in your experience have you witnessed that the majority of these kinds of applicants end up being pooled and fished out by one of the mature colleges (and hence perhaps it might be better for such applicants to apply directly to a mature college?)?

Thank you! :smile:


We haven't had any recent mature applicants to Medicine so we haven't made any offers. Such students would be considered alongside all other applicants and would have exactly the same assessments, but we would probably expect more from them in terms of maturity and insight at interview or in the BMAT.

I would always recommend that, regardless of your preference college, applicants aged 21 or over contact a mature college for advice before applying since they have more advice with these candidates. I see you've already reached out to Emily at Lucy Cavendish which is great.
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
We haven't had any recent mature applicants to Medicine so we haven't made any offers. Such students would be considered alongside all other applicants and would have exactly the same assessments, but we would probably expect more from them in terms of maturity and insight at interview or in the BMAT.

I would always recommend that, regardless of your preference college, applicants aged 21 or over contact a mature college for advice before applying since they have more advice with these candidates. I see you've already reached out to Emily at Lucy Cavendish which is great.


Thank you very much for your reply! :h:

I was wondering what you think about students reapplying to the same college? I know that that's usually not recommended but in your experience has doing so necessarily been detrimental to the outcome of someone's application? Do you find that applicants tend to do equally good/bad at such interviews as they had the previous year or are they better/worse/the same? How often do reapplicants in general, to your knowledge, get an offer the second time around when applying for the same course? Is there a limit as to how many times someone can apply to Cambridge (like in some US unis where you can only apply max. 2 times in your lifetime!) Also, on a random note, how much control do students have over who they have supervisions with? If a student is interested in a certain area which no one at their college is involved in then can they ask to be paired with someone from another college? How often do students have supervisions at other colleges or do they have most of them at their own college?

Thanks again and sorry for all of the questions! :colondollar:
Original post by mackie1212
Thank you very much for your reply! :h:

I was wondering what you think about students reapplying to the same college? I know that that's usually not recommended but in your experience has doing so necessarily been detrimental to the outcome of someone's application? Do you find that applicants tend to do equally good/bad at such interviews as they had the previous year or are they better/worse/the same? How often do reapplicants in general, to your knowledge, get an offer the second time around when applying for the same course? Is there a limit as to how many times someone can apply to Cambridge (like in some US unis where you can only apply max. 2 times in your lifetime!) Also, on a random note, how much control do students have over who they have supervisions with? If a student is interested in a certain area which no one at their college is involved in then can they ask to be paired with someone from another college? How often do students have supervisions at other colleges or do they have most of them at their own college?

Thanks again and sorry for all of the questions! :colondollar:


No problem, answering questions is what we're here for. Most of your question sounds like a job for @Christ's Admissions though (I'm an administrator so I don't interview anyone).

Certainly we have had successful reapplicants to Cambridge and some to Peterhouse. Generally those successful at Peterhouse a second time are those who we have encouraged to reapply either in feedback or in response to questions from applicants. They are plenty of other cases where we recommend against reapplying (never in so many words - your choice is free and we are not prejudiced). These candidates sometimes apply to us again and are almost always unsuccessful, often rejected before interview, particularly if they do something really self-defeating like omitting to mention the results we know they got because they declared them last time.

There's no limit to the number of times you can reapply, but I'd hope applicants could probably start to read between the lines after the second time!

In terms of supervisions, this depends on subject, year and college. I did Natural Sciences at Magdalene and most of my supervisions were with people from other colleges and I never had any in the college itself. My wife studied English at Magdalene and the majority of her supervisions were in College with other Magdalene students. Certainly by your final year when you are starting to get quite specialised you will be found the appropriate supervisor within the University and you're not just limited to those at your college
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
No problem, answering questions is what we're here for. Most of your question sounds like a job for @Christ's Admissions though (I'm an administrator so I don't interview anyone).

Certainly we have had successful reapplicants to Cambridge and some to Peterhouse. Generally those successful at Peterhouse a second time are those who we have encouraged to reapply either in feedback or in response to questions from applicants. They are plenty of other cases where we recommend against reapplying (never in so many words - your choice is free and we are not prejudiced). These candidates sometimes apply to us again and are almost always unsuccessful, often rejected before interview, particularly if they do something really self-defeating like omitting to mention the results we know they got because they declared them last time.

There's no limit to the number of times you can reapply, but I'd hope applicants could probably start to read between the lines after the second time!

In terms of supervisions, this depends on subject, year and college. I did Natural Sciences at Magdalene and most of my supervisions were with people from other colleges and I never had any in the college itself. My wife studied English at Magdalene and the majority of her supervisions were in College with other Magdalene students. Certainly by your final year when you are starting to get quite specialised you will be found the appropriate supervisor within the University and you're not just limited to those at your college


So do you reference back to an applicant's previous application in order to see if they've improved and see the reasons behind why they didn't succeed the first time or do you not keep unsuccessful applicant's files (or does this vary between colleges?)? Are reapplicants expected to write a completely new personal statement or can they use the same one and just go into more detail about their gap year plans and what they've done to further their interests in the SAQ form?
Original post by mackie1212
So do you reference back to an applicant's previous application in order to see if they've improved and see the reasons behind why they didn't succeed the first time or do you not keep unsuccessful applicant's files (or does this vary between colleges?)? Are reapplicants expected to write a completely new personal statement or can they use the same one and just go into more detail about their gap year plans and what they've done to further their interests in the SAQ form?


Files for unsuccessful candidates are shredded at the end of the admissions cycle so nothing carries over and you can have a clean start. However, I really do mean it when I say we take time to look at applicants holistically but in detail and the Admissions Team are likely to remember the details from the year before if you apply to the same college.
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
Files for unsuccessful candidates are shredded at the end of the admissions cycle so nothing carries over and you can have a clean start. However, I really do mean it when I say we take time to look at applicants holistically but in detail and the Admissions Team are likely to remember the details from the year before if you apply to the same college.


My step-sister originally applied to Clare and was pooled, but then got fished out and reinterviewed at Downing (ultimately got rejected) so could she reapply directly to Downing this time or would that be the same thing as reapplying to the college that you originally sent your application to?

Cheers! :biggrin:
Original post by mackie1212
My step-sister originally applied to Clare and was pooled, but then got fished out and reinterviewed at Downing (ultimately got rejected) so could she reapply directly to Downing this time or would that be the same thing as reapplying to the college that you originally sent your application to?

Cheers! :biggrin:


She can reapply wherever she likes. The only thing to consider is that there is a chance that the Admissions staff might remember her. Whether this is a positive or a negative strongly depends on her experience of the interview. In most cases it doesn't matter, but for candidates where we've recommended against reapplying it's worth choosing a new college. Similarly don't try and hide qualifications - if you missed your STEP offer you can't reapply like 'what is STEP? I've never heard of it and certainly haven't taken any exams called STEP'

I'd recommend that all potential reapplicants get in touch with colleges before applying to see how they would be viewed. If a college says you're unlikely to be considered then don't apply there - it really is a waste of a UCAS choice. Also remember that the colleges are far more similar than they are different - if one college says you'd be uncompetitive then this is likely to hold for all.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
She can reapply wherever she likes. The only thing to consider is that there is a chance that the Admissions staff might remember her. Whether this is a positive or a negative strongly depends on her experience of the interview.


She really likes Downing now but the problem is that her interview went really rather badly because of an unexpected flair up of a health condition of hers that never posed any kind of problem in the past and hence there was never any mention of it in her application (and the evidence of this health issue by her doctor was only confirmed after she reinterviewed and UCAS Track had updated so she never emailed the college about it...not that it really would've made any kind of difference to the outcome of her application at that point) so could she still apply to Downing and perhaps have her teacher mention in the extenuating circumstances form that this health issue came up and prevailed into her exam period where she managed to achieve high grades anyway or because of the negative interview she should steer clear of Downing? If she were to apply and receive the same interviewers, could she ask the college to perhaps assign her different interviewers?
Original post by mackie1212
She really likes Downing now but the problem is that her interview went really rather badly because of an unexpected flair up of a health condition of hers that never posed any kind of problem in the past and hence there was never any mention of it in her application (and the evidence of this health issue by her doctor was only confirmed after she reinterviewed and UCAS Track had updated so she never emailed the college about it...not that it really would've made any kind of difference to the outcome of her application at that point) so could she still apply to Downing and perhaps have her teacher mention in the extenuating circumstances form that this health issue came up and prevailed into her exam period where she managed to achieve high grades anyway or because of the negative interview she should steer clear of Downing? If she were to apply and receive the same interviewers, could she ask the college to perhaps assign her different interviewers?


That's not a question I can answer I'm afraid. It's very unlikely she would be disadvantaged but I don't think she could ask for different interviewers. Interviewers will always give candidates a fair shot without prejudice. It is for your step-sister to decide where to apply based on her experience.
Hi, I got AABB in my AS exams this year, however I know that over the next year I will be able to improve this. I just wanted to ask how much do you look at these grades in comparison to general motivation / personality of an applicant?
Original post by literaturista
Hi, I got AABB in my AS exams this year, however I know that over the next year I will be able to improve this. I just wanted to ask how much do you look at these grades in comparison to general motivation / personality of an applicant?


I think the answer will be the same as from @Christ's Admissions, which is to say no specific amount, everything is considered holistically in its proper context with no specific weights attached. We would, of course, want to see that you're on track for the typical offer.
Reply 91
Hi, I was just wondering about Peterhouse's view on GCSE English requirements for physical natural sciences. I have my AS results of 5A (average 93%) in AS Further Maths, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but achieving an average of 95% in my 3 most relevant subjects. I got 10A*/A at GCSE however I got an A in GCSE literature but a C in GCSE language. I was just wondering how important GCSE language is to the college?


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by alija23
Hi, I was just wondering about Peterhouse's view on GCSE English requirements for physical natural sciences. I have my AS results of 5A (average 93%) in AS Further Maths, Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but achieving an average of 95% in my 3 most relevant subjects. I got 10A*/A at GCSE however I got an A in GCSE literature but a C in GCSE language. I was just wondering how important GCSE language is to the college?


Posted from TSR Mobile


Not very :smile:

Your recent performance is more important but don't worry about UMS averages. Be careful not to overdo it with too many year 13 subjects too.
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
I think the answer will be the same as from @Christ's Admissions, which is to say no specific amount, everything is considered holistically in its proper context with no specific weights attached. We would, of course, want to see that you're on track for the typical offer.


so, if my predicted grades for A2 are of the required standard i would make a competitive application despite the B grades this year?
Original post by literaturista
so, if my predicted grades for A2 are of the required standard i would make a competitive application despite the B grades this year?


It wouldn't immediately rule you out and we'd be interested to see the rest of your application.
Reply 95
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
Not very :smile:

Your recent performance is more important but don't worry about UMS averages. Be careful not to overdo it with too many year 13 subjects too.


Thank you for the reply :smile:. I have another question, apart from the STEP test and the new Cambridge tests (due to as changes), are there any more assessments? Eg maybe individual college assessments?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by alija23
Thank you for the reply :smile:. I have another question, apart from the STEP test and the new Cambridge tests (due to as changes), are there any more assessments? Eg maybe individual college assessments?


Yes, quite possibly depending on the course and college. The new admissions assessments mean there will be fewer college-set test than in the past, but at Peterhouse we will still be using our own tests for Mathematics (as there isn't a centralised assessment) and Engineering. Other colleges may well be doing similar things for various subjects. Any such requirements will be stated on College websites before October - nothing should come as a surprise.
(edited 7 years ago)
Hi Peterhouse Admissions,

I have a few questions on the admission process for applying to engineering at Peterhouse. I understand that Peterhouse 'sometimes' asks for STEP to be done (with requirement of GRADE 1) for the engineering course. May I know how frequent is 'sometimes'? And were there cases in which offer holder missed the offer by a few marks off the required Grade 1 and was still offered? Another question is that, for engineering course, does Peterhouse ask for STEP I, II or III, or does it vary on a case to case basis (e.g. candidates who performed not as well as others in maths assessment will be asked to achieve a good grade in STEP as a reassurance for the college)? I am an international applicant, will the same kind of assessment specially for Peterhouse mentioned above for Maths and Engineering be taken in an oversea interview (aside from the Engineering Assessment introduced this year, as well as the usual interview)? Thank you !
I see @Christ's Admissions is away but I have one more day in the office before I'm off for the Bank Holiday too. Therefore I think that we'll close this thread tonight - next week I'll be busy planning outreach and recruitment events for the 2016-17 school year, not to mention preparing for the upcoming admissions round. @Christ's Admissions will be around all of next week.

I'd be very happy to hear from anyone with questions or comments about Cambridge's work with schools and colleges and our provision of information through events, open days and website, or from anyone with any questions about my schools liaison work - has your school been visited by a Cambridge rep? What did you think?

So ask away until 15:00 today!
Original post by JohnCraigh
Hi Peterhouse Admissions,

I have a few questions on the admission process for applying to engineering at Peterhouse. I understand that Peterhouse 'sometimes' asks for STEP to be done (with requirement of GRADE 1) for the engineering course. May I know how frequent is 'sometimes'? And were there cases in which offer holder missed the offer by a few marks off the required Grade 1 and was still offered? Another question is that, for engineering course, does Peterhouse ask for STEP I, II or III, or does it vary on a case to case basis (e.g. candidates who performed not as well as others in maths assessment will be asked to achieve a good grade in STEP as a reassurance for the college)? I am an international applicant, will the same kind of assessment specially for Peterhouse mentioned above for Maths and Engineering be taken in an oversea interview (aside from the Engineering Assessment introduced this year, as well as the usual interview)? Thank you !


We typically give STEP conditions to about 40-50% of Engineering offer holders. We do consider near misses sympathetically and candidates who meet the A level part of their offer are Summer Pooled, but remember your place is only guaranteed if you meet the exact terms of the offer. We don't ask for STEP II or III for Engineering. Candidates interviewed overseas are interviewed by one team on behalf of all colleges so you won't sit college-specific tests, you'll just have the University-wide admissions assessments and interview.

Latest