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Ask an Admissions Tutor IX, 4th August - 2nd September

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Hello,

I've just got my A2 results and I got 2A*s, 1A and 1B, Chemistry, Mathematics, Chinese and Further Maths respectively and I'm thinking of applying for Natural Sciences 2017 entry but not sure if it's worth the risk of applying and taking a year out with a B?

I've also done my IGCSE when I was 14 years old (2014) in which I've achieved 7A*s, 1A. Would really appreciate for any help/advices!

Many thanks.

Am I right in thinking then that you are 16? You haven't met what would normally be the offer A*A*A in Maths/Science subjects so if you are going to apply I would think of retaking FM. As you appear to be two years ahead then I suspect colleges might be a bit more lenient but it's impossible to say for sure.

Reply 1181

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by isabella1999

Hello, me again! You previously answered that raw marks are not being asked for, and I know that for unreformed subjects UMS is still being looked at in the normal manner.

As I want to apply for medicine, and In my only subject with UMS (maths) I got a UMS average of only 90, as this is my only one would this mean I am really disadvantaged and should not try applying? it is a shame as I really have my heart set on Cambridge :frown:

Hi there and thank for your additional question. UMS in one subject is not going to be looked at in the same way as it was previously when we had UMS for three or four subjects. There's no reason you can't apply with 90 in Maths and still be competitive. It won't be the best Maths score but there are plenty of other elements in which you can do well. Don't be put off by this one mark.

Reply 1182

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by k.russell

@Christ's Admissions
I just want to know how many people applying post results who have 'only' met the offer get accepted, is it usually the case that to have a decent chance of success one must have an extra A* e.g. A*A*A for an arts course or A*A*A* for sciences?
get some last questions in before thread closes lol

I don't have figures on this directly but my strong impression is that most successful post A level applicants will have exceeded rather Han simply met the offer. That said, I've admitted people who have applied having results that just meet the offer.

Reply 1183

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by studyblr_mr

So I never considered applying to Oxbridge before my AS level results came out. I got 4As and the UMS of the 3 subjects I am going to be taking on are as follows:

History: 185/200
Politics: 184/200
German: 183/200

(So basically my UMS average is about 92% and my A-Levels are unreformed)

I'm dropping Geography in which I got 170/200 UMS and at GCSE I got 6A*s and 4As.

Would these be below the average of a typical successful Oxbridge applicant? I am planning to apply for joint history and german.

I would like to attempt Oxbridge but I am also worried that my slight shyness will let me down if I got an interview. I think I would be fine being taught in tutorials because one of my classes has only me in it so I am used to small groups but I am worried I would freeze up at the interview.

Also I see that on the UCAS application I have to mention my class sizes. Would getting virtually one on one tutoring in German make Cambridge reluctant to interview me? I am not getting one on one tutoring by choice- I was the only one who decided to take it on to A2.

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Your GCSEs and AS level results are very close to those of the average successful applicant (c.7 A*s and 93 UMS) so there's no reason why you shouldn't apply and be successful providing you perform well in other parts of the application.

We are used to people who are nervous and shy at interview and do our best to put you at your ease so you can show yourself to your best.

No one is going to think anything bad about you being taught one-to-one in German. Best of luck.

Reply 1184

Doones

Original post by Chittesh14

PS: I wish there were other admission tutors for other universities on TSR so I wouldn't have to piss you off with these questions :frown:

... sorry!

There are many Official Uni Reps for other universities on TSR. They may or may not be admissions tutors (most are school liaison staff) but they will certainly welcome any questions you have about their uni and find someone who can answer, if they can't. Best place is to look in the specific forum for each uni.

Reply 1185

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by oopswronganswer

Hi,Thank you for the starting this thread. When I was in year 11 my school offered AS maths a year early, and consequently took A2 mathematics in year 12. I'm doing the full A level Further maths in year 13. i realise that my school has an unusual system, but would this be all right (technically it is doing A level maths over three years), or do I need my teacher to explain this in her reference? Thank you.

No, this isn't uncommon at all, no need to explain it.

Reply 1186

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by AnnietheGrannie

Hello, would you mind clearing up the UMS marks system at Cambridge, since I have heard different things from different people: Do they look at average UMS/ subject UMS/module UMS? Because I intend to resit one module in which I didn't do as well as I could have-would this rule my application out? I still got 5As at AS

Where UMS is available we will look at it. We look at individual modules, at subject averages and at best three subject averages. Essentially, we look at both the big and small picture before coming to an impression on this element of the application.

Reply 1187

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by tucostacos

Hi there!

I recently got my AS results and am not sure whether they would be enough to apply to Cambridge. I want to study Modern Languages (Spanish, in particular) and got an A grade in Spanish, A in History (although, this was a mock as my History course is linear meaning I take all my exams at the end of Year 13), a B in Politics and a C in Maths (which I'm dropping for obvious reasons). I also got a D3 grade in a Cambridge Pre-U research project and am not sure whether it counts as a short course or a principal subject? Or whether it can be used as a substitute for an AS/A Level in applications? (I got 132.5 tariff points for it, if that helps as a reference). I also achieved 5A*'s, 3A's and 2B's at GCSE. So in conclusion, I have three questions:1) Are my grades good enough for Cambridge?2) How significant is my Pre-U grade and can it be used to my advantage in an application?3) Will my Maths grade have a serious impact on my application even if I'm dropping it for Year 13?*Extra info - My Maths grade was brought down by one of the 3 modules in which I got an E; I got an A and a high B in the other two modules.Many thanks for any help!

Hello and thank you for your questions.I'll answer them as best I can. 1) with ABC at AS (even with the History A in a mock) your grades are somewhat marginal. 2) the research project will be of interest but is unlikely to have a big impact. 3) a C in Maths is not great. One its own it's not a huge problem but the strength elsewhere in your paper application might not be sufficient to compensate. Sorry not to be more encouraging.

Reply 1188

AnnietheGrannie

Hello, I'm planning on applying to Cambridge for the 2017 entry to study MML (French and Spanish from post-A level). These were my AS results:

French-A-89%
Spanish A-81% (Will resit the module that let me down)
English Language and Literature-A (UMS not available)
History-A (UMS not available)
Russian-A(95%UMS)

I got 8A*s and 5As at GCSE, have numerous language-related work experience placements under my belt, a subject award in English as the top English student in my year group and have done a fairly good amount of extra reading. I know this is not all of the info that will make up my overall application profile, but what would you say, from your experience, is the most likely outcome for a student with a profile similar to mine in terms of offers? I greatly appreciate the time and effort that you have put into replying to people on this thread.

Reply 1189

fablereader

I am hoping to apply to Oxbridge to study Classics in 2017. I sat 7 iGCSEs and received 6A* (Latin, Greek, Physics, History, Maths, English Language) and an A (English Literature). My AS results was AAAA. My UMS is as follows:

Maths - 92, 92, 96
Latin - 100 (language), 73 (literature)
Greek - 96 (language), 84 (literature)
Classical Civilizations - 94 (Greek Tragedy), 90 (City Life in Roman Italy)

Would the low UMS in Latin and Greek literature harm my chances? Should I possibly retake the module(s)?

Also, how important is the interview? I am currently waiting to be evaluated for Aspergers and I have been previously diagnosed with receptive/express language issues. Conversations can be difficult for me, particularly in the beginning. I worry the possibility of a bad interview will harm my chances.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 1190

Cherub012

Hi again

You say you look at the application holistically. Is this only for Christ? Does it vary between college and subject?

Thanks. :smile:

Reply 1191

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by Josh.Lyman

Hi,
I am an American applicant whose school has no experience with UCAS, so you need to forgive me if my questions are "silly". I am looking to study economics, and I took two Harvard courses to pursue my interest. Should I list my grades from these courses in my Personal Statement? I am asking because I haven't had access to the UCAS form so I don't know if there's a section for university courses and grades (I can't access UCAS because I don't know my school code and school doesn't start until September 7th).
Secondly, I understand that the economics course begins from the basics. Because I have already taken honors sophomore-level courses (2nd year in an American university), should I include a statement in my personal statement to explain what my plans are for the first year? When the course will be relatively basic.
And lastly, can you provide any resources to help my referee with his duties? Again, my teacher has no experience with UCAS.
Thank you very much!

Hello and thanks for the questions (nice username btw, The West Wing is possibly my favourite programme ever!).

You can certainly put your grades in the personal statement or SAQ if you wish and can't on UCAS form.

I don't think you need to talk about plans for first year beyond doing Part I in Economics - there's plenty there to get your teeth into.

Jneil has provided links for UCAS referees for which I think him!

Reply 1192

Christ's Admissions

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Original post by Cherub012

Hi again

You say you look at the application holistically. Is this only for Christ? Does it vary between college and subject?

Thanks. :smile:

No, this is an approach adopted by all colleges and subjects.

Reply 1193

Chittesh14

Original post by jneill

Is there one for Imperial, my friend is asking but he doesn't use TSR often so he can't find. I am going to search today for some myself, thanks.

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Reply 1194

metrize

Is doing further maths a2 and physics a2 okay seeing as I've done maths a2 in year 1? Or do I need to do 3 subjects including the maths a2?

Reply 1195

Doones

Original post by Chittesh14

Is there one for Imperial, my friend is asking but he doesn't use TSR often so he can't find. I am going to search today for some myself, thanks.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Scroll down this page to get to the Official Reps (or search the page)
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showgroups.php

This is Imperial :
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/member.php?u=1811773
- but looks like they aren't active :frown:

Reply 1196

Chittesh14

Original post by metrize

Is doing further maths a2 and physics a2 okay seeing as I've done maths a2 in year 1? Or do I need to do 3 subjects including the maths a2?

At the end you'll have 3 A2s so I do see anything wrong lol. Unless you haven't done Physics AS this year :O

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Reply 1197

I can do this

If schools don't include internal AS equivalent exam scores for reformed subjects on references, is this considered detrimental when there will be other people applying with schools claiming their students got 100% in internal exams? Our teachers think that because standards will vary, it is quite possible our internal exams are harder than other schools, so we will have got lower raw percentages.