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

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.

Original post by Christ's Admissions

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

Thank you for the reply! Just to clarify, taking AS maths in yr 11, A2 in yr 12 and full A level further maths in yr 13 wouldn't be detrimental to my application? You may have answered it already, but I just want to make sure, sorry for being annoying :frown:

OP

Original post by bagginses

Hi again sorry to keep asking questions, I noticed that for History at Cambridge there are about 3 applicants for every place whereas at Oxford its about 4 - does this mean its quite a bit less competitive at Cambridge and therefore might be worth applying there since in terms of course and city I can't choose between them, or am I reading too much into the stats? Also I was looking at the Themes and Sources options and I noticed Sacred Histories looks really fascinating, will those options that are in the website definitely be available for 2017 entry and is there a chance that my choice will be limited by my college or something? Finally do you have to do the same time period for the British Political paper and the British Social/Economic paper, and is it common for people to do different time periods? Thank you!

This is a case where statistics are misleading. Cambridge has fewer applicants per place than Oxford but higher entrance requirements. Also these statistics date from the time before A Level reform and we do not know how much of a deterrent Cambridge's high profile focus on UMS put off applicants who did not excel at AS Level. We thus don't know what the numbers will be this year and what quality they will be, especially with the introduction of the two joint degrees.

The course options change slightly each year due to new ones being introduced and old ones removed. The turnover of academic staff and the fact that every year some lecturers will be on research leave also affects this. Any course that is running is available to students at all colleges. There are caps on some courses but these are decided randomly & not by college.

You can study different periods for the two British papers. Annecdotally, I'd say about half do the same period and half do different ones.

OP

Original post by oopswronganswer

Thank you for the reply! Just to clarify, taking AS maths in yr 11, A2 in yr 12 and full A level further maths in yr 13 wouldn't be detrimental to my application? You may have answered it already, but I just want to make sure, sorry for being annoying :frown:

It's fine, as I say not unusual.

OP

Original post by crabstick

What are my chances of getting an offer for HSPS? I did average on my gcse's A*A*AAAABBB (on one of the Bs physics i continued for As and got 90% UMS) I got AAAC economics (96%), physics (90%), maths and drama respectively. the reason for my gcse's is that i was a professional athlete and had no time to study. i got injured so focused on my studies. Also would it be advisable for me to drop drama seeing as i did badly on it ?

There's clearly improvement from GCSE to AS but I don't have enough information to say what your chances are other than to say there's no reason why you shouldn't apply.

It's up to you whether to drop drama, you don't need it if you don't want it.

OP

Original post by vincrows

Good morning!
Sorry to interrupt. (Again!!)

Just one quick question...
How long will this thread stay open?
The title of this thread says it's until Sep 2. Are you extending the period?

I was going to finish it on 2nd but hadn't got through all the questions! I'll close it today as, from tomorrow, I'm no longer the AT at Christ's! I start at Murray Edwards tomorrow. :smile:

OP

Original post by rosemondtan

Hello Christ's,

Thanks so much for the reply! Clears things up a little bit. How stiff is competition for these 2 places? (Oh I've also sent a DM, hopefully to get a clearer insight from you)

Thank you :smile:

It's pretty rigid! :smile:

OP

Original post by carly1999

Hello, earlier in the thread you gave a statistic for the amount of people applying for Natural Sciences with a ums of above 99%. Do you have this information for the maths course as well?
Thank you!

Sorry, I don't. I always excluded Maths from SUMS stats because it wasn't the best correlator. Mathmos were often pretty bad at chemistry but brilliant at maths! :smile:

Reply 1247

fablereader

4

Original post by Christ's Admissions

Hello and thank you for your questions. Yes, I'm afraid that the low marks in the literature papers will be somewhat detrimental to your application, though your language papers are very strong and will be of benefit to you. Don't retake the modules unless you want to. You have an A in both overall already and it's best thus to concentrate on ensuring that you so as well as possible in the A2 modules - look forward not backwards!

The interviews vary in importance from candidate to candidate. Most often the interview backs up the paperwork. if you click the disability box on the UCAS form ten we will contact you to discover the nature of this and ensure that people are informed of this context. We are very used to people with Asperger's and those who are simply nervous at interview and will do our best to ensure that you are able to perform well. How you say things will not matter - it's what you say that counts.

Thank you for the information. I was expecting a lower mark in the Greek literature as I did not complete one of the questions in time. However, the Latin literature paper was a surprise and I may have it remarked. I am waiting for my tutor to look over it as the marks on the script did not add up to the overall marks received.

I am home educated and will be applying a year early. I have thought about taking a gap year but would prefer to go straight into university. However, if I choose to take a gap year, I may resit those 2 modules.

Thank you again for the information.

OP

Original post by xyrn

Hi, I'm an Australian based applicant and am considering doing Mathematics with Physics. I'm much more mathematically inclined and would love to do more maths in my first year. However, since I do my IB exams in November this means I would need to sit the STEP 6 months after my maths exam. I'm planning on doing a bit of travelling next year, so I'm worried I'm gonna be a bit rusty by then. Would I be better off applying for Natural Sciences instead? Thanks!

Hello and thanks for your question. You should apply for the course you want to do. There's a good deal of maths in Nat Sci, especially if one concentrates on physics. The expectation for Maths with physics is that you will continue with Maths after the first year. So the question to ask is where you see yourself ending up.

OP

Original post by Ankou

Hello ! I'm a French student in Terminale with the International option, and although I know I can meet the academic requirements for the baccalaureate, my grades of the previous year do not reflect it.
EDIT: Cambridge's policy is to make offers for students getting around 16-17 at the bac.

I'm interested in Computer Science and only had a 14.2 global average last year, with grades in math going from 13.8 to 12 mainly for personal reasons.

I took other tests, including the SAT where I scored a 1350, However I'm afraid this score and my statement won't be taken into account because of the grades previously cited.

Do you think I should bother making an application ?
I hope you have a fantastic day, cheers !

Hello and thanks for your question and wishes for my day. I fear that your scores thus far in both the French system and the SATS are too low to make an application that has a good chance of success. Sorry not to be more encouraging.

OP

Original post by Chittesh14

Oh right, thanks :smile:

. How much would self teaching further maths A2 be taken into consideration as well as Maths A2. So Maths and further maths A-level fully self taught.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Somewhat but not massively - a lot of students self teach parts of maths or FM, though it's unusual for it all to be self taught. It's useful context where there are some sub-optimal modules.

OP

Original post by Hjortlund

@Christ's Admissions what are Christ's rules regarding applicants who are currently attending university? I'm currently taking some courses at Copenhagen University, but I heard from @Florescence that some colleges accept applicants who are currently attending university. In that case, would it be acceptable if I transferred from the courses to undergrad physics during my gap year?

It's fine to apply from non-UK universities. All colleges will be happy to receive your application.

OP

Original post by TiernanW

Would it adversely affect my application, to Computer Science, if I took Further Maths as private and didn't have a predicted grade for it?

My situation is that my school doesn't have room for 5 A-Levels, so if I keep on all 5 then Further Maths would be a private entry, and unless teacher's are still allowed to predict for that then I wouldn't have a predicted grade for it.

No, it won't affect things if you don't have a prediction.

Reply 1253

username1865079

14

Original post by Christ's Admissions

I was going to finish it on 2nd but hadn't got through all the questions! I'll close it today as, from tomorrow, I'm no longer the AT at Christ's! I start at Murray Edwards tomorrow. :smile:

Oooh, are you starting there tomorrow?
Good luck with your new position, and thank you very much for your dedication in this forum as Christ's AT.

I'm planing to escape.....I mean......retire from TSR when 2016 guys have set off to Cambridge, so probably I won't see you when you come back here as Medwards's AT, but I wish you another success in coming years, too. :smile:

Spoiler

Reply 1254

Ankou

3

Original post by Christ's Admissions

Hello and thanks for your question and wishes for my day. I fear that your scores thus far in both the French system and the SATS are too low to make an application that has a good chance of success. Sorry not to be more encouraging.

Well thank you very much for your swift answer !
Do you think there's anything I 'can' do to make a good application at this point ?

OP

Original post by vincrows

Oooh, are you starting there tomorrow?
Good luck with your new position, and thank you very much for your dedication in this forum as Christ's AT.

I'm planing to escape.....I mean......retire from TSR when 2016 guys have set off to Cambridge, so probably I won't see you when you come back here as Medwards's AT, but I wish you another success in coming years, too. :smile:

Spoiler

I am indeed! I'm sure you'll be missed (and I've enjoyed your questions a lot) and I wonder whether you'll be able to keep away! :wink:

I'll be back in a new guise as the Murray Edwards AT hopefully later in the month or next but, until then, I know that Peterhouse Admissions will be running one of their threads. Speaking of which, we put our heads together to produce some advice based on our observations from this and previous years after the A Level results came through:

Nothing here is new or different to the advice we've been given previously, but there are a number of cases fresh in our minds for each of the points below and we don't want to see more students slipping up in the same ways. All of these things have happened to several students this year - some have missed out on places as a result and some have had their offers relaxed. This is not intended to speak to any one individual offer-holder but is just some help we wanted to give on the back of yesterdays' results.

•

Your place is only guaranteed if you meet the exact conditions of your offer. We don't necessarily view equivalencies the same way as you/your teachers/your friends

•

Don't take too many exams! It is better to excel in 3 A levels than to do less well in 4 or more. If your offer is for A*AA or A*A*A then no amount of As will meet it. If your offers don't require STEP or other additional exams then think very carefully about whether you should take them instead of focusing on your A levels.

•

Don't try to do too much too quickly - there's a reason A level study generally takes two years. Trying to fit a whole A level in one year can see an A* prediction missed by several grades

•

STEP is hard. Lots of people miss their STEP offer and it takes preparation and practise. STEP I is less challenging than II or III but it is still difficult and needs preparation. Think carefully before turning down any STEP support offered.

•

But don't just prepare for STEP - the A level part of your offer is important and your place isn't guaranteed unless you meet all the conditions. Missing A level offers by 3 or more grades can be cause for concern.

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Let us know about extenuating circumstances when they happen - don't wait until results day as its too late then. We won't revoke your offer for asking questions! Similarly if you want to defer then the sooner we know the more likely we are toy say yes.

On which note I will say goodbye and thank you to everyone for their questions. Christ's Admissions might return in the guise of the new AT who is known to TSR users as Lucy Cavendish Admissions but for now, it's goodnight from me and good luck to everyone applying this year! :smile:

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

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