Ask Peterhouse - 2017 entry

OP

Original post by 1685

Thank you for your reply! That's put my mind at ease a little, I was quite worried as I was advised by my college that whilst Maths isn't a formal requirement, I'd be very unlikely to be successful without it, so I wanted to check if this was true.

I am self-studying maths (using an online course provider and maybe a tutor later on if I need one). Would it be a good idea to mention it in my personal statement or would it be better put on the SAQ?

Lots of applicants to Philosophy do have maths but not all of them and not all of the successful ones either.

Mentioning it in your UCAS personal statement has the advantage that other universities can see it (the SAQ is Cambridge-specific) but I'd mention it in the appropriate SAQ box too.

Reply 42

1685

3

Original post by Peterhouse Admissions

Lots of applicants to Philosophy do have maths but not all of them and not all of the successful ones either.

Mentioning it in your UCAS personal statement has the advantage that other universities can see it (the SAQ is Cambridge-specific) but I'd mention it in the appropriate SAQ box too.

Ok, will do both then. Thank you very much for your help!

Reply 43

(student)

7

Original post by Peterhouse Admissions

Yes. I think you knew the answer though!

Okay-thanks for the advice.

Reply 44

Nightcall

Already posted this on the account profile but I thought I'd repost it here just in case.

Hi Peterhouse,

I've got a couple of questions regarding applications. I'm looking at History - is there an average UMS % needed to secure an interview?

Secondly, am I at a disadvantage if I only do 3 A levels as opposed to 4? The 4th one would be in a subject not related to History at all. I may also do an EPQ - does this compensate?

Thirdly, where does an applicant mention socioeconomic background? I've heard that Cambridge takes into account the socioeconomic class of applicants and whether their parents went to University. If so, where do I mention this? The SAQ?

Thanks very much.

Reply 45

metrize

18

Hi, do you have the average UMS of successful applicants for Engineering at any college in Cambridge
I know you look at applications holistically but just curious

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 46

ColossalAtom

15

What do you look for in medical applicants?

Reply 47

ConorK98

Original post by Peterhouse Admissions

A*A*A predictions in Maths, Physics and Biology are what matters most. Do you know which sciences you're most interested in?

I'll most likely be applying for biological natural sciences. I would like to do physics if at all possible but I don't know if this is something you can do without chemistry judging by the natural sciences site:

•

"physical – combining Chemistry, Physics and Biology of Cells"

Ideally I would like to study evolution, physiology, physics and maths. Does anyone know if this is possible? I am predicted an A* for maths and physics but not biology. Will this be a factor if I apply for biological? Thanks

Reply 48

Zacken

22

Original post by Nightcall

Already posted this on the account profile but I thought I'd repost it here just in case.

Would have been better off just posting it here.

I've got a couple of questions regarding applications. I'm looking at History - is there an average UMS % needed to secure an interview?

No there isn't. They look at a variety of factors and asses your application holistically.

Secondly, am I at a disadvantage if I only do 3 A levels as opposed to 4? The 4th one would be in a subject not related to History at all. I may also do an EPQ - does this compensate?

No you aren't at a disadvantage. Focusing on 3 A-Levels would even be preferred than branching out and doing a fourth non-related one. The EPQ won't make much of a difference, do it if it interests you, don't do it if your only motivation is for it to look good.

Thirdly, where does an applicant mention socioeconomic background? I've heard that Cambridge takes into account the socioeconomic class of applicants and whether their parents went to University. If so, where do I mention this? The SAQ?

There will be this sort of stuff on the SAQ iirc, but otherwise the university will know what school you attend (assuming you're UK) from which they'll make their assessment. I'm not too sure about this bit, so take this with a pinch of salt.

Original post by Frenchspanish101

Hiya I'm interested in studying MML at Cambridge (French and Spanish) but I don't want to apply if I have no chance.In my AS I got:A in French (99%) A in Spanish (83%) - only 1 of 2 As, half my class got an E or a U and the class had 22 pupils.. I plan to retake one paper

A in Politics (86%)B in History which is currently being remarked as I did one paper and got an A and was too ill to do the second so I got given a calculated mark which took me down to a B I also go 10A* 1A at GCSE and my predicted grades are A*A*A (A*s in languages)Do I have a chance at Cambridge? Any replies welcome

As I've said previously, you've got a fair shot. It's worth applying.

Reply 49

username1350010

Hi, so are you now looking at raw marks instead of UMS for reformed subjects or just considering the raw marks if they're mentioned in a reference and otherwise just looking at the grades as a whole??

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 50

Zacken

22

Original post by Reaver Daniels

Hi, so are you now looking at raw marks instead of UMS for reformed subjects or just considering the raw marks if they're mentioned in a reference and otherwise just looking at the grades as a whole??

Posted from TSR Mobile

They will not be requesting raw marks for reformed subjects.

Reply 51

hey(:

Hello, i would like to study medicine. I would like to ask if we would be expected to have done thorough research into the area of speciality of the doctor we shadowed? (considering if we have done research focused on other areas or systems instead) Thank you.

Reply 52

OP

Original post by Nightcall

Already posted this on the account profile but I thought I'd repost it here just in case.

Hi Peterhouse,

I've got a couple of questions regarding applications. I'm looking at History - is there an average UMS % needed to secure an interview?

Secondly, am I at a disadvantage if I only do 3 A levels as opposed to 4? The 4th one would be in a subject not related to History at all. I may also do an EPQ - does this compensate?

Thirdly, where does an applicant mention socioeconomic background? I've heard that Cambridge takes into account the socioeconomic class of applicants and whether their parents went to University. If so, where do I mention this? The SAQ?

Thanks very much.

Don't worry about average UMS - it has never been that important and will be completely irrelevant soon. A very significant minority of History applicants have never had UMS scores and this will very likely become the vast majority this year. There are no quotas or cut-offs in interview selection, apart from predicted or achieved results below the typical offer level without extenuating circumstances.

I'd recommend reading the post we co-wrote with @Christ's Admissions. We only expect 3 A levels and for students to follow their school's policy. If you are successful in getting an offer, it will be A*AA: AAAA+EPQ instead won't meet the conditions. 3 A levels is great and there's nothing to 'compensate' for if you do this. We're not impressed by quantity over and above the 3 - what we want to see is quality where you do really well in the A levels you are taking. The EPQ isn't considered in admissions decisions and won't form part of any conditional offer but it (and similar things like essay prizes) are very useful as they get you exploring your subject beyond the school curriculum in a more independent way, similar to how you will study at university.

You don't need to mention background, we get it from your home postcode and census data. The only individual-level data we get is if you have declared a disability or if you have ever been a looked-after child, most of the information is broader about your school and your neighbourhood. We don't look at whether your parents went to university but sometimes candidates mention this in their personal statement or teachers write it in their reference - it can be useful contextual information.

Reply 53

OP

Original post by Reaver Daniels

Hi, so are you now looking at raw marks instead of UMS for reformed subjects or just considering the raw marks if they're mentioned in a reference and otherwise just looking at the grades as a whole??

Posted from TSR Mobile

Cambridge will not be asking for raw marks. The only way we'll know them is if they are written in your teacher's reference or provided separately. We will continue to assess candidates on their grades and other available information as we have always done, with the addition of results from admissions assessments in most subjects.

Reply 54

OP

Original post by hey(:

Hello, i would like to study medicine. I would like to ask if we would be expected to have done thorough research into the area of speciality of the doctor we shadowed? (considering if we have done research focused on other areas or systems instead) Thank you.

Hi, thanks for asking! No, there's no expectation that you'd have done this (it isn't 100% essential to have done any shadowing). There's also no expectation for you to know which speciality you see yourself in though there is space to write this on the SAQ if you do have an idea.

Remeber you're applying for admission to study Medicine and it is an admissions interview, not a test for graduation. We don't expect much medical knowledge outside of what you could pick up from reading around the A level curriculum. Don't try and teach yourself loads of anatomy or anything like that! Lots of candidates make this mistake and are surprised when all the interview questions are on extensions of A level science topics.

Reply 55

OP

Original post by ColossalAtom

What do you look for in medical applicants?

Our Medicine interviewers have run a previous TSR thread and have written an FAQ on our website which you may find helpful. For Medicine we look for the same things as in other subjects (strong academic performance, suitability for the Camrbidge course and teaching-style, subject interest etc.) but with the additional criterion of who we think would make a good Medic. Remember that the Cambridge Medicine course has a few points of difference from many other Medicine courses and you should make sure you're happy with the structure and way that the course is delvered here rather than just applying to us for the name.

Reply 56

OP

Original post by metrize

Hi, do you have the average UMS of successful applicants for Engineering at any college in Cambridge
I know you look at applications holistically but just curious

Don't worry about UMS - most applicants won't have it for most subjects this year. We've never used the average all that much anyway - the individual module-by-module scores are much more interesting and summary statistics lose much of the important nuance.

Reply 57

Frenchspanish101

Hiya I'm interested in studying MML (French and Spanish)

In my AS I got:
A in French (99%)
A in Spanish (83%) - only 1 of 2 As, half my class got an E or a U and the class had 22 pupils.. I'm disappointed but still confident of an A*
A in Politics (86%)
B in History which is currently being remarked as I did one paper and got an A and was too ill to do the second so I got given a calculated mark which took me down to a B I also got 10A* 1A at GCSE and my predicted grades are A*A*A (A*s in languages)

I'm not sure whether I have a chance due to my low Spanish UMS as I noticed you said you look at UMS more on a module by module basis. Also my teacher said we do an exam board that is notoriously difficult at AS but easier at A2. Would this be taken into account as it was a different board to my French?

Thank you :-)

Reply 58

OP

Original post by Frenchspanish101

Hiya I'm interested in studying MML (French and Spanish)

In my AS I got:
A in French (99%)
A in Spanish (83%) - only 1 of 2 As, half my class got an E or a U and the class had 22 pupils.. I'm disappointed but still confident of an A*
A in Politics (86%)
B in History which is currently being remarked as I did one paper and got an A and was too ill to do the second so I got given a calculated mark which took me down to a B I also got 10A* 1A at GCSE and my predicted grades are A*A*A (A*s in languages)

I'm not sure whether I have a chance due to my low Spanish UMS as I noticed you said you look at UMS more on a module by module basis. Also my teacher said we do an exam board that is notoriously difficult at AS but easier at A2. Would this be taken into account as it was a different board to my French?

Thank you :-)

Hi, congratulations on the great results! You would be very likely to get an interview if you were to apply. If there have been teaching difficulties around Spanish at your school then you can tell us about these on an Extenuating Circumstances Form and/or the SAQ but we don't have an opinion on the relative difficulties of different exam boards.

Reply 59

Frenchspanish101