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Should I bother applying to Cambridge or would it be a "waste"?

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Original post by richpanda
Which college are you thinking of applying to?


Was thinking of King's or Peterhouse, although Peterhouse admissions did say that the odds were "against" me but I guess that's just the harsh truth lol.
Original post by blue2337
No, what they mean is that UMS have been stopped so the grade boundaries are calculated through raw marks and in reformed subjects like English, History etc you only get raw marks, UMS literally doesn't exist. Because of that, Cambridge won't ask for any raw marks OR UMS on the SAQ, but your reference can mention it if the raw marks are outstanding.


Original post by jneill
There's no UMS for reformed/linear subjects.

Posted from TSR Mobile



Huh? Why on earth did they do this??? Seems like another silly "reform" lol... Hmmm, in that case OP should either put them on the SAQ as they are or ask for them to be put in the reference - maybe the Cambridge website has some advice regarding this?
Original post by DarkEnergy
Was thinking of King's or Peterhouse, although Peterhouse admissions did say that the odds were "against" me but I guess that's just the harsh truth lol.


King's, St John's, Trinity, Emmanuel, etc are all pretty competitive. Queen's might be less competitive, Pembroke also.
Original post by richpanda
King's, St John's, Trinity, Emmanuel, etc are all pretty competitive. Queen's might be less competitive, Pembroke also.



Thanks for the advice.
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Original post by dragonkeeper999
Huh? Why on earth did they do this??? Seems like another silly "reform" lol... Hmmm, in that case OP should either put them on the SAQ as they are or ask for them to be put in the reference - maybe the Cambridge website has some advice regarding this?


For the "why" ask Michael Gove :smile:

The SAQ still asks for module UMS for the subjects that have it (notably Maths, Geography, modern languages and a few others) for now.

They have stated it's fine for a referee to mention an applicant's raw marks if they want to, although they won't be treated in the same way as UMS was previously.
Original post by DarkEnergy
Hi, I'm considering applying for Physical Natural Sciences but if I have no chance of getting in please be blunt and tell me now so I don't "waste" a choice. I understand I am very academically inferior compared to the average applicant.

GCSE: 4 A*s, 3 As, and 3 Bs

AS: AAAB in Chemistry, Computer Science, Physics, and Mathematics

Spoiler

A-Level (Predicted): A*A*A in Chemistry, Physics, and Maths

Contextual information: (not sure what Cambridge takes into account exactly so I've just put anything that I feel may be relevant)

Spoiler

Supra-curriculars:

•

Pop-sci wider reading

•

Quantum physics wider reading

•

Work experience placement at Durham University Centre for Advanced Instrumentation

•

Newcastle University summer school

•

University of York summer school

•

Lecture by Dr. Helen Sharman, first Briton in space

•

Talk by Prof. Rogier Windhorst, interdisciplinary scientist working on NASA James Webb Space Telescope

Thank you!


If I were you I would apply because if you don't apply then you will regret it and wonder what could have been. Also, in a weird way it will be better for you as you will have to apply earlier so get your personal statement out of the way quicker meaning it will worry you for a shorter amount of time. (I'm applying to Oxford and that's the logic I'm using to convince myself it's worth applying to regardless of how small the chance is I'll get in)
Original post by WarriorKnight15
If I were you I would apply because if you don't apply then you will regret it and wonder what could have been. Also, in a weird way it will be better for you as you will have to apply earlier so get your personal statement out of the way quicker meaning it will worry you for a shorter amount of time. (I'm applying to Oxford and that's the logic I'm using to convince myself it's worth applying to regardless of how small the chance is I'll get in)


Thanks, I agree with you. Good luck on getting into Oxford.
Original post by DarkEnergy
Thanks, I agree with you. Good luck on getting into Oxford.


Thanks, good luck to you as well.
Original post by jneill
For the "why" ask Michael Gove :smile:

The SAQ still asks for module UMS for the subjects that have it (notably Maths, Geography, modern languages and a few others) for now.

They have stated it's fine for a referee to mention an applicant's raw marks if they want to, although they won't be treated in the same way as UMS was previously.


Urgh, he seems to have completely messed up our education system lol...

Ah, ok cool that makes sense - I remember my referee mentioning my scores in my reference back when I applied anyway, just for the sake of other universities which don't ask for UMS scores so it's probably a good thing to do anyway if they're significantly above the AB grade boundary.
Original post by dragonkeeper999
Urgh, he seems to have completely messed up our education system lol...

Ah, ok cool that makes sense - I remember my referee mentioning my scores in my reference back when I applied anyway, just for the sake of other universities which don't ask for UMS scores so it's probably a good thing to do anyway if they're significantly above the AB grade boundary.


Could you take a look at these raw marks and see if they're worth mentioning please? I'll mention the boundaries for an A and a B so you can see how good they are relatively.
Chemistry: 116/160 (103 for an A, 89 for a B)
Physics: 98/140 (91 for an A, 81 for a B)
Original post by DarkEnergy
Could you take a look at these raw marks and see if they're worth mentioning please? I'll mention the boundaries for an A and a B so you can see how good they are relatively.
Chemistry: 116/160 (103 for an A, 89 for a B)
Physics: 98/140 (91 for an A, 81 for a B)


Hmmm, personally I would say they are pretty low so maybe not worth mentioning - neither would be over 90% UMS so they don't strongly support a predicted A* grade for next year. Might be best to leave them off IMO, unless Cambridge is actually requiring you to mention raw marks where you don't have UMS (which they don't seem to be).
Original post by dragonkeeper999
Hmmm, personally I would say they are pretty low so maybe not worth mentioning - neither would be over 90% UMS so they don't strongly support a predicted A* grade for next year. Might be best to leave them off IMO, unless Cambridge is actually requiring you to mention raw marks where you don't have UMS (which they don't seem to be).


Okay thanks, they were each 2nd highest in my classes but I understand they're low on the whole.
Original post by DarkEnergy
Okay thanks, they were each 2nd highest in my classes but I understand they're low on the whole.


Maybe ask for that to be mentioned then :smile:
Thank you everyone for the help. @jneill could this be closed please, thanks.

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