Ask Peterhouse - 2017 entry

Would an an applicant for Computer Science (75%) be disadvantaged by offering only Maths/Further Maths/German? I'm predicted A*A*A* for the three of them and I have a ~94% average across my maths modules, but I dropped Physics after AS because I wanted to focus on programming ECs.

Hi,

I'm thinking of applying in 2018 so I'm not sure if I'm asking in the right place. I think I should make an attempt at least

My question is with regards to number of A levels after the reforms for my year group (starting year 12). Most colleges now only enroll their students with three subjects, some with four, and don't do ASs. The sixth form I'm most likely attending hasn't done this, and enrolls all students on four. As well as this, Maths and FM are counted as one option. This means I find myself starting Year 12 with the possibility of leaving Year 13 with 5 A2s, possibly 1 AS and 4 A2 or just 4 A2 if I drop a subject where we don't do AS. This would mean a year of wasted effort. I find this to be a very strange offering so I am going to bring this issue up with the leadership.

I know that 5 is far too many so I will most likely try to have one subject dropped asap. Theoretically, I could also try and drop another so I only have 3 A2, but that would mean that out of a 50 hour week, I'd have 30 study periods which isn't ideal. My question is with regards to the value of ASs. Since AS exams won't be taking place for most students in my year group, will they be looked upon differently to how they have been in the past? If I was to apply with a completed A2 (Maths in a year), 2 or 3 predicted A2s and a completed AS, would the AS count for anything at all? This would be alongside an EPQ. I've read your responses to other questions regarding number of A levels and I have read these, but I'd like to ask more specifically about AS.

Thank you.

Hi, this is another area where we know a lot of people have questions so thanks for speaking up

The short answer is that you will not be disadvantaged by following your school's policy and we would expect candidates to do this. 5 A levels seems like too many and we only expect 3 in year 13 (this can mean 4 overall if Maths is taken in year 12).

AS results in reformed subjects will be used, as will any and all recent and relevant public exams. It all adds information to the picture we build of your achievements, abilty and potential.

I think you and your classmates need to have a chat with the school. If they need to get in touch with a Schools Liaison Officer the best way is to email [email protected].

Thank you for your response. Do you feel it is better for candidates to take on four subjects in the first year, drop one and move on to three with possibly no qualification from an exam board to show the fourth subject or just to do three from the start? And will a candidate who dropped a subject and received an AS for it have an advantage over a candidate who dropped a subject to receive nothing?

I think your question could be rewritten as 'would a good candidate who did well at everything get an offer?'the answer is yes they would, there's nothing extra or secret required

Note that raw marks are not the same as UMS, shouldn't be treated the same way and won't be treated the same way by us.

I was just wondering how grade predictions affect the offers you make. For example, if I were to be predicted A*A*AA for a History application, as opposed to A*AAA, would you then ask for the 2 A*s given that I have strong GCSEs? Also, would the former make me a stronger candidate in anyway?

Thanks so much for taking the time to do this forum - all your answers are so valuable!

All offers are set individually on a case-by-case basis. The typical offers on the website and prospectus are exactly that - those typically given to most candidates.

It is quite rare for an offer to be set below the level of the typical offer - we'd prefer to see if candidates can achieve the grades and then consider relaxing conditions once results are known in August. We can also set offers above the typical level and we can set offers in any subjects you declare you're taking (as well as asking for other exams like STEP and IELTS) and for you to achieve the grades you are predicted.

We know that if we give someone an offer, 95% of the time we're their firm choice on results day and we thankfully can avoid some of the worries and strategies that other universities have to have to convert offers to students.

Ahaha ok! It's just the fact that everyone seems to advise people who didn't get majority of A*s and the rest As to stay away from medicine, especially if you're applying to Cambridge and Oxford.
Because due to how competitive the course is, most of the applicants will have very high grades and exceed the typical requirements in GCSEs and A Levels and so GCSEs will be an indicator of which applicant will be better (this is what people tell me).
So a candidate with 1A* 6As 2Bs and a C is less likely to be chosen than a candidate with majority of A*s and a few As.

And yes sorry I wrote 'UMS/RAW' because some subjects are reformed


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Hi, I received my results and did well, though I dropped in two exams: D1, where I got 53 UMS and Ethics, where I got 70 UMS. Considering I achieved 4 As and am considering applying for Theology and Religious studies, will these be a cause for concern? (I'm interested in my Ethics since it is more relevant. My Philosophy was very high at 98.)

Thanks so much for the quick reply. Another question - sorry! Do you know how is the 'compulsory pooling' is going to work this year, what with everyone having different numbers of AS grades?? Thanks!

Ooh, good question! Your PS won't disadvantage you provided it is coherent and doesn't make any random threats or anything but a good PS does have the potential to showcase your strengths. For NatSci the UCAS PS is also an opportunity to tell us about which area of science (and topics within that) you're most interested in and the SAQ statement can be used to tell us about why you're interested in the Cambridge course in particular. You're completely right about the varied importance of the PS across different universities.

Another question, how do you view people who do maths&further maths? For NatSci in particular I've seen it say that 2 sciences are recommended, which means if you wanted to do further maths you'd have to do 4 A-levels even though an offer would be based on 3. Would you be at a disadvantage to do 4 related A-levels (maths, fm, physics&chemistry) considering an offer would generally be A*A*A?

I'm afraid this isn't correct and might mislead. @PhysicsIP2016 or mods could you edit this to delete please?

GCSEs do not form a large part of our deliberations in any subject, even Medicine. Your grade in GCSE French (for example) does not tell us an awful lot about your potential to a) do well on the Cambridge Medicine course or b) become an excellent clinician. Most of our applicants and entrants do have lots of A*s and As and GCSE but this does not mean that we are selecting on GCSEs or that all applicants or entrants have such a profile.

Doing well at GCSE is correlated with doing well at A level so if we select only those on track for A*A*A at A level they will, on the whole, have above-average GCSE profiles.

I think it's best to follow your school or college's policy. It is not our place to dictate what that should be but your teachers are welcome to get in touch with us for guidance.

Thank you for clarifying! Very great answer and I appreciate it a lot

I was also wondering whether there are any pre interview exams for a maths degree at Cambridge? Or is everything the same for maths (getting an A Level and STEP offer only)?


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Different Colleges can set their own tests. You can find out about what to expect at Peterhouse on our website.

Oh ok thank you!

Also last question! I've finished my GCSEs and started year 12.
I went to the doctors a few days ago due to personal reasons and have found out I have some mental health issues. This has definitely affected my GCSE performance however, because I went to the doctors after I had done them, will they not count it as a extenuating circumstance?
It has also been documented and have an official letter from the counsellor I was told to go to.


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