This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

The Big "Are My Grades Good Enough for Cambridge?" Thread (Mk1)

Thank you :') But I've looked at other peoples results on this thread and they seem to all be >95%

You seem to be looking a bit selectively! And you're much more likely to post here if you have really high grades than if you're not quite happy with them, so this isn't a representative sample at all. If the median UMS is 95%, that means half of the people given places have less than 95%.

Reply 9861

lp386

12

Original post by Extricated

C1 - 95/100
C2 - 91/100
C3 - 92/100
C4 - 90/100
FP1 - 94/100
S2 - 86/100
S1 - 87/100
M1 - 100/100
D1 - 95/100

Economics -

Unit 1 - 99/100, Unit 2 - 99/100

Chemistry -

Unit 1 - 95/100, Unit 2 - 124/140

Quite worried since statistics seems to be my lowest module in maths, which is possibly the most pertinent to a economics degree. This is easily explained by the fact that my school wanted me to do other modules (i.e D2) which I felt would not aid me in an economics degree and only with a month to go was I notified that they had finally entered me for FP1,S1,S2 and I managed to get the above scores.

See if you can get that mentioned in your reference, it'll go a long way towards explaining it. But it shouldn't disqualify you (if we took ten UMS off each of the stats modules, then maybe... :P )

Reply 9862

Catiexx

9

Original post by lp386

You seem to be looking a bit selectively! And you're much more likely to post here if you have really high grades than if you're not quite happy with them, so this isn't a representative sample at all. If the median UMS is 95%, that means half of the people given places have less than 95%.

Honestly I'm not fishing for compliments, I have really little faith in my own abilities and I hate the thought of rejection :frown:

Also would the main 3 be maths, further maths and physics?

Reply 9863

Lunch_Box

15

Original post by Catiexx

Also would the main 3 be maths, further maths and physics?

For maths, those are the 3 fundamentals at cam. Doesn't hurt to do well in the 4th though :tongue:

Reply 9864

lp386

12

Original post by Catiexx

Honestly I'm not fishing for compliments, I have really little faith in my own abilities and I hate the thought of rejection :frown:

Also would the main 3 be maths, further maths and physics?

If you're going to apply, you're going to have to come to terms with the idea that even really good applicants often don't get places, that the application is super-competitive, and that if you don't get a place that doesn't mean that you're a bad student but that the competition was really strong. Coming to terms with that will improve your sanity greatly while waiting for the offers to come through!

With that in mind, though, it's worth noting that if you don't apply, you definitely won't get a place, and you've very little to lose in applying. Because the maths course is so singularly focused, I imagine they'll only seriously look at maths, further maths and physics. On that basis (and even with all your subjects included), you look like you should be a very competitive applicant, and there's no reason in your grades for you not to apply.

*****

Okay, I'm going to get lunch now, back in twenty minutes or so. I'll be in and out all afternoon so please feel free to scream in my direction or in the direction of anyone else on the thread - we all understand that it's a really stressful and uncertain time.

Oh, and if in doubt, you should probably apply. :smile:

Reply 9865

desijut

10

Original post by Catiexx

Honestly I'm not fishing for compliments, I have really little faith in my own abilities and I hate the thought of rejection :frown:

Also would the main 3 be maths, further maths and physics?

I went into it with the idea that the odds were against me due to the competitiveness, but I believed I still had a chance and therefore gave myself the best chance possible of getting a place. I didnt want to not apply there and then think "What if..?"

Yes they are the main three. I did Maths, further maths, physics and chemistry and the offer for me didnt even include chemistry :tongue:

Reply 9866

lp386

12

Zoedotdot

While you're super-efficient as ever, this is a heads-up in case you hadn't noticed that this thread is slouching towards 10,000 at a rather rapid speed :smile:

I don't know how important it is (I assume there's thunder and lightning and the monster created by the old NAGTY forums from back in the day awakens from his slumber, but it may just be an admin thing)

Also, I still need cake, so if you could email me some (we can do that now, right?) I'd be really grateful.

Reply 9867

Sketch

Original post by Colmans

Most relevant three gives you 90.2% with good maths. Is there a reason why you got 80% in the subject you want to study? This is the weakest aspect. Don't bother retaking subjects for Cambridge unless there is a strong reason why you underperformed.

Exactly, that really got me down today.. it was 90% (72/80) for Unit 2 but 73% (88/120) in Unit 1.. i'm thinking of either retaking or getting a script photocopy because i have lost a ridiculous amount of marks in an exam of which i thought went relatively well and i worked extremely hard for :/

Reply 9868

allwordsaredust

I got 4 As, but they're all very low. Is it worth thinking of applying for natural sciences? I'm very interested in my subject so have done additional reading, and think I can manage a good personal statement.

Also, do mock exam grades have any part in your predicted grade (say if you got higher in a mock than the real thing).

Edit: by the way, my subjects are Physics, Maths, Chemistry and English Literature.

Reply 9869

Zoedotdot

18

Original post by lp386

While you're super-efficient as ever, this is a heads-up in case you hadn't noticed that this thread is slouching towards 10,000 at a rather rapid speed :smile:

I don't know how important it is (I assume there's thunder and lightning and the monster created by the old NAGTY forums from back in the day awakens from his slumber, but it may just be an admin thing)

Also, I still need cake, so if you could email me some (we can do that now, right?) I'd be really grateful.

I had noticed and have been keeping tabs, but thanks for the extra reminder! :smile:

at the NAGTY monster! I miss NAGTY :frown:

There is much cake in the TSR offices. I'll have a go at emailing it :p:

Reply 9870

Colmans

11

Original post by Sketch

Exactly, that really got me down today.. it was 90% (72/80) for Unit 2 but 73% (88/120) in Unit 1.. i'm thinking of either retaking or getting a script photocopy because i have lost a ridiculous amount of marks in an exam of which i thought went relatively well and i worked extremely hard for :/

Definitely ask for a re-mark. Retaking is only relevant if you might reapply next year, or you get an offer and want to make it easier to achieve.

Reply 9871

Colmans

11

Original post by allwordsaredust

I got 4 As, but they're all very low. Is it worth thinking of applying for natural sciences? I'm very interested in my subject so have done additional reading, and think I can manage a good personal statement.

Also, do mock exam grades have any part in your predicted grade (say if you got higher in a mock than the real thing).

Edit: by the way, my subjects are Physics, Maths, Chemistry and English Literature.

Most successful NatSci people go on to get 3 or 4A*, very few get the minimum A*AA. The average UMS for sciences is well into the 93-95+ range. I think it unlikley that a good PS & reading (which everybody has) can make up for low As. If you really want it give it a go but make sure your other 4 choices are realistic. Sorry.

Reply 9872

Zoedotdot

18

Original post by Colmans

Most successful NatSci people go on to get 3 or 4A*, very few get the minimum A*AA. The average UMS for sciences is well into the 93-95+ range. I think it unlikley that a good PS & reading (which everybody has) can make up for low As. If you really want it give it a go but make sure your other 4 choices are realistic. Sorry.

Original post by allwordsaredust

I got 4 As, but they're all very low. Is it worth thinking of applying for natural sciences? I'm very interested in my subject so have done additional reading, and think I can manage a good personal statement.

Also, do mock exam grades have any part in your predicted grade (say if you got higher in a mock than the real thing).

Edit: by the way, my subjects are Physics, Maths, Chemistry and English Literature.

I wouldn't rule yourself out completely, but you have to be confident that you would meet a potential offer. It is only one of five choices, and as Colmans says, if the others are realistic then there is no harm in applying. Grades are only a small part of the application process, with many other elements, and people can and do get in every year with grades that aren't the 'average'. After all, you do have a string of A's even if they are low!

Reply 9873

vedderfan94

16

Sorry for this wall of text but I'm struggling to get replies elsewhere

I'm at a loss right now :/ I applied for natural science and physics courses last October. Got offers from Imperial, Warwick, Durham and Lancaster and rejected post-interview by Cambridge. Was hugely disappointed in January when I got rejected. For a while I was thinking about reapplying (I said to myself I'd only seriously consider it if I got A*A*A*a though). Ended up firming Durham and insuring Lancaster. Got those results this morning (Overall: A* in maths, physics and chemistry, a in AS religious studies and further maths and c in latin) and was just ready to start preparing for Durham.

My mum got a phone call from my head of sixth a couple of hours ago in which he talked about the possibility of reapplying to Cambridge due to my results. He told my mum that I should give him a call about it (I'm going to speak to him tomorrow). The key thing he said to my mum was "if he's happy going to Durham". Now, Durham isn't a bad university of course, but I've always felt like I'm just settling for my other offers when I was gutted in January. What do you think my chances would be if I reapplied? I just don't know whether it is worth taking the chance or whether I should just go to Durham. Here is a quote from the feedback I got about the decision in February:

"The first thing to say is that Downing this year had, as usual, a substantial number of candidates in Natural Sciences. With 162 applicants for our 29 places, offers went only to those who impressed all their interviewers as seeming outstanding.

I have to say all my colleagues considered that Mr - was nervous through his interviews. They were concerned that this might have made him more hesitant than is usually the case. Although there were some good aspects of the interviews (for example, over discussion of gravity), the overall problem was that he did have difficulties in being led forward to work with his existing knowledge in order to break ground that was new to him. This is an important aspect of supervision teaching here at Cambridge. On the showing of these interviews it was thought that he would struggle to cope with the demands of the Natural Science tripos."

So, basically, I'd be banking on whether I'd have a better interview this time around. Also, there would be the question of whether there is any chance that I'd be able to make the next 12 months a worthwhile gap year. Just don't know what to do, my mind's gone frantic again thinking about it and really need some advice from any Cambridge students on here :s-smilie:

Again sorry for the wall of text, any advice you might have is greatly appreciated.

Reply 9874

ukdragon37

14

Original post by vedderfan94

Sorry for this wall of text but I'm struggling to get replies elsewhere

I'm at a loss right now :/ I applied for natural science and physics courses last October. Got offers from Imperial, Warwick, Durham and Lancaster and rejected post-interview by Cambridge. Was hugely disappointed in January when I got rejected. For a while I was thinking about reapplying (I said to myself I'd only seriously consider it if I got A*A*A*a though). Ended up firming Durham and insuring Lancaster. Got those results this morning (Overall: A* in maths, physics and chemistry, a in AS religious studies and further maths and c in latin) and was just ready to start preparing for Durham.

My mum got a phone call from my head of sixth a couple of hours ago in which he talked about the possibility of reapplying to Cambridge due to my results. He told my mum that I should give him a call about it (I'm going to speak to him tomorrow). The key thing he said to my mum was "if he's happy going to Durham". Now, Durham isn't a bad university of course, but I've always felt like I'm just settling for my other offers when I was gutted in January. What do you think my chances would be if I reapplied? I just don't know whether it is worth taking the chance or whether I should just go to Durham. Here is a quote from the feedback I got about the decision in February:

"The first thing to say is that Downing this year had, as usual, a substantial number of candidates in Natural Sciences. With 162 applicants for our 29 places, offers went only to those who impressed all their interviewers as seeming outstanding.

I have to say all my colleagues considered that Mr - was nervous through his interviews. They were concerned that this might have made him more hesitant than is usually the case. Although there were some good aspects of the interviews (for example, over discussion of gravity), the overall problem was that he did have difficulties in being led forward to work with his existing knowledge in order to break ground that was new to him. This is an important aspect of supervision teaching here at Cambridge. On the showing of these interviews it was thought that he would struggle to cope with the demands of the Natural Science tripos."

So, basically, I'd be banking on whether I'd have a better interview this time around. Also, there would be the question of whether there is any chance that I'd be able to make the next 12 months a worthwhile gap year. Just don't know what to do, my mind's gone frantic again thinking about it and really need some advice from any Cambridge students on here :s-smilie:

Again sorry for the wall of text, any advice you might have is greatly appreciated.

These are the important points to consider:

1) Most importantly, does your desire to go to Cambridge outweigh that of Durham being a safe choice? Remember that Cambridge isn't everything and it won't necessarily make you happier or more learned than elsewhere. If you are entirely happy with Durham then you'd have to justify exactly why you'd want to scrap it for Cambridge.

2) Are you sure you could deliver a better interview the second time around? If it was just down to nerves then a second time would obviously help with that, but it's also expected that interviewers are more stringent with those applying post-qualification. The interviewers next time round will certainly know you are a reapplicant, and maybe even that you fell down on the interviews, so are you sure you could make the improvements necessary to make them change their minds?

3) Again thinking about interviews, since that seems to be your sticking point, do you think that style of teaching (supervisions) on which the interviews are based is one that suits you? Would you be comfortable in doing a major part of your learning through that format?

4) If you do a gap-year, make sure it's meaningful and preferably relevant to the course. You would also need to keep your maths and physics knowledge fresh as there is no excuse for them getting rusty when you apply the second time around. Are you able to arrange for such a gap year at this time?

5) Are you confident that you could still gain offers from say Durham again when you reapply? Are you satisfied with the worst-possible outcome (rejection again and starting at another uni a year late), should it occur?

If you can you can confidently answer the above points in the positive then by all means reapply. :smile:

Reply 9875

Florence321

11

I got 10A*s at GCSE and at AS level:
Maths 88% (91, 93, 80) (thinking about retaking the 80 as I was getting around 95 in all the mocks!)
History 86.5%
Spanish 85%
Englist Lit 81.5%

Do you think it's worth applying for linguistics?
Which one should I drop?
Thanks!

Reply 9876

MathsMan12

Maths - M1 100, C1 100 and C2 100
Further Maths - S1 90, FP1 97 and D1 95
Economics - Unit1 - 100 Unit2 - 92
Physics - Unit 1 85/90 Unit 2 150/150 Practical 34/60 (My school doesnt help much/at all with practicals, i got 3rd highest out of 40 people)

GCSE: 1A*, 6A, 3B, 1C and 1D

Any chance for maths? (My average across relevant three excluding physics practical is 97%)

PS whoever gets 50+/60 in their physics ISA/Practical has obviously cheated with aid from their school. (Just saying)

Also does going to a below average school help?

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 9877

vedderfan94

16

Original post by ukdragon37

These are the important points to consider:

1) Most importantly, does your desire to go to Cambridge outweigh that of Durham being a safe choice? Remember that Cambridge isn't everything and it won't necessarily make you happier or more learned than elsewhere. If you are entirely happy with Durham then you'd have to justify exactly why you'd want to scrap it for Cambridge.

Yes. Natural sciences at Cambridge has looked, from my perspective, to be a fantastic course to study. A lot of it is down to me wanting to still carry on with some chemistry to university level, although I didn't find the natural science degrees at other universities to be anywhere near as well organised and seemingly rewarding than at Cambridge. I've never been entirely happy with going to Durham, which is why I was considering reapplying for a good few months, as I have always felt like I'm just going there for the sake of going this year.

2) Are you sure you could deliver a better interview the second time around? If it was just down to nerves then a second time would obviously help with that, but it's also expected that interviewers are more stringent with those applying post-qualification. The interviewers next time round will certainly know you are a reapplicant, and maybe even that you fell down on the interviews, so are you sure you could make the improvements necessary to make them change their minds?

I think if I could better organise my revision and interview practice I could. I had a teacher at college (who always handles the Cambridge applicants) to help me, but as well as that I think it could be equally valuable to get more detailed advice from others who have been through the interview and succeeded about their interview preparation and how I could improve upon what I did last year (I probably even over-prepared in some aspects).

3) Again thinking about interviews, since that seems to be your sticking point, do you think that style of teaching (supervisions) on which the interviews are based is one that suits you? Would you be comfortable in doing a major part of your learning through that format?

I do think this would suit me. Cambridge supervisions and that whole system of smaller group teaching would stretch me further than a regular physics course at another university with lectures and 20-student tutorials, as I found my experience of the interview to still be enjoyable even though the tutors could see my nervousness and quite rewarding in terms of discussion skills.

4) If you do a gap-year, make sure it's meaningful and preferably relevant to the course. You would also need to keep your maths and physics knowledge fresh as there is no excuse for them getting rusty when you apply the second time around. Are you able to arrange for such a gap year at this time?

This is the part I'm not so confident in. It's pretty late for organising gap years so I would have to ask around TSR a fair amount on advice for what kind of gap year I could take. I'm also a bit concerned about my subjects. I only took up further maths in Year 13 (only did it to AS level) so I'm not sure if they'd be expecting me to organise doing the full A2 level at my college and fit in my gap year alongside that. I think if I got some ideas of worthwhile gap years I'd feel more confident on plans for what I'll do for the next 12 months.

5) Are you confident that you could still gain offers from say Durham again when you reapply? Are you satisfied with the worst-possible outcome (rejection again and starting at another uni a year late), should it occur?

If you can you can confidently answer the above points in the positive then by all means reapply. :smile:

With the results I received today, I'd be confident in receiving offers from most universities as only a select few conduct academic interviews. As for the second part, I'd be confident if I can organise a worthwhile gap year, rather than just placing all my hopes in getting an offer from Cambridge, because if the worst happens and I do get rejected again, I'd at least know I'd given it my all and that I'm just not suited to Cambridge.

Not sure which of those constitute "confidently answer the above points" btw. I really appreciate your reply though :smile:

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 9878

ukdragon37

14

Original post by vedderfan94

With the results I received today, I'd be confident in receiving offers from most universities as only a select few conduct academic interviews. As for the second part, I'd be confident if I can organise a worthwhile gap year, rather than just placing all my hopes in getting an offer from Cambridge, because if the worst happens and I do get rejected again, I'd at least know I'd given it my all and that I'm just not suited to Cambridge.

Not sure which of those constitute "confidently answer the above points" btw. I really appreciate your reply though :smile:

Good, you seem to be pretty sure why you would benefit from going to Cambridge in particular and I can see you can identify the places you would work on. :smile:

You should use that to motivate yourself in finding a suitable gap year activity - I'm sure you could still find the thing to do if you look hard enough.

About the FM A2, don't worry about it if you absolutely cannot find somewhere to do it alongside your gap year. Cambridge is still understanding of this and they aren't going to force someone to do it when it's just not practical for them to. What is really important though is that you need to remain sharp on your A-level subjects. Cambridge will want to see you being more secure and agile in questions related to those subjects than normal applicants, as opposed to becoming worse and rusty after a gap year.

So good luck and I hope you get what you want the second time around! :smile:

Reply 9879

coolstorybrother

8

Have people gotten into cambridge with AAAB at AS? Can you at least get to an interview stage with AAAB?

The Big "Are My Grades Good Enough for Cambridge?" Thread (Mk1)

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you