Cambridge Economics Students and Applicants

Original post by chloe-jessica

I'm now reevaluating my chances of Cambridge after the FP1 exam where I struggled with the last question (it just had to be my worst topic :s-smilie:

). I'm pretty confident I can get 100 UMS or very close to in the other 6 Maths modules which I'm taking but I think I'm heading for 85 UMS or so in that FP1 paper. I'm also reasonably confident of 100 UMS in Economics provided I don't make any stupid mistakes and also 96+ in both Physics and Spanish. My school were originally saying something about being able to move my Maths modules round if one goes wrong, such as the case of FP1, since I'm taking 7 but I'm not 100% sure how they'd plan on doing that.
So basically what I wanted to ask was whether anyone had any idea as to how that FP1 score would affect my chances? I'm normally decent on the papers and can score around 70/72 but I got unlucky on this paper and definitely dropped more. I've done various calculations (admittedly I am worrying about this more than I should be) and 85 on FP1 gives me 95% in FM or 97.9% in all 7 modules, providing I score 100 on the other papers. I know Econ at Cambridge is very maths focused which is the sort of course I want to apply for, but I'm just wondering whether a relatively low FP1 score (being one of the core papers) will drag my chances down significantly or whether the other scores will hopefully make up for it to an extent.
Thanks for any help! :smile:

I think you and me are in the same boat. I too average near 100 UMS, but instead of fp1 I made silly mistakes in c1, and very worries how this will affect my cambridge econ application. And dw that was a hard paper for fp1, I think 100UMS will be near 69.

Reply 2402

Original post by chloe-jessica

I'm now reevaluating my chances of Cambridge after the FP1 exam where I struggled with the last question (it just had to be my worst topic :s-smilie:

). I'm pretty confident I can get 100 UMS or very close to in the other 6 Maths modules which I'm taking but I think I'm heading for 85 UMS or so in that FP1 paper. I'm also reasonably confident of 100 UMS in Economics provided I don't make any stupid mistakes and also 96+ in both Physics and Spanish. My school were originally saying something about being able to move my Maths modules round if one goes wrong, such as the case of FP1, since I'm taking 7 but I'm not 100% sure how they'd plan on doing that.
So basically what I wanted to ask was whether anyone had any idea as to how that FP1 score would affect my chances? I'm normally decent on the papers and can score around 70/72 but I got unlucky on this paper and definitely dropped more. I've done various calculations (admittedly I am worrying about this more than I should be) and 85 on FP1 gives me 95% in FM or 97.9% in all 7 modules, providing I score 100 on the other papers. I know Econ at Cambridge is very maths focused which is the sort of course I want to apply for, but I'm just wondering whether a relatively low FP1 score (being one of the core papers) will drag my chances down significantly or whether the other scores will hopefully make up for it to an extent.
Thanks for any help! :smile:

Won't make a difference if it's a clear outlier. If your averages are as high as you say they are then you stand a really, really good chance of getting in (as long as you don't say anything stupid at interview)

Original post by 10101010

I think you and me are in the same boat. I too average near 100 UMS, but instead of fp1 I made silly mistakes in c1, and very worries how this will affect my cambridge econ application. And dw that was a hard paper for fp1, I think 100UMS will be near 69.

Wouldn't bank on that - had a few hard papers in A2 maths last year and the grade boundaries didn't seem very lenient.

Reply 2403

c223

Original post by Mike_123

Won't make a difference if it's a clear outlier. If your averages are as high as you say they are then you stand a really, really good chance of getting in (as long as you don't say anything stupid at interview)

Wouldn't bank on that - had a few hard papers in A2 maths last year and the grade boundaries didn't seem very lenient.

Thank you for your help! I'll try and focus on the rest of my exams and if I apply and get an interview, hopefully I won't mess up too badly. Thanks again :smile:

Reply 2404

MiloHVLeonard

1

Hi guys,

I am hoping to apply for Economics at Cambridge, and I was just wondering if you guys have any tips on how to better my application
I am in year 12 and am studying Maths, Further Maths, Economics, and Spanish this year, and next year will be dropping Spanish and taking an AS level in Additional Further Maths, so I'll be doing all of the Maths modules bar M4, M5, and D2
I think I am quite likely to get 95% UMS + in Econ, Maths, and Further Maths with between 85% and 90% in Spanish
I attended a 'Management Conference' which was a business simulation game where we had to run a pizza take away and make decisions based on other teams in the simulation bla bla bla... essentially it was a business experience
I haven't really read many books yet, but I have been subscribed to the Economist and have been keeping up to date with the news through it

Do you have any suggestions? Next year I plan to start an Economics Society at school and discuss our ideas on the effects of current goings on in Economics, using it to develop analytic skills and to learn to take on board other people's Economics opinions
I also plan to attend seminars and read some books in the summer
Do you have any suggestions on Mathematics based Economics books for me to read, because as you can tell, I am trying to sell myself as an able Mathematician

Thank you!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2405

Original post by chloe-jessica

Thank you for your help! I'll try and focus on the rest of my exams and if I apply and get an interview, hopefully I won't mess up too badly. Thanks again :smile:

You automatically get an interview with a 93+ average. You wanna be getting 97+ average to stand a really good chance though.

Original post by MiloHVLeonard

Hi guys,I am hoping to apply for Economics at Cambridge, and I was just wondering if you guys have any tips on how to better my applicationI am in year 12 and am studying Maths, Further Maths, Economics, and Spanish this year, and next year will be dropping Spanish and taking an AS level in Additional Further Maths, so I'll be doing all of the Maths modules bar M4, M5, and D2I think I am quite likely to get 95% UMS + in Econ, Maths, and Further Maths with between 85% and 90% in SpanishI attended a 'Management Conference' which was a business simulation game where we had to run a pizza take away and make decisions based on other teams in the simulation bla bla bla... essentially it was a business experienceI haven't really read many books yet, but I have been subscribed to the Economist and have been keeping up to date with the news through itDo you have any suggestions? Next year I plan to start an Economics Society at school and discuss our ideas on the effects of current goings on in Economics, using it to develop analytic skills and to learn to take on board other people's Economics opinionsI also plan to attend seminars and read some books in the summerDo you have any suggestions on Mathematics based Economics books for me to read, because as you can tell, I am trying to sell myself as an able MathematicianThank you!

Ok the pizza crap the admissions tutors won't care about, but definitely start up an economics society - it's entrepreneurial (will look good on CV) and shows that you're genuinely interested in economics too... you can't really go wrong here.

Yeah I'd say it's good to attend lectures - I know LSE do some ones open to the public and that's always good to put on your PS. You should definitely read up on current affairs on The Economist and at a bare minimum before your interview.

You can sell yourself as an able mathematician by your UMS scores in maths, there's no need to read books on it (and besides it would confuse you if it's degree level)

good luck

Reply 2406

c223

Original post by Mike_123

You automatically get an interview with a 93+ average. You wanna be getting 97+ average to stand a really good chance though.

Is that 97+ in all subjects or just the best/most relevant three? For example, if I get 94 and 95 or so in Spanish and Physics but 97+ in the other free, will those two hinder my application? Thanks :smile:

Reply 2407

Original post by chloe-jessica

Is that 97+ in all subjects or just the best/most relevant three? For example, if I get 94 and 95 or so in Spanish and Physics but 97+ in the other free, will those two hinder my application? Thanks :smile:

You're doing FM so it's an average of all 4 effectively when you pool maths into one subject. There's no cut off point to get an offer and the simple rule is the higher the better. Yes, naturally maths is most important.

Reply 2408

Boy_wonder_95

15

People worry too much over UMS. There is no threshold for which you "stand a really good chance", the admissions process is done by humans not cybernated machines. It just happens that the majority of strong candidates also tend to have those high averages. There are people here who have gotten it with low 90s, likewise some with high 90s get turned away. The difference between 95 or 97 is not worth worrying about; just try as best as you can and take it from there.

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2409

MiloHVLeonard

1

Original post by Mike_123

You automatically get an interview with a 93+ average. You wanna be getting 97+ average to stand a really good chance though.

Ok the pizza crap the admissions tutors won't care about, but definitely start up an economics society - it's entrepreneurial (will look good on CV) and shows that you're genuinely interested in economics too... you can't really go wrong here.

Yeah I'd say it's good to attend lectures - I know LSE do some ones open to the public and that's always good to put on your PS. You should definitely read up on current affairs on The Economist and at a bare minimum before your interview.

You can sell yourself as an able mathematician by your UMS scores in maths, there's no need to read books on it (and besides it would confuse you if it's degree level)

good luck

I almost forgot - I am also doing an Extended Project in the Summer - topic undecided as of yet - which will be Economics based

So essentially, start the Economics Society, attend lectures, read the Economist and Economics based books (any recommendations would be welcome), and just do well in my AS levels in general

If I were to get 100 UMS in most Maths modules (which I think is attainable) or say get 97-98 UMS overall in my Maths, get 95-97 UMS in Economics, and around 90-92 UMS in Spanish, along with doing the extra curricular stuff, would I be a highly competitive applicant? I'm aiming to get into Queen's

Also, would you say going to a Grammar school would help me, compared to private school kids, or do they just not care at all?

Thank you for the advice!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 2410

Colmans

11

Original post by MiloHVLeonard

I almost forgot - I am also doing an Extended Project in the Summer - topic undecided as of yet - which will be Economics based

So essentially, start the Economics Society, attend lectures, read the Economist and Economics based books (any recommendations would be welcome), and just do well in my AS levels in general

If I were to get 100 UMS in most Maths modules (which I think is attainable) or say get 97-98 UMS overall in my Maths, get 95-97 UMS in Economics, and around 90-92 UMS in Spanish, along with doing the extra curricular stuff, would I be a highly competitive applicant? I'm aiming to get into Queen's

Also, would you say going to a Grammar school would help me, compared to private school kids, or do they just not care at all?

Thank you for the advice!

You would be a highly competitive candidate among many highly competitive candidates. The maths scores are very important, the Spanish is of little interest. Do a TSR search for reading, there are lots of ideas, a good newspaper is also important.
I don't think a grammar school helps at all as it does not suggest educational disadvantage. They don't really care if your parents saved on school fees or not.

Reply 2411

Original post by MiloHVLeonard

I almost forgot - I am also doing an Extended Project in the Summer - topic undecided as of yet - which will be Economics based

So essentially, start the Economics Society, attend lectures, read the Economist and Economics based books (any recommendations would be welcome), and just do well in my AS levels in general

If I were to get 100 UMS in most Maths modules (which I think is attainable) or say get 97-98 UMS overall in my Maths, get 95-97 UMS in Economics, and around 90-92 UMS in Spanish, along with doing the extra curricular stuff, would I be a highly competitive applicant? I'm aiming to get into Queen's

Also, would you say going to a Grammar school would help me, compared to private school kids, or do they just not care at all?

Thank you for the advice!

Yeah all seems good on paper. Grammar won't help or hinder - doesn't matter, they simply want the best. I don't think there are quotas for state entrances?

Reply 2412

is mathematical performance at interview more important than that of UMS ability in maths? i ask because my natural exam performances are never as good as my true ability, because of a very bad case of exam tension I have. No excuses obviously, but is Maths UMS more important than interview performance?

Reply 2413

shka

I take the IB and got an offer.

I think for economics, the interviews' purpose is just to get to know applications in terms of their specific interests and future ambitions. The maths I did was not that challenging (it was just application of standard a-level/ IB HL maths), so I think you have to prove yourself to be mathematically competent through your grades.

From what I have researched online the average UMS in Maths A level for a successful applicant is 97. "my natural exam performances are never as good as my true ability", will not help you do well at Cambridge seeing as everything is examined at the end of the year in final exams.

I haven't looked the oxford course (E and M), but my suggestion would be for you(10101010) to consider it as it is known for being less maths based.

Hope this helps

Reply 2414

shka

Original post by Mike_123

Yeah all seems good on paper. Grammar won't help or hinder - doesn't matter, they simply want the best. I don't think there are quotas for state entrances?

From what I understand, Cambridge tries not to look at general school categories such as 'grammar school', 'comprehensive', but they use a flagging system based on the standard of your school and the socioeconomic 'status' of your neighbourhood, as well as a host of other factors. More information can be found below.

https://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/admissions/handbook/section1/1_4.html

Scroll down to 1.4.4

Reply 2415

shka

Original post by MiloHVLeonard

Hi guys,

I am hoping to apply for Economics at Cambridge, and I was just wondering if you guys have any tips on how to better my application
I am in year 12 and am studying Maths, Further Maths, Economics, and Spanish this year, and next year will be dropping Spanish and taking an AS level in Additional Further Maths, so I'll be doing all of the Maths modules bar M4, M5, and D2
I think I am quite likely to get 95% UMS + in Econ, Maths, and Further Maths with between 85% and 90% in Spanish
I attended a 'Management Conference' which was a business simulation game where we had to run a pizza take away and make decisions based on other teams in the simulation bla bla bla... essentially it was a business experience
I haven't really read many books yet, but I have been subscribed to the Economist and have been keeping up to date with the news through it

Do you have any suggestions? Next year I plan to start an Economics Society at school and discuss our ideas on the effects of current goings on in Economics, using it to develop analytic skills and to learn to take on board other people's Economics opinions
I also plan to attend seminars and read some books in the summer
Do you have any suggestions on Mathematics based Economics books for me to read, because as you can tell, I am trying to sell myself as an able Mathematician

Thank you!

Definitely start the Economics society.

Development economics was debraj ray was something I read. It has quite a few mathematical concepts that are not met at a-level/ IB. I also looked at the Yale online course on Game Theory.

Good luck

Reply 2416

Colmans

11

Original post by 10101010

is mathematical performance at interview more important than that of UMS ability in maths? i ask because my natural exam performances are never as good as my true ability, because of a very bad case of exam tension I have. No excuses obviously, but is Maths UMS more important than interview performance?

Well obviously you will have exams at Cambridge too.

At interview they will assess your maths, its a long time ago now but my memory is probably half to 2/3 of my interview was maths/graphs etc. If your maths UMS is under 85% you may not make it to interview.
If the school agrees with your assessment it is worth asking them to mention in the reference.

Reply 2417

Original post by Colmans

Well obviously you will have exams at Cambridge too.

At interview they will assess your maths, its a long time ago now but my memory is probably half to 2/3 of my interview was maths/graphs etc. If your maths UMS is under 85% you may not make it to interview.
If the school agrees with your assessment it is worth asking them to mention in the reference.

Sorry, mention what in the reference?

Reply 2418

Colmans

11

Original post by 10101010

Sorry, mention what in the reference?

Your view that your UMS underestimate your true ability because of exam nerves.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 2419