The Official Cambridge Winter Pool 2013 Thread (includes FAQ and Status Reports)

Yes, but on the other hand 1 in 5 Maths offers last year went to poolees, and they generally over-offer to a higher degree because of the STEP requirements. So you just can't tell. Girton is also a college that does a fair bit of fishing, so may be doing a lot of comparing and contrasting and/or awaiting the outcome of any interviews, all of which builds in delay.

Yes, but on the other hand 1 in 5 Maths offers last year went to poolees, and they generally over-offer to a higher degree because of the STEP requirements. So you just can't tell. Girton is also a college that does a fair bit of fishing, so may be doing a lot of comparing and contrasting and/or awaiting the outcome of any interviews, all of which builds in delay.

sorry I really do not understand.... what comparing and contrasting can be done at tbis stage?

Between people they may have kept on their own reserve list, or marked as B (see earlier discussion yesterday about this) and/or the interviewees.

sorry we have already established that preference colleges cannot mark a B st this stage. they have to offer, interview or reject. I do not see what preference list they can have?

X

Another parent here...

Minerva - another one for your stats if you want to include my son (not posting separately). PhyNatSci - pooled by Trinity, fished and reinterviewed today by Robinson.

Decided on the way the home in that car that he is now suspended in a quantum state with probability wave function that can only be collapsed when he opens his envelope or email sometime next week. One for the PhyNatSci fish there - sad I know but got to keep spirits up.

On a serious note, wanting to know how long we might have to wait for an outcome from this stage of the never ending saga I looked at last years 2012 pool thread.

With interviews Thurs-Sat 2012 too the thread seemed to suggest no notifications at all over the weekend and that those waiting should not expect to receive anything in the post until Weds (or possibly Tues at absolute soonest). This is based on last year but might help settle those waiting over the weekend. After the flurry of calls/emails for interviews last weekend, there may be an unrealistic expectation of calls/emails sooner.

I'd say recent history suggests a quiet weekend, offer decisions being made on Monday and posted out approx Tues for the majority of those who get them. Might help those who need to get on with the business of revising for the all important exams to not be watching the emails and phone all weekend.

Minerva - would you broadly agree with that assessment?

Good luck to all those still waiting, whether from reinterviews or still waiting to hear from the general pool.

Preference colleges can still keep their own applicants on ice if no-one else has picked them up (though this is likely to be relatively rare); a college can also have a B applicant - who will have been pooled by another college - on hold for each subject if they choose. It's only if an applicant attracts attention from more than one college during the Pool that a decision is 'forced' in the way you describe.

Just sent an e-mail to Robinson, really cannot be asked to wait any longer, just want the news now.

realistically why would a college keep some one thst they have pooled and who was not picked up by anyone. surley if the spplicant had decent interview reference they would be picked up by others. if the preference college liked the candidate they would have offered or at least reinterviewed?

This is my revised version of before because when I last posted I was a bit emotional aha anyway..

Today I drowned. I applied for geography at Jesus with a ums average of 94%.. Probably auto pooled as interviews didn't go well.

I just want to thank Minerva... You've helped to keep me and the fellow fish sane... And I thank you for that. This thread has been addictive but all the same comforting. It's reassuring to see my faith in humanity is restored after all the loveliness everyone has given.

Congrats to those who have offers.. Really well done. And to all of us who have drowned... T H E I R L O S S!! Anyway I wish you all good luck for the future. We came so far so it's an achievement!

but these applicants are the ones with strong applications who did not need reassessment. I'm not saying it happens often, but my experience in this thread over a number of years now suggests that it does occasionally.

No, would not be re-interviewed.

Indeed it does, but the absolute deadline for decisions isn't for a while yet.

I am emphasising the small numbers involved and relative rarity of this, but to say it doesn't happen at all would be as wrong as it would be to give the impression that each college has dozens of such cases. In practice it's a small number across the entire university, and those cases will be found in the fishing colleges, given that the colleges that aren't fishing have already filled their spaces.

ok. so realistically we are talking about a handful of people who have applied to the serial fishing colleges who were not considered good enough to get an offer from their fishing college and also have not been picked up anyone else.

I would respectfully suggest that we are talking about 1 or 2 people over several years ... unless you have numbers that suggest otherwise?

Found out via UCAS Track that the other colleges let me drown for HSPS, and Downing didn't take me back, so I guess this is goodbye for now, kids.

The last week waiting in the pool was made so much more bearable by the rest of you fish in a similar state of limbo posting on this thread, so thank you.

As for me, I'm now coming to a university near you! (If you're going to Edinburgh, Leeds, Glasgow or Bath....)

So, final words (this feels like the opposite of an Oscar acceptance speech, on dear):

To those who drowned in the pool, we had a good run. Cambridge wouldn't have put us there if we didn't have a chance of getting a place. We're going on to bigger and better things, I promise you.

To those who are still waiting, don't lose hope. There's every chance you might get in, and if you do, I'll be cheering for you from my slightly-less-prestigious-but-nonetheless-fantastic university

Until we meet again
Spacemenrule94 x