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Csas

Perhaps the CSAS will be considered as a cowardly way into Cambridge by some. Unfortunately, I know relatively little about the CSAS. I did my IGCSEs at a school where a girl and myself jointly obtained more than 60% of the As and A*s. My other classmates performed poorly mainly due to the low standards of the school. I moved to a new school for my A-levels but I now have to live independently from my parents. Looking after myself is indeed harder than I imagined and this will be reflected in my low A-level scores. I am certain though that I am not the only one who has lived alone during their A-levels. However, it has affected me quite a lot. I will still obtain As at A-level and I got high IGCSEs but I know I would have achieved much higher results in more motivating circumstances. I am also self-studying 6 A-level modules and my scores in those will be quite low. Do you think it may be to my advantage to apply through CSAS?

Reply 1

apd35

9

Yeah, you probably will be able to apply through CSAS, but you may not even need it, you only need AAB or AAA at A-level to get in, not 590+/600. My advice would be to look in CSAS, as you have got exceptional circumstances but if you are still on for A's at A-level, you should have a good chance of getting in anyway, as long you can show you have a passion for the subject that you're applying for.

Reply 2

kellywood_5

17

apd35

Yeah, you probably will be able to apply through CSAS, but you may not even need it, you only need AAB or AAA at A-level to get in, not 590+/600. My advice would be to look in CSAS, as you have got exceptional circumstances but if you are still on for A's at A-level, you should have a good chance of getting in anyway, as long you can show you have a passion for the subject that you're applying for.

Going to a bad school, living on your own and teaching yourself are probably all valid reasons to apply through CSAS, but if you have good grades anyway, there might not be any point.

Reply 3

jeffreyweingard

3

apd35

Yeah, you probably will be able to apply through CSAS, but you may not even need it, you only need AAB or AAA at A-level to get in, not 590+/600.

But according to the admission guy from St. John's, they look for 270+/300 at AS if you are applying pre-A2.

Reply 4

apd35

9

jeffreyweingard

But according to the admission guy from St. John's, they look for 270+/300 at AS if you are applying pre-A2.

That's not strictly true, I got below 270 in chemistry, german, and I think Physics and I'm here.

Reply 5

kellywood_5

17

jeffreyweingard

But according to the admission guy from St. John's, they look for 270+/300 at AS if you are applying pre-A2.

Is that just for St. John's or all colleges? I got an offer from Sidney with AABB at AS, so it obviously can't be true for Cambridge as a whole. I think when they say they want 270+, that's just their definition of a high A, not that you need that to be accepted.

Reply 6

Death

OP

It also depends on the course and the tradition of the college. I want to read law which is one of the most competitive courses to apply for and I was looking at colleges such as Trinity/Caius/Christ's (not St. John's). They do state that most APPLICANTS have 6-7A*s and average 90 per module. I will get some over 90 but many of my modules will be lower than that.
kellywood5 I know that you are the perfect example of how an applicant with Bs can still get in, but your performance at the interview was probably very impressive or the interviewers probably considered you as an excellent applicant despite your grades. I cannot hope that they will have a similar kind of attitude towards me.

Reply 7

kellywood_5

17

Death

kellywood5 I know that you are the perfect example of how an applicant with Bs can still get in, but your performance at the interview was probably very impressive or the interviewers probably considered you as an excellent applicant despite your grades. I cannot hope that they will have a similar kind of attitude towards me.

Well, to be fair, I did apply for MML and that's nowhere near as competitive as law. Had I applied for that, I doubt I would have stood a chance, but I had no extenuating circumstances other than attending an average comprehensive school, so if you have some, use them to your advantage!

Reply 8

jeffreyweingard

3

Would family health problems make me eligible (eg. parents very ill)?

Reply 9

jeffreyweingard

3

Death

It also depends on the course and the tradition of the college. I want to read law which is one of the most competitive courses to apply for and I was looking at colleges such as Trinity/Caius/Christ's (not St. John's).

Why don't you consider less popular/competitive colleges? If you are applying for super competitive courses such as Law, i think it is prudent to apply to a less competitive college.

Reply 10

brunswick

jeffreyweingard

Why don't you consider less popular/competitive colleges? If you are applying for super competitive courses such as Law, i think it is prudent to apply to a less competitive college.

Do you people not read anything on these forums?

Reply 11

brunswick

jeffreyweingard

Would family health problems make me eligible (eg. parents very ill)?

Depends if you can show that your parents being ill severely affected your results.

Reply 12

FadedJade

15

I've made a quite a few posts about CSAS before, having applied via it, but due to health reasons. It does however mean i know the way it works and if you want more info then pm me, you sound like a probable candidate (i also applied for law but before i was diagnosed so they didnt know what was wrong with me). To Jeffrey, I sincerely doubt it tbh as its your own health issues affecting your grades but I guess its possible. xx

Reply 13

Troy :0)

Death

Perhaps the CSAS will be considered as a cowardly way into Cambridge by some. Unfortunately, I know relatively little about the CSAS. I did my IGCSEs at a school where a girl and myself jointly obtained more than 60% of the As and A*s. My other classmates performed poorly mainly due to the low standards of the school. I moved to a new school for my A-levels but I now have to live independently from my parents. Looking after myself is indeed harder than I imagined and this will be reflected in my low A-level scores. I am certain though that I am not the only one who has lived alone during their A-levels. However, it has affected me quite a lot. I will still obtain As at A-level and I got high IGCSEs but I know I would have achieved much higher results in more motivating circumstances. I am also self-studying 6 A-level modules and my scores in those will be quite low. Do you think it may be to my advantage to apply through CSAS?

Sounds like good reasons to apply through CSAS. I understand that the way it works is that you go through all the normal procedures as standard applicants. All applicants are put into three piles - yes, no, maybe. If you're in the maybe pile and you've applied through CSAS, you'll be more likely to get moved up to a yes. That's how it was explained to me last year by a woman from the CAO. So even if you've got AAA predicted, you might still be able to have a crap interview/PS and get an offer - so worth applying to CSAS if you're eligible.

Reply 14

JHutcher

11

I was predicted and achieved AAA and also applied CSAS... it helps if you are pooled as most people seem to be for the smaller subjects such as my own.

I got my grade reduced to AAB because of CSAS according to my DoS... so it can help take the pressure off towards the end of your A-Levels and generally making life a little easier.

It also helps make sense of the figures if those who can do use it. My advice would be to apply with it otherwise you may seriously be disadvantaged through others using it.

Good luck

Justin

Reply 15

jrammy

would i be able to use csas, i dont know if going to a private skl would put me at a disadvatage :frown:

but yer my parents were kind of split up, and i was living in quite a few different houses. i also developed anorexia, however i never saw a doctor about it, and recovered myself after a few years :smile:

but anyway yer, would i be able to apply thru csas? i thinkit affected my gcse grades tbh, but now things have settled down a bit, i managed to get AAAB as AS level, and shuld get AAA next year. my gcse's were A*AAAAABBBB btw :s-smilie:

cheers xx

Reply 16

FadedJade

15

Firstly, do not use text speak on this forum. It isn't allowed and makes it very difficult for people to read.

CSAS is mainly for people who had problems at Alevel, but is also used for GCSE's (but less commonly). If you were to apply via CSAS on health grounds then you would need a letter from a doctor to confirm that you had anorexia and that it affected your grades. Did moving around a lot cause severe disruption to your studies? You also have to bear in mind that you don't apply via CSAS yourself, your school do it on your behalf. They write a statement informing of what happened and how it affected your studies, meaning that your school would have to be fully aware of the situation in that case.

Reply 17

fn_101

10

Is there anything like CSAS for Oxford?

Csas

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