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FAO Cambridge Part III students

fabuleuse

When do the results come out and roughly what percentage of people are awarded a distinction?

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Reply 1

Cexy

Results are announced on the 22nd June. I've heard that approximately 25-30% of people are awarded a distinction. Why do you ask?

Reply 2

fabuleuse

Thanks. I've applied to do a PhD (not at Cambridge) and one of the other people who has applied is at Cambridge doing Part III. They've been given a conditional offer of a place at Cambridge if they achieve a distinction, so that would free up a place at the university I want to go to. Don't want to name it as I shouldn't have been told this information. :wink:

Reply 3

Cexy

Cool, good luck with getting your place! It might reassure you to know that although a conditional offer to study at Cambridge is always a distinction in Part III, they often let people in who don't achieve that offer. It depends on the field of study, really - some areas such as quantum gravity and number theory are incredibly competitive, and areas such as fluid dynamics or analysis less so.

Reply 4

fabuleuse

Thanks, I'm really scared I won't get in as there's nothing else I want to do. The other university I applied to rejected me without interview even though I got a good first last year (I didn't want to go there anyway, you bastards!) The area this person is interested in is one of the less competitive ones, as far as I know. Fingers crossed.

Reply 5

Wrangler

What have they told you? That if said person takes up the Cambridge offer, then you can have the place? Or are both places available? Good luck with it, either way!

Reply 6

Drogue

Cexy

It might reassure you to know that although a conditional offer to study at Cambridge is always a distinction in Part III,
Really? DAMTP website said it's usually a merit. I'm pretty sure my brother's was too.

Reply 7

AlphaNumeric

Depends on the subject. Any high energy physics place is "Do Part III, get a distinction, then we'll talk" or perhaps an extremely high mark from the 4th year of a few select other unis. For fluids you can get a place with a merit, but they say "A distinction will certainly get you a place, so aim for that" and then accept a number of people with merits.

Since everyone doing Part III is given an offer if they apply, the offer is always "Distinction, even then it's not certain" so that they can drop the offer if circumstances warrant it, but aren't bound by offering 10 people merits for 2 places and everyone getting merits.

Reply 8

fabuleuse

Wrangler

What have they told you? That if said person takes up the Cambridge offer, then you can have the place? Or are both places available? Good luck with it, either way!

This person has been made a conditional offer but I'm only on the reserve list. I heard that they have told the university that Cambridge would be their first choice. If they get into Cambridge, I might be able to steal their place. The univesity is also going to look for more funding to try and create an extra place.

Anyone else here intending to do a PhD next year?

Reply 9

Wrangler

Drogue

Really? DAMTP website said it's usually a merit. I'm pretty sure my brother's was too.

Carbon copy from an e-mail I recieved from the head of graduate admissions in DAMTP:

Dear Mr Ashton

The admissions system for Part III/CASM students is as follows: we aim to offer a place, and where possible funding, subject to (a) a Distinction in June 06 and (b) the availability of a suitable supervisor....

As has been said, it's always going to be down to the competition, and if there's 10 people going for one place, the only fair way is to give it to the person who scores highest in the exams. However, because of the extra funding some depts have, and because of popularity of certain subjects, there are times when people get in with a Merit. If push comes to shove, then things will be looked at on an individual basis.

Drogue, could I ask your brothers name? Or perhaps, his supervisor (no worries if not). I'm not entirely sure, but I think I might know who your brother is. :smile:

fabuleuse

Anyone else here intending to do a PhD next year?

Aye - hoping to start one next year. What's your area?

Reply 10

Cexy

fabuleuse

Anyone else here intending to do a PhD next year?

Yep, I'm hoping to stay in Cambridge to do research in nonlinear dynamics - specifically pattern formation and bifurcations of patterns. Can hopefully get in with a Merit in Part III, even though my offer is for a Distinction - but I guess I'll have to wait and see!

Reply 11

fabuleuse

Wrangler

Aye - hoping to start one next year. What's your area?

Algebra, hopefully combinatorial group theory but I'm not too picky. Yours?

Good luck Cexy, hope you get the grade you want!

Reply 12

Wrangler

fabuleuse

Algebra, hopefully combinatorial group theory but I'm not too picky. Yours?

Have leaned towards the analysis of PDEs, generalised transforms and spectral techniqes. The idea is to develop new, general, mathematical methods... well, that's the idea anyway!

:smile:

Reply 13

AlphaNumeric

I, on the other hand, accept my lack of abilities when compared to the people who want to do PhDs in high energy physics so hyave instead pretty much cemented a PhD place at Southampton (on condition of passing my exams). I'd have to kill about 40 people to be in with a shot of getting a PhD place to do particle physics, and DAMTP look down on mass murdering.

Reply 14

Wrangler

AlphaNumeric

...DAMTP look down on mass murdering.

Actually, I reckon some lecturers actively encourage it. Good quote I heard today (from a Trinity guy who I will call "Pinch"):

"It doesn't matter if you're 1st or 10th in the Tripos, you'll always be an order of magnitude lower than me..."

Awesome, absolutely awesome! :p:

Reply 15

fabuleuse

Yesterday I found out I'd got a first in my degree and today I got an email from the person in charge of PhD applications saying that the department are intending to make me an offer. I'm very pleased. It's not a formal offer though, so I'm not counting my chickens until that arrives.

There are still supervisor issues to sort out as well, as the email so tactfully said: "X [my first choice of supervisor] has been in discussion with an overseas student - he would prefer to take this person on rather than you but this might all fall though, in which case he is happy to take you on. Y is willing to take you on if X doesn't (i.e. if the overseas student doesn't work out)."

Reply 16

Cexy

I just found out that there are 19 places available to do high energy physics at Cambridge (which was originally what I wanted to do before I focused my attention on nonlinear dynamics) and that I'm in the top 19 people who want to do it - which might leave me in the unpleasant position of taking someone else's funding if I can find someone to supervise me to do HEP. Erk.

I might just stick with the nonlinear stuff though. Being interested in lots of things can be a curse. Well done on your result, fabuleuse! :smile:

Reply 17

AlphaNumeric

^ Mr Smarty Pant (along with Wrangler) got a distinction :p:

. I got the more mundain 'Pass'. We all got enough to do what we want to :smile:

Reply 18

fabuleuse

Well done all of you. :smile:

Reply 19

CityMonkey

Hello,

I hope to do Part III in the future, so just wanted to ask, what were your views and opinions of the year you spent doing Part III? Anything particularly good, bad, how might you have done things differently etc? Just your generally opinon and views of the year and course would be very much appreciated.

Thanks, and hope everyone got what they wanted.