This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- IGCSES
- architecture admissions test
- 71 on the MAT, rejected for interview by both Oxford and Imperial.
- Are my gcses good enough for Cambridge?
- Cambridge University MFin Applicants 2021
- Cambridge resit?
- Is it advisable to take a gap year after getting Oxbridge rejection?
- IELTS Requirement for Cambridge Postgraduate Application
- portfolio for architecture for cambridge
- Maths gap year applicant advice
- Specialised Foundation programme 2023
- Rejected from st andrews
- Trans-inclusive Cambridge colleges
- How is IPQ graded? (PLS HELP US!)
- Would I be likely to get into Cambridge for computer science?
- PhD Neuroscience Cambridge vs Oxford vs UCL
- Law Conversion at BPP Cambridge
- Cambridge August Reconsideration Pool 2024
- Does Oxford care about GCSEs if you wanna do law there?
- Cambridge engineering rejection
Giving feedback to Cambridge
Scroll to see replies
Original post by fajita.and.friends
After having been rejected from King's, I have a similar question about the UMS grades and not being auto-pooled: my official best of 3 average is 92.5%, however one of my French papers was incorrectly marked and my teacher estimates it should have been marked 20 UMS higher, making my average 93.6%. My school failed to send the request for remark off on time so this is why my paper was never actually remarked. I noted this on my SAQ and sent the college a signed letter from my teacher announcing this. I know that obviously there is no proof of this and I might as well be lying, but is there really nothing that can be done about this?
Thanks for your question. I am afraid that there is nothing that can be done. We can only accept marks that have been awarded by the exam boards for obvious reasons. A teacher's estimate is not enough I am afraid (as the moderation of coursework etc. proves). I am sorry to disappoint you.
Original post by Undisclosed 15
It would be better if the first line of the decision letter told you simply whether you were accepted or not. The letter I received was an emotional rollercoaster. First it said I had been rejected. Then the tone changed to a positive tone and the letter said I had been pooled, only to say no one had fished me in the next paragraph.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Posted from TSR Mobile
I see your point. Those who receive a direct offer do find out in the first lline, it is more complicated for those successful in the Pool. Colleges are first and foremost communicating with their applicants about applications to their college. Once that has been communciated only then do they feel they can go on to discuss what happened in the Pool.
I appreciate the problem of the rollercoaster but there might well be confusion (given the emotions involved) if we said 'you have an offer but not here' or words to that effect. Fortuately the emotional rollercoaster has been reduced from several days to a few seconds this year in most cases.
Original post by jneill
One thing extra I can think of... Quite a lot of previously public info, especially about the pool process, was put behind Raven this cycle. Can it be made available again, in the interests of transparency... (e.g. the auto-pool calculation)
Oh and feedback should be offered to all applicants (not just rejections) and should include their interview scores.
Posted from TSR Mobile
Oh and feedback should be offered to all applicants (not just rejections) and should include their interview scores.
Posted from TSR Mobile
There was a deliberate decision to remove it behind Raven - it was never supposed to be public but instead was internal information to Admissions Tutor and Co-ordinators though I appreciate that it was helpful to others. I think it was felt that it was causing more problems through confusion than benefit. I don't think there is much appetite for unlocking them.
Some colleges do offer feedback to all unsuccessful applicants. I don't think there is any need to provide feedback to successful applicants, they have their offer and will often get informal feedback when they arrive. Some colleges do give interview scores, I don't, it doesn't do anyone's confidence any good to be told they got 3 out of 10 in one or more of their interviews. Also interviews calibrate differently, so one person's 7 might be another's 8.5. Interview scores are for internal use and should remain so imho.
Original post by lavenaj
Self-disclosure: As a parent I have sat and read many of the discussions, but have so far never felt I could add beyond what others had already done.
My feedback: I think the Cambridge process is actually quite transparent already, especially with the participant of yourself. Unfortunately this brings with it a high expectation and specifically one of an adherence to process.
Up until the interviews were complete, most of the discussion revolved around the application process and what aspects were important etc. I feel this area was well served, with lots of online information available.
Once the interviews were open and people were awaiting offers/rejections the topic of conversation mostly became "when will I hear?". There seemed to be a consistent approach from all colleges up to the day letters were sent out. But then everything seemed to descend into a form of chaos! I understand that the individual colleges may want to do things differently, but if this means someone external is needed to collate feedback from various sources as to what was going on - there is a clear gap that could easily be filled. It should be relatively simple for each college to simply describe the normal process: who gets letters and when are they sent, who gets emails and when are they sent. No one would be concerned with "our intention is to....." but at least the majority would know where they stand. It also shouldn't be beyond the capabilities of such a fantastic university to create a system that sends automated emails to everyone.
My feedback: I think the Cambridge process is actually quite transparent already, especially with the participant of yourself. Unfortunately this brings with it a high expectation and specifically one of an adherence to process.
Up until the interviews were complete, most of the discussion revolved around the application process and what aspects were important etc. I feel this area was well served, with lots of online information available.
Once the interviews were open and people were awaiting offers/rejections the topic of conversation mostly became "when will I hear?". There seemed to be a consistent approach from all colleges up to the day letters were sent out. But then everything seemed to descend into a form of chaos! I understand that the individual colleges may want to do things differently, but if this means someone external is needed to collate feedback from various sources as to what was going on - there is a clear gap that could easily be filled. It should be relatively simple for each college to simply describe the normal process: who gets letters and when are they sent, who gets emails and when are they sent. No one would be concerned with "our intention is to....." but at least the majority would know where they stand. It also shouldn't be beyond the capabilities of such a fantastic university to create a system that sends automated emails to everyone.
Thanks fr your positive comments and ffor your points about the situation when the offer letters were sent out. I agree we need more consistency - I'll certainly suggest it but it is arder than you think to get 29 admissions offices all doing the same thing! Getting academics to do aything the same way is like herding cats!
Original post by L'Evil Fish
So we can have feedback? What is an offer letter?
No, we do;t give feedback to offer holders. The offer letter is the letter you got on Saturday.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
No, we do;t give feedback to offer holders. The offer letter is the letter you got on Saturday.
Oh I see
That's fine
This is a very impressive effort at direct feedback.
I have noticed that acceptance rates for EU and overseas students is about half that for UK students. I am curious why this is the case. In addition, I wonder how much research you do to understand the system from which EU and overseas students apply (which is probably related to my first question).
My daughter applied from France, she was in a state Lycee, nothing international or private. We felt that the admissions officers understood the French system very well and that the entire process was attuned to her as an individual, but I wonder what you do for other systems, such as those in the US, where there is an extremely wide variation from school to school.
She applied 2 years ago and is currently at Girton, so I am asking on behalf of my son, who will also apply from France (as well as to give advice to American friends).
I have noticed that acceptance rates for EU and overseas students is about half that for UK students. I am curious why this is the case. In addition, I wonder how much research you do to understand the system from which EU and overseas students apply (which is probably related to my first question).
My daughter applied from France, she was in a state Lycee, nothing international or private. We felt that the admissions officers understood the French system very well and that the entire process was attuned to her as an individual, but I wonder what you do for other systems, such as those in the US, where there is an extremely wide variation from school to school.
She applied 2 years ago and is currently at Girton, so I am asking on behalf of my son, who will also apply from France (as well as to give advice to American friends).
Original post by L'Evil Fish
What is an offer letter?
Quote of the year.
Original post by HughBriss
Quote of the year.
Well I thought it was what I got, but then Mr Admissions said it was most useful, so I thought it actually had feedback
Original post by Christ's Admissions
I see your point. Those who receive a direct offer do find out in the first lline, it is more complicated for those successful in the Pool. Colleges are first and foremost communicating with their applicants about applications to their college. Once that has been communciated only then do they feel they can go on to discuss what happened in the Pool.
I appreciate the problem of the rollercoaster but there might well be confusion (given the emotions involved) if we said 'you have an offer but not here' or words to that effect. Fortuately the emotional rollercoaster has been reduced from several days to a few seconds this year in most cases.
I appreciate the problem of the rollercoaster but there might well be confusion (given the emotions involved) if we said 'you have an offer but not here' or words to that effect. Fortuately the emotional rollercoaster has been reduced from several days to a few seconds this year in most cases.
I understand that you have done a lot to reduce the roller-coaster and I fully appreciate that. However, I believe you could rephrase the letters. Words to the effect of 'you have an offer at another college' are not confusing at all. I don't see why you would suggest they are. Having said that, this is just my opinion.
Also, I am wondering why my school has to request feedback and I can't directly. I don't want my school to see it really. It's MY feedback; it's personal. I don't want to share details. I believe it should be solely up to me what I share. (I appreciate that this policy may differ between colleges. I applied to Emma.)
Posted from TSR Mobile
I'm a parent of a female Maths applicant (unsuccessful). I know the statistics for successful Scottish applicants is usually low (2%) but this year anecdotal evidence points to it being abnormally so; when does Cambridge publish statistics on this? Are Scottish Highers fully understood by Admissions staff or does the lack of a UMS score mean that the interviews carry more weight in the final decision? I do know that a fair number of successful Scottish Applicants either do A levels or reapply once they have their Advanced Highers result; however having a gap year is not recommended for Maths students.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello everyone and congratulations to all who have received offers and comiserations to those who have not and best of luck (and apologies) to those who are stil waiting.
Every year we have an internal review of the Admission round at Cambridge and, having interacted with students through this forum for a while, I thought it might be a good idea to try to elicit some feedback on our processes from students who have gone through them.
I am not in a position to provide feedback on your application or say why you didn't get in but rather this is an opportunity for you to say if there are things about the process that might be improved and which I can then feedback. I will also try to explain some things which might seem odd about the process.
The thread will be open for a week and I will then report back to my colleagues with good points. Thank you for your points and also for the applications.
Every year we have an internal review of the Admission round at Cambridge and, having interacted with students through this forum for a while, I thought it might be a good idea to try to elicit some feedback on our processes from students who have gone through them.
I am not in a position to provide feedback on your application or say why you didn't get in but rather this is an opportunity for you to say if there are things about the process that might be improved and which I can then feedback. I will also try to explain some things which might seem odd about the process.
The thread will be open for a week and I will then report back to my colleagues with good points. Thank you for your points and also for the applications.
Thank you for doing this, I really want to commend Christ's Admissions for taking the time to consistently answer questions. As I am Australian international student with an offer but am still waiting to find out which college has taken me, your presence on the forums has made me feel a lot less anxious!
I have been following this and the Cambridge Decisions threads since the first post and after the 5th day of waiting for my decision letter from Corpus Christi, I'd like to join in.
I am an international applicant from Europe and I have applyed for medicine at Corpus Christi. As far as a week ago I have emailed my college admissions office to ask whether I would get a copy of my decision letter by email, since it is obvious that it takes a bit longer for it to reach Warsaw in Poland than Bristol or York. I was told all non-UK applicants will be emailed as soon as possible, begenning from the 12th Jan. It is 14th today and I am beginning to think that in the end the traditional letter will arrive first.
I understand that the admissions process is a complicated and absorbing one and that handling additional interviews is a time-consuming task, but there are more international candidates here on TSR and possibly elswhere who are wasting their lives waiting for a reply from Cambridge. Obviously this goes against the "equal treatment" of candidates regardless of the nationality...
I would be glad if I could at least know when to expect a notification of the outcome of my application.
I am an international applicant from Europe and I have applyed for medicine at Corpus Christi. As far as a week ago I have emailed my college admissions office to ask whether I would get a copy of my decision letter by email, since it is obvious that it takes a bit longer for it to reach Warsaw in Poland than Bristol or York. I was told all non-UK applicants will be emailed as soon as possible, begenning from the 12th Jan. It is 14th today and I am beginning to think that in the end the traditional letter will arrive first.
I understand that the admissions process is a complicated and absorbing one and that handling additional interviews is a time-consuming task, but there are more international candidates here on TSR and possibly elswhere who are wasting their lives waiting for a reply from Cambridge. Obviously this goes against the "equal treatment" of candidates regardless of the nationality...
I would be glad if I could at least know when to expect a notification of the outcome of my application.
Another parent here.
We found the process reasonably transparent but there could possibly be more support for those interviewing overseas. Our son only had one subject specific interview, and like so many others he felt it went very badly, but there was no second interview. The hard thing with only having one interview is that it did feel like an awful lot hinged on 30 minutes with one interviewer, who wasn't from the college he was applying to. I'm not quite sure what the solution is as obviously there is a limit to how many interviewers Cambridge can send to Sydney.
Despite his fears, he received an offer. His college was great with their email offer - came around the same time as people were opening their letters, but there didn't seem to be anything on the website outlining their system. We have another friend who has also got an unconditional offer from another college as a mature student but he had to wait for another three days before he finally got an email.
Maybe a system where the emails are sent on the day letters are predicted to arrive would work. I suspect this year was complicated by the post arriving on a Saturday.
We found the process reasonably transparent but there could possibly be more support for those interviewing overseas. Our son only had one subject specific interview, and like so many others he felt it went very badly, but there was no second interview. The hard thing with only having one interview is that it did feel like an awful lot hinged on 30 minutes with one interviewer, who wasn't from the college he was applying to. I'm not quite sure what the solution is as obviously there is a limit to how many interviewers Cambridge can send to Sydney.
Despite his fears, he received an offer. His college was great with their email offer - came around the same time as people were opening their letters, but there didn't seem to be anything on the website outlining their system. We have another friend who has also got an unconditional offer from another college as a mature student but he had to wait for another three days before he finally got an email.
Maybe a system where the emails are sent on the day letters are predicted to arrive would work. I suspect this year was complicated by the post arriving on a Saturday.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by gretschforever
Another parent here.
We found the process reasonably transparent but there could possibly be more support for those interviewing overseas. Our son only had one subject specific interview, and like so many others he felt it went very badly, but there was no second interview. The hard thing with only having one interview is that it did feel like an awful lot hinged on 30 minutes with one interviewer, who wasn't from the college he was applying to. I'm not quite sure what the solution is as obviously there is a limit to how many interviewers Cambridge can send to Sydney.
Despite his fears, he received an offer. Caius was great with their email offer - came around the same time as people were opening their letters, but there didn't seem to be anything on the website outlining their system. We have another friend who has also got an unconditional offer from another college as a mature student but he had to wait for another three days before he finally got an email.
Maybe a system where the emails are sent on the day letters are predicted to arrive would work. I suspect this year was complicated by the post arriving on a Saturday.
We found the process reasonably transparent but there could possibly be more support for those interviewing overseas. Our son only had one subject specific interview, and like so many others he felt it went very badly, but there was no second interview. The hard thing with only having one interview is that it did feel like an awful lot hinged on 30 minutes with one interviewer, who wasn't from the college he was applying to. I'm not quite sure what the solution is as obviously there is a limit to how many interviewers Cambridge can send to Sydney.
Despite his fears, he received an offer. Caius was great with their email offer - came around the same time as people were opening their letters, but there didn't seem to be anything on the website outlining their system. We have another friend who has also got an unconditional offer from another college as a mature student but he had to wait for another three days before he finally got an email.
Maybe a system where the emails are sent on the day letters are predicted to arrive would work. I suspect this year was complicated by the post arriving on a Saturday.
Decision letters always arrive on a saturday
Original post by frigg113
Decision letters always arrive on a saturday
Thanks for the info
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello everyone and congratulations to all who have received offers and commiserations to those who have not and best of luck (and apologies) to those who are stil waiting.
Every year we have an internal review of the Admission round at Cambridge and, having interacted with students through this forum for a while, I thought it might be a good idea to try to elicit some feedback on our processes from students who have gone through them.
I am not in a position to provide feedback on your application or say why you didn't get in but rather this is an opportunity for you to say if there are things about the process that might be improved and which I can then feedback. I will also try to explain some things which might seem odd about the process.
The thread will be open for a week and I will then report back to my colleagues with good points. Thank you for your points and also for the applications.
Every year we have an internal review of the Admission round at Cambridge and, having interacted with students through this forum for a while, I thought it might be a good idea to try to elicit some feedback on our processes from students who have gone through them.
I am not in a position to provide feedback on your application or say why you didn't get in but rather this is an opportunity for you to say if there are things about the process that might be improved and which I can then feedback. I will also try to explain some things which might seem odd about the process.
The thread will be open for a week and I will then report back to my colleagues with good points. Thank you for your points and also for the applications.
I have just received an offer for English. My general points on the application process would be:
-I know that the timing for the application process is tight, but a little more time to complete the SAQ would have been really useful. As it was, I didn't have time to consult with my teacher about aspects such as extenuating circumstances and the additional PS.
-I liked the sustained contact provided by the admissions tutor, especially since they informed me quickly when my interview form didn't get through.
-During the interviews, everyone was told to wait in one large common-room, and I noticed that some of us were chatting whilst others were trying to quietly read. Perhaps two rooms - one for quiet study - might be preferable?
-The other offer-holders from my school have expressed interest in finding out how they did at interview.
-The pool is better now that people don't have to wait for ages to find out if they're in or not.
-Generally a good experience!
I am a scottish applicant and was unsuccessful for Bio Nat Sci at St. John's.
A document I read on the website said you're auto-pooled with 4 or more A band 1st at higher level, I had 5. Yet my letter did not even mention the pool like others did, should it?
I thought the constant document signing process when applying was a nuisance and unnecessary. No other uni made me sign documents to be considered.
I also found it very difficult to find the TSA location and was not informed it would be basically another 5 minute walk from the door and ended up being late. The invigilators were really nice and helpful and said I would get some extra time at the end but I wasn't given any.
The lack of conversation about the actual subject confused me. I went expecting to talk about the subject not to do past paper questions.
When I was answering questions with what were valid ideas (obviously a big scope to answer for why some biological things happen) I noticed I was often dismissed because it was not "exactly" what they were looking for. This left me confused and was very off putting, I felt like I had to keep guessing possible causes for things until I got their answer, with no recognition with what I was suggestion could also be a cause.
As a state school pupil I heard it was weighted towards private school pupils but dismissed it as nonsense. However after my interviews I now understand why people say this. With lots of pupils going they would know the ins and outs of the interview format and tricks, non of this was in any shape or form available to me online as a Scottish state school pupil.
Posted from TSR Mobile
A document I read on the website said you're auto-pooled with 4 or more A band 1st at higher level, I had 5. Yet my letter did not even mention the pool like others did, should it?
I thought the constant document signing process when applying was a nuisance and unnecessary. No other uni made me sign documents to be considered.
I also found it very difficult to find the TSA location and was not informed it would be basically another 5 minute walk from the door and ended up being late. The invigilators were really nice and helpful and said I would get some extra time at the end but I wasn't given any.
The lack of conversation about the actual subject confused me. I went expecting to talk about the subject not to do past paper questions.
When I was answering questions with what were valid ideas (obviously a big scope to answer for why some biological things happen) I noticed I was often dismissed because it was not "exactly" what they were looking for. This left me confused and was very off putting, I felt like I had to keep guessing possible causes for things until I got their answer, with no recognition with what I was suggestion could also be a cause.
As a state school pupil I heard it was weighted towards private school pupils but dismissed it as nonsense. However after my interviews I now understand why people say this. With lots of pupils going they would know the ins and outs of the interview format and tricks, non of this was in any shape or form available to me online as a Scottish state school pupil.
Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Feedback is available to everyone who doesn't get an offer and I am going to be spending a significant chunk of my time over the next six weeks writing feedback letters (did around 150 last year) to those who request it. The best feedback for those who get offers is the offer letter!
As you say, we are probably the most transparent university in te UK about our admission processes and we have produced graphs anoymising the data which show the correlation between UMS/GCSEs and offers in certain subjects.
I can assure you that it is certainly not 'random' who gets an offer. We don;t always get it right by any means but we take each application and offer very seriously and give it a lot of consideration.
As you say, we are probably the most transparent university in te UK about our admission processes and we have produced graphs anoymising the data which show the correlation between UMS/GCSEs and offers in certain subjects.
I can assure you that it is certainly not 'random' who gets an offer. We don;t always get it right by any means but we take each application and offer very seriously and give it a lot of consideration.
First of all, I would like to thank you for this opportunity and we appreciate the time you have reserved for us. I have been rejected to study History at Downing as an affiliated student. During the previous summer, while I was still considering whether to apply or not, I noticed on websites of various colleges that competition for affiliated place is extremely high due to fact that Cambridge colleges rarely admit such students(stating that they admit 1,2 or maybe 3 candidates annually). On the other hand, admission office informed that I will be only competing against the applicants in my subject group. Considering that, I hope you can shed some light on how you assess affiliated applicants and compare them with A2 level students. Thank you.
Original post by SerLorasTyrell
A document I read on the website said you're auto-pooped with 4 or more A band 1st at higher level, I had 5.
I can't deal with that typo
Related discussions
- IGCSES
- architecture admissions test
- 71 on the MAT, rejected for interview by both Oxford and Imperial.
- Are my gcses good enough for Cambridge?
- Cambridge University MFin Applicants 2021
- Cambridge resit?
- Is it advisable to take a gap year after getting Oxbridge rejection?
- IELTS Requirement for Cambridge Postgraduate Application
- portfolio for architecture for cambridge
- Maths gap year applicant advice
- Specialised Foundation programme 2023
- Rejected from st andrews
- Trans-inclusive Cambridge colleges
- How is IPQ graded? (PLS HELP US!)
- Would I be likely to get into Cambridge for computer science?
- PhD Neuroscience Cambridge vs Oxford vs UCL
- Law Conversion at BPP Cambridge
- Cambridge August Reconsideration Pool 2024
- Does Oxford care about GCSEs if you wanna do law there?
- Cambridge engineering rejection
Latest
Last reply 3 minutes ago
Standard Chartered Apprenticeships 2024Last reply 3 minutes ago
Children to no longer be prescribed puberty blockers, NHS England confirmsLast reply 5 minutes ago
Why is the political left now censorious and authoritarian??Last reply 6 minutes ago
narrowly missing offer conditionsLast reply 11 minutes ago
St dominics, henrietta barnett, RMS, parmiters or girls grammar??Last reply 12 minutes ago
2024 entry A100 / A101 Medicine fastest and slowest offer sendersMedicine
857
Last reply 13 minutes ago
Official University of St Andrews Applicant Thread for 2024Last reply 14 minutes ago
Medical doctor degree apprenticeship 2024Last reply 16 minutes ago
yet to receive a woodhouse interviewLast reply 17 minutes ago
Official London School of Economics and Political Science 2024 Applicant ThreadLast reply 18 minutes ago
What are your thoughts on poverty eradication programs in the worldLast reply 25 minutes ago
UAL Bsc Fashion Management and fashion marketingLast reply 26 minutes ago
Choosing Subjects for S5 to study Software engineering in the UkLast reply 33 minutes ago
LAW: How to answer a problem question in Contract LawLast reply 35 minutes ago
LSE anthropology and law 2024Trending
Last reply 8 hours ago
MPhil Advanced Computer Science Cambridge - 2024 EntryLast reply 14 hours ago
March 2024 Cambridge Mature Colleges Round - Anybody?Last reply 1 week ago
Easy Colleges in Cambridge to get in - should this be allowedLast reply 1 week ago
MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at Cambridge 2024Last reply 2 weeks ago
How likely will Cambridge allow me in if I miss my subject specific offer?Last reply 2 weeks ago
What to do for a competitive application for Mathematics at top universities.Trending
Last reply 8 hours ago
MPhil Advanced Computer Science Cambridge - 2024 EntryLast reply 14 hours ago
March 2024 Cambridge Mature Colleges Round - Anybody?Last reply 1 week ago
Easy Colleges in Cambridge to get in - should this be allowedLast reply 1 week ago
MPhil in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at Cambridge 2024Last reply 2 weeks ago
How likely will Cambridge allow me in if I miss my subject specific offer?Last reply 2 weeks ago
What to do for a competitive application for Mathematics at top universities.
