Beating the odds, Cambridge applicants

I moved from Australia a few months ago, and after getting to know what the universities are like, I understand that Cambridge is an extremely competitive and demanding uni, yet I read the oddl story of someone getting in despite getting slightly below standard grades.

Want I was essentially posted this for is just for people to share their application story? Did you beat the odds and get in with a strong interview? Which degree are you studying for?

Reply 1

Star Light

Their assessment if you is based on many factors - the big ones are your AS grades and UMS, your interview performance, admissions tests, and to a lesser extent, GCSE grades (or equivalents for AS/GCSE). If you do quite well on all, you may get in; if you do well on all but one doesn't go so well, or are unremarkable in all but outstanding in one section, is hard to predict what the outcome will be.

To get the interview invitation, you need to be a 'realistic applicant', i.e, your grades and statement/admissions test are not too bad. Slightly below average grades may well get you an interview, but it really depends on just how low/high they are relative to everyone else, and your surroundings for education. Someone from a very low-performing school who gets 1 A* at GCSE may get an interview and excel, and get an offer, whereas someone who gets 10A* when the school average is 14 may not do well. So basically context matters a lot.

I got in with 8A*s at GCSE where the school average was quite a bit lower tham that. I applied for Medicine, I'd got 97% UMS average at AS and got a very high percentile score on the BMAT, the admissions test. My interview was great, we talked about drugs and DNA and I really enjoyed the talk as it was interesting!

If you think you've got potential to excel in your favourite subject, then apply, it's only 1 of your 5 options, and the process will be interesting regardless of the outcome - there's no interview like an Oxbridge interview, and staying overnight in the college and enjoying fancy meals in a Rowling-esque great hall is fun.

Generally, to beat the odds if your grades are below average for your situation, you need genuine motivation formyour subject and talent in it to show at interview, you need to make sure that everybody in that room is enjoying the discussion as that's what you'll be doing every week if you get in.

Usual Oxbridge disclaimer - there are many other universities which you would certainly enjoy yourself at and excel academically, some are better than Oxbridge for some courses, don't put all your eggs of hope in one basket of Oxbridge.