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Ask an Admissions Tutor VIII - 28 September - 2 October

Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.

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Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.


Hello! I've already applied actually and just wanted to know when international applicants (aka those who want to be interviewed in Malaysia) get an invitation for interview if we're getting one? It ought to be this week or so, right? Just wondering as I am sitting my A2 in October and didn't want any clashes. Thank you!
Original post by Jayd Shah
Hello! I've already applied actually and just wanted to know when international applicants (aka those who want to be interviewed in Malaysia) get an invitation for interview if we're getting one? It ought to be this week or so, right? Just wondering as I am sitting my A2 in October and didn't want any clashes. Thank you!


Hello and thanks for your question. Invitations to interview should be sent out by the end of next week and hopefully before.
Reply 3
Avatar for BBeyond
BBeyond
15
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.


Welcome back and thanks for the new thread :biggrin:

Just a quick question from me. If a college has given a deferred entry place does that mean they will take one less student the next year?
Original post by BBeyond
Welcome back and thanks for the new thread :biggrin:

Just a quick question from me. If a college has given a deferred entry place does that mean they will take one less student the next year?


Thank you and it's nice to be back. Usually, yes, a deferred offer will mean that they make one less offer for that year but not always. It will depend on the strength of the field. In History in 2015 at Christ's, we had one deferred offer from the previous year and so I was expecting to make seven offers for a year of eight - but we ended up making 10 new offers because of the strength of the application field we got that year.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.


Can a skype interview be conducted for someone who is not in one of the regions where interviews are conducted?
Original post by bekinwari
Can a skype interview be conducted for someone who is not in one of the regions where interviews are conducted?


It is very rare for Skype interviews to be done for undergraduate admissions. We have done one in the last two admissions rounds at Christ's and I do not think that between them the colleges do more than a handful every year. You can ask if the college is willing to do a skype interview but I am afraid that in most cases the answer will be no and you will need to come to Cambridge for an interview.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
It is very rare for Skype interviews to be done for undergraduate admissions. We have done one in the last two admissions rounds at Christ's and I do not think that between them the colleges do more than a handful every year. You can ask if the college is willing to do a skype interview but I am afraid that in most cases the answer will be no and you will need to come to Cambridge for an interview.


Thanks, I asked because when I do apply it might be hard for me to travel to the UK.
Original post by bekinwari
Thanks, I asked because when I do apply it might be hard for me to travel to the UK.


Yes, unfortunately that is the case for a lot of applicants from overseas. Skype interviews are very difficult to arrange for our academics and are generally quite unsatisfactory for what we are trying to achieve in an undergraduate interview. There is also the potential that the person you are talking to over Skype is not the person who has applied.

I know that Oxford do use Skype more than Cambridge, partly because they do not hold interviews overseas as Cambridge does.
Reply 9
Avatar for BBeyond
BBeyond
15
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Thank you and it's nice to be back. Usually, yes, a deferred offer will mean that they make one less offer for that year but not always. It will depend on the strength of the field. In History in 2015 at Christ's, we had one deferred offer from the previous year and so I was expecting to make seven offers for a year of eight - but we ended up making 10 new offers because of the strength of the application field we got that year.


Ah okay that makes sense thank you! :biggrin:

I noticed above some interviews will be going out by the end of next week? Is this only for internationals?
Original post by BBeyond
Ah okay that makes sense thank you! :biggrin:

I noticed above some interviews will be going out by the end of next week? Is this only for internationals?


Yes, only for those international applicants whose deadline has already passed (i.e. China, Malaysia and Singapore). No other invites will be sent out before the UCAS deadline of 15 October. The vast majority of invites are sent in the middle of November so no need for people to worry just yet.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Yes, unfortunately that is the case for a lot of applicants from overseas. Skype interviews are very difficult to arrange for our academics and are generally quite unsatisfactory for what we are trying to achieve in an undergraduate interview. There is also the potential that the person you are talking to over Skype is not the person who has applied.

I know that Oxford do use Skype more than Cambridge, partly because they do not hold interviews overseas as Cambridge does.


So, if a candidate is unable to appear for interview and a request for skype interview is denied. Does this mean he is automatically rejected?
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.


Great to see you back again!

The section of the SAQ where it asks for topics from each of your qualification is too small to fit everything in. Should I aggressively abbreviate, and/or leave out trivial things? And could I replace describing the topics I covered in Maths AS level with topics I covered in 'harder' modules?
Original post by Christ's Admissions
Hello again all. Before term starts at Cambridge next week, I am running a short version of my 'Ask an Admissions Tutor' threads this week in advance of the application deadline of 15 October. Please post your questions about applications to Cambridge below and I will answer them as soon as possible.


For Maths Gap year applicant. Is doing STEP III papers and doing Further additional maths a level enough to stay 'fluent' in your opinion of an AT.


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Original post by bekinwari
So, if a candidate is unable to appear for interview and a request for skype interview is denied. Does this mean he is automatically rejected?


Essentially yes, because the candidate will have been offered an interview and turned it down. If it is simply a matter of dates, however, then it is possible for the college to place an application in the Winter Pool with the offer of an interview at the original college in January at the time of the pool interviews and for another college to interview them as well if they wish. This happens reasonably frequently.

As a rule, however, candidates must be interviewed before an offer is made.
Original post by Johann von Gauss
Great to see you back again!

The section of the SAQ where it asks for topics from each of your qualification is too small to fit everything in. Should I aggressively abbreviate, and/or leave out trivial things? And could I replace describing the topics I covered in Maths AS level with topics I covered in 'harder' modules?


To give you a sample (picked from random from one of our Nat Scis in 2015) they have declared their topics thus:

Biology A2: Homeostatis; Photosynthesis; Excretion

Biology AS: Biological Molecules; Biodiversity; Exchange & Transport

Chemistry A2: Arenes; Amines; Carbonyls; NMR; Born Haber Cycles

Chemistry AS: Organic Mechanisms; Mass Spectrometry; Periodicity

Further Maths A2: Centre of Mass; Inequalities; De Moivre's Theorem

Further Maths AS: Proof by induction; Bin packing and Sorting Algorithms; Kinematics

Maths A2: Modulus Graphs; Functions; Binomial and Poison Distributions

Maths AS: Calculus; Trigonometry; Transformation of Graphs


I hope that is useful - generally a short title is helpful. It just gives us an indication of what you have done so we can know what we can expect you to be able to discuss. For humanities subjects there's no need to give the whole title of the paper (i.e. in History, just, say, 'Germany 1919-39' rather than 'The Rise of the Nazis', 1919-39).
Original post by physicsmaths
For Maths Gap year applicant. Is doing STEP III papers and doing Further additional maths a level enough to stay 'fluent' in your opinion of an AT.


Posted from TSR Mobile


That seems reasonable enough to me - doing some Maths tutoring is always a good way to show that you are continuing your Maths (and can earn you some money too!).
Hi Admissions Tutor,

I am intending to apply to study mathematics at Peterhouse and am currently studying Further Mathematics and Physics. In the lower sixth, I have studied 7 mathematics modules in addition to AS physics and economics, and therefore have an A* in standard A level mathematics already.

This year, I intend to study 8 Further Mathematics modules on top of A2 Physics, and hopefully eventually be preparing for STEP II and STEP III. I am wondering if these would be enough to constitute the A level part of the Mathematics Cambridge conditional offer.

Thanks
(edited 8 years ago)
Hello

Firstly, thank you so much for doing this thread it really is a fantastic idea!

I just had some questions regards postgraduate applications, is it possible for me to PM these to you? as I don't want to pollute the thread with my queries.

Thank you
Original post by justguess
Hello

Firstly, thank you so much for doing this thread it really is a fantastic idea!

I just had some questions regards postgraduate applications, is it possible for me to PM these to you? as I don't want to pollute the thread with my queries.

Thank you


Hello and thank you. Yes, that's fine though I am an Undergraduate Admissions Tutor and have only limited knowledge of postgraduate admissions. I'll help as best I can though.

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