Offer/rejection letter

I'm a bit confused about the process Cambridge use to give out offers and rejections. So far I've gathered that every college will send out letters on the 11th, to be received on the next day by UK applicants, and that some colleges should also send emails. Now for my questions,

1. Should I expect to receive the letter or email first?
2. If I don't hear anything about an additional interview at another college by the 8th, should I assume that, even if I have been pooled, they will definetely not reinterview me?
3. Should I be pooled without another interview, will I only know on the 12th or will they inform me of that earlier on?
4. My UMS average is 95% (English, History, Italian and Latin), does that mean that they cannot reject me without being pooled first? Or is that irrelevant?
5. Now for the silly question, is what people say about the thickness of the letter you receive true? As in, if the envelope is thick you've been accepted as it contains additional information.

Thank you in advance, I'm probably being silly and stressing too much but the wait is really driving me mad.

Reply 1

L-Tyrosine

CAT send they start emailing in the morning, but it might be different for other colleges, so it all depends. I'd say it's fair to assume that past 8th you will not need to be reinterviewed. You'll know on the 12th if you're pooled and then fished. You qualify for auto-pooling criteria. I'm not too sure about the thickness of letter & other related details.

Reply 2

Jayd Shah

1. If you live in the U.K you wouldn't know which to expect first, but usually most people find out first with a letter. St. Cath's told me the won't be emailing, only sending a physical letter. If you're international, then I'm afraid you're in my predicament - but if your college sends emails, you'll probably get the email first. UCAS is most probs a lost cause as Cambridge are traditionally slow with updating it.

2. Really few students are called for pool interviews in comparison to legit interviews (10% compared to 75/80%) and they won't call you in if it's inconvenient for you, so yep you can assume that.

3. if you're pooled without interview, the college that mails you on the 12th would be the college that fished you from the pool! So e.g if youapply to Christ's but Girton picks you, your communication would be from Girton saying they offer u a place.

4. Yes, you'll definitely be pooled! The pooling criteria is 93% UMS for everyone except Math and Medicine since you need like 95% to be considered for those even, and also 8/10 interview scores for internationals. So yup, if whoever you applied to has no place, you'll surely be pooled!

5. NO IDEA hahaha but I assume it's true? Since if you're rejected it'd probably be a page like "bye ur rejected" or the posh equivalent, and if you're accepted they'd probably need a bunch of logistics like data protection/acknowledgement/fee status. This is just assuming though!

Anyway, I'm an applicant like you so all the info is from TSR admissions tutors from a while ago, also my college (Catz) emailed me about some of the pool stuff.

Reply 3

Doones

Original post by beatricescudeler

5. Now for the silly question, is what people say about the thickness of the letter you receive true? As in, if the envelope is thick you've been accepted as it contains additional information.

Original post by Jayd Shah

5. NO IDEA hahaha but I assume it's true? Since if you're rejected it'd probably be a page like "bye ur rejected" or the posh equivalent, and if you're accepted they'd probably need a bunch of logistics like data protection/acknowledgement/fee status. This is just assuming though!

In previous years the letter sizes were basically the same - any additional Offer Holder info was sent later under seperate cover. It may, or may not, be different this year...

Reply 4

username1865079

Original post by jneill

In previous years the letter sizes were basically the same - any additional Offer Holder info was sent later under seperate cover. It may, or may not, be different this year...

In previous years, envelop sizes and thickness varied from colugo college. :wink:

Reply 5

Colmans

Original post by beatricescudeler

All thick envelopes are good. Not all thin envelopes are bad. Not all postman arrive quicker than emails.

You will find out whether you have an offer and where (if after being pooled) at the same time. The system where poolees had to wait longer has virtually been abolished, pool interviews are much rarer than they used to be and so decisions arrive for everybody on the same day (if the post/email works).

Reply 6

Artilinean

Original post by Colmans

Im not sure this is right It seems from Christs AT that extra bumph has to go with àn offer this year. Therefore a thin envelope is bad

Reply 7

beatricescudeler

Original post by Colmans

Thank you, that makes sense. But should I be rejected after being pooled (apparently I cannot be directly rejected due to my UMS) would the college just tell me that I have been rejected or would they specify that no other college could offer me a place once I had been pooled?

Reply 8

Mini-Me

Ignore the letter size! My offer letter was tiny last year, one sheet of paper, and my mum spent ages panicking that it was a rejection because of that (she googled it and everything!)

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

Helenia

Just open the effing envelope!

Reply 10

beatricescudeler

Original post by Helenia

Just open the effing envelope!

Well I will when I get it! Not sure how that's useful though.

Reply 11

Helenia

Original post by beatricescudeler

Well I will when I get it! Not sure how that's useful though.

It's as useful as speculating on the significance of its size. Which happens every year on TSR, and the answer never changes.

Reply 12

alcibiade

Until you get a notification, you can be sure of nothing as circumstances and customs differ. My d received the email first (in France). The letter came about a week later, and was 1 page. My d was pooled, never asked for a 2nd interview at the pooled college. The "conditions" (i.e. thicker envelope) arrived weeks later, prolonging the stress to mid-July.