Cambridge Maths Students and Applicants

This. I'm even tooo drunk to go to cindies, dog....

Out of interest have I ever seen you? I don't really know who you are? (IRL)

And nice tsr turnout at cindies today!

GRM and Analysis II let me down today. I was not expecting a double betrayal...

And I reiterate my hate of proof by contradiction. Gah. Wasted a good 15 minutes or so on the first part of the GRM question trying to prove things directly.

Today was better than yesterday, but not as good as Tuesday. Maybe the odd-numbered papers are better?

The short GRM question was a bit mean though... could easily spend lots of time trying different things before finding one that works. Didn't have enough time to do it in the end.

Yeah that sturm-liouville methods question was a gift except I messed up the last part, got the two equations for J(ax) and J(bx) and then did the top one x J(bx) - the second one x J(ax) that would've given me the right answer had I not somehow deleted the J'(ax) and J'(bx) terms, though I didn't realise that till after the exam, in the exam I spent ages looking at all my mess of an integration by parts and then just gave up and wrote down the answer on the next line cos I was running out of time, probably lost an alpha because of that, damn!

Overall I've found the applied really difficult this year, especially the quantum mechanics, I haven't been able to do any of the three long ones and it's annoying cos in past years they're almost an easy 3 alphas. What do people think is coming up tomorrow for the applied?

Yeah, my all-applied friend was telling me how he hasn't done a single QM question this year because they were all tedious solve-this-DE problems.

Numerical Analysis will surely be about numerical linear algebra. Methods is probably going to be separation of variables, or perhaps Fourier transform. Variational Principles will surely be calculus of variations, and there might be a little bit about the second variation.

Good shout, although numerical analysis today was linear algebra (prob my only alpha today) and seeing as it's only a short question tomorrow I'm not too interested. I think it's either going to be a separation of variables on methods and transforms on complex OR the transforms will be on methods and we may get laurent/taylor series on the complex, I'd prefer the first option personally.

VP I think is a tough one to call as we've had both lagrange multipliers and euler-lagrange already, they could do another euler-lagrange but I doubt it, I think it will be some crazy second variation question unfortunately. Fluids I hope it's a momentum integral equation question as I don't fully understand all the stuff about fluid translating spheres/cylinders.

I think I missed a very doable alpha today with the fluids, got the linearized KBC and DBC okay but then ended up trying to solve them without Laplace's equation lol, literally completely forgot it was all about laplace's equation, I just can't think in exams sometimes.

Okay so basically i'm going into sixth form in September and i want to know what i need to do for the next two years to give me the best chance at getting a place at Cambridge
I know this post is a bit confused but i just need to do if im doing things right

I'm quite an allround person because i valued education even though i live in an area where... let's just say people don't really care about education very much. My (inner city comprehensive) school is improving although the percentage of people that come out with 5A*-Cs at GCSE is less than 50%. because of how my school is, it doesnt really give that much information on what to do in situations like mine as it just doesnt have a lot of experience of sending students to Oxbridge.

i am staying at my school to do the International Baccalaureate, doing Maths, Physics and French at HL and English, History and Music SL. Would this look bad? i dont want to do A levels because i would hate for my English, History and Music education to end at GCSE level. i loveeee music and the arts but i dont like to compete in it like i do in maths; i play the piano and draw and dance to stay sane and relieve stress but i know for sure that i want to pursue Maths on a higher level. i dont really like science much- is that strange as i want to do maths? Science is piss easy for me, i have never really listened in class and got A*s in the three modules i took just by copying out the revision book. i wanted to take physics at higher level because i know i could ace it and it would look good next to maths. would i need another science? the IB allows the arts subject to be dropped for any subject so i could possibly take Chem/Bio?

I'm really sorry for the jumbled post and i understand i am not really asking much specifically its just that i need a bit of guidance or i will constantly worry that im not going about it the right way.
xxx

Just be awesome at maths and do as much as you can. and then when you get to interview, show the interviewer that you're awesome at maths. And then when you do STEP prove that you're awesome at maths.

What's STEP?