Cambridge English Students and Applicants

JoshW7

The big debate seems to be whether a degree is just a degree when it comes to employers, where the university itself is imperative, or it actually matters what you have studied.

Obviously there is no definitive answer and varies between careers and employers. For a career as a doctor, for example, a medicine degree is mandatory.

But if I was to look into working for a Big 4 accountancy firm or an investment bank, where competition is high, an English degree would surely impede me? I imagine most people that work at these sorts of places went to good universities anyway, but would have degrees in maths or economics.

Tbh, the only way you're going to know for sure is if you email the firms yourself, or speak to the careers office at the university you eventually attend. You're right: there is no definitive answer to a question like this. It'll depend on the kind of work you want to do, how you do in your degree, what kind of work experience you gain or already have, and, of course, on the state of the job market when you graduate. :wink:

Most graduate jobs do not require a specific degree (I think the figure bandied around most often is something like 80%), but it's hard to predict anyone's potential career. We're all English students here, and none of us, AFAIK, has a graduate job in the kind of fields you're looking at - if they have, they've been keeping it quiet! If you're really anxious about your job prospects with English, get in touch with people in the kinds of firms you see yourself working at, and post in the banking forums for more specific input about applications. :smile:

Reply 782

username368993

Hi, could anyone advise me on applying to Cambridge for English? I just got my AS results and was one UMS mark of an A, where my other grades were ABB. Is it highly unlikely I would get an interview with just a B?

Reply 783

Lidka

Is that for English A-level? Individual colleges have different standards, depending on the year's competition, but if your overall grades are AABB without an A in English I wouldn't be very hopeful, since almost everyone else will have As. Got any extenuating circumstances? If I were you I would email various admissions tutors and see what feedback you get...\

Edit: Have you tried to get a remark?

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 784

Clueless0rach

9

I'm starting my A levels this Summer, and i'm planning on aiming for top grades that'll give me a decent chance at getting in to Cambridge to study English.

For my AS year, i was gonna take English lit, French, Classics and Photography. Chances are that i'll drop photography in my second year. My only worry is that i'll ruin my chances with A level Photography, but i REALLY want to take it... :woo:

Any opinions?

Reply 785

timelordess

9

It will make no difference to your application whatsoever, especially if you're considering dropping it after AS. I did Art A2 and nobody really said anything about it. :smile:

Reply 786

PercyChatsworth

10

With three solid A-level subjects it won't hurt you. Good luck :smile:

Reply 787

Clueless0rach

9

Thank god. :smile:

I was thinking i might do AS History in my second year, just to boost my application, but i'd rather not take on the extra work if it'll really make no difference.

Reply 788

PKA

As the above poster have said, three solid AS levels should be fine, and if you do wish to firm up your options in upper sixth, even better.

As a side note, I'm well jealous you're doing AS photography. I would've killed to do that course if Scotland offered it :O

Reply 789

Lidka

Nope, that's fine for your personal statement (esp. bearing in mind you apply to several other universities). :smile:

It would, however, be a problem if you were expecting to work on Murakami in your first two years (third year is when you specialise and can concentrate on contemporary writing/move away from 'English' English, to some extent).The Fellows at my college said they were often keen to talk about contemporary lit with applicants, since that's something they don't get to do much in supervisions.

This is interesting. I assume this would mean that it is perfectly fine to mention contemporary lit in your PS, as well as older stuff? I'm really into "The Road", and am doing an EPQ on it alongside The Divine Comedy and Heart of Darkness, as well as mentioning it in my PS as an intro and counterpoint to "King Lear". It also has considerable amounts of older stuff and poetry, but I've been advised my some that having some or even any contemporary/21st century lit is a bad call. Would you say this is a myth?

Reply 790

username368993

Gooner231

This is interesting. I assume this would mean that it is perfectly fine to mention contemporary lit in your PS, as well as older stuff? I'm really into "The Road", and am doing an EPQ on it alongside The Divine Comedy and Heart of Darkness, as well as mentioning it in my PS as an intro and counterpoint to "King Lear". It also has considerable amounts of older stuff and poetry, but I've been advised my some that having some or even any contemporary/21st century lit is a bad call. Would you say this is a myth?

Sounds a bit like me really with the modern literature, did you do AQA? Can I ask how you're actually structuring your EPQ? I'm doing mine on the influence of Ancient Greek in modern literature and I'm not really sure where to start.

Reply 791

Am doing EPQ (yes with AQA), our school only introduced it as a whole school year initiative at the back end of last year, completing it around november. Mine's called "Carrying the Fire: Humanity According to McCarthy, Dante and Conrad", so it's quite hard to structure and rather broad, although yours seems to trump me in the breadth stakes haha.

I've still gotta get my secondary material together (uni library days, yum) but I have a way in to the essay through the idea of fire which I came up with in a flash of inspiration on holiday. With a topic as broad as mine (and evidently yours) you'll probably hit upon some flash of brilliance at somepoint and be able to go from that. Also writing as I read, allows me to make changes and keep log better. Ugh. Referencing. It's gonna kill me. :eek:

(edited 3 years ago)

Reply 792

Is mentioning contemporary literature on the personal statement really such an issue? In my present draft, I touch briefly on Rushdie and Murakami (high 5 to whoever it was who also mentioned him!), but I tried to balance it against Hardy and Sophocles.
I figured that I should mention works that I'm actually interested in (which includes modern writers) rather than lie about only reading Dickens and Austen (no disrespect to them!) and end up tanking my interview...

Reply 793

jamieraser

Is mentioning contemporary literature on the personal statement really such an issue? In my present draft, I touch briefly on Rushdie and Murakami (high 5 to whoever it was who also mentioned him!), but I tried to balance it against Hardy and Sophocles.
I figured that I should mention works that I'm actually interested in (which includes modern writers) rather than lie about only reading Dickens and Austen (no disrespect to them!) and end up tanking my interview...

Well yeah of course there's no point saying austen this and dickens that if you don't actually like them (love dickens, austen makes me ill with stuffiness)

One piece of advice I've had from my ucas/english dude has been MENTION POETRY. Not exclusively but not just novels. I, as I wrote, have McCarthy in there and also a bit on Zafon, but then Shakespeare, Keats, Coleridge, Arnold (as I see you have in your sig haha) Dickens.... all interests of mine, fortunately in a range. Whatever we talk about, if we talk about it well I don't see there being a problem :p:

hopefully we'll both be in there for the ol' interview, I'd at least like a chance to tank it (or rather, not tank it)

Reply 794

Gooner231

Well yeah of course there's no point saying austen this and dickens that if you don't actually like them (love dickens, austen makes me ill with stuffiness)

One piece of advice I've had from my ucas/english dude has been MENTION POETRY. Not exclusively but not just novels. I, as I wrote, have McCarthy in there and also a bit on Zafon, but then Shakespeare, Keats, Coleridge, Arnold (as I see you have in your sig haha) Dickens.... all interests of mine, fortunately in a range. Whatever we talk about, if we talk about it well I don't see there being a problem :p:

hopefully we'll both be in there for the ol' interview, I'd at least like a chance to tank it (or rather, not tank it)

yeah thanks alot, mentioning some poetry is probably a good idea (and yes, as the sig suggests, i do love arnold). And agreed about simply getting an interview - it'd be so disheartening not even to make it to that stage!
anyway, which college are you thinking of applying to?

Reply 795

jamieraser

yeah thanks alot, mentioning some poetry is probably a good idea (and yes, as the sig suggests, i do love arnold). And agreed about simply getting an interview - it'd be so disheartening not even to make it to that stage!
anyway, which college are you thinking of applying to?

Emma. 99.99999999999999999% sure (in other words, I am applying there, but liked Downing quite a lot so it will always be in the back of my mind). Emma just won on homeliness, Downing felt a bit... stale in parts. What about you?

Reply 796

Gooner231

Emma. 99.99999999999999999% sure (in other words, I am applying there, but liked Downing quite a lot so it will always be in the back of my mind). Emma just won on homeliness, Downing felt a bit... stale in parts. What about you?

It's a toss-up between Pembroke and Jesus really, but I think I'm definitely leaning towards Pem. I wish I could've made it to one of the open days, but I've had to make do with the prospectus, the college websites and ol' trust TSR for decision-making help. Either way, they both seem lovely and fulfill most of my criteria. Are you doing A levels then? If so, which courses?

Reply 797

jamieraser

It's a toss-up between Pembroke and Jesus really, but I think I'm definitely leaning towards Pem. I wish I could've made it to one of the open days, but I've had to make do with the prospectus, the college websites and ol' trust TSR for decision-making help. Either way, they both seem lovely and fulfill most of my criteria. Are you doing A levels then? If so, which courses?

Good ol' TSR :p:

Yeah I did English Lit, French, History, Spanish and Film Studies for AS, details of which are sigged. Trying to sort out next year, probably will drop one just not sure between Film and Spanish. Reasons for both, but spanish oral remark might give me an easier decision...

What about you? Scottish system?

Reply 798

Gooner231

Good ol' TSR :p:

Yeah I did English Lit, French, History, Spanish and Film Studies for AS, details of which are sigged. Trying to sort out next year, probably will drop one just not sure between Film and Spanish. Reasons for both, but spanish oral remark might give me an easier decision...

What about you? Scottish system?

Nah I'm taking the IB - I go to an international school in Paris and haven't lived in Scotland for a good 10 years now :p:

I take English, French, Economics and History at higher level, and physics and maths at standard. I'm jealous that you guys are able to take film studies though, that sounds really interesting. sadly i don't think any such course exists in the IB... :frown:

Out of interest, why Cam over Oxford? Pretty much all my friends who know I'm applying have asked me this (I'm guessing because Ox has more of an 'arts' reputation).

Reply 799