90% UMS essential!!!??

hi ive heard that to get into cambridge 90% UMS in all your A Levels is near essential - or is it the case of the higher UMS you get the better your chances?
tell me your thoughts

Reply 1

glowstix

2

False, my friend got into Cambridge for History with a C in Chemistry (which was dropped) at AS. And average grades at GCSE. As they interview almost all candidates, it's a good chance to have a go even if you don't have amazing results. I think there is an automatic pooling system where if you get 90%ish in modules, you get automatically pooled if you do not get accepted first time round.
Of course the requirements all depend on the subject and college. Best look on the specific college forums on here to see.

Reply 2

epitome

11

coren111

hi ive heard that to get into cambridge 90% UMS in all your A Levels is near essential - or is it the case of the higher UMS you get the better your chances?
tell me your thoughts

NO -- it is **absolutely NOT essential**

Of course the better your grades, the better your application looks, but there are may parts to the application process -- Personal Statement, teacher references, interviews, tests at interview...

It's helpful (and probably indicative of having some useful ability in the subject), but by no means essential. Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

Reply 3

Opsimathmo

6

Well Trinity does make a point of saying that the majority of their students gets above that...You can argue the meaning but basically they're saying the higher the better.

<blows raspberry at Epitome>

Reply 4

Galatea

11

Obviously as epitome says, it's not absolutely essential, but I think it is pretty necessary to have 90% in the subject you're applying for; I've been told it might 'raise some eyebrows' if you got less, but obviously if you had a brilliant interveiw that would more than make up for it.
My friend was rejected without being pooled from Pembroke for English, and she had straight A*s at GCSE and As at AS level, with 90%+ in all subjects except English. Of course there might have been other reasons why she was rejected, but she feels that cetainly contributed to it.

Reply 5

glowstix

2

Lol.
to be honest, if it were 90% of UMS.
They wouldn't get so many applicants, or people studying there. :B

Reply 6

Wangers

16

coren111

hi ive heard that to get into cambridge 90% UMS in all your A Levels is near essential - or is it the case of the higher UMS you get the better your chances?
tell me your thoughts

Not at all. 90% arguably just shows (in some subjects at least) that your're very familier with the mark scheme. Of course it helps, but once you get to interveiw - that is naturally far more important.

Think about it - a figure such as 276 (completly arbitary) is utterly devoid of passion, imagination and for some subjects - vision of what it entails and what you want to be/do. Thats why they meet you.

Reply 7

epitome

11

Opsimathmo

Well Trinity does make a point of saying that the majority of their students gets above that...You can argue the meaning but basically they're saying the higher the better.

<blows raspberry at Epitome>

There is a difference between 90% being obtained by the majority of students [at a particular college], and 90% being an essential (or near-essential) requirement.

*wipes Opsi's raspberry spit off face*

Galatea

Obviously as epitome says, it's not absolutely essential, but I think it is pretty necessary to have 90% in the subject you're applying for; I've been told it might 'raise some eyebrows' if you got less, but obviously if you had a brilliant interveiw that would more than make up for it.
My friend was rejected without being pooled from Pembroke for English, and she had straight A*s at GCSE and As at AS level, with 90%+ in all subjects except English. Of course there might have been other reasons why she was rejected, but she feels that cetainly contributed to it.

I didn't say it's not a good idea to get 90%+ :wink:

Has to be said that most people who are going to get an offer should, in all normal circumstances, be able to get 90% in at least their intended subject. But that doesn't mean it's necessary. But that doesn't mean it's not a good idea!

Whatever: get 90% if you can. It certianly won't harm you!

Reply 8

The West Wing

18

I got 90+ in everything and I got in, therefore it's absolutely essential </bad logic>

Reply 9

steelmole

10

I got a nice spread of marks and got an offer. Stop finding new things to worry about.

Reply 10

i'm no superman

15

Do they not offer interviews to those who've retaken any module?

Reply 11

steelmole

10

!MEna

Do they not offer interviews to those who've retaken any module?

There aren't hard and fast rules like that.

Reply 12

FadedJade

15

If they didnt give offers to anyone who had retaken a paper then not many people would be here at all.

The 90% is completely untrue.

Reply 13

Excalibur

15

If it's any help, the average UMS marks of the successful TSR applicants this year was around 92%.... but that's TSR for you! :wink:

Also, it's not necessarily 90%+ in every subject - some people may have got 300 for their best subject but got about ~240 in their less relevant subjects, but average out overall as over 90%.

Reply 14

FadedJade

15

Yeah i see what you are saying, i was just answering the wording of the OPs statement.

Reply 15

7589200

18

UMS marks, on the whole, seem to be quite well correlated to what kind of school you're at and the admission tutors know this. If you're from a top or middle independent school and you have a 'lukewarm' 260/300 in the subject you're applying for - it doesn't really tell them that you're the one they should pick. For other schools, where marks might be, on average, lower - the 270 might be moved to a lower mark.

It also depends on the subject. If your subject is ultra-competitive, to use medicine as a popular example, then there are going to be a great number of criteria which tutors would look at and you'll find that medics on-the-whole seem to have outstanding UMS marks, at least at the colleges where there was a lot of competition.

Reply 16

elcalcido

Just to back up the not essential argument.....I've been accepted for Modern Languages and only have 81% at French and 83% at German (Language I applied for) and only have one AS over 90%.

I'm sure it helps, but I think it's equally important to be interested in the subject you're applying for outside of your syllabus.

Reply 17

Maximus

Not really I got average results in two modules at AS, yet I was still interviewed and I've been offered a place. However, it may vary from college to college.

Reply 18

emilY?

1

My UMS were very rubbishy for a Cambridge applicant, including my chosen subject.
Shockingly, I have an offer!

There's always hope!

But yeah, I totally made the mistake of being so wrapped up in AS levels and other stuff that I forgot how much they meant Cambridge-wise...and just not doing the right kind of work towards them - ie. too much *OH MY GOD I HAVE SO MUCH WORK" and not enough actual working :smile:

Reply 19

Opsimathmo

6

epitome

There is a difference between 90% being obtained by the majority of students [at a particular college], and 90% being an essential (or near-essential) requirement.

*wipes Opsi's raspberry spit off face*

I didn't say it's not a good idea to get 90%+ :wink:

Has to be said that most people who are going to get an offer should, in all normal circumstances, be able to get 90% in at least their intended subject. But that doesn't mean it's necessary. But that doesn't mean it's not a good idea!

Whatever: get 90% if you can. It certianly won't harm you!

<stamps foot>

What I meant is that by emphasising it they are sending out a certain message...Can you guess what it is? :wink:

90% UMS essential!!!??

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