Natural Sciences at Cambridge

Hi,
I'm planning on applying for Biological Sciences for my uni course, but also Natural Sciences at Cambridge for 2024. I have done some NSAA practice and stuff, but Im unsure if it is worth applying.
I got all 9s and 2 8s at GCSE, and I am doing Maths, Biology and Chemistry. I am hoping my predicted grades will be A*A*A, but I dropped my EPQ, because it was quite overwhelming and completely unrelated to anything I want to do. I have strong work experiences, and I have read a lot of books related to the topic. But is 3 A-Levels with the minimum grade requirement okay, and no further maths?
Also does it matter if my personal statement is for a Biological Sciences application, not a Natural Sciences one?
Any help would be much appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Bookworm524

Original post by s12333

But is 3 A-Levels with the minimum grade requirement okay, and no further maths?
Also does it matter if my personal statement is for a Biological Sciences application, not a Natural Sciences one?
Any help would be much appreciated :smile:

That's fine! I'm starting natsci there this Oct and I didn't have further maths a level at all. You DON'T need a further maths for natsci! (I dunno where this assumption comes from :redface:

)

The 4 other unis I applied are all biology courses and I wrote mostly biology related stuff on my PS, with a bit of chem and maths challenges mentioned, and it's fine.

It's worth applying: you got pretty good gcses and predicted grades now, and it'll be a great way to learn no matter you will get an offer or not!

Reply 2

Bookworm524

For your PS I'd write about what interests you about biology e.g. specific topics, what you've learnt from the books BUT also be prepared to know them well enough in case they ask you to elaborate during the interview!

And I'd look at some NSAA past papers, do them under timed conditions and ask your teachers about the ones you don't understand.

Reply 3

s12333

Hi!
That's great advice, thank you so much. Can I ask what college you applied to? I'm struggling to make a decision, and I am visiting next week so I'm thinking of making a shortlist.
Also, I've just finished my personal statement first draft, I have included a variety of material I've studied - a book, podcast and lecture, but I just can't tell if it is enough, I am worried that I can't make it too specific, do you have any advice on that?
Also, just generally, how did you find the application process?

Thank you again!

Reply 4

Bookworm524

Original post by s12333

Can I ask what college you applied to? I'm struggling to make a decision, and I am visiting next week so I'm thinking of making a shortlist.

I applied to Jesus! It's helpful to include a checklist of what you want e.g. accomodation ensuite? College size? Facilities you're looking for, location, views, or just how you feel inside

Reply 5

carbogattoion

I think it's worth applying - they say you only *need* 3 A levels and generally from when I was applying I got the feeling they care a lot more about your interest in the subject than whether you have the best grades or not. The personal statement (or questions?) do make a big difference.
Re: NSAA they say about half marks are good so don't worry if you're not doing amazingly! I remember doing it and being pretty worried when I struggled to do even half the questions in the time limit but really it's not super strict and I got something like 3,5 , 4,0 and 3,4 (around about that, these marks being really low) and got in
You don't even need maths for bio natsci at some colleges so i wouldn't worry about not having further maths!