Mature students 2011 entry
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Original post by TomU
Email, however I didn't receive the first email they sent in late July. The first I knew of it was an email from Hughes hall asking why I hadn't responded! I am not the only person who has had the same problem.
I would suggest getting in touch with your college and asking them about it. There are still free spaces on it I would think, but you only get invited if you've been selected by the admissions tutor who admitted you. Can't hurt to give them a call and ask though if you think you'd benefit from it.
I would suggest getting in touch with your college and asking them about it. There are still free spaces on it I would think, but you only get invited if you've been selected by the admissions tutor who admitted you. Can't hurt to give them a call and ask though if you think you'd benefit from it.
Fab OK. Suspect my admissions tutor thinks I'm well genned up as I've been doing OU which is a bit different to Access. Depends what's on the course. Maybe you could be my correspondent and just fill me in! I'll ask though. Thanks
Original post by chai wallah
Fab OK. Suspect my admissions tutor thinks I'm well genned up as I've been doing OU which is a bit different to Access. Depends what's on the course. Maybe you could be my correspondent and just fill me in! I'll ask though. Thanks
I don't think it's based upon what qualification you've done - I've been chatting to a guy who got his offer after doing A-levels as a mature student and he's been invited to the PREP course too...
Theology has a reputation for being one of the easiest courses to qualify for at Cambridge. So you should have a chance.
Please, please, please avoid Persian as it is impossible to comply with the university's year-abroad requirements and Cambridge will almost certainly not allow you to change subject when you find you cannot go to Iran.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by sohoscribbler
Please, please, please avoid Persian as it is impossible to comply with the university's year-abroad requirements and Cambridge will almost certainly not allow you to change subject when you find you cannot go to Iran.
Why so? I have a friend who lived in Tehran for 6 months on his year abroad last year...
That's not going to happen any more as Iran is on the Foreign Office no-go list and universities will not allow their students to spend part or all of their year abroad there. Even though impossible, the year abroad remains compulsory however for Persian students. The plot would have defeated Kafka.
For example, see http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/dmes/islamic/yearabroad.htm and http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/iran.
For the time being you would be crazy to want to study Persian at a British university. It's a terrible shame as Iran has contributed so much to world culture.
And if you do make the horrific mistake of studying Persian at a British university and find the compulsory year abroad impossible, do not count on being able to change subject. Partly for fear of offending the Iranian government, which helps fund it, the institution will cast you adrift without a care.
For example, see http://www.ames.cam.ac.uk/dmes/islamic/yearabroad.htm and http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/middle-east-north-africa/iran.
For the time being you would be crazy to want to study Persian at a British university. It's a terrible shame as Iran has contributed so much to world culture.
And if you do make the horrific mistake of studying Persian at a British university and find the compulsory year abroad impossible, do not count on being able to change subject. Partly for fear of offending the Iranian government, which helps fund it, the institution will cast you adrift without a care.
(edited 12 years ago)
how come you're not listening to anyone who's pointing out direct experience of University-approved year abroad time being legitimately spent in Iran?
Chai wallah
Well, for one thing, the situation has changed dramatically in recent weeks with the storming of the British embassy in Tehran and the subsequent travel advisory of the Foreign Office against all but essential visits to Iran. If the Iranian government cannot protect the lives of British diplomats in a heavily fortified building, what chance do other UK citizens have?
For another, British universities - for example Cambridge - will not allow students to spend part or all of their compulsory year abroad in a country the Foreign Office puts on its no-go list. If the country enters the list while the student is there, he or she must leave immediately.
If a student goes there, the time spent there will not count as a credit towards the year abroad.
Yet the year abroad remains a mandatory part of a Persian-language course.
And for your information I have been to Iran four times for a total of almost a year and written a well-reviewed book about it for a publisher you probably respect, which helped to open up the country to travellers.
If all students of Persian at British universities had equal access to a year abroad in a Persian-speaking country, I would have fewer grounds for grumbling.
Oh, of course, there is also Afghanistan, where many people speak Dari, quite similar to Persian, although I am not aware of any adequate educational facilities there for foreigners wishing to study it. And the last time I checked the whole country was on the Foreign Office no-go list.
The last time I went to Tajikistan, the only other arguably Persian-speaking country, it was officially the world's most dangerous country for expatriates after Angola, in the top-10 list of the Foreign Office's no-go destinations and most people you met did not even speak Persian. Any place you could get a job as a foreigner you would be in such a safe environment with guards, drivers and curfews you would have had almost no chance to interact with locals. I did try but it ended up with a mugging at the end of two Kalashnikovs and death threats that forced me to leave the country and not be able to complete my degree.
But please tell me about the more positive experiences of a recent year abroad in Iran or any other Persian-speaking country as I am curious and would, despite what you might think, embrace a balanced debate.
Yet I have not seen anything on this thread or even forum to suggest a single first-hand positive experience of the Persian year abroad, only third-hand and vague reports. Please, please, please correct me if I am wrong.
Well, for one thing, the situation has changed dramatically in recent weeks with the storming of the British embassy in Tehran and the subsequent travel advisory of the Foreign Office against all but essential visits to Iran. If the Iranian government cannot protect the lives of British diplomats in a heavily fortified building, what chance do other UK citizens have?
For another, British universities - for example Cambridge - will not allow students to spend part or all of their compulsory year abroad in a country the Foreign Office puts on its no-go list. If the country enters the list while the student is there, he or she must leave immediately.
If a student goes there, the time spent there will not count as a credit towards the year abroad.
Yet the year abroad remains a mandatory part of a Persian-language course.
And for your information I have been to Iran four times for a total of almost a year and written a well-reviewed book about it for a publisher you probably respect, which helped to open up the country to travellers.
If all students of Persian at British universities had equal access to a year abroad in a Persian-speaking country, I would have fewer grounds for grumbling.
Oh, of course, there is also Afghanistan, where many people speak Dari, quite similar to Persian, although I am not aware of any adequate educational facilities there for foreigners wishing to study it. And the last time I checked the whole country was on the Foreign Office no-go list.
The last time I went to Tajikistan, the only other arguably Persian-speaking country, it was officially the world's most dangerous country for expatriates after Angola, in the top-10 list of the Foreign Office's no-go destinations and most people you met did not even speak Persian. Any place you could get a job as a foreigner you would be in such a safe environment with guards, drivers and curfews you would have had almost no chance to interact with locals. I did try but it ended up with a mugging at the end of two Kalashnikovs and death threats that forced me to leave the country and not be able to complete my degree.
But please tell me about the more positive experiences of a recent year abroad in Iran or any other Persian-speaking country as I am curious and would, despite what you might think, embrace a balanced debate.
Yet I have not seen anything on this thread or even forum to suggest a single first-hand positive experience of the Persian year abroad, only third-hand and vague reports. Please, please, please correct me if I am wrong.
(edited 12 years ago)
Hello!
I would appreciate some advice from people who know: when applying to Cambridge as a mature student (undergraduate of course), is it best to apply to a college which admits only mature students, or is this still only a matter of taste (I would be 21 at the start of term)? Thank you!
I would appreciate some advice from people who know: when applying to Cambridge as a mature student (undergraduate of course), is it best to apply to a college which admits only mature students, or is this still only a matter of taste (I would be 21 at the start of term)? Thank you!
Original post by z0tx
Hello!
I would appreciate some advice from people who know: when applying to Cambridge as a mature student (undergraduate of course), is it best to apply to a college which admits only mature students, or is this still only a matter of taste (I would be 21 at the start of term)? Thank you!
I would appreciate some advice from people who know: when applying to Cambridge as a mature student (undergraduate of course), is it best to apply to a college which admits only mature students, or is this still only a matter of taste (I would be 21 at the start of term)? Thank you!
From the little I know, you can apply to either (can definitely do that) but I think some non-mature colleges are a little fussy about mature students so it might be best to ask any non-mature colleges you like about their policy on mature students.
I think it also depends on what qualifications you have. If you have good A-levels and some good employment experiences from your years away from education then you will probably have just as much of a shot at the non-mature colleges. If however, you have a less traditional background then you would probably be better suited to one of the mature colleges purely because they have a larger intake of non-traditional applicants and will probably have a better understanding of the grade structure of whatever qualification you do have.
Having said all that, there is always an exception to the rule. You should also consider whether you would want to live with mature students or not, as you are on the younger end of mature!
Having said all that, there is always an exception to the rule. You should also consider whether you would want to live with mature students or not, as you are on the younger end of mature!
Original post by z0tx
Hello!
I would appreciate some advice from people who know: when applying to Cambridge as a mature student (undergraduate of course), is it best to apply to a college which admits only mature students, or is this still only a matter of taste (I would be 21 at the start of term)? Thank you!
I would appreciate some advice from people who know: when applying to Cambridge as a mature student (undergraduate of course), is it best to apply to a college which admits only mature students, or is this still only a matter of taste (I would be 21 at the start of term)? Thank you!
Original post by gethsemane342
From the little I know, you can apply to either (can definitely do that) but I think some non-mature colleges are a little fussy about mature students so it might be best to ask any non-mature colleges you like about their policy on mature students.
argh I wrote a reply to this and lost it. Definitely do do some scoping out of different colleges, both mature and standard-age - whatever takes your fancy. I called round (by phone), and it was great and everyone was very friendly and helpful.
I was very surprised to hear that my college hadn't had a mature undergrad for years, which didn't show at all - it's all gone fine and I haven't felt out of place or had any admin-ish problems.
I think one large thing that influenced my decision was that I felt more similar in terms of where I was in life to people in a 'regular' college than mature students who'll often have been working, or have career plans. I might've misjudged that, definitely, but I'm very happy where I am. I do think it's about finding where you feel most comfortable - then you can go ahead and show yourself at your best in your application and interviews. Good luck!
Original post by chai wallah
argh I wrote a reply to this and lost it. Definitely do do some scoping out of different colleges, both mature and standard-age - whatever takes your fancy. I called round (by phone), and it was great and everyone was very friendly and helpful.
I was very surprised to hear that my college hadn't had a mature undergrad for years, which didn't show at all - it's all gone fine and I haven't felt out of place or had any admin-ish problems.
I think one large thing that influenced my decision was that I felt more similar in terms of where I was in life to people in a 'regular' college than mature students who'll often have been working, or have career plans. I might've misjudged that, definitely, but I'm very happy where I am. I do think it's about finding where you feel most comfortable - then you can go ahead and show yourself at your best in your application and interviews. Good luck!
I was very surprised to hear that my college hadn't had a mature undergrad for years, which didn't show at all - it's all gone fine and I haven't felt out of place or had any admin-ish problems.
I think one large thing that influenced my decision was that I felt more similar in terms of where I was in life to people in a 'regular' college than mature students who'll often have been working, or have career plans. I might've misjudged that, definitely, but I'm very happy where I am. I do think it's about finding where you feel most comfortable - then you can go ahead and show yourself at your best in your application and interviews. Good luck!
Exactly. I would definitely prefer to be with regular undergraduates, but my application being fairly non-standard, I am afraid of going for the impossible; especially for Mathematics. Thanks for the advice everyone by the way!
Original post by z0tx
Original post by z0tx
Exactly. I would definitely prefer to be with regular undergraduates, but my application being fairly non-standard, I am afraid of going for the impossible; especially for Mathematics. Thanks for the advice everyone by the way!
Then go for a regular college. A couple of my friends were at mature/graduate colleges, and whilst also nice, the experience is completely different there. Mature colleges obvious have more experience of non-standard entry routes, but assuming your qualifications are sound and of Cambridge standard, you shouldn't have a problem.
Are mature students offered the same accommodation arrangements as other undergraduates, in that accommodation is available for the entire length of the 3 or 4 year course you may be studying? Thank you.
Original post by 21stcenturyphantom
Are mature students offered the same accommodation arrangements as other undergraduates, in that accommodation is available for the entire length of the 3 or 4 year course you may be studying? Thank you.
yes - though it might help if you explain why you're wondering why it wouldn't be?
Original post by chai wallah
yes - though it might help if you explain why you're wondering why it wouldn't be?
I don't know, it was just an innocent inquiry.
okay, sorry, just puzzled apologies!
apologies!Quick Reply
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