The Official Cambridge Winter Pool 2013 Thread (includes FAQ and Status Reports)

Are you my competition...?

I just wanted to say I got an email a few hours ago telling me I got a direct offer from Magdalene college for PBS!!!!

YEAHHH!!


And thanks @grammar12 for posting on TSR that you had also, it's what made me check my emails.

I got home from the theatre about an hour ago and have spent all this time catching up on this thread...I feel like such a loser. What has Cambridge done to me!? (Also, still without an offer...sad times)

She's lying.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1248911/Naughty-goings-Newnham-Have-women-women-Cambridge-college-raucous.html

But I can't take all the credit.

Definitely won't be sleeping tonight...

So two things:

Firstly, does anyone know why Cambridge don't just wait until next week to send out all the letters - then they wouldn't need to put us through these horrible few days, and in the acceptance letters they could just say accepted, accepted at another college, invited for re-interview, or rejected. I think they should do that.

I'd agree with you, it's just I've seen a few people saying they/ they know people who received their offers 3-5 days after the pool closed last year. Also, the amounts of TSR pool offers made so far this year is considerably lower that last year, suggesting there's more to come?

Just wishful thinking I guess...

OK, I've done a bit of comparison between this year and last. In fact, we have more poolees posting in this and related threads than we had at the same stage last year, with proportionately more offers but fewer invitations to interview being reported. Clearly, still more to come of both!

I am working tomorrow, with an early start, so may not get the daily summary posted up before I go.

Being back to your normal routine tomorrow will help to reduce the stress levels a bit - come up with a standard answer to the inevitable questions and stick to it, and then try to focus on the real priorities - ie the things you can do something about. You can't change anything at the Cambridge end (unless you are preparing for an interview) so stick with what you can directly influence - ie, revision, coursework, etc

Congratulations to everyone who has had good news today, and sympathetic noises to all those in suspense. We can but hope that by the end of the week, if not much sooner, a good many of you will know one way or the other where you stand.

Minerva, according to the reports in the 1st post, the majority of pool offers have been made; if we follow the optimistic 1/3 offers per poolie, then seeing that 40 offers have been made to approx. 200 TSR poolies, doesn't that surely mean that there are around 20 left?

I'm guessing they have their reasons.

Here's some logic I can see in it. Firstly, if you're pooled it's possible that you wouldn't want to accept an offer from another college (for example, if you got an offer from a single sex college). So they want to make pool offers on an organic basis. i.e. they are making an offer, and you say yes/no, and if you say no then they can fish someone else. Doing all that by letter would be too slow.

However, the main reason I can see is that for the majority of people the letter was a straight accept/reject. Only a minority end up in the pool, and many of those will have been fished or invited for interview by Monday (though not all, don't panic). Given the proximity of exams and return to studies, they are prioritising giving a definite answer to the majority, despite intensifying the discomfort for a few thousand in the pool.

The final reason is that if you wanted a prestigious college and the first letter you got said that you'd got into a college that would have been bottom of your list, you'd feel disappointed - you might even turn the place down in haste. By the time you've marinated in the pool for a couple of days you'll be grateful for the fishing!

Minerva, according to the reports in the 1st post, the majority of pool offers have been made; if we follow the optimistic 1/3 offers per poolie, then seeing that 40 offers have been made to approx. 200 TSR poolies, doesn't that surely mean that there are around 20 left?

I know I'm not Minerva, but i'll attempt to answer anyway
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions - the numbers on TSR are by no means representative. Many people only announce they've been pooled after they find out they've got an offer from another college... if they hadn't we would probably never have known about them! Don't stress too long over the numbers anyway; what will happen, will happen

Thank you, your help is so awesome, and has helped me and everyone else on this forum no end. Mad props.

Problem is my school has a training day tomorrow, so I'm sitting at home waiting/revising again....

There is nothing more I want than to go to Cambridge, and I have dedicated the last year to improving every aspect of my grades, activities, interest in the subject and skills in order to reapply ready.

I reapplied to Caius. I flew across the mediterranean again for the sole purpose of being interviewed. I really thought I did well.

Then the letter arrives, and it's the same.

I've been quite devastated since. I feel like I lost a year of my life and wasted my time trying to please a disgruntled, cold parent whom I never will be able to. Who I love so much but wouldn't love me back.

So now I am waiting for that parent to show compassion.. i guess..

This cruel 'pool' (feels more like a room whose walls keep sliding at your direction with no way out other than being pulled up) only makes me realize how badly I want it, which isn't helping at all....

cheers anyway

I got an offer from sidney sussex, by the phone, at about 7pm over the moon! Good luck for swimming in the pool, it was only when i'd given up hope and turned my mind to something else that the news came. x