Oxbridge
Quick question!
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
Original post by kinglynx
Quick question!
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
Hey is this for medicine? You probably would have got more replies in the medicine thread! I'd say that achieved grades are always going to be better than predicted grades!
Original post by kinglynx
Quick question!
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
Do you have offers elsewhere - that's an important question to ask
I wouldn't recommend you take a gap year JUST to apply to Oxbridge. Make sure its going to enrich your life. For instance, with Medicine you could get a really, really good bit of work experience working full time in a nursing home or volunteering somewhere like that. That would look fantastic on your CV; or volunteer with (is it St Johns ambulance service?) just to give a hand. What I've noticed with medicine is often grades are not enough; what else do you have to offer? Make sure that if you do take the gap year its worth while.
I took a gap year, and applied to Cambridge (and I've now accepted an unconditional offer for October 2013) but the reason I took the gap year wasn't wholly to apply to Cambridge. It was because I was ill, I held offers for a course and university I didn't really want to go to and I didn't feel ready to leave. Now, with 6 1/2 months left, I'm getting increasingly restless. Gap years are difficult when you see all your friends having the time of their life at Freshers' while you're sitting at home. If you take a gap year - fill it with lots of fun things to do! (Unlike me who has just signed up for a whole host of examinations that I didn't need to do). If you have offers for Medicine at universities you like already, then I'd recommend you strongly consider them. For a course as competitive as Medicine, you're more likely to get rejected a second time, which could make the 9/10 month wait from finding out in January until you'd start incredibly painful.
I may have rambled a lot but I know what position you're in. Just make sure you take a gap year for more reasons than 'I really want to go to Oxbridge' because they wont care that you've taken a gap year. All they'll see is another candidate, unaware that you sacrificed studying for that year to give them another shot. Good luck with whatever you choose!
I took a gap year, and applied to Cambridge (and I've now accepted an unconditional offer for October 2013) but the reason I took the gap year wasn't wholly to apply to Cambridge. It was because I was ill, I held offers for a course and university I didn't really want to go to and I didn't feel ready to leave. Now, with 6 1/2 months left, I'm getting increasingly restless. Gap years are difficult when you see all your friends having the time of their life at Freshers' while you're sitting at home. If you take a gap year - fill it with lots of fun things to do! (Unlike me who has just signed up for a whole host of examinations that I didn't need to do). If you have offers for Medicine at universities you like already, then I'd recommend you strongly consider them. For a course as competitive as Medicine, you're more likely to get rejected a second time, which could make the 9/10 month wait from finding out in January until you'd start incredibly painful.
I may have rambled a lot but I know what position you're in. Just make sure you take a gap year for more reasons than 'I really want to go to Oxbridge' because they wont care that you've taken a gap year. All they'll see is another candidate, unaware that you sacrificed studying for that year to give them another shot. Good luck with whatever you choose!
Agree with the above, be prepared for the possibility of having no university to go to at all next year (then you'll be really screwed). But if you're willing to take the risk, and Oxbridge means that much to you, then go ahead and don't live in regret. Big decision OP, think hard about it.
Thanks guys, I don't have offers so far but ill definitely think about it in the next couple months, cheers
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Original post by kinglynx
one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted
do you mind me asking what your bmat score was? (if it's not too personal)
I'm thinking about reapplying to Cambridge this year.
thanks and good luck with the rest of your application (if you're still waiting to hear)
Original post by kinglynx
Thanks guys, I don't have offers so far but ill definitely think about it in the next couple months, cheers
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How many rejections do you have so far?
If you have four medicine rejections, and you didn't apply to all the most oversubscribed medical schools, the chances are that your academic results were not your only problem. Cambridge may have referred in feedback to your BMAT score being slightly too low, but that is an easy response for them to give and avoids going into more subjective and perhaps more hurtful issues.
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by kinglynx
Quick question!
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
Cambridge doesn't usually distinguish between predictions of A and A* grades, so unless that was explicit in your feedback, I don't think that's the explanation. Low UMS scores are more likely (though obviously I don't know the specifics of your situation)
Actual grades are always better than predicted ones, as you'd imagine, but given the difficulties of getting in for medicine anywhere, the relatively equal prestige of a medical degree from anywhere, and how heavy the Cambridge course is compared to other universities, I'd take any other offer rather than waiting a year for a retake - at best you'll gain very little advantage from it and at worst the sheer quantity of work won't suit you and you'll either drop out or have a miserable six years.
Well they wrote to both me and my friend our predictions of A* wasn't high enough :/
Yeah I think I won't have a gap year now hahahaa
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Yeah I think I won't have a gap year now
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Original post by kinglynx
Well they wrote to both me and my friend our predictions of A* wasn't high enough :/
Yeah I think I won't have a gap year now hahahaa
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Yeah I think I won't have a gap year now
hahahaaPosted from TSR Mobile
That's unusual. What were your UMS grades like? It may be that they felt the predictions weren't realistic, but I'm not used to them distinguishing between predicted grades like that.
See here:
We recognise that making accurate A* predictions will be difficult for schools/colleges. We will therefore not be placing any weight on whether or not a school/college predicts an A* and applicants will not be rejected just because they are not predicted to achieve any A* grades by their school/college. Those applicants whose AS performance make the achievement of an A* look a remote possibility, however, are unlikely to be successful unless there are mitigating circumstances that explain why their AS performance does not properly reflect their true potential.
Original post by kinglynx
Quick question!
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
I was rejected from cambridge this year on the basis of a few things, one was my bmat score was a bit under what they wanted, and also my predicted grades were A*A*AA
If i was to achieve A*A*A*A* this year(Which i feel i can do), take the BMAT again and hopefully get a better score, and then apply to oxford, would i have a better chance of getting into oxbridge?
My main question here is, what's better, predicted grades or actual achieved alevel grades?
sorry for the waffle
(and im not confusing oxford with cambridge here, i think in hindsight i prefer oxford more now, hence the reapp)
Actual grades are obviously far better than predicted grades, because if you already have the entry requirements to get into oxbridge then you are gold dust to them, this is slightly different for medicine but still applies.
Think about it, if your an admissioner and have two applicants of equal ability, one who already has the grades - and another who is predicted the grades you'd go with the person who already has the grades because it removes the risk of giving an offer to someone who will slump / fail to meet the offer.
Original post by SeriouslySmart
Actual grades are obviously far better than predicted grades, because if you already have the entry requirements to get into oxbridge then you are gold dust to them, this is slightly different for medicine but still applies.
Think about it, if your an admissioner and have two applicants of equal ability, one who already has the grades - and another who is predicted the grades you'd go with the person who already has the grades because it removes the risk of giving an offer to someone who will slump / fail to meet the offer.
Think about it, if your an admissioner and have two applicants of equal ability, one who already has the grades - and another who is predicted the grades you'd go with the person who already has the grades because it removes the risk of giving an offer to someone who will slump / fail to meet the offer.
This isn't the case - because (especially for Medicine), the chances of someone missing the offer are very low, compared to the possibility of skill atrophy after a year out. They seem to demand higher offers for post-qualification applicants rather than lower ones - for example, Trinity suggests at least two and probably three A* grades are necessary to be competitive as a post-qualification applicant. I don't think this is the same at other colleges, but post-qualification applicants definitely aren't favoured; at best they're looked upon equally.
Original post by lp386
This isn't the case - because (especially for Medicine), the chances of someone missing the offer are very low, compared to the possibility of skill atrophy after a year out. They seem to demand higher offers for post-qualification applicants rather than lower ones - for example, Trinity suggests at least two and probably three A* grades are necessary to be competitive as a post-qualification applicant. I don't think this is the same at other colleges, but post-qualification applicants definitely aren't favoured; at best they're looked upon equally.
Understandable why Trinity may decide to up the anty, but I'm still not sure I agree with your suggestion of skill atrophy, skill atrophy of what?
A level science content can be picked back up with just a few hours revision for a week or two.
If we were talking about mathematics then it would be a different ball game, I agree that maths ability quickly drops without practice.
Original post by SeriouslySmart
Understandable why Trinity may decide to up the anty, but I'm still not sure I agree with your suggestion of skill atrophy, skill atrophy of what?
A level science content can be picked back up with just a few hours revision for a week or two.
If we were talking about mathematics then it would be a different ball game, I agree that maths ability quickly drops without practice.
A level science content can be picked back up with just a few hours revision for a week or two.
If we were talking about mathematics then it would be a different ball game, I agree that maths ability quickly drops without practice.
Possibly - I thought it was the simplest explanation as to why post-qualification applicants are not advantaged (contrary to your previous statement, they're not like "gold dust" - there's no evidence that Oxbridge is struggling to attract applicants that are going to achieve the necessary grades!)
I think a more plausible explanation is that since the average grade of Cambridge entrants is 2.5 A*s, anyone with (guaranteed) A*AA is likely to be seen as a worse applicant than someone who they could expect on average to get 2.5 A* grades and to have a very low chance of getting none. Hence they may wish to see a higher score than A*AA compared to an applicant who they judge to have the potential to do better than A*AA.
To put it in a less economisty navel-gazing sense - the A*AA offer is the floor of what Cambridge entrants achieve, most applicants achieve that score, and anyone with that score won't be advantaged compared to the candidates who are likely to achieve that score in a year.
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