Oxford MAT 2013/2014

I thought he must have been, he must have had an exceptional interview. He's competing against the strongest mathematicians in the world by applying to Trinity as an international! Congratulations to him though.

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No, he's brilliant. His interviewer gave up asking questions after a while and asked him to teach something instead. And called him a "true mathematician" in the end. Did the IPhO guys apply for physics or maths? And why weren't they pooled?

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Yeah, he deserved it.
But I would still like to point out that there's a difference between being brilliant at maths and being brilliant enough to win IMO gold.

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I admit to not knowing anything about international entry for Trinity mathematics, but I can't see a reason why it would be much more competitive.

Just curious, why would that be the case? I mean you'd have a larger pool of talent with internationals, so naturally if you attract the best, there would be tougher competition than with domestic applicants only a handful of which are likely to have achieved the same in terms of Olympiad achievement?

Because usually at Oxford and Cambridge then UK students and international students are competing for the same places, there's not a set number of international spaces.

Agreed. However, even though your friend didn't get an IMO Gold, he was probably stronger at the style of maths studied at University, a different syllabus to the Olympiad syllabus. The IMO and the Cambridge Tripos, or University Maths are two different beasts. Given the fact that he made it to an IMO Shortlist, and was good at 'University Maths' is probably why he stood out as exceptional I think. Although IMO students are almost always good at uni maths, they probably enjoyed teaching him and he gave a good impression to the tutors, which certainly accounts for a lot. Otherwise they most likely wouldn't want you despite your ability, which is true for any top university I suppose.

Sorry, but I'm not fully knowledgeable about the admissions process, so correct me if I'm wrong.

From the Cambridge admissions policy listed on their website:

"Just over 10% of our undergraduates (around 1200 students) are from overseas, representing more than 120 countries. "

And furthermore:

"Cambridge is fortunate in that it continues to attract many talented international applicants. Competition for places amongst international students is therefore fierce. Academic achievement and potential remain the criteria for the selection of all undergraduates and no priority is given to those who pay the overseas rate of fees."

So roughly 90% of places are for domestic students, and 10% are for internationals. So Im just wondering why that they are competing for the same places? Surely if they only have just over 10% of places, and there is a wider pool of talent it would be harder to get into?

I'm not entirely sure about Oxford though, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

Also, I thought I would include the sources:

http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/info/international.html

http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/info/international.html

Sorry, but I'm not fully knowledgeable about the admissions process, so correct me if I'm wrong.

From the Cambridge admissions policy listed on their website:

"Just over 10% of our undergraduates (around 1200 students) are from overseas, representing more than 120 countries. "

And furthermore:

"Cambridge is fortunate in that it continues to attract many talented international applicants. Competition for places amongst international students is therefore fierce. Academic achievement and potential remain the criteria for the selection of all undergraduates and no priority is given to those who pay the overseas rate of fees."

So roughly 90% of places are for domestic students, and 10% are for internationals. So Im just wondering why that they are competing for the same places? Surely if they only have just over 10% of places, and there is a wider pool of talent it would be harder to get into?

I'm not entirely sure about Oxford though, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

10% is just the current figure, it's not strictly a quota.

While I think it would be incredible to study at an ivy league US university for a PhD, I'm pretty sure I wouldnt get in as an international. The international competition for Cambridge at least as far as I know is intense to the extent that unless you have a gold medal at the IMO you could very likely be rejected by Trinity. (I had a friend who applied to Trinity last year with a gold medal in the APMO and got rejected). The competition puts me off, and I think it would probably be easier for me to get into Oxford/Cambridge for a masters as opposed to Princeton or Harvard. But it's definitely something I would consider if I knew there was a chance for me like, at Stanford, if it was possible for someone like me.

Also I'm not sure I want to go to the US for a PhD, since I intend to drop out after the masters!

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It looks like only MAT guys are posting.

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Congratulations on the offer from St. John's by the way!

I also applied there for Maths and Philosophy, but I'll be at Pembroke next year after being reallocated Who knows, maybe I'll see you around the maths department!

Unfortunately not

I was happy to receive an interview let alone an offer to be honest. My firm choice is now Imperial, so I'm not too disappointed.

See you next year!

Yeah hopefully! I need a 2 in STEP II or III to meet the offer though...

Wow, what did you apply for?

Wow, what did you apply for?

Yeah hopefully! I need a 2 in STEP II or III to meet the offer though...

Imperial.

You can do it! I'm freaking out as well don't worry. Does everyone have the STEP offer or is it only for certain people?

Sorry, I meant course