Should I take my Cambridge offer?

Bath is a good uni, obviously Cambridge is world renowned but remember that it's not just about reputation; for example Bath probably has more of a laid back atmosphere which might help you to enjoy your degree more, and therefore do better in it.

Cambridge have given you a really high offer but if Bath is significantly lower then you could always put it as insurance, you can always have a demanding firm choice with insurance as back up.

I don't think you'd be crazy to reject Cambridge given that Bath is a decent uni, however I also think that you could firm Cambridge and put Bath as insurance.
Sorry if this is really unhelpful but at the end of the day you need to pick the uni that you will thrive most at.

I understand this has been asked before but I need some more advice...

I've got an offer for Maths, with A*s in Further and Physics/Chemistry, and an A in maths, as well as 1 and S in STEP II and III. I've got no idea what to do because I have the offer I wanted from Bath which is of course much easier, and I'm not sure if I would even prefer going to Cambridge or not. It's been my dream for years but in some aspects Bath just wins it for me. Then again I would be crazy to reject this offer because the class of Cambridge is just so incomparable with any other (especially Oxford)...

No idea what to do - I have all 5 offers but can't make a decision. I was going for Bath up until yesterday and people keep telling me it's silly to reject Cambridge and part of me agrees. It'll be an achievement that would serve me well for my whole career, but it's not like Bath is that much behind - it's 7th and 5th respectively for Maths and physics, and the graduate prospects aren't much different.

Another worry is that the STEP papers can be very challenging... I have always done very well in papers of these styles like the BMOs, except in the most reccent BMO1 I came out of it feeling quite positive that I'd got 20-30 marks based on the answers online, but I only scored 6, suggesting my technique isn't very good.

I've already got an A* for Maths ( which is why they only asked for an A in it I guess) and the Further maths A* should be straightforward, but I only got 88% in Physics and Chemistry at AS so 90% this year will be a challenge.

Anyone care to share any pearls of wisdom???

At this point anything is appreciated.

hmmm cambridge seem to be giving out a lot of s 1 offers this year it is not just me then...
same here about bmo... i thought i got like mid 30s in marks but they gave me 26 which was super disappointing. I expected nice marks for all the even numbered questions but question 2 let me down

So stop with paranoia lol.

1) I totally get where you're coming from, and it's not silly because for some people the sense of "failure" could actually hang over them for a while

2) A*AA is still quite a high offer, though you sound very capable, but yeah you probably want to avoid clearing

3) Yes you are correct

Not to be blunt, but if you're finding lots of reasons that you'd rather firm Bath and aren't "in love" with Cambridge like many applicants then maybe you should trust your gut and firm Bath?

I got an offer from Oxford for chemistry and its never been question if I'll firm it... why did you apply in first place if you're not sure about it? I think you should firm Cambridge; its one of the best unis in the world, you'll only benefit from it, and it could give you a brighter future. Bath is a good uni but quite below Cambridge. If you insure Bath and you get AAA theres a great chance they'll still take you.

I had a Pharmacy offer from Bath for AAB (no A* back then... I'm old) and put it as top choice. I put my lowest offer of BBB as insurance. Ended up with my insurance choice after results day and headed off to Liverpool John Moores University which I really hadn't given much thought at all... I only put it as insurance due to it being the lowest offer.
Fast forward 8 years and I'm still here, proud and happy to be in this city, working, living with my partner who's from down the road. I wouldn't change a thing.
Not necessarily 100% relelvent or even helpful for you but what I'm trying to say is, wherever you end up you'll probably be happy! Especially with those two good unis to choose from. I've got some good friends who went to uni in Bath and loved it (and stayed there after), it's a beautiful place. I also know a guy (engineer) who went to Cambridge and now has a great job and thoroughly enjoyed his time at uni. Might not help in your decision, but it hopefully reassures you!

I understand this has been asked before but I need some more advice...

I've got an offer for Maths, with A*s in Further and Physics/Chemistry, and an A in maths, as well as 1 and S in STEP II and III. I've got no idea what to do because I have the offer I wanted from Bath which is of course much easier, and I'm not sure if I would even prefer going to Cambridge or not. It's been my dream for years but in some aspects Bath just wins it for me. Then again I would be crazy to reject this offer because the class of Cambridge is just so incomparable with any other (especially Oxford)...

No idea what to do - I have all 5 offers but can't make a decision. I was going for Bath up until yesterday and people keep telling me it's silly to reject Cambridge and part of me agrees. It'll be an achievement that would serve me well for my whole career, but it's not like Bath is that much behind - it's 7th and 5th respectively for Maths and physics, and the graduate prospects aren't much different.

Another worry is that the STEP papers can be very challenging... I have always done very well in papers of these styles like the BMOs, except in the most reccent BMO1 I came out of it feeling quite positive that I'd got 20-30 marks based on the answers online, but I only scored 6, suggesting my technique isn't very good.

I've already got an A* for Maths ( which is why they only asked for an A in it I guess) and the Further maths A* should be straightforward, but I only got 88% in Physics and Chemistry at AS so 90% this year will be a challenge.

Anyone care to share any pearls of wisdom???

At this point anything is appreciated.

yh im very lucky to get an offer in the first place... from my interview performance on the day tbh I shouldnt have been given one so idk why i moaned so much xD

With your knowledge of people that have come out of both, would you say there's a lot of credence to the statement that going to Cambridge will improve my chances of getting the job I want in the future, especially if it's somewhere abroad like the US - wouldn't they be much more inclined to hire an alumnus of Cambridge, when they might not have heard of the University of Bath?

Stage 1:
Forget what others say.
Forget the public perception of difference in prestiges between the two unis.
Give up on the idea of trying to avoid the sense of failure. In your long life in the future, there bound to be at least once (or more likely more than once) you'll utterly feel you're a failure. You can't keep on avoiding doing things because you're worried you might fail.

These above will put you on a blank sheet, to start with, then......

Stage 2:
Have a look at both universities very carefully and thoroughly and compare the differences; the course contents, style of teaching (like supervisions at Cambridge), atmosphere of uni/town if these are important factors for you to decide, etc. etc.

Firm Cambridge ONLY if you think you want to go to Cambridge as least as much as Bath after these consideration.

If your heart says Bath is the right uni for you than Cambridge after considering these, I think you should decline Cambridge offer and firm Bath and insure Southampton to make sure you won't end up in the clearing.
Cambridge gives out twice as many offers to maths applicants than they actually have places for because half the maths offer holders fail the STEP and miss their condition. If you really think you're more likely to be among the unfortunate half and you genuinely prefer Bath, there's no point choosing Cambridge for something you may not get anyway and your heart is not in it.

I hope you realise that Cambridge maths is known for being pretty much one of the most difficult maths courses in the world. Only the most intelligent and committed people can come,the a degree in maths at Cambridge. My guess is that the course at bath will be easier and you are likely to come out of it with a first class degree while this is harder to get at Cambridge. If you doubt your ability to get A*A*A at a level then maybe Cambridge isn't for you. But don't take my word for it, I have never been to Cambridge although I know a lot pf people who have and have said that its maths course is extremely challenging.

Stage 1:
Forget what others say.
Forget the public perception of difference in prestiges between the two unis.
Give up on the idea of trying to avoid the sense of failure. In your long life in the future, there bound to be at least once (or more likely more than once) you'll utterly feel you're a failure. You can't keep on avoiding doing things because you're worried you might fail.

These above will put you on a blank sheet, to start with, then......

Stage 2:
Have a look at both universities very carefully and thoroughly and compare the differences; the course contents, style of teaching (like supervisions at Cambridge), atmosphere of uni/town if these are important factors for you to decide, etc. etc.

Firm Cambridge ONLY if you think you want to go to Cambridge as least as much as Bath after these consideration.

If your heart says Bath is the right uni for you than Cambridge after considering these, I think you should decline Cambridge offer and firm Bath and insure Southampton to make sure you won't end up in the clearing.
Cambridge gives out twice as many offers to maths applicants than they actually have places for because half the maths offer holders fail the STEP and miss their condition. If you really think you're more likely to be among the unfortunate half and you genuinely prefer Bath, there's no point choosing Cambridge for something you may not get anyway and your heart is not in it.

I hope you realise that Cambridge maths is known for being pretty much one of the most difficult maths courses in the world. Only the most intelligent and committed people can come,the a degree in maths at Cambridge. My guess is that the course at bath will be easier and you are likely to come out of it with a first class degree while this is harder to get at Cambridge. If you doubt your ability to get A*A*A at a level then maybe Cambridge isn't for you. But don't take my word for it, I have never been to Cambridge although I know a lot pf people who have and have said that its maths course is extremely challenging.

- .

Is it true the number of offers is twice the number of places? What happens if, for argument sake, this year's students turn out to b super bright and all meet the offer, or is that not possible because Cambridge mark the papers and can fiddle the grade boundaries?




It's not true only the best can come out with a degree because part 3 is even more demanding, yet there are students whose 1st was not from Cambridge, passing.

I understand this has been asked before but I need some more advice...

I've got an offer for Maths, with A*s in Further and Physics/Chemistry, and an A in maths, as well as 1 and S in STEP II and III. I've got no idea what to do because I have the offer I wanted from Bath which is of course much easier, and I'm not sure if I would even prefer going to Cambridge or not. It's been my dream for years but in some aspects Bath just wins it for me. Then again I would be crazy to reject this offer because the class of Cambridge is just so incomparable with any other (especially Oxford)...

No idea what to do - I have all 5 offers but can't make a decision. I was going for Bath up until yesterday and people keep telling me it's silly to reject Cambridge and part of me agrees. It'll be an achievement that would serve me well for my whole career, but it's not like Bath is that much behind - it's 7th and 5th respectively for Maths and physics, and the graduate prospects aren't much different.

Another worry is that the STEP papers can be very challenging... I have always done very well in papers of these styles like the BMOs, except in the most reccent BMO1 I came out of it feeling quite positive that I'd got 20-30 marks based on the answers online, but I only scored 6, suggesting my technique isn't very good.

I've already got an A* for Maths ( which is why they only asked for an A in it I guess) and the Further maths A* should be straightforward, but I only got 88% in Physics and Chemistry at AS so 90% this year will be a challenge.

Anyone care to share any pearls of wisdom???

At this point anything is appreciated.