Sutton Trust Summer School at Cambridge: Q&A 17/02/2016-19/02/2016

Hi everyone, the thread is now open and I'll be answering questions all day until 5pm. Feel free to reply below if you want to know anything about the scheme.

Mark

Could you explain, in detail, what is involved in applying?

This is mainly directed towards the summer schools in general, but why do you not ask for AS predicted grades or mock grades?

Hi everyone, my name is Mark Walmsley and I'm responsible for running the Sutton Trust Summer Schools here at Cambridge. I currently work for the Cambridge Admissions Office, but was also a student here studying History at Clare College.

I've set up this thread to answer any questions you may have about the Summer Schools - from how to apply to what kinds of things you'll be doing if your application is successful.

I'll be responding to comments during the day from 9:00am tomorrow (17 February) until 5pm on Friday (19 February). In the meantime, please check out our website- www.cam.ac.uk/stss - and feel free to post any questions below.

Hi everyone, my name is Mark Walmsley and I'm responsible for running the Sutton Trust Summer Schools here at Cambridge. I currently work for the Cambridge Admissions Office, but was also a student here studying History at Clare College.

I've set up this thread to answer any questions you may have about the Summer Schools - from how to apply to what kinds of things you'll be doing if your application is successful.

I'll be responding to comments during the day from 9:00am tomorrow (17 February) until 5pm on Friday (19 February). In the meantime, please check out our website- www.cam.ac.uk/stss - and feel free to post any questions below.

Im currently taking Biology, Chemistry, Maths, Technology and Design at AS and will be dropping T&D after AS to pick up Further Maths AS and A2 in one year. Do I put Further Maths down as AS/A-level or list in the 'other qualifications' section?

Do you know which colleges the courses will be at? Or do we get to choose if we're successful?

Hi Steliata. It depends what course you are on, but it will be either Christ's, Queens', Selwyn, St Catherine's, or St John's. These will be assigned to you based on your week and course, but there will be a chance during the week to tour around some of the other Colleges.

We have a large number of applications to process after the 11 March deadline, so I'm afraid it will take us a little while to get a decision back to you. You'll definitely hear from us by 6 May, so please make sure that the email you use on your application is one that you check regularly.

Mark

Hi everyone, my name is Mark Walmsley and I'm responsible for running the Sutton Trust Summer Schools here at Cambridge. I currently work for the Cambridge Admissions Office, but was also a student here studying History at Clare College.

I've set up this thread to answer any questions you may have about the Summer Schools - from how to apply to what kinds of things you'll be doing if your application is successful.

I'll be responding to comments during the day from 9:00am tomorrow (17 February) until 5pm on Friday (19 February). In the meantime, please check out our website- www.cam.ac.uk/stss - and feel free to post any questions below.

Ah, that's interesting. Do you know which college is assigned to Asian and Middle Eastern Studies? I think it's in late August.

Hi Mark,
I'd just like to ask, has it been decided which college the economics course will be held at?

Hi Mark, do you know how many of the eligibility criteria successful applicants generally have? Also, does a strong academic profile help in being successful, or do you just need to get the grades required?

Hi Carly1999, the average participant on the Summer School met more than two of the selection criteria. This is just an average and it does vary by subject. For instance, the average number of criteria met by students in heavily oversubscribed subjects (such as medicine, engineering, and law) will normally be higher than that for smaller subjects (Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, Education, and Archaeology).

A strong academic profile is much less important for our Summer Schools (although this is taken into account for some of the more oversubscribed subjects), but may play a bigger role in the decisions of other Sutton Trust partner Universities. The Sutton Trust now has a handy chart where you can see which Universities offer a Summer School in your subject. I'd advise anyone thinking about applying for the Summer Schools (you can only apply for one) to check out what is being offered across all the partner Universities and decide which you think is the best option for you.

The application process is really quick, so there is absolutely nothing to lose by filling it in. Even if you aren't able to get on the Summer School, it may be that there are other opportunities, such as Experience Cambridge that we can offer to you if you apply.

Mark

Thank you for the quick reply! Are any of the selection criteria taken into account more than others, and how popular is the maths course generally?

As part of our continuing commitment to widening participation in higher education, first priority will be given to students who are (or have been) looked after, accommodated, or in care. We then select students according to the following criteria (in order of importance):In 2015, the majority of our 565 summer school participants met two or more of these criteria.

You're very welcome We rank the selection criteria in order of importance on our website. I've copied the relevant passage below:



Maths is a competitive strand, but this year we have almost doubled the number of available places, so it is well worth applying if you meet one or more of these criteria.

Mark

thanks for all the information, I think I'll definitely apply then!