This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Ask an Admissions Tutor IX, 4th August - 2nd September

Hi - I would like to read Classics.
i got AAABB in my core AS subjects (Latin, Economics, GovPol, History and Maths) plus an A in Critical Thinking and an A in General Studies. I'm going for a remark in my History, where I'm only 1 raw mark short of the A grade boundary. My UMS in Latin was 93, and 90 in GovPol. Economics has no UMS but I got 89% raw marks against 71% raw marks for the A grade boundary. When talking about average UMS scores, I have 3 strong AS scores but only 2 of them are UMS; will you look at my top 3 UMS or at the 2 UMS and raw mark? I'm predicted 5 As at A2 and got 11A*s at GCSE - what are my chances?
(Sorry about missing information in my original post!)

Reply 821

C0balt

16

Original post by Christ's Admissions

You're welcome. Don't worry about other people, most are for diffeent courses and the proprotion of people with amazing results is actually much smaller than people think. @cobalt produced a good list on the headers of one of the applicant thread last year using stats that I gave her that demonstrated how few people really had 99% and 98% averages in each subject.

Thank you for taking the time to submit an essay to our competition, I hope you enjoyed writing it and it's good evidence of super-curricular engagement. :smile:

Here's that thread @Christ's Admissions is referring to
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3733847
And TSR is not a good representation of the whole applicant field as @jneill says. And remember, people are more likely to brag their marks if they are very good :tongue:

It's in human nature :wink:

P.S. I'm c0balt with a zero, not an O!

Original post by Rachel58

x

Reply 822

mackie1212

3

1.) Why do you think some perfectly academically able students might underperform at interview?

2.) What's some advice that you might give to reapplicants about how they could improve there chances of an offer the second (or maybe even third!) time around (primarily those interested in studying Medicine, if that makes any difference)?

3.) Since most reapplicants are applying post-A level or equivalent, are their chances of getting an offer slightly better, worse or equal as those who are applying before completing their final exams?

4.) Does being a mature student make any difference in the likelihood of that applicant being made a direct offer or being pooled instead?

Thank you! :smile:

Reply 823

chemari

2

Original post by Christ's Admissions

I'm afraid we don't do clearing or adjustment and don;t take people on mid term. With your grades, it's going to be difficult to secure an interview even with an excellent performance in the assessment. I'm sorry not to be more positive.

So I do have a chance(say if my remarks were good)?

If my grades in june 2017 were:
Spanish AS 191/200 UMS
Biology AS D
A LEVELS
Maths A*
Further Maths A*
Physics A*

would it be logical to wait a year to then apply to cambridge for engineering?
And, would I have to do the preint. test and turn up for an int. o r would I automatically be accepted?

Thank you

PS: I know of a student who excelled in A2 and received a call off cambridge for engineering after not being given an offer previously; could this apply for me, say in any case if I called them with similarly good results?

Reply 824

username1162972

18

Original post by chemari

So I do have a chance(say if my remarks were good)?

If my grades in june 2017 were:
Spanish AS 191/200 UMS
Biology AS D
A LEVELS
Maths A*
Further Maths A*
Physics A*

would it be logical to wait a year to then apply to cambridge for engineering?
And, would I have to do the preint. test and turn up for an int. o r would I automatically be accepted?

Thank you

PS: I know of a student who excelled in A2 and received a call off cambridge for engineering after not being given an offer previously; could this apply for me, say in any case if I called them with similarly good results?

I don't think that happened.
It is against their rules.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 825

username1865079

14

Original post by chemari

So I do have a chance(say if my remarks were good)?If my grades in june 2017 were :s-smilie:

panish AS 191/200 UMSBiology AS DA LEVELSMaths A*Further Maths A*Physics A*would it be logical to wait a year to then apply to cambridge for engineering?And, would I have to do the preint. test and turn up for an int. o r would I automatically be accepted?Thank you

Look, the professor who's hosting this thread is one of the most experienced admission tutors at Cambridge and he told you, twice, there is not much possibility of you being accepted at Cambridge.
I've been watching his threads over a few years, but he doesn't give an outright rejection like that very often as he knows very well there're some people with lesser grades than others but still become successful in application because they may have other strength and quality that grades simply do not show or reflect, and he does not want to discourage those people from applying.
And, as long as he thinks there's even the tiniest possibility of successful application, he always give them encouragement and some advice on how to improve their application to increase a chance of success.
But in rare cases when he tells a poster they do not have a chance (always with apology), I believe he doesn't do it lightheartedly or without careful consideration. I'm very sure he only does it AFTER considering all sorts of possibility (including all sorts of ideas you came up with) the poster may become successful,
So when he says 'no' outright, that means 'no.' And he told you so twice.

However, even he is a human being, and any human being can make mistake. :wink:

So if you really managed to achieve straight A* or even 2 A* + A in those subjects that is relevant to Engineering (Spanish doesn't really count for Engineering, even if you had 100 UMS), yes, its worth applying post-qualification by all means, and probably you really should.
But that's the only possibility for you at the moment with the current states of your academic profile so far.

And please bear in mind even with those improved grades, there's no guarantee of getting an offer as many applicants do apply with grades like that. So you will still have to go through the standard application process of pre-interview test and interview.
No one gets accepted to Cambridge automatically without it.

PS: I know of a student who excelled in A2 and received a call off cambridge for engineering after not being given an offer previously; could this apply for me, say in any case if I called them with similarly good results?

As @physicsmaths has already pointed out, that NEVER happens.
Perhaps you've mistaken (or not remembered correctly) what the person told you or he/she is not telling a truth.
They always give out slightly more offers than they actually need because there bound to be some offer-holders who miss their offers. They just choose which ones to pick up among them to fill the numbers of places they need to fill They never have to call up someone who were rejected previously and give them a place.

Anyway....., Please know Cambridge is not for everyone and not everyone is for Cambridge. And they are not the only good university either. I'm sure there're many other universities out there that suits you better and where you'll be much happier at than Cambridge.
And if you still want to study at Cambridge after you've been to other university that's better for you, you can always apply for a postgraduate course at Cambridge. :wink:

Good luck with your exams and UCAS application. :smile:

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 826

Doones

21

Original post by chemari

would it be logical to wait a year to then apply to cambridge for engineering?
And, would I have to do the preint. test and turn up for an int. o r would I automatically be accepted?

As per @physicsmaths and @vincrows.

Just to add, you would still have to do any assessments and interviews as normal. No one is ever "automatically accepted".

(edited 7 years ago)

OP

Original post by Omgaf

Does Cambridge accept applicants who have repeated Year 12? Would it be a better idea to work hard at A2 and take a gap year if my grades are high enough?

Yes we do but in cases where we do it is normally because there is a significant reason why the candidate had to retake Year 12 beyond them just not working hard enough or getting good enough grades. These may include a serious illness or event that affected their studies or a recognition that they had taken the wrong subjects in Year 12 and started again with new subjects and direction a year later.

If a candidate has simply performed below their hopes or expectations then the best advice, if they are still serious about Cambridge, is to improve markedly in Year 13, meet or, preferably, exceed the standard offer and apply on a gap year with their results in hand.

OP

Original post by k.russell

thanks for the reply, I feel that my improvement is a bit more gradual than just going from AS to A2, my GCSE's are far below average (2A*'s 6A's 3B's). I went to a secondary school which I didn't think was that great and certainly didn't apply too much pressure to do homework/revision & I had this sort of 'GCSE's are only for getting into 6th form attitude' anyway - so ended up doing hardly anything, I really regret not working more for my GCSE's, because as a direct result of that I was really bowled over when I got to college (my college was a really good state school) and struggled a lot with independent study and organisation/motivation and did no where near enough revision for my AS levels. Although I learnt some lessons from AS I still clearly hadn't quite got it as I flunked my coursework in bio and chem pretty hard A2 year which could've really jacked up my scores, particularly in chem where it would've got me across the boundary - I seem to be a bit cursed by science coursework in physics GCSE got all A's in the exams and then an F in the ISA lol.
Will I get a chance to talk about educational history at interview, I have been getting the impression the content of these is primarily academic?Thanks again, promise this will be the last one,Kieran

It's not usual to discuss a candidate's academic history in an interview. That's not to say that it doesn't happen but it's not common and time is better spent seeing whether the candidate is now and their potential for the future rather than discussing the past.

The best place for you to discuss your progression would be in the additional personal statement box on the SAQ.

OP

Original post by VL100

Should we mention Cambridge essay prize competitions even if we didn't receive anything in them? Or would that be potentially problematic given the evidence that we didn't perform as well as others?

I think that it's good evidence of super-curricular involvement and hopefully it as enjoyable and you learnt something from it. Just because you didn't win anything it doesn't mean it's not helpful. We've usually given about four prizes in our History competition and had up to 100 entries: that a ratio of 1:25 which is massively higher than the ratio of applicants to offers for History or, indeed, any subject at Cambridge.

Reply 830

nao123

7

For applications to maths, how much weighting is given to the personal statement? Are there any pre-interview tests given to maths applicants this year?

Also, of the students that study maths, what percentage would you say have taken part in BMO1&2 ?

OP

Original post by ThatCoolGuy

Hi, I have an offer for Medicine at Cambridge which I have met. I obtained 5 A*s at A level in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Maths and Further Maths with a 98% average. However, I've had a change of heart and have realised that Natural Sciences (Physical) is a more suitable course for me. I'm unsure as to what to do now, is it possible to switch courses before I begin my course?

Congratulations on your results and your offer, that is a fantastic achievement. If you genuinely wish to change subjects then you need to contact your college as soon as possible to ask them if there is a chance to change. It is possible, though we do not encourage it and, in the case of Medicine it is complicated by the fact that the subject has a quota imposed by the NHS.

I expect that your college will try to be sympathetic but it would have been better had you told them earlier because now, if they accept your request, someone has lost out on the chance to do Medicine at Cambridge which, when it is such a competitive course, is a shame. On the other hand, we do not want you to be unhappy and pursuing a course which you are not sure you want to do, especially in the case of Medicine given the time and expense involved for you and for us.

Have a careful think about your reasons for wanting to do this, then explain them to the college and perhaps ask if it would be possible to speak/email the DoS to talk about the concerns that you have. Best of luck with what you decide.

OP

Original post by jemstar24

Hello, I would like to apply for Biological Nat Sci, however my maths average ums is only 94, and I have 83 ums in an unrelated subject ( a language) . Would I be able to make a competitive application with this, provided I do well in the admissions assessment? Thanks

Thanks for your question. 94 is a good score in Maths, especially for a Bio Nat Sci, so I don;t think you need to worry at this stage. Obviously I haven't seen the rest of your application but that is a good start to being a competitive applicant.s

Reply 833

Rian7

2

Hello there, thank you very much for doing this :smile:

I have called in the admission tutors over at Cambridge and they said that they accept applications (some colleges) and are assessed on a case-by-case method and a very small (i'm thinking handful) are accepted directly to their 2nd year. I told them the grades i have and I'm retaking my LNAT + A2 exams and they said with a glance of what i explained they will be able to assess my application (at least).

My questions are the following:

- Is it worth applying
since i know they usually don't accept transfers but in this case they said some colleges do but i need heavy positive backup form my tutor along with my 1st year grade (upper 2:1/1st) and A2 grades. Not sure how i can convince a tutor to back me fully in a positive way and write me a recommendation letter by the 15th of October when lectures start in the 1st week of October

- Is it advisable to instead try and apply as a affiliated Cambridge student at the end of my 2nd year where i can get a strong reference form tutor plus confirmed 1st year grades.

Reply 834

metrize

18

1.

For engineering should I keep chemistry or do extra mechanics modules?

I do further maths physics and chemistry, for my year 1 I got A* in Maths A2, AA in physics AS and chemistry AS

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 835

username1865079

14

Original post by Rian7

Hello there, thank you very much for doing this :smile:

I have called in the admission tutors over at Cambridge and they said that they accept applications (some colleges) and are assessed on a case-by-case method and a very small (i'm thinking handful) are accepted directly to their 2nd year. I told them the grades i have and I'm retaking my LNAT + A2 exams and they said with a glance of what i explained they will be able to assess my application (at least).

My questions are the following:

- Is it worth applying
since i know they usually don't accept transfers but in this case they said some colleges do but i need heavy positive backup form my tutor along with my 1st year grade (upper 2:1/1st) and A2 grades. Not sure how i can convince a tutor to back me fully in a positive way and write me a recommendation letter by the 15th of October when lectures start in the 1st week of October

- Is it advisable to instead try and apply as a affiliated Cambridge student at the end of my 2nd year where i can get a strong reference form tutor plus confirmed 1st year grades.

Judging from your post on another thread, am I right in understanding you've just got a place at Queen Mary in the recent clearing? So you haven't actually started your first year there yet?
Or am I misunderstanding your current situation?

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3164815&page=124&p=67149558#post67149558

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 836

Rian7

2

Original post by vincrows

Judging from your post on another thread, am I right in understanding you've just got a place at Queen Mary in the recent clearing? So you haven't actually started your first year there yet?
Or am I misunderstanding your current situation?

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3164815&page=124&p=67149558#post67149558

Yes, that is correct! - My college advised me to get a few acceptance letters alongside QM just as a safety net. At the end i just went for QM as it was one of the few RG (or the only one) that was available.

Reply 837

literaturista

2

Hi, I got AABB in my AS exams this year, however I know that over the next year I will be able to improve this. I just wanted to ask how much do you look at these grades in comparison to general motivation / personality of an applicant?

Reply 838

username1865079

14

Original post by Rian7

Yes, that is correct! - My college advised me to get a few acceptance letters alongside QM just as a safety net. At the end i just went for QM as it was one of the few RG (or the only one) that was available.

So are you thinking of a transfer even before you started at a university (whichever you decide to start at)?
Why?

It's really extremely rare Cambridge accept transfer from other uni. They only do it in an exceptional circumstance, and it doesn't happen very often at all.

Reply 839

Hjortlund

11

Original post by Christ's Admissions

X

I have a bit of a less academic question, but I don't really see who else I could ask. Any chance you know if the Cambridge University Role-Playing Society still exists? If I by any chance got a place at Cambridge, it would be awesome to be able to play some Dungeons and Dagrons with someone, but their site (http://curs.soc.srcf.net/) was last updated in 2014.. :s-smilie:

EDIT: Found out that they've moved on from the site and made a facebook group. I should learn to finish checking before posting! :colondollar:

(edited 7 years ago)

Ask an Admissions Tutor IX, 4th August - 2nd September

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you