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

Hi,

Do you think you could explain the key differences between Mathematics A and Mathematics B, in terms course content and advantages?

Thanks!

Hi,

Do you think you could explain the key differences between Mathematics A and Mathematics B, in terms course content and advantages?

Thanks!

Hello, I think that we corresponded earlier in the thread. Colleges have the opportunity to relax offers if students have missed after we receive the A Level results a few days before you do. Colleges have a further opportunity in the Summer Pool (last Friday) to take students who have missed their offers at other colleges.

At this stage, I think there's no chance of being accepted for this year, even if you end up with AAA. They are only obliged to take you if a remark ensures that you meet the original offer. You can ask them but I would be very surprised if they accepted you.

I am afraid that I think that the only thing you can do is to accept your insurance and enjoy your degree there. I'm really sorry not to offer you more hope - it's a horrible experience missing a Cambridge offer and I wish you the best for the future.

Hi!

Just out of curiosity, does doing this Q&A tire you out like a necessary evil or do you enjoy answering all these questions?

(this would seem really tedious to me although its for the greater good!)

Hello,

I was wondering, how are applicants expected to prepare for the at-interview assessments (for Philosophy in particular, as that is the course I'm interested in), given the recent changes? Are competent candidates expected to read around the subject, take the intiative of finding similar problems/questions ourselves or is there something specific (e.g. recommended resources) that we'd be expected to make use of?

Do the interviews at Cambridge work in the same way as those at Oxford (which I'm using as a reference because I've researched it more previously)?Do the different colleges have different styles of interviewing?

Finally, what chance do I stand of making a competitive application (for Philosophy, 2017 entry)?
Academic profile:
11A*s at GCSE
AAAAA at AS (a B was resat to improve to an A this year, UMS (95+) is in Maths only, the others are unfortunately pretty weak ~80+ only). ASs in MAths, Physics, History, French, Critical Thinking.
A in EPQ
AAB overall at A level in Maths, History and Physics respectively - I was predicted A*A*A but significantly underperformed (i.e. weak UMS scores) due to extentuating circumstances (pertaining to mental health), so would retake at least four of my exams to secure the two A*s.

In my gap year I'd also plan to complete French A2, do Further Maths AS, do extensive reading and attend public lectures relating to my subject, keep a philosophy blog, and participate in a volunteering/tutoring project abroad for about a month or so.

Hi,

Do you think you could explain the key differences between Mathematics A and Mathematics B, in terms course content and advantages?

Thanks!

Hi, I am interested in studying computer science at Cambridge but i'm in a dilemma at the moment with my chosen subjects for next year. Currently, I study:- Computer Science (Achieved AS: A, no ums given)- Maths (Achieved AS: A, 398 ums)- Physics (Achieved AS: A, no ums given)- Art (Did not do an exam since its a linear a-level)I was initially planning to keep all 4 subjects and perhaps take an AS further maths option for next year, although this would mean taking 5 subjects which may mean there is less time to focus on each subject. I do quite enjoy maths and it is useful for computer science at university which made me consider the FM AS option. I realise that art doesn't link much with computer science as much as my other subjects but I do feel that I could possibly achieve an A* at the end of Y13. I wanted to ask whether my grade for art will count as part of the offer (A*A*A) or will it be disregarded?Also, what would your personal recommendation be with my current options: Continue all 4 subjects without FM AS, Continue all 4 subjects with FM AS , Drop art and take maths,physics,computer science and FM AS.

Is your maths UMS really 398 (it's out of 300 usually)? In any case, I think FM AS would be pretty desirable.

Hi, a quick question relating to the getting an offer process.

Will the pre-interview test be used to choose who gets an interview or not? Or is it used in combination with interview performance to see who gets an offer?

would you accept an applicant for HSPS whose a level choices were psychology, sociology, religious studies and geography???

Yes. There no particular requirement for any specific subject to apply for HSPS.

but is it okay that my subjects aren't facilitating?

The Cambridge Philosophy Test has been running for some years and is split into two sections - one a multiple choice logic element and the other an essay on a choice of philosophical problems. Have a look at the sample test and that will give you a good idea of what to expect.

It depends what you mean by do Cambridge interviews 'work' in the same way as Oxford ones. The functioning of them is different. At Oxford you stay for a least two days and maybe interviewed at more than one college. At Cambridge, a student has all his/her interviews on one day (usually two) and they are conducted by the college to which they applied. Because Oxford interview proportionately fewer students than Cambridge (using their admissions tests as quite a heavy filter), the interview is perhaps slightly more important there than for us, though I'm happy to be corrected on this by someone in Oxford admissions.

Colleges certainly don't have particular interviewing styles. The individual people within and across colleges will, of course, have different styles of interviewing as we are all different people. If you have two interviews, you will likely have four different interviewers all of whom will have different ways of trying to assess your potential.

I have to say that with AAB post-A Level you are going to struggle as you have missed the offer by two grades. It's not unknown for people doing retakes to get offers and, obviously, I do not know the extent of your extenuating circumstances but you are quite likely to be rejected before interview. I'm sorry to be blunt but it's best that you are aware at this stage of the problems your application will face.

Hi, I am interested in studying computer science at Cambridge but i'm in a dilemma at the moment with my chosen subjects for next year. Currently, I study:- Computer Science (Achieved AS: A, no ums given)- Maths (Achieved AS: A, 398 ums)- Physics (Achieved AS: A, no ums given)- Art (Did not do an exam since its a linear a-level)I was initially planning to keep all 4 subjects and perhaps take an AS further maths option for next year, although this would mean taking 5 subjects which may mean there is less time to focus on each subject. I do quite enjoy maths and it is useful for computer science at university which made me consider the FM AS option. I realise that art doesn't link much with computer science as much as my other subjects but I do feel that I could possibly achieve an A* at the end of Y13. I wanted to ask whether my grade for art will count as part of the offer (A*A*A) or will it be disregarded?Also, what would your personal recommendation be with my current options: Continue all 4 subjects without FM AS, Continue all 4 subjects with FM AS , Drop art and take maths,physics,computer science and FM AS.

Hi, I didn't ask the question this post was answering. But I was wondering if it is possible to access some of the past philosophy assessment papers if they have been running for a few years? Thanks.