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We are Successful OXBRIDGE Re-applicants!!! AMA

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Original post by jneill
Still waiting to hear what you all had for breakfast :wink:


I had 2 toasts and a cuppa.
Then i sat there thinking,
Lad ur going to the maffs tripos, sort it out and a croissant or somethinz


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Reply 21
Avatar for BJack
BJack
19
Original post by physicsmaths
x


Did you do BMO in your gap year? I know the IMO is open to people who'd usually be of university age in the UK. I guess it hadn't occurred to me that this would extend to the UK papers.
Original post by BJack
Did you do BMO in your gap year? I know the IMO is open to people who'd usually be of university age in the UK. I guess it hadn't occurred to me that this would extend to the UK papers.


The UK team leaders told me they knew I was 19 and asked me what had gone on and I told tjem gap yr etc so they werent too bothered.
To sit BMO papers you just need to be at a school formally who will let u sit it.
And yes, i sat BMO1/2 this year.



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Original post by BJack
Did you do BMO in your gap year? I know the IMO is open to people who'd usually be of university age in the UK. I guess it hadn't occurred to me that this would extend to the UK papers.


The UK team leaders told me they knew I was 19 and asked me what had gone on and I told tjem gap yr etc so they werent too bothered.
To sit BMO papers you just need to be at a school formally who will let u sit it.
And yes, i sat BMO1/2 this year in my gap and got invited to IMO Trinity camp.



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Original post by Tamuna10
Wow, that is so encouraging! :smile: My brother and I are applying for 2017 entry. You have given us hope that we can be accepted! :biggrin: Plus we're already students in our country so that gives us some advantage. :smile:



Btw, I also speak 7 languages, good to see fellow polyglot! :wink:


How tf do you speak 7 languages I'm jealous..all fluently??
Original post by hellomynameisr
What did you all do in your gap years?

Was there ever a moment you regretted reapplying (before getting an offer)?


YESSSSSS!!! Firstly, I couldnt have a meaningful gap year(like interning,voluteering and travelling) as my offer was conditional in achieving 1 in STEP 1 and i decided to write all three STEP papers, it consumed most of my time so basically i did only maths during my gap year.I deeply regretted applying again after my STEP exams, i thought i really should have applied for some other college(where my offer would have been unconditional) and i truly felt i should have been rejected in january(i could have focused on applying to uni in my country). Perhaps it was the worst 2 months in my entire life time(from exam till results), full of regrets, but in the end ............................:biggrin:
Original post by StationToStation
Wow congrats to all of you for getting accepted eventually!!

What do you think were the main reasons for you being rejected the first time around, and what did you do about them?


I feel it was my second interview and somewhat high but not VERY high UMS and the lack of chemistry. But tbh the main reason is there were more better and competitve applications than mine:smile: So i went through the feedback form and got my interview scores, and I read the explanation by the CAT on how interview scores are marked and noticed that mine wasnt that bad(infact a score of 8 is pretty standard for successul candidates). So i brushed up my mechanics and GRAPH SKETCHING skills (there are work sheets on madasmaths.com) and then i aimed for 98% ums average (altho i ended up at a lesser score). and then i went for the interview and they went pretty well . But id say the toughest part abt reapplying is the mental stress you have to go through, after all no one wants to end up in a double rejection. But dont let that feeling put u off drom reapplying :redface:

cheers!
Original post by RomeoSantos
How tf do you speak 7 languages I'm jealous..all fluently??


No. I speak fluently only 5 of them :biggrin:
Reply 28
Avatar for Doones
Doones
21
Original post by Duke Glacia
i thought i really should have applied for some other college(where my offer would have been unconditional)


Original post by Duke Glacia
I feel it was my second interview and somewhat high but not VERY high UMS and the lack of chemistry.


You might not have got the reapplicant offer from a different college :wink:

And, as you figured, it wasn't lack of Chemistry. Having "only" Maths, FM and Physics is not an uncommon set of A-levels for Engineering :wink:

Maybe aiming for all 3 STEP papers was overkill, and doing fewer would have allowed you to enjoy your gap year more?

I should know this, but did you originally apply to the same college?

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(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 29
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Zacken
22
Original post by jneill


I should know this, but did you originally apply to the same college?

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He originally applied to Corpus.
Have you seen Chef?
Original post by Someboady
Well shi*... you must've really like oxbridge to have applied twice! I'm just going to give it my best shot first time round really... Did you all take gap years and what did you do in those gap years? anything to benefit your second application?


Yes I took a gap year. I went to Japan and spent a year studying at a high school there. I applied for Japanese so that was quite a big part of my application!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by hellomynameisr
What did you all do in your gap years?

Was there ever a moment you regretted reapplying (before getting an offer)?


I studied in Japan for a year. There wasn't ever a point where I regretted reapplying because even if I didn't get in the 2nd time, I had a great gap year that benefitted me.

Original post by StationToStation
Wow congrats to all of you for getting accepted eventually!!

What do you think were the main reasons for you being rejected the first time around, and what did you do about them?


Original post by Someboady
Sorry, where did you all mess up your initial applications?


I performed very poorly at interview. I treated it too much like an exam which you can revise for, and spent way too much time preparing for it coming up with 'perfect responses' (no such thing). Because of that I think I came across as very stiff, too rehearsed and not interested in my subject. I made sure to show how passionate I was for Japanese the 2nd time round and I enjoyed it much more.
Original post by RomeoSantos
How tf do you speak 7 languages I'm jealous..all fluently??


I'm not fluent at all of mine either. Only 4 haha
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 34
Avatar for Ayman!
Ayman!
15
Original post by jneill
And, as you figured, it wasn't lack of Chemistry. Having "only" Maths, FM and Physics is not an uncommon set of A-levels for Engineering :wink:


Probably a really dumb question, but does Cambridge have a remedial course for students without A-level Chemistry like they do for people lacking higher mechanics modules? I assume they teach thermodynamics from basics.
Reply 35
Avatar for Doones
Doones
21
Original post by Ayman!
Probably a really dumb question, but does Cambridge have a remedial course for students without A-level Chemistry like they do for people lacking higher mechanics modules? I assume they teach thermodynamics from basics.


Dunno sorry. And do you mean for (Chemical) Engineering? If so, I doubt it... there's not much actual chemistry in ChemEng.
Original post by TheTechN1304
I'm not fluent at all of mine either. Only 4 haha


I just about speak english being born in England.


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Original post by jneill
You might not have got the reapplicant offer from a different college :wink:

And, as you figured, it wasn't lack of Chemistry. Having "only" Maths, FM and Physics is not an uncommon set of A-levels for Engineering :wink:

Maybe aiming for all 3 STEP papers was overkill, and doing fewer would have allowed you to enjoy your gap year more?

I should know this, but did you originally apply to the same college?

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yh trubut almost aall engineers ive spken to has chemistry, and as the application is getting more competitve each yr (as people get to know stuff) i think its definitely advised to take chemistry.

yes indeed doing STEP 3 ****ed up my brain, but i never regret writing

as zacken mentioned
Reply 38
Avatar for Doones
Doones
21
Original post by Duke Glacia
yh trubut almost aall engineers ive spken to has chemistry, and as the application is getting more competitve each yr (as people get to know stuff) i think its definitely advised to take chemistry.


Checking https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/cambridge_university_engineering
for acceptances with A-level Chemistry. 248 offered A-levels, of which 159 have Chemistry.

So, 36% of A-level acceptances didn't take Chemistry :smile:
Original post by jneill
Dunno sorry. And do you mean for (Chemical) Engineering? If so, I doubt it... there's not much actual chemistry in ChemEng.


In your second year of Cambridge (first year of actual ChemEng) you have 'Enabling Topics' which you are required to do. For students that have gone down the Engineering route, they are required to go to lectures on various topics in Chemistry such as kinetics and inorganic chemistry.

Source: http://www.ceb.cam.ac.uk/undergraduates/undergrad-pics-and-files/coursecontents.pdf

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