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Reply 340
For engineering, what additional assessments are required by Peterhouse as part of the application process, and are there practice resources for said papers?
Original post by oopswronganswer
If this is true, does this mean CIE candidates are disadvantaged, when you look at PUM?


It is more or less true. But, Cambridge aren't stupid, they know that PUM is different from UMS and asses it differently - so they aren't disadvantaged.
Original post by Peterhouse Admissions
You should mention all results on the SAQ, whether or not they are cashed in.

Thanks for the reply :smile: May I ask if there are any plans to release last years CSAT papers?
(edited 7 years ago)
hi, I want to ask how do extra-circular activities factor into the admission process. I want to study engineering so would it be worthwhile to mention in my personal statement some activities(Chinese med. research) I joined which improved my research skills significantly but is not related at all to engineering.

Moreover, is there any reliable source where I can find more specific information about the interviews which has proven to be quite difficult.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by YOLOforever
hi, I want to ask how do extra-circular activities factor into the admission process. I want to study engineering so would it be worthwhile to mention in my personal statement some activities(Chinese med. research) I joined which improved my research skills significantly but is not related at all to engineering.


Anything not related to engineering won't be taken into consideration as part of Cambridge's application procedure, but other uni's may want to see such things, so it's always good tohave about 20% of your PS dedicated to that sort of thing.

Moreover, is there any reliable source where I can find more specific information about the interviews which has proven to be quite difficult.


What sort of information do you want? We have a few interview reports up on TSR which are students narrating how their interview went, you can also use the 2016 Cambridge Offer Holders Thread of the Cambridge Freshers Thread to ask questions to freshers (like myself) about how the interview was. But do bear in mind that different colleges have different interview procedures. Not sure if that's the kind of info you want or whether you wanted something more technical?
Original post by YOLOforever
hi, I want to ask how do extra-circular activities factor into the admission process. I want to study engineering so would it be worthwhile to mention in my personal statement some activities(Chinese med. research) I joined which improved my research skills significantly but is not related at all to engineering.

Moreover, is there any reliable source where I can find more specific information about the interviews which has proven to be quite difficult.



Make sure to practice using Iwanttostudyengineering or isaacphysics.And remember to practice graph sketching questions.
heres a worsheet i used

http://www.madasmaths.com/archive/maths_booklets/further_topics/various/curve_sketching.pdf

also depending o the college you apply its also a good idea to start practicing STEP(it has nice graph sketching questions and will make you better at mechanics).
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 346
Apologies but I have another query. I am now back in year 13 and am coming under pressure from my sixth form to resit one of my AS modules. I got an A overall in politics with 100 ums in one paper and 67 in the other. (my other subjects are classics ave 90 ums, archaeology average 100 ums and history - only internal exam taken). I have decided to drop archaeology and continue with politics as the former is something I can pursue more readily on a gap year. My teachers are pushing me to resit the module in politics in which I got 67 as that would give me more wriggle room to make certain that I can get an A at A level. I think it would be better to focus on my A2 work and exams. Do you have any advice? Also, do I need to declare that I am going to resit this module on my UCAS form if a decision is not yet made - my teachers say I can decide towards Christmas. Thank you for your help.
Hi there Peterhouse, a question about how raw marks will be assessed.

I'd like to include my English Lit raw marks (reformed subject) in my reference/additional info. I got 91/100 raw marks, and the boundary for an A was 65. So I imagine that if UMS still existed for that subject I would have gotten 100 UMS or very near to it.

Will the admissions team recognise that 90% raw marks is better than 90% UMS? Should I ask my teacher to make that very clear in my reference?

And would it be helpful to include that the grade boundary was 65? Since that makes the 91 marks look a bit better than if it was assumed the boundary was higher.
A more light-hearted question now.

What's the funniest/most memorable/most desperate thing you've seen an applicant do or say at interview? :biggrin:
@Peterhouse Admissions


Hi there! Thanks for having such a great presence on TSR; it's so helpful to have someone to direct questions towards or just have a general chat to!

I've just started Year 12 and I'm feeling positive about my A Levels, although I appreciate that I've got a lot of work to do! :smile:
How much would my GCSE grades affect my chances of being offered a place to study History at Cambridge?

1 A* - French
7 As - History, Latin, English Language, English Literature, Applications in Mathematics, Core Science and Additional Science
2 Bs - Methods in Mathematics and Religious Studies
1 C - Further Additional Science (although hopefully this will go up to a B as two of my papers were uncharacteristically poor)

Thank you,
Banana :h::h:
@Peterhouse Admissions, appreciate your help for answering questions on the student room.

If someone applied to Cambridge before for lets say Economics and again they are applying this year, will Cambridge use/see their last Personal Statement again to judge the applicant? Or will they just see the new one?
Do you know by any chance if it is the same for most Universities or not?

(If they do see both personal statements together): Is it only if you apply to the same college that they will see both personal statements or does applying to a different college makes a difference?

Basically, I want to see if putting good parts of my last personal statement in my new one is useful or pointless...? Since I really liked my old personal statement.

Thank you once again!
(edited 7 years ago)
Is there any resources online for interview questions? There's some for Oxford but only three per subject and I really want to practice as I get really nervous.
Hi for pre interview tests will you be expected to recall all formulae or will there be formula sheet like A level exams
Original post by Rachel58
Is there any resources online for interview questions? There's some for Oxford but only three per subject and I really want to practice as I get really nervous.

I know this is not what you're asking for, but I think it will help you to understand the nature and purpose of interviews.
And there are some tips on how to 'prepare' too.

http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/interviews/how-should-i-prepare

http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/interviews/what-do-interviews-involve
Hi. For engineering, if the offer is 2A* and 2A , will it be specifed that the A*'s must be in Maths and Physics or can they be in Maths, further maths, or physics.
Thanks
Original post by jtmass22
Hi. For engineering, if the offer is 2A* and 2A , will it be specifed that the A*'s must be in Maths and Physics or can they be in Maths, further maths, or physics.
Thanks


It will depend on the college and situation, it may or may not be specified. You might even have the A* specified in Further Maths and Physics.

Original post by Abstract_Prism
Hi there Peterhouse, a question about how raw marks will be assessed.

I'd like to include my English Lit raw marks (reformed subject) in my reference/additional info. I got 91/100 raw marks, and the boundary for an A was 65. So I imagine that if UMS still existed for that subject I would have gotten 100 UMS or very near to it.

Will the admissions team recognise that 90% raw marks is better than 90% UMS? Should I ask my teacher to make that very clear in my reference?

And would it be helpful to include that the grade boundary was 65? Since that makes the 91 marks look a bit better than if it was assumed the boundary was higher.


You're thinking waaaaaaaaaaay too much about this. It's just one point in your reference, they don't take raw marks into actual consideration like they used to with UMS, so your question doesn't really make sense. If you want your reference to have the fact that you got 91/100 raw marks in that module, then have it - it's not going to be something they pick up on very much and assess alongside other applicants like they would have with UMS, it's just a minor point and they will recognise that it's better than 90% UMS. If you want to include the grade boundary, you can - but in my opinion, I wouldn't - treat it for what it is, a minor point in your reference worth a sentence at maximum.

Original post by Fbiemad
If someone applied to Cambridge before for lets say Economics and again they are applying this year, will Cambridge use/see their last Personal Statement again to judge the applicant? Or will they just see the new one?


They delete (shred) all your application information after the cycle is over, so the next year, all they know is that you've applied before - they know nothing else. So no, they can't see your personal statemenet again.

Do you know by any chance if it is the same for most Universities or not?


Think that's how it works for most universities as well, but I might be wrong about that. I know it's true for Cambridge though.

(If they do see both personal statements together): Is it only if you apply to the same college that they will see both personal statements or does applying to a different college makes a difference?


Again: nobody will see your personal statement again, whether you apply to the same college or not.

Basically, I want to see if putting good parts of my last personal statement in my new one is useful or pointless...? Since I really liked my old personal statement.

Thank you once again!


I'm not entirely sure about this but I think if you copy-paste the good parts off your old personal statement it can be picked up for plagiarism by UCAS?

corrected by jneill
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Banana00
...


Would have minimal effect. They're standard GCSE's, wouldn't sway a decision either way. Might be seen as a slight positive if you're from a school who gets unusually crap results or from a bad neighborhood, but otherwise they're not much to think about at all.
Original post by Zacken
You're thinking waaaaaaaaaaay too much about this. It's just one point in your reference, they don't take raw marks into actual consideration like they used to with UMS, so your question doesn't really make sense.

So the fact that I did particularly well in Lit won't put me in a better position than someone who got an A by the skin of their teeth? That's a bit disappointing since I was hoping my good performance in Lit would help to balance against weaker areas of my application.

Original post by Zacken
If you want your reference to have the fact that you got 91/100 raw marks in that module, then have it - it's not going to be something they pick up on very much and assess alongside other applicants like they would have with UMS, it's just a minor point and they will recognise that it's better than 90% UMS. If you want to include the grade boundary, you can - but in my opinion, I wouldn't - treat it for what it is, a minor point in your reference worth a sentence at maximum.

I wish I had done really well in Politics which still has UMS and less well in Lit, a reformed subject where they won't consider the raw mark... :emo:

91 was my overall raw mark btw, not just a single module.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Abstract_Prism
So the fact that I did particularly well in Lit won't put me in a better position than someone who got an A by the skin of their teeth? That's a bit disappointing since I was hoping my good performance in Lit would help to balance against weaker areas of my application.


That's the thing, how are they going to know who got an A by their skin of their teeth? They don't ask for raw marks, so they can't compare it across everybody like they used to with UMS where most people had that since it was asked for.

Honestly though, you're going through that phase that most people applying to Cambridge go through, the one where you obsessively worry about every single little minor detail. Just try and be a bit more relaxed about the entire process - you'll make a competitive application, most likely be called to interview and get a chance to shine there. Focus your energy on doing well on that pre-interview test and just fill out all these UCAS/SAQ forms with a more laid back frame of mind. You'll do fine - and just remember that if all fails, Cambridge isn't the be-all-end-all.
Original post by Zacken
That's the thing, how are they going to know who got an A by their skin of their teeth? They don't ask for raw marks, so they can't compare it across everybody like they used to with UMS where most people had that since it was asked for.

I suppose that's true. The only thing is that the information that they do ask for (UMS where it still exists) isn't particularly flattering for me... (My bad Politics module). And even though they won't ask for raw marks, they're going to know roughly what I got anyway because I got a B in my other subject. :/

Original post by Zacken
Focus your energy on doing well on that pre-interview test


Sir you had me very worried for a second and I had to double check that there is no pre-interview test for Law.

Why would you do that.png

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