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Original post by metrize
Hi, my sixth form college has a point score of 733.2 for A level, is this average below average or above average? Thanks


How do you find out?
Original post by k.russell
How do you find out?

I just googled point score a level 2015 and searched for my school in the telegraph link

Eton has 936.7(!) Holy moly
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by bluedevil
Hello Dr. Spencer, thank you for hosting this forum for us to ask questions. I have submitted my application for land economy for another college, yet it would be great if you can briefly tell me what my chances are.

I am currently a first year student studying at a Top 10 University in the US (my username is a hint), and I have applied to Land Economy to enter as a first year. Since I will not have any university transcripts, I am applying with my IB results (42/45). Here are my grades:

Economics HL: 7
Geography HL: 7
English A Lang and Lit HL: 6
Math SL: 7
Chinese A Lang and Lit SL: 6
Chemistry SL: 7
EE: B
TOK: B

I also have a decent good ACT score, if it is considered, being 33/36. The question is, since I am applying as a current first year university student in an American university, will it hurt my application? Also, if possible, can you please tell me about my chances of getting in?

Thanks in advance.


just out of curiosity, why are you quitting American education? I'm applying there this year as well as Cambridge so I'm very interested!
Original post by metrize
Hi, my sixth form college has a point score of 733.2 for A level, is this average below average or above average? Thanks


It's not used - they use your school's GCSE performance, and the Oxbridge success rate of your sixth form.

http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/decisions/contextual-data
so what happens if you don't go to a school and are completely self taught? do I get classed as privet school and thus penalized? I mean most of the exam centers also provide tutoring and maybe they count as a school or college but i literally get zero tutoring from them just sit the exam so How will this affect me?
re extenuating circumstances: is this just things that happened at the time of GCSE/A Levels? My daughter missed 3 months of school at the end of yr 9. Is this relevant or too early?
Original post by metrize
I just googled point score a level 2015 and searched for my school in the telegraph link

Eton has 936.7(!) Holy moly


Eton also on average send around 60-80 students to Oxbridge every year :O we on average send around 3 lol!


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Original post by Blue.Bird
re extenuating circumstances: is this just things that happened at the time of GCSE/A Levels? My daughter missed 3 months of school at the end of yr 9. Is this relevant or too early?


Too early I believe as it hasn't disrupted her GCSE exams


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Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
There's no need to do competitions, though they are good to do if you can but if they aren't easily available there's really no need to worry. The PS isn't really very important for Maths at Cambridge but the things you mention will certainly stand you in good stead elsewhere. Don't worry too much about your GCSEs, for Maths all that matters is how good you are at Maths, nothing else.


Oh ok! So relieved ahaha thank you :smile:

Yes I heard that Cambridge focusses more on how good you are at maths hence why the STEP exams are used as part of the offer.

That's motivated me a lot and hopefully this time next year I will be applying to or applied to Cambridge for maths :smile:

Btw during GCSEs I had some extenuating circumstances, however I went to the doctors after my exams were done so would they still be counted as EC or would that not be seen as one since I did not have an official doctors note during GCSEs or informed my exams officer about it.


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Original post by jneill
It's not used - they use your school's GCSE performance, and the Oxbridge success rate of your sixth form.

http://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/decisions/contextual-data

What's a bad success rate? My college has about 30 applicants and like 5 entry
Original post by Luke7456
so doesn't that mean mechanics covers the same ground as physics? I mean if I did M1 M2 M3 M4 and M5 for the maths modules would Cambridge even accept a physics A level along side this because it is pretty much covering the same material from what I gather. This would look bad right? assuming one is applying for maths?


No, mechanics covers some of the ground in Physics A Level but not all of it. of course we accept Physics A Level, most Maths applicants apply with Physics (thought not all) and it certainly doesn;t look bad - it's the one facilitating subject for maths.
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
No, mechanics covers some of the ground in Physics A Level but not all of it. of course we accept Physics A Level, most Maths applicants apply with Physics (thought not all) and it certainly doesn;t look bad - it's the one facilitating subject for maths.


ah Okay thank you, would my application be significantly weaker or disadvantaged without psychics A level? I am self teaching myself maths further maths and additional further maths, which wouldn't normally be a huge deal of work but is when I have to balance it with work. doing a fourth A level might hurt my grades, plus I don't know how I would get assessed for coursework/practicals since this is all self taught.
In Year 11 my daughter did 5 GCSEs at a local FE college, which ran a resit course, although she wasn't retaking if you see what I mean. I have not been able to find the results on league tables as they are not a school, however I believe my daughter did very well within this context. Especially as the course was mainly designed for students to get C's. In fact GCSE the taught maths syllabus did not even include anything above a B grade. Will there be space to include this information on SAQ form? It was alluded to in teachers reference I believe. Is it worth trying to get some contextual information from the college as to how her performance compared to her cohort under FOI? Or is this not relevant as she was only person of school age on the course?
I would also like to know if you take student's birth date into account. She is August born, just 17 and the other possible candidate from her school is year 14 and already 19 .
Thanks in Advance
Original post by studentrhume
Are there any characteristics of Cambridge students who either drop out or who fail to achieve?


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Cambridge has the lowest drop out rate in the country (c.1% of students fail to complete a degree) so it's very rare for this to happen. When it does, it's nearly always as a direct result of illness, either physical or mental. Very occasionally students will leave to go to another university and do a different course there because they prefer that course or the university to Cambridge.
Reply 454
Avatar for Jamwaq
Jamwaq
Hi

When choosing her a-levels my daughter wanted to do 5 - Maths FM Chem Computing and Physics - the college would only allow 4 for various reasons, so my daughter opted for computing over Physics as although she knew she wanted to do Maths at Uni she was undecided whether or not to take the maths/comp sci option.

After a shocking year of upheaval and teaching problems within computing at the college my daughter achieved a D, the rest of her computing class achieved a U, she is not taking it this year through to A2. An ECF has been sent submitted by her college for computing.

My daughter asked her college if she could take replace computing and take either physics AS this year - year 13 or do the whole A level in one year - each of what she was told no to, she was told to concentrate on the 3 left and do the best she could - she is predicted A* Maths A* Further Maths and A Chem - although she thinks she will get an A* in Chem too

Anyway my question is should she mention this on the SAQ as the reason why she is applying without physics, which is probably the norm for a maths applicant?

Many thanks
'an interfering mum' :smile:
Original post by metrize
What's a bad success rate? My college has about 30 applicants and like 5 entry


You get a flag if it's fewer than 5 admitted in 5 years.

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(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by WildMeraki
How much consideration is given to the additional statement in the SAQ? Is it just used to gain more information about an applicant or can it actually strengthen their application? Would you say that most applicants write an additional statement or not? What would be relevant to include for a Medicine applicant? Thank you for all the helpful information both within the Murray Edwards thread and the Christ's one too!


I'm glad the threads have been helpful. The additional statement can demonstrate the fact that a student has looked at and thought about the Cambridge course specifically, so in Medicine, for instance, you might talk about why the traditional Medical Science degree at Cambridge will suit you better than an integrated course. Like the UCAS PS, it can act as a spur for interview questions but don't be surprised if it doesn't.

It's entirely optional and no one will be looked on badly for leaving it blank - it's there if you feel you have something more to say. Don't use it to say how much you think the supervision system will suit you (we know that it's a good system) or how much you love the college you've applied to (we're not going to admit you because you love our college and you may end up at another college anyway).

As a very rough estimate, I'd say that about half fill it in but most of those who fill it in add very little to the application by doing so.
Original post by ionie.goodman
I am considering applying to Cambridge to study Law with A2 grades A*A*AB in French, English Literature, Business Studies and Religious Studies plus an A in the Extended Project Qualification. However, I did decide to start year 12 again with completely different subjects due to bad AS grades (DDD in Law, Psychology and Religious Studies). Will this disadvantage my application?


Not majorly, no. It's unfortunate that sometimes students pick the wrong subjects for them at AS and it's good that you recognised that and have obviously done very well in difficult subjects. it would be worth explaining somewhere in your application (perhaps in the SAQ) what happened the first time around but I don't think that it will disadvantage you significantly.
Original post by somebodyelse98
what proportion of people write the optional statement in the SAQ? I'm just curious as to whether it is pretty much necessary for an offer, or is it mainly for people who have to justify which route they are going down with a degree/if they are applying for various courses at different universities?


See my reply above about this, but it's absolutely not necessary to get an offer. I think about half of applicants fill it in but it's very rarely a significant part of their application. The best way to use it is if you are applying for various courses at different universities and Cambridge is different to the others (e.g. Nat Sci, HSPS, ASNC).
Original post by bluedevil
Hello Dr. Spencer, thank you for hosting this forum for us to ask questions. I have submitted my application for land economy to another college, yet it would be great if you can briefly tell me what my chances are.

I am currently a first year student studying at a Top 10 University in the US (my username is a hint), and I have applied to Land Economy to enter as a first year. Since I will not have any university transcripts, I am applying with my IB results (42/45). Here are my grades:

Economics HL: 7
Geography HL: 7
English A Lang and Lit HL: 6
Math SL: 7
Chinese A Lang and Lit SL: 6
Chemistry SL: 7
EE: B
TOK: B

I also have a decent ACT score, if it is considered, being 33/36. The question is, since I am applying as a current first year university student in an American university, will it hurt my application? Also, if possible, can you please tell me about my chances of getting in?

Thanks in advance.


Hello and thanks for your question. You won't be disadvantaged by applying from a US university, though you might be asked about why you wanted to change from a top US university to the UK system, so have a think about an answer.

With 42 achieved in the IB and 776 at HL, you will be a good candidate. I can't give a detailed breakdown of your chances without seeing the whole application but on paper, from what you've told me, you'll certainly be competitive.

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