Cambridge vs Imperial - Should I Reapply?

I was recently rejected from Cambridge University after applying to study Physical Natural Sciences at Pembroke College. I was invited to interview in early December, and I thought that my first interview was decent-ish and that the second one went really well. Just after my Cambridge interviews, I had an interview at Imperial to study Chemistry and was subsequently given an offer of A*AA. I thought that my Imperial interview was of the same standard as my second Cambridge interview, and in the email from Imperial that outlined my offer, they described my interview performance as "exceptional". Essentially, my issue is this: Do I defer a year and reapply to both Cambridge and Imperial this Autumn in the hope that I do get into Cambridge second time round, OR do I simply go to Imperial in October (assuming I meet the terms of my offer)? Would I be settling for Imperial when I do have a very good shot at Cambridge, or is Imperial almost/just as good as Cambridge and therefore there is no reason to reapply when I have been accepted into another prestigious university?

For a little assistance, here are the bare bones of my application:
School Type - Private
GCSE Grades - 11A*s plus Distinction in Additional Maths
AS Level Grades - AAAA in Chemistry, Maths, Physics and Geography (UMS Average of 94 in 3 most relevant subjects)
A Level Predictions - A*A*A*A* in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics
I also did a 5 week Nuffield Placement over the summer, as well as attending the Corpus Christi Women in STEM course and the Headstart Science course in Edinburgh.

Sorry for such a long post, would be grateful for any advice!

I rejected Imperial and subsequently recieved an offer from Cambridge when I reapplied. Funnily enough, Imperial rejected me this time around.

It all depends if you're willing to take the risk. If you do achieve 4A*s this year, youre in a good position to reapply. And also, it depends if you know what you want to do during a gap year.

I'd say firm Imperial, but wait until results - if you decide then you really want to reapply, do so, but Imperial is such a fantastic university anyway that I don't think it would be a bad decision at all to go.

I was recently rejected from Cambridge University after applying to study Physical Natural Sciences at Pembroke College. I was invited to interview in early December, and I thought that my first interview was decent-ish and that the second one went really well. Just after my Cambridge interviews, I had an interview at Imperial to study Chemistry and was subsequently given an offer of A*AA. I thought that my Imperial interview was of the same standard as my second Cambridge interview, and in the email from Imperial that outlined my offer, they described my interview performance as "exceptional". Essentially, my issue is this: Do I defer a year and reapply to both Cambridge and Imperial this Autumn in the hope that I do get into Cambridge second time round, OR do I simply go to Imperial in October (assuming I meet the terms of my offer)? Would I be settling for Imperial when I do have a very good shot at Cambridge, or is Imperial almost/just as good as Cambridge and therefore there is no reason to reapply when I have been accepted into another prestigious university?

For a little assistance, here are the bare bones of my application:
School Type - Private
GCSE Grades - 11A*s plus Distinction in Additional Maths
AS Level Grades - AAAA in Chemistry, Maths, Physics and Geography (UMS Average of 94 in 3 most relevant subjects)
A Level Predictions - A*A*A*A* in Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Physics
I also did a 5 week Nuffield Placement over the summer, as well as attending the Corpus Christi Women in STEM course and the Headstart Science course in Edinburgh.

Sorry for such a long post, would be grateful for any advice!

From your description the main reason for rejection doesn't immediately stand out, since your paper profile is strong and you say your interviews went well. You should request feedback from Pembroke ASAP, mentioning that you are considering a reapplication, as this might help you find out which areas you need to work on. May I ask what you thought of the NSAA?

I'm also a successful re-applicant for Physical NatSci, although I applied for Comp Sci last year. Obviously I'm biased, but I'd say that re-applying is in principle a good idea if you get strong results (preferably, 4 A*s), don't mind taking a gap year, and have a clear idea of what you are going to do differently the next time around.

They are both first rate institutions. Why do you prefer Cam? Do you have a solid academic reason? If not, take the Imperial offer and get on with your life and career.

Cambridge and London are both fantastic cities to live in, but I felt so at home whenever I visited Cambridge, while London is a lot bigger and more intimidating.
the Cambridge course is different to Imperial, allowing you to study across multiple STEM subjects. Imperial, while there is some interdisciplinary study, mainly concentrates on one subject. However, my feedback from Cambridge did highlight that chemistry is my strength, and my physics is slightly weaker, so maybe it is better that I go to Imperial and concentrate on my best subject.

That gut feeling is also important. My daughter wanted to go to Oxford from age 12, so we took here there and she really didn't like it, so didn't apply there. At any rate, Imperial is a world class option, congratulations!

Candidate's self-assessment on their interview is often very different from how interviewers assess the interview.
Also it's very likely imperial and Cambridge are looking for different things in candidates' interviews because their teaching styles are different.
If you're thinking of reapplying to Cambridge, make sure you get a feedback from the college you applied to, explaining you're thinking of reapplying.

As @alcibiade said, imperial is very respected institute for your subject. I know more than a few students who chose them over Oxbridge for chemistry in particular. Please go over all the info on both universities' courses, etc. thoroughly again and make sure you actually prefer Cambridge before you decide to take the risk.

Just received feedback from Pembroke, they told me that my results for the NSAA were below average and that while my chemistry (first) interview was strong, I was weaker in the physics-based (second) interview. I remembered it being the other way round but never mind. One thing that this does highlight is that chemistry is my strength, so maybe I would be better off concentrating on that rather than studying chemistry as well as whatever other NatSci options I'd choose.
I think that I'm unlikely to reapply if I do get the grades for Imperial (firmed my offer last night with Durham as insurance), however if I do miss the grades for Imperial then I'm tempted to resit my A Levels and subsequently reapply to both Cambridge or Imperial. Unless Oxford would be a better option since it was the physics that let me down at Cambridge, and Oxford offer Chemisty/Biology/Physics separately...

Cambridge and Oxford won't be that impressed by resits. 1 or maybe even 2 modules are ok, but any more than that would be highly problematic especially for a post A-level applicant when other similar applicants will already have A*A*A*+.

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Particularly when Imperial is a fantastic uni, so if it doesn't work out it's not like you're going to London Met lmao.

Um...excuse me...

w o w

please tell me you did that just for the piss