The Official Cambridge Offer Holders Thread 2017 Entry

Original post by Zacken

Will depend on your course. You can certainly attend any lecture in the university you wish, but you can only be examined on courses within your degree. If your course has a wider breath of options to offer (like HSPS covers a wide range of things from economics to political sciences) then you'll be able to dip your toes into that. You'll likely have modules/courses in history that allow you to look into history via the closely related fields you mention, but I can't confirm that - you'll need a current history student or access to the course syllabus for that.

For maths certainly, you get quite a large umbrella of courses that you can take in second and third year.

Thanks Zacken :h:

Reply 2222

Xphoenix

18

Maybe for an A* you need something a little extra such as reading around the topics- but even then, it's not necessary.

FYI you can get an A easily just knowing everything in the specification, but the challenge lies in applying it rather than just knowledge dumping.

Original post by Tintin501

My daughter is struggling with this in her Geography - she has been told by her teacher that if she knows everything in the specification and text book the best she can hope for is a C but if she wants a higher grade (and she needs at least an A) then she needs to do lots of extra reading around the topics. Does this sound right? She's doing AQA board.

Reply 2223

Original post by Steliata

At the moment I'm still compiling notes into a big revision pack. I'm writing out all the theories and concepts I need to know in a consistent format and using different colours for different units (I find it easier to remember colour). The aim is to reduce all the theorists I need to one word. Then I'll use Quizlet to test myself on the words and expand on them. So that's how I learn theorists (I just used Quizlet without reducing it down last year but there's too many theorists now for that to be feasible)

I'm also going to try and find some exam questions so I learn to apply the theorists and get good exam technique. But this is hard as there's only one specimen paper. So I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do about that. I haven't been focusing much on the language analysis stuff recently though because they're skills we practised a lot last year and I know quite well, so I'll remind myself of them closer to the exam.

How about you? And glad you think the video will be helpful 😊

Edit: here is an idea of what my notes look like

Oh wow! You're doing fab! I've been doing a similar thing, but I am just compiling notes from the textbook into an electronic document. When I have finished I will print it all out, highlight stuff, delete everything without highlights on the electronic document, and then I will handwrite all of the booklets I've made. Looks like we both do AQA, maybe we could help each other? I struggle a lot with word classes and the very basic AS "meanings and representations" bit. I could do it last year, lost my confidence, and I haven't been able to do it again since. My friends tell me to just "bullshi**". :tongue:

Reply 2224

Doones

OP

Economics offer holders might get to meet Jasper, the 3 legged cat in the Economics Dept Library.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-39526457

Reply 2225

Steliata

14

Original post by SteamboatMickey

Oh wow! You're doing fab! I've been doing a similar thing, but I am just compiling notes from the textbook into an electronic document. When I have finished I will print it all out, highlight stuff, delete everything without highlights on the electronic document, and then I will handwrite all of the booklets I've made. Looks like we both do AQA, maybe we could help each other? I struggle a lot with word classes and the very basic AS "meanings and representations" bit. I could do it last year, lost my confidence, and I haven't been able to do it again since. My friends tell me to just "bullshi**". :tongue:

Thanks

and yes helping each other sounds like a great idea! Especially when it's such a new specification.

In terms of the meanings and representations bit I reckon it's best to start with the mark scheme. I can't remember exactly what it says but if you look at say the top two bands there's often patterns in the 'indicative content' column. Like there's usually stuff about spotting grammar in there, clause patterns, whether a pattern of language is consistent. So because of this focus on patterns in the mark scheme it makes sense to approach the text looking for patterns, and whether these patterns conform to what you'd expect given the genre, purpose, audience, context etc. Then you'd label these patterns with word classes and terminology and weave them into an overall argument about what the text is trying to portray. That's generally how I approach it, although last time I practised was in January for mocks 😂

I'm not sure what to suggest about learning word classes though - I do languages so they came quite naturally for me, as I could use them to help me with Chinese grammar. So I guess if you practise labelling stuff then it will stick better than going through dry definitions. :smile:

I'm finding the language diversity/change question quite daunting really. My teacher isn't sure if we'll get data or not which is a bit unnerving. Also have you done the second section of paper 2 yet with the thing about analysing two articles and writing your own? We haven't done anything about it and neither of my teachers seems to be planning to go over it :s-smilie:

Reply 2226

username1865079

14

Original post by SteamboatMickey

Just wanted to ask a general question about the tripos system to people here in general. This may sound stupid but does it allow you to dip into other subjects? Do you need formal training to do so? For example, my passion is history but I'm also interested in other disciplines that are, for the most part, closely related (classics, theology, politics, and philosophy).

I don't mind if I can't but i thought i'd ask.

I think it's not a matter of whether it's allowed but if you can manage. Every year prospective applicants/offer holders ask a similar question, and a simple answer is yes, it's ok to go and attend other course's lectures if you want to.
But in reality, I think you'll struggle to attend those lectures regularly (if you want attending it meaningful to learn something) and keep up with your own tripos assignments. On top of lectures and supervisions to attend, you'll be writing a few essays every week and you want those to be of certain standard your supervisors want.
Life at Cambridge is really full on during a term, just doing your own course plus maybe one or two extra-curricular thing & a bit of socialising to keep your sanity.

Reply 2227

5 hours of revision today

First time trying to stick to a proper revision timetable :tongue:

Goal is 33 hours overall in total this week

Usually do 12 hours (locking self in bedroom etc) on one subject for a whole day

Now it says one-two hours per subject

Currently having a two hour break and listening to a few albums

This is probably a healthier way to study and I do hope it works :h:

Wish me luck :lol:

Reply 2228

username1957465

9

Original post by SteamboatMickey

5 hours of revision today

First time trying to stick to a proper revision timetable :tongue:

Goal is 33 hours overall in total this week

Usually do 12 hours (locking self in bedroom etc) on one subject for a whole day

Now it says one-two hours per subject

Currently having a two hour break and listening to a few albums

This is probably a healthier way to study and I do hope it works :h:

Wish me luck :lol:

Hope it works out for you!

I've tried to do 3-5 topics a day from biology/chemistry (i.e. writing notes/reading over old notes) and so far have fallen short of my goal. With three weeks to go till my first paper I should probably be as organised as you :colondollar:

.

My aim is to finish all the learning by this time next week so that I can knuckle down and do some past papers.

Although I start my exams early, one good thing is that I can split my subjects into 2 blocks and focus on Econ and Maths after my first two subjects are pretty much over - I really hope I can get this done like you :smile:

Reply 2229

an_atheist

15

Original post by SteamboatMickey

5 hours of revision today

First time trying to stick to a proper revision timetable :tongue:

Goal is 33 hours overall in total this week

Usually do 12 hours (locking self in bedroom etc) on one subject for a whole day

Now it says one-two hours per subject

Currently having a two hour break and listening to a few albums

This is probably a healthier way to study and I do hope it works :h:

Wish me luck :lol:

Good luck.
My revision will consist of a maths paper a day and alternating Chemistry and Physics. On top of the revision in school I should be alright.

I don't know about anyone else, but because Cambridge want A*AA and my insurance AAA, I've started to realise just how little I need to :innocent:

up to not be going to uni. Honestly starting to panic.

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Reply 2232

Inister

16

Original post by Obiejess

I don't know about anyone else, but because Cambridge want A*AA and my insurance AAA, I've started to realise just how little I need to :innocent:

up to not be going to uni. Honestly starting to panic.

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Are you not doing any "old" qualifications where the AS counts? They act like a safety net if you got high UMS last year

Reply 2233

Original post by Obiejess

I don't know about anyone else, but because Cambridge want A*AA and my insurance AAA, I've started to realise just how little I need to :innocent:

up to not be going to uni. Honestly starting to panic.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I need A*A*A :frown:

I planned 5 hours, did 2, did an extra hour, went out with my mum, came home, did an hour (4-5), then another (6-7). I kind of went off my timetable a bit and panicked. :frown:

Now my brain feels like death 💀 but I've planned another day of revision tomorrow

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2234

username1214455

Original post by Inister

Are you not doing any "old" qualifications where the AS counts? They act like a safety net if you got high UMS last year

Only one, but in reality that could just mean ABB

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Reply 2235

username1214455

Original post by SteamboatMickey

I need A*A*A :frown:

I planned 5 hours, did 2, did an extra hour, went out with my mum, came home, did an hour (4-5), then another (6-7). I kind of went off my timetable a bit and panicked. :frown:

Now my brain feels like death 💀 but I've planned another day of revision tomorrow

I stayed up until 6am revising last night. There's just so much to get through and there's so much on the line.

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Reply 2236

NeverLucky

12

Original post by Obiejess

I stayed up until 6am revising last night. There's just so much to get through and there's so much on the line.

Posted from TSR Mobile

That sounds a bit too extreme and excessive tbh. Maintaining a good diet and ensuring you have had enough sleep is just as important as actually revising.

Reply 2237

Inister

16

Original post by NeverLucky

That sounds a bit too extreme and excessive tbh. Maintaining a good diet and ensuring you have had enough sleep is just as important as actually revising.

Exactly. At that point, all you're doing is changing your sleeping pattern and/or reducing sleep hours.

A-Levels aren't designed to make you have to stay up until 6AM revising, 2 months before the exam. There may be a lot of content, but there's not THAT much content.

Reply 2238

zpx

10

Does anyone have any idea what are the exam marks you usually find in the summer pool?

Spoiler

Reply 2239

Doones

OP