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Reply 3280
Original post by Steliata
This is probably a stupid question but what's a BNOC?


https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2017/02/17/bnoc-big-top-10-89208
Reply 3281
Original post by Mathemagicien
And, more importantly, a BNOC.

I'd like to see next year's cohort beat that!


You are Tom Wang and I claim my £5.

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Finished!!!! Think I may have missed my offer but hoping it's enough to either be accepted, pooled or insurance!
Original post by physicsmaths
Can confrim various other people in other years noting our year is uncommonly strong.
We have alot more IMOers then any other year has ever had, and also have quite a few silver+ people which makes a difference when its like 10+ people.


Having a bit more strong students than usual does not make a whole cohort stronger.
For example, Britain has a much larger share of top universities per population than any other other countries except for US, but it doesn't make our nation academically better than others. In fact, at school levels (both primary and high schools) Britain hugely lags behind almost all leading industrial nations (except for US, which also dominates international rankings for top unis) on literacy, numeracy and science. Unfortunately having a few boffins doesn't make the whole population clever.

So it may be that there're more number of exceptional mathmos in your year than other years and the cohort''s 'average strength' may be higher thanks to them, but it doesn't necessarily mean majority of other mathmos are also stronger.
I mean there're more than 250(?) maths students per year, and how many IMOers are there? And 10 or so silver/ gold among them? :wink:
Original post by vincrows
Having a bit more strong students than usual does not make a whole cohort stronger.
For example, Britain has a much larger share of top universities per population than any other other countries except for US, but it doesn't make our nation academically better than others. In fact, at school levels (both primary and high schools) Britain hugely lags behind almost all leading industrial nations (except for US, which also dominates international rankings for top unis) on literacy, numeracy and science. Unfortunately having a few boffins doesn't make the whole population clever.

So it may be that there're more number of exceptional mathmos in your year than other years and the cohort''s 'average strength' may be higher thanks to them, but it doesn't necessarily mean majority of other mathmos are also stronger.
I mean there're more than 250(?) maths students per year, and how many IMOers are there? And 10 or so silver/ gold among them? :wink:

well from our persepctive and other people in other years we all feel like our cohort is unusually strong and many others agree, if you guys don't so be it lol
I cant be bothered with arguing atm haha.
Original post by physicsmaths
well from our persepctive and other people in other years we all feel like our cohort is unusually strong and many others agree, if you guys don't so be it lol
I cant be bothered with arguing atm haha.


I only pointed out the weakness of your reasoning.
Whether other people think so too or not is totally different reasoning.
End of 'argument' . :wink:
Original post by vincrows
I only pointed out the weakness of your reasoning.
Whether other people think so too or not is totally different reasoning.
End of 'argument' . :wink:


yeh i don't car haha id flop in any year
Original post by Xphoenix
Finished!!!! Think I may have missed my offer but hoping it's enough to either be accepted, pooled or insurance!


Best of luck!! I think one of my English lit essays went awful and I didn't do enough of what I was supposed to do... so just hoping I scrape the grades or get into Durham (my insurance) :lol:
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?


Well after finishing this year (today!!), I'm quite confident I've met my offer - but I remember last year I was very stressed in the run up to results day and not sure how well I was gonna do, didn't have any offers but I was worried about whereabouts I could apply to etc.
I deffo think the Linear A levels thing has made it worse though, they're all unknown quantities and I think not having proper past papers can't help
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?


In the weeks following my A level exams (2009) I convinced myself that I'd probably got Ds in my economics exams - I was busy figuring out how few UMS I could afford to get and still achieve the A. I ended up with full UMS in those exams. I think it's pretty normal to feel negative about having met your offer because once your exams are done it feels like everything is in the hands of other people and that can be unsettling.
Original post by zippidee
In the weeks following my A level exams (2009) I convinced myself that I'd probably got Ds in my economics exams - I was busy figuring out how few UMS I could afford to get and still achieve the A. I ended up with full UMS in those exams. I think it's pretty normal to feel negative about having met your offer because once your exams are done it feels like everything is in the hands of other people and that can be unsettling.


That made me feel a little better tbh! I'm not confident I've met my offer but I've tried really hard. I've just had a horrid dream I missed my Cambridge offer and when I checked track it said I was going to Coventry to do a course I didn't care about :frown:
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?


It's normal for the vast majority.

Eldest son declared he had completely messed everything up and would be lucky to get his insurance and started to look for full time jobs, in the end he performed a lot better than he was predicted. He has just graduated so it was a few years ago now.

Middle son did the same, he missed by one grade but was still accepted and has just completed his 2nd year.

Youngest son is going through the doubt machine as we speak and it is driving me crackers.

None of them were Cambridge applicants, so it happens no matter where you are on the educational spectrum.
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?


I think the lack of past papers for essay subjects in particular has been especially brutal and unnerving. Issue is if you do something like physics, you can look up an unofficial markscheme and generally have some clue of how you've done, though obviously grade boundaries are an enigma. Whereas with essays, you literally have no bloody clue, and no past precedent to base it off of. For English Lit for example, the mark scheme is so ridiculously vague that no-one even knows what they want.

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Reply 3294
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?


It's normal to think you've done worse than you actually have. The more you think about it, the worse it gets. You'll realise little mistakes you made and think of ways you could have answered questions better. Obviously with A Level results taking so long that just makes everything worse. As long as you've done well relative to the cohort it'll be fine as everyone could have done better in hindsight.
Original post by Obiejess
I think the lack of past papers for essay subjects in particular has been especially brutal and unnerving. Issue is if you do something like physics, you can look up an unofficial markscheme and generally have some clue of how you've done, though obviously grade boundaries are an enigma. Whereas with essays, you literally have no bloody clue, and no past precedent to base it off of. For English Lit for example, the mark scheme is so ridiculously vague that no-one even knows what they want.

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English Lit is where I think I've messsd it up really. With History you can guess the questions by looking at the specification (they can't ask you anything which isn't on that). English Language was weirdly tough but I just blagged it and my coursework is top in the year so hopefully I might just pull an A*. English Lit...... paper 1 was okay, paper 2 I'll be lucky to get a C grade. :frown: According to someone on the OCR lit thread the examiners have been told to ''mark understandingly''.
Original post by SteamboatMickey
Almost everyone who I've spoken to thinks they've messed up their chances at attending university. Is this normal, or is there extra post-exam negativity because of the fact we are doing linear alevels so have no safety net or estimated grade boundaries like in past years?


For me I think it's Linear A levels- where there's a lot of uncertainty, as well as knowing I didn't perform in one paper meaning I really had to pull it out the bag for the other two. Also Potential maths leaks definitely unnerved me with people talking about it a lot. Like yeah I'm borderline for it so it may be the difference
Hi, new to the student room so apologies if this is in the wrong thread or format.

Currently got an offer to do maths, however after STEP III I think it's very unlikely that I'll get the step grade required, although I think I'm still on track for an A* in maths, further maths and physics. I read books on abstract algebra and topology for my personal statement, but I've also read "A brief history of time" by Stephen hawking (physics) and "The greatest show on earth" by Richard Dawkins (biology). In the very likely event that I ring Cambridge on results day and they tell me that they're not going to take me, is there any point in me asking if there's any room on the natural sciences course? Considering that if I get the grades I'm hoping for, I'll have just surpassed a typical natural sciences offer.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Cheers
Reply 3298
Original post by Olliesquire
Hi, new to the student room so apologies if this is in the wrong thread or format.

Currently got an offer to do maths, however after STEP III I think it's very unlikely that I'll get the step grade required, although I think I'm still on track for an A* in maths, further maths and physics. I read books on abstract algebra and topology for my personal statement, but I've also read "A brief history of time" by Stephen hawking (physics) and "The greatest show on earth" by Richard Dawkins (biology). In the very likely event that I ring Cambridge on results day and they tell me that they're not going to take me, is there any point in me asking if there's any room on the natural sciences course? Considering that if I get the grades I'm hoping for, I'll have just surpassed a typical natural sciences offer.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Cheers


You can ask :smile:

What do you *think* you got in STEP II and III?
Original post by Olliesquire
Hi, new to the student room so apologies if this is in the wrong thread or format.

Currently got an offer to do maths, however after STEP III I think it's very unlikely that I'll get the step grade required, although I think I'm still on track for an A* in maths, further maths and physics. I read books on abstract algebra and topology for my personal statement, but I've also read "A brief history of time" by Stephen hawking (physics) and "The greatest show on earth" by Richard Dawkins (biology). In the very likely event that I ring Cambridge on results day and they tell me that they're not going to take me, is there any point in me asking if there's any room on the natural sciences course? Considering that if I get the grades I'm hoping for, I'll have just surpassed a typical natural sciences offer.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
Cheers


I have heard of multiple people who missed their maths offer being offered places for physical natsci, but I think it's generally people who got 4 A*s (maths, FM, physics and chemistry). If you don't manage to get a place this year then you would probably make a strong post A-level applicant for natsci next year if that takes your fancy.
(edited 6 years ago)

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