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Ask An(other) Admissions Tutor 25/07/2017-08/08/2017

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Reply 80
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6764
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Another question, I'm a post-a-level applicant with A*A*B at A-Level in economics, history and maths (along with an A in AS chemistry and 10A* GCSE and 2 flags on my application for postcode). Would it very unlikely to get an interview/offer for education/HSPS. I would plan to retake 2 modules to improve the maths to an A.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by themight
Hello!

How will you assess the applicants at interview? What will you look at and what is important? ( I have already seen the interview video, but maybe you can give me some more information.)


The way we assess applicants at interview varies from course to course. In general, we are looking for genuine subject interest, analytical ability, problem-solving skills - including willingness to "think outside the box" and apply existing knowledge in an unfamiliar context - and flexibility of thought. We like to see how readily applicants will revise (or consolidate) their opinions when presented with new information, and how much they enjoy learning "by dialogue" - the interview largely replicates what would happen in a Cambridge supervision.

I can tell you a bit more if you tell me which subject interests you!
Original post by AnaBaptist

Spoiler



Are you speaking personally i.e. in terms of Christ's or do you believe that all Colleges have a positive approach to specific learning difficulties/young carers? Are any Colleges likely to be more inclined that others to take such a candidate?


I am speaking for Christ's, but I also think all Colleges have a positive approach to specific learning difficulties and young carers, and I can't think of any College which wouldn't willingly accept such a candidate, provided of course that they showed appropriate academic potential.
Original post by AnaBaptist
What sort of 'super curricular' activities would Christ's be looking for in an HSPS candidate?


Mostly, reading! Some of our HSPS candidates (particularly those interested in the Politics and International Relations pathway) are very involved in local politics, activism, campaigning, debating etc, and writing for blogs/school newspapers etc, but reading beyond the school curriculum is the most important thing.
Original post by jonathan98
Great thanks!

Could you please run through a brief overview of how the interview was conducted for Land Economy in Singapore (i.e. the interview structure)?
How can I prepare for the interview? Any tips?


We don't have a "set" format for the Land Economy interview but I think you can reasonably expect to be asked about your motivation for applying, and key interests outlined in your personal statement, before being presented with some problem questions related to the course (perhaps about land use or urban planning, say). The most important preparation I can suggest is reading, and the Department provides some udeas here: http://www.landecon.cam.ac.uk/Undergraduate-study/suggested-reading.
Original post by primrose43
Hi,

Thank you for doing this. I am just wondering, now that there are no longer AS grades (except some subjects such as Maths and Further Maths which still have them this year), I'm assuming that more emphasis would be put on predicted grades as an indication to a students performance moving on from GCSEs to A-level. However, some schools may under-predict and some may over-predict so how are predictions looked at without AS grades?


We do put some emphasis on predicted grades, but would weigh them against other evidence in determining who to invite to interview (and bear in mind that we interview around 80% of our applicants, so your chances of showing us what you can do, in person, are quite high!) So there might be an issue if your school was predicting you BBB, say, but if they are predicting that you will achieve within one or two grades of our standard offer, and you do reasonably in any pre-interview assessment, then you would almost certainly be shortlisted. Past the interview stage, predictions are less relevant, as we tend to formulate our own judgement.
Original post by Desmos
For postgraduate students, specifically those applying for master's degrees, what do you look for in applications apart from the applicant's getting a 1st? Also, do you prefer certain unis above others?


I don't think we have a preference for certain unis, and we don't require a 1st for all our Masters degrees - there are quite substantial variations, so it's probably best to consult the Graduate Admissions site on this: http://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/
Original post by an_atheist
Er, hi there. I'm an offer holder for this application cycle, and I was wondering about the Summer Pool. My offer is for A*A*A in maths, further maths and physics in any order. My question is that if I get A*AA, with the A* in further maths, how likely am I to end up in the Summer Pool?
I somewhat messed up my C4 exam and so I am concerned that that will cause me to miss my offer because of the way the A* is awarded in maths. I should end upwith >90 UMS average across all 6 modules, since i did quite well last year, if that is of any use.

The course is Chemical Engineering via Engineering (H810), to clarify.


Assuming you're not a Christ's offer-holder, I think it's unlikely that you would be Summer Pooled with A*AA, unless there were extenuating circumstances (sorry). If you're a Christ's offer-holder, it would depend how you'd done in STEP 1.
Original post by jonathan98
Great thanks!

Could you please run through a brief overview of how the interview was conducted for Land Economy in Singapore (i.e. the interview structure) as it is such a unique course?
How can I prepare for the interview? Any tips?


I think I've already answered this question earlier in the thread?
Original post by jonathan98
Hi! May I also check if I wish to take my interviews and tests in Singapore for Land Economy this year, would the submitting of written work (one or two college essays) prior to the interview to the colleges Fitzwilliam, Homerton, Lucy Cavendish, Murray Edwards, Pembroke, St Edmund's, Trinity Hall, Wolfson apply to me as well? If so, how do I submit the written work, and when is the deadline for submission? (I'm asking because my seniors applied to the aforementioned colleges in 2013 and 2014 while taking their interviews/tests in Singapore and they did not have to submit any written work).

Thank you!


Yes, I think you would still be expected to submit written work prior to interview to any of the college you list. The deadline for submission can vary slightly from college to college but is usually the beginning of November. Colleges revise their requirements on an annual basis so one or more of those listed may have changed their policy since 2013/2014.
Original post by Secular_Priest
Hi Christ's college,

I am a prospectie applicant for the upcoming cycle and hoping to become a student of Japanese Studies within the AMES course. I have a couple of general questions but can apply to Christ's as I am still undecided in some ways on which college to apply to.

Is it advantageous to apply to a college with a fellow in Japanese rather than without?
How many Japanese students are at Christ's in Undergrad at the minute?


There is no particular advantage or disadvantage to applying to a college with a Fellow in Japanese - supervisions in AMES are organized centrally so you will get excellent teaching wherever you go.

We don't have any undergraduates following the Japanese pathway at Christ's at the moment, though we're very keen to take some in the future!
Original post by edzay
Hi how are internally-assessed qualifications such as the IB Middle Year Programme viewed? Would the lack of an actual national qualification like the GCSEs be a disadvantage?


No, we're quite used to assessing applicants without GCSEs. We will ask for a transcript from the IB Middle Year programme if you've done it, but we recognize that it is internally-assessed and it would only be used in careful conjunction with other evidence.
Original post by 6764
Hi, I am split between applying for education, policy/development and HSPS. I'm leaning more towards education but I'm worried that education may be a bit narrow. How difficult would it be to study education for a year and then switch to HSPS for second and third year? I'm aware of the tripos system but was a bit confused as education seems to be divided into iA and iB, so would I need to finish first and second year before I would be allowed to switch?


It's a bit difficult to comment authoritatively as the new version of the Education Tripos has not yet started up, and at the moment, Education is a fully two year Part 1 (no Part 1A or Part 1B, just Prelims in the First Year and Part 1 in the Second), so until now, most Education students haven't be able to switch until after Year 2.

My reading of the 2018 Tripos information is that you might well be able to switch into HSPS in the second year, provided you took the pathway corresponding to the HSPS paper you'd done within Education, and provided you did well on that paper. But you should bear in mind that there is no automatic entitlement to any subject transfer - you'd have to make a good case for it to your College.

For what it's worth, I've been Tutor to a number of Education students over the years and have never heard any concerns regarding its narrowness, in practice - most people really love the subject.
Original post by lasjmcbr
Hi there! I was just wondering, on what basis are students de-selected by the Overseas Interview Scheme? Thank you!


They are generally de-selected only if there is little or no evidence that they can meet our standard offer.
Original post by 6764
Another question, I'm a post-a-level applicant with A*A*B at A-Level in economics, history and maths (along with an A in AS chemistry and 10A* GCSE and 2 flags on my application for postcode). Would it very unlikely to get an interview/offer for education/HSPS. I would plan to retake 2 modules to improve the maths to an A.


You'd certainly get an interview for either HSPS or Education at Christ's, and I can't see any reason at all why you wouldn't get an offer, provided your performance at interview and in either the pre-interview assessment (for HSPS) or the at-interview assessment (for Education) was solid. So I'd encourage you to give it a shot.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
The way we assess applicants at interview varies from course to course. In general, we are looking for genuine subject interest, analytical ability, problem-solving skills - including willingness to "think outside the box" and apply existing knowledge in an unfamiliar context - and flexibility of thought. We like to see how readily applicants will revise (or consolidate) their opinions when presented with new information, and how much they enjoy learning "by dialogue" - the interview largely replicates what would happen in a Cambridge supervision.

I can tell you a bit more if you tell me which subject interests you!


Thank you! Economics!
Reply 96
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6764
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Original post by Christ's Admissions
You'd certainly get an interview for either HSPS or Education at Christ's, and I can't see any reason at all why you wouldn't get an offer, provided your performance at interview and in either the pre-interview assessment (for HSPS) or the at-interview assessment (for Education) was solid. So I'd encourage you to give it a shot.


Many thanks for answering. That's a really encouraging response but I was surprised as most colleges I'd phoned said that with A*A*B, the B would mean they were very unlikely to consider me. Was wondering if you knew if Christ's is the only college that is more understanding?
Hello!

I was wondering (after reading that it is recognised that non-GCSE qualifications like the IB Middle Year program are internally assessed) whether it is recognised that in the German equivalent of Sixth Form all the grades achieved apart from the final Abitur exam are also internally assessed? I am asking because I feel that in one subject that is relevant to the course I want to apply to, my grade for class participation has been unfair and pulled my grade from this semester down to 13 points (instead of at least the required 14 points I was hoping to achieve)
Original post by Christ's Admissions
There is no particular advantage or disadvantage to applying to a college with a Fellow in Japanese - supervisions in AMES are organized centrally so you will get excellent teaching wherever you go.

We don't have any undergraduates following the Japanese pathway at Christ's at the moment, though we're very keen to take some in the future!


When would be a good time to visit Christ's and if I emailed far enough ahead of time is there any chance I could meet with a student or a lecturer in AMES at Christs?
Original post by Secular_Priest
When would be a good time to visit Christ's and if I emailed far enough ahead of time is there any chance I could meet with a student or a lecturer in AMES at Christs?


You can come and visit the College whenever suits - just e-mail the Admissions Office to fix a date and we'll give you a tour and answer general questions. The best time to meet our Director of Studies in AMES would probably be at the Arts Open Day on September 23 if you can do that? Otherwise we might be able to arrange a meeting with her another day (again, e-mail the Admissions Office). Meeting an AMES student might be a bit tricky until term starts again, i.e. mid-October, which may be a little late for your purposes...

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