Can I get an offer from Oxbridge?

I am thinking of applying to the following universities :

Cambridge/Oxford
Imperial
UCL
Manchester
Leeds

My A Level Subjects are Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry for which I am predicted A*, A*, A*, A respectively. I got As in Maths and Further Maths at AS, with an average UMS of 85 (I got a C in D1 which brings my average down). I am also doing an EPQ based on Computer Science.

My GCSE results are as follows:

Maths - A*
Spanish - A*
Religious Education - A*
Physics - A*
Chemistry - A*
Biology - A
Geography - A
English Language - A
English Literature - A
Computing - A

I have also done a Nuffield Research Placement for Computer Science and a Headstart broad - based engineering course.

I am worried my Maths and Further Maths UMS is too low to be considered for Cambridge. I understand that Oxford look less at UMS and more at interview performances and MAT results. Should I apply to Oxford instead of Cambridge? Should I not bother applying to Oxbridge at all?

Are we really having another thread like this? -_-

Yes, Cambridge look more into UMS, especially for maths, not too sure on computer science though (btw you didn't say what you want to study so I'm assuming computer science)

If you're too worried about low UMS for Cambridge, look into Oxford, but don't apply just cause it's part of oxbridge, make sure you actually like the course and are willing to spend 3/4 years spending a ton of money on the course.

I am thinking of applying to the following universities :

Cambridge/Oxford
Imperial
UCL
Manchester
Leeds

My A Level Subjects are Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry for which I am predicted A*, A*, A*, A respectively. I got As in Maths and Further Maths at AS, with an average UMS of 85 (I got a C in D1 which brings my average down). I am also doing an EPQ based on Computer Science.

My GCSE results are as follows:

Maths - A*
Spanish - A*
Religious Education - A*
Physics - A*
Chemistry - A*
Biology - A
Geography - A
English Language - A
English Literature - A
Computing - A

I have also done a Nuffield Research Placement for Computer Science and a Headstart broad - based engineering course.

I am worried my Maths and Further Maths UMS is too low to be considered for Cambridge. I understand that Oxford look less at UMS and more at interview performances and MAT results. Should I apply to Oxford instead of Cambridge? Should I not bother applying to Oxbridge at all?

I've done a quick calculation on your maths UMS, and it looks like even if your D1 was the lowest C possible, at 60, your average over the over 5 is 90, which only just scrapes an A* if you project it forward to A2.

From the results of this freedom of information request:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/average_maths_ums_of_successful?utm_campaign=alaveteli-experiments-87&utm_content=sidebar_similar_requests&utm_medium=link&utm_source=whatdotheyknow

the average maths UMS of computer science offer holders hasn't been below 95% in the last 4 years at Cambridge. Obviously plenty of people below the average are admitted, but it would disadvantage your application and I'd advise you go for Oxford if you like the two courses equally.

Thank you very much for your response. I've done the calculation myself and it comes out at 90% if you exclude D1. However, there are fewer places at Oxford with only 1 in 13 students getting in, compared to 1 in 7 at Cambridge. Do you still think my chances are stronger at Oxford?

Don't rely too much on offer rates - they don't necessarily tell you how competitive a course is. It could be that weaker students are more likely to apply to Oxford, possible because of the lower standard offer or because they don't look at UMS, resulting in more rejections.

Even Oxford is more competitive than Cambridge for compsci, I'd still advise Oxford because it plays to your strengths more, while Cambridge are going to be put off by your UMS.