A*A*A*A* - Still failed.
A year into my course now (Mechanical engineering) and I am so appalled with myself.
I managed to get 97 UMS average across Maths and Further maths aswell as acing Physics and Economics. Got the highest grades in my school and high A*s etc.
My PS was full of work experience, My references where extremely good, even my Ucas advisor while reading it told me it's the best she has read in the last 10 years.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Yet despite all this I was rejected from Cambridge. I am now at a University which has entry requirements of AAA (second best for my course) and everyone here is unambitious, just mess about and party everyday.
I honestly hate myself. I did everything I could. Everything.
What more could I do? I have the grades, the PS, the reference..just everything.
Yet despite all of this I failed. Meanwhile 2 Students from my school got lower grades and managed to get in to the same course and lower UMS. How does that make any sense?
I managed to get 97 UMS average across Maths and Further maths aswell as acing Physics and Economics. Got the highest grades in my school and high A*s etc.
My PS was full of work experience, My references where extremely good, even my Ucas advisor while reading it told me it's the best she has read in the last 10 years.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Yet despite all this I was rejected from Cambridge. I am now at a University which has entry requirements of AAA (second best for my course) and everyone here is unambitious, just mess about and party everyday.
I honestly hate myself. I did everything I could. Everything.
What more could I do? I have the grades, the PS, the reference..just everything.
Yet despite all of this I failed. Meanwhile 2 Students from my school got lower grades and managed to get in to the same course and lower UMS. How does that make any sense?
Scroll to see replies
Not even second best for my course*
Original post by Anonymous
A year into my course now (Mechanical engineering) and I am so appalled with myself.
I managed to get 97 UMS average across Maths and Further maths aswell as acing Physics and Economics. Got the highest grades in my school and high A*s etc.
My PS was full of work experience, My references where extremely good, even my Ucas advisor while reading it told me it's the best she has read in the last 10 years.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Yet despite all this I was rejected from Cambridge. I am now at a University which has entry requirements of AAA (second best for my course) and everyone here is unambitious, just mess about and party everyday.
I honestly hate myself. I did everything I could. Everything.
What more could I do? I have the grades, the PS, the reference..just everything.
Yet despite all of this I failed. Meanwhile 2 Students from my school got lower grades and managed to get in to the same course and lower UMS. How does that make any sense?
I managed to get 97 UMS average across Maths and Further maths aswell as acing Physics and Economics. Got the highest grades in my school and high A*s etc.
My PS was full of work experience, My references where extremely good, even my Ucas advisor while reading it told me it's the best she has read in the last 10 years.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Yet despite all this I was rejected from Cambridge. I am now at a University which has entry requirements of AAA (second best for my course) and everyone here is unambitious, just mess about and party everyday.
I honestly hate myself. I did everything I could. Everything.
What more could I do? I have the grades, the PS, the reference..just everything.
Yet despite all of this I failed. Meanwhile 2 Students from my school got lower grades and managed to get in to the same course and lower UMS. How does that make any sense?
You could try to apply for a transfer?
It's very hard to do, but if your tutor is willing to give you a strong recommendation it could be possible. I am sorry I can't be of much help, I'm not even sure of what I want to study past year 13 yet, but that's all I can think of in terms of Cambridge
Good luck
It's very hard to do, but if your tutor is willing to give you a strong recommendation it could be possible. I am sorry I can't be of much help, I'm not even sure of what I want to study past year 13 yet, but that's all I can think of in terms of Cambridge
Good luck
Did you get an interview at Cambridge?
Original post by VirgoStrain
There's a luck element in getting into Oxbridge I personally think. Did your extracuriccular activities show a fascination in the subject, and did you do additional reading outside of your subjects? Other than that I literally can't explain why you didn't get in. Your results are as good / better than the best student in my school (straight A*'s at GCSE and getting around 85-95% in test results in FM and Maths so far). It might just be that they saw you didn't have anything unique to offer - quite a few people apply with straight A*'s or 10+ A*'s, as well as good A-level grades.
Also, what course was it? Did you take BMAT or something similar? Maybe you didn't perform well in it and the university didn't think you made up for it elsewhere.
Also, what course was it? Did you take BMAT or something similar? Maybe you didn't perform well in it and the university didn't think you made up for it elsewhere.
My extracurriculars where very good and where very well explained in ps.
I've built a hydraulic car system, Read countless books, worked at 3 different places ( work experience) etc. I done more than enough.
it was for engineering and I sat the Engaa.
Original post by VirgoStrain
"My interviews went well and they went fine."
Can you read?
Can you read?
I was rushing...
Original post by Poooky
Did you get an interview at Cambridge?
yes
Original post by VirgoStrain
I'm not sure if I can explain it, but have you ever come out of an exam / interview feeling like you'd done terribly but in reality you did well? It's kind of like that for Cambridge interviews. You may have been overconfident in all your achievements that you might have ended up just performing OK in the Engaa and Interview but overestimated how well it went.
I actually felt really bad after my engaa to the point where I took a break for a week from revision.
In terms of interview..who knows?
Well even if you think you performed well at interview, it must have been that there were others better than you (including the two others from your school). It's easy to measure your academic achievements and amount of relevant work experience but interview performance is quite subjective so even if you think you did well, the interviewers might not have. That's the only reason I can think of.
You're already at uni so try not to dwell on this and make the most out of it. It's second best for your course so clearly you've done very well to get into it? And I don't think it's fair to say that everybody is unambitious there- they have also worked hard to get onto the course and are probably, as it's the start of their first year (I presume) just trying to have fun and get a good uni life experience before knuckling down and working all the time.
edit: realise you're a year into your course... hmm. I'm sure not everybody is like that and those who are stand out? But even more so, just work hard and get a good degree at this point. Doesn't matter about everybody else, doesn't matter if you got into Cambridge or not now- it was so long ago and clearly your uni is still very respected.
You're already at uni so try not to dwell on this and make the most out of it. It's second best for your course so clearly you've done very well to get into it? And I don't think it's fair to say that everybody is unambitious there- they have also worked hard to get onto the course and are probably, as it's the start of their first year (I presume) just trying to have fun and get a good uni life experience before knuckling down and working all the time.
edit: realise you're a year into your course... hmm. I'm sure not everybody is like that and those who are stand out? But even more so, just work hard and get a good degree at this point. Doesn't matter about everybody else, doesn't matter if you got into Cambridge or not now- it was so long ago and clearly your uni is still very respected.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by VirgoStrain
I'm not sure if I can explain it, but have you ever come out of an exam / interview feeling like you'd done terribly but in reality you did well? It's kind of like that for Cambridge interviews. You may have been overconfident in all your achievements that you might have ended up just performing OK in the Engaa and Interview but overestimated how well it went.
Also, not other stuff? No sports, no science clubs, no music / instruments, no additional languages you're maintaining / learning? If they look at your results and just think "he's good at engineering, but doesn't look like he's good at anything else which requires a creative mind or contrasts with engineering to show flexible abilities, they might see you as just having a one-track mind and that you may have sacrificed non-engineering related activites to pursue it.
Also, not other stuff? No sports, no science clubs, no music / instruments, no additional languages you're maintaining / learning? If they look at your results and just think "he's good at engineering, but doesn't look like he's good at anything else which requires a creative mind or contrasts with engineering to show flexible abilities, they might see you as just having a one-track mind and that you may have sacrificed non-engineering related activites to pursue it.
I played football for a team which is now in the second division right now, (won't mention name for privacy). Had I ****ing stuck with football I could be earning 5-7k a week doing **** all. But no, I gave it up for Cambridge.
I speak 2 languages fluently. Also grade 6 piano.
Original post by VirgoStrain
I edited my comment to include another paragraph.
Also, I think it might have been your Engaa or Interview that went wrong. Remember - virtually everybody applying for engineering has been predicted A*'s in Maths / Physics and other subjects, and if they don't they're rejected outright. How high it is won't make too much difference. Plus GCSE's aren't really weighted at all. As far as A-level grades go you're at about the same level as a lot of applicants. You need to remember that even when you get the absolute best results in A-level, it's the extra stuff you do that matters. It's not just engineering-related stuff. it's completely unrelated stuff like music or social activities like DofE or drama. Did your application show evidence you know how to work in groups well? Because that's an important factor.
Also, I think it might have been your Engaa or Interview that went wrong. Remember - virtually everybody applying for engineering has been predicted A*'s in Maths / Physics and other subjects, and if they don't they're rejected outright. How high it is won't make too much difference. Plus GCSE's aren't really weighted at all. As far as A-level grades go you're at about the same level as a lot of applicants. You need to remember that even when you get the absolute best results in A-level, it's the extra stuff you do that matters. It's not just engineering-related stuff. it's completely unrelated stuff like music or social activities like DofE or drama. Did your application show evidence you know how to work in groups well? Because that's an important factor.
For teamwork I ran a physics club at school, sports as mentioned above, I organised school events with headboy + prefects.
There isn't even a point anymore. Lost hope.
why didnt you reapply?
Well that's life for you, I am afraid you will just have to deal with it.
Besides if this university requires AAA I am assuming it's a good uni overall. Don't shoot yourself in the foot just because you didn't get into Oxbridge. A lot of people who got lower grades than you managed to get into Oxbridge, I think the tutors were just uninterested in you as they saw you as one of those dry A* students.
Besides if this university requires AAA I am assuming it's a good uni overall. Don't shoot yourself in the foot just because you didn't get into Oxbridge. A lot of people who got lower grades than you managed to get into Oxbridge, I think the tutors were just uninterested in you as they saw you as one of those dry A* students.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by angelike1
why didnt you reapply?
Everyone Advised against it. School. Parents. ( and brother who too has gone Cambridge)
If they where not going to take me then, they would not have taken me now.
Original post by VirgoStrain
"My interviews went well and they went fine."
Can you read?
Can you read?
Other universities also offer interviews. Original post by VirgoStrain
I'm not sure if I can explain it, but have you ever come out of an exam / interview feeling like you'd done terribly but in reality you did well? It's kind of like that for Cambridge interviews. You may have been overconfident in all your achievements that you might have ended up just performing OK in the Engaa and Interview but overestimated how well it went.
Also, not other stuff? No sports, no science clubs, no music / instruments, no additional languages you're maintaining / learning? If they look at your results and just think "he's good at engineering, but doesn't look like he's good at anything else which requires a creative mind or contrasts with engineering to show flexible abilities, they might see you as just having a one-track mind and that you may have sacrificed non-engineering related activites to pursue it.
Also, not other stuff? No sports, no science clubs, no music / instruments, no additional languages you're maintaining / learning? If they look at your results and just think "he's good at engineering, but doesn't look like he's good at anything else which requires a creative mind or contrasts with engineering to show flexible abilities, they might see you as just having a one-track mind and that you may have sacrificed non-engineering related activites to pursue it.
That's not entirely true, science clubs sure as they are applying for mech eng but everything else doesn't matter.
Original post by Anonymous
My interviews went well and they went fine.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Your interview was most likely the issue. Considering two people in your school got in with lower grades it won't be a problem with going to a very good school/very good area. Your grades are great and you have a wealth of extra curricular activities, and PS/reference won't really matter that much. I don't know whether the EngAA is used in the final consideration of the application but likely it was okay enough to get you an interview, but didn't really impress. You could always apply again but I don't know whether Cambridge accept applications from current university students. They don't accept transfers, so decide whether you're unhappy at your current university enough to want to drop out. You would have a decent shot at getting in, but it's not guaranteed
What were your AS grades/UMS? Did you do much better at A2 or were they both equally high?
Original post by Anonymous
A year into my course now (Mechanical engineering) and I am so appalled with myself.
I managed to get 97 UMS average across Maths and Further maths aswell as acing Physics and Economics. Got the highest grades in my school and high A*s etc.
My PS was full of work experience, My references where extremely good, even my Ucas advisor while reading it told me it's the best she has read in the last 10 years.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Yet despite all this I was rejected from Cambridge. I am now at a University which has entry requirements of AAA (second best for my course) and everyone here is unambitious, just mess about and party everyday.
I honestly hate myself. I did everything I could. Everything.
What more could I do? I have the grades, the PS, the reference..just everything.
Yet despite all of this I failed. Meanwhile 2 Students from my school got lower grades and managed to get in to the same course and lower UMS. How does that make any sense?
I managed to get 97 UMS average across Maths and Further maths aswell as acing Physics and Economics. Got the highest grades in my school and high A*s etc.
My PS was full of work experience, My references where extremely good, even my Ucas advisor while reading it told me it's the best she has read in the last 10 years.
My interviews went well and they went fine.
Yet despite all this I was rejected from Cambridge. I am now at a University which has entry requirements of AAA (second best for my course) and everyone here is unambitious, just mess about and party everyday.
I honestly hate myself. I did everything I could. Everything.
What more could I do? I have the grades, the PS, the reference..just everything.
Yet despite all of this I failed. Meanwhile 2 Students from my school got lower grades and managed to get in to the same course and lower UMS. How does that make any sense?
You werent what they wanted. Dont hype up cambridge so much plenty of good unis with good prospects. Yes cambs is ideal but honestly ib the long term if you really are as good as you make yourself sound then youll be fine.
Original post by Anonymous
Everyone Advised against it. School. Parents. ( and brother who too has gone Cambridge)
If they where not going to take me then, they would not have taken me now.
If they where not going to take me then, they would not have taken me now.
Erm... loads of people have gotten in after reapplying.
Original post by Poooky Other universities also offer interviews.
That's not entirely true, science clubs sure as they are applying for mech eng but everything else doesn't matter.
Your interview was most likely the issue. Considering two people in your school got in with lower grades it won't be a problem with going to a very good school/very good area. Your grades are great and you have a wealth of extra curricular activities, and PS/reference won't really matter that much. I don't know whether the EngAA is used in the final consideration of the application but likely it was okay enough to get you an interview, but didn't really impress. You could always apply again but I don't know whether Cambridge accept applications from current university students. They don't accept transfers, so decide whether you're unhappy at your current university enough to want to drop out. You would have a decent shot at getting in, but it's not guaranteed
What were your AS grades/UMS? Did you do much better at A2 or were they both equally high?
Other universities also offer interviews. That's not entirely true, science clubs sure as they are applying for mech eng but everything else doesn't matter.
Your interview was most likely the issue. Considering two people in your school got in with lower grades it won't be a problem with going to a very good school/very good area. Your grades are great and you have a wealth of extra curricular activities, and PS/reference won't really matter that much. I don't know whether the EngAA is used in the final consideration of the application but likely it was okay enough to get you an interview, but didn't really impress. You could always apply again but I don't know whether Cambridge accept applications from current university students. They don't accept transfers, so decide whether you're unhappy at your current university enough to want to drop out. You would have a decent shot at getting in, but it's not guaranteed
What were your AS grades/UMS? Did you do much better at A2 or were they both equally high?
I got 99 average in AS and it dropped in A2 when I stopped giving a ****.
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