Productive year 11 summer for a future Cambridge Student

I've got this from a Cambridge student who studied an unconvential subject at a-level but got an offer and is now studying there.
He did sociology, he knew that the course he applied for sociology wasn't "accepted". Like taking biology instead of physics for mathematics.
He addressed it in the interview and the interviewers told him that he gained skills for it that go well for the course. Since they generally thought that those who do sociology a-level copy and paste, they don't "actually" analyse. But he gained analytical skills etc. So yeah. He got an unconditional offer.

Furthermore, I'm going to be studying mathematics and engineering in ALL of the summer places i'm going to. I'm then going to be able to decide if aerospace is the one for me. I'd rather go and find out now. In my year 11 summer, than find out in my year 12 summer. It gives me a definitive goal. I can only work with definitive goals or else I'm not working at all. Right now I "know" I want to be an engineer. This summer can either define that or lead me on a different path (yahwehhh forbid man I've worked so hard to plan this one)

E.g See my current 2018 goals.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vau6sJrp-KtWER4HiT91O1x7F4DTND9YbnISkCPcPYU/edit?usp=sharing

What about NCS? i think that is very key as it shows you are free and easy and not stressful. It gives your personality a good sound. It shows you are better suited to the Cambridge environment of handling your social life and academic life and still being successful. I know many applicants who did this kind of stuff but never showed another side and that you can adapt. Be careful

Honestly I know several people who started at Oxford/Cambridge last year, and many more (including me) who have received offers this year. The truth is that almost all of us didn't go to any summer schools or do any of these programmes or actually very much in the way of extracurricular activity whatsoever... (and in fact the people I know who actually did do these activities all got rejected.)

Really it's a myth that you need to do all of these things and in reality all you need is a passion for your subject (and of course that does include outside reading) and to be talented. There's little more to it.

The point is that you're in year 11 and you needn't worry yourself about Cambridge so early on (in all honesty it's not worth thinking too much on it until the summer of year 12 - after the mocks you'll sit etc). Just enjoy your summer, read around areas of your subject that you enjoy and relax.

TL;DR Cambridge don't really care about your extracurricular activities, so just enjoy your life.

If summer schools such as UNIQ and Sutton Trust weren't beneficial then why are most alumnis offer holders at top russell groups?

Damn just saw the document. Do you go to a grammar girls' school or something? You're going to have a great personal statement!

Correlation =/= causation

Sutton Trust & UNIQ students are also high achievers. That's how they qualify for the programme in the first place.


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NCS unfortunately has nothing to do with what I want to apply for.
Sure it shows you have qualities or whatever
But cambridge gets so many applications for engineering/maths i doubt they read personal statements anyway.

CS here not maths/engineering, but don't count on them not reading your PS. One of my two interviews was based almost entirely on topics I'd talked about in my PS, as well as the interviewer in the first interview specifically mentioning part of my PS while walking back from the interview room.

CS here not maths/engineering, but don't count on them not reading your PS. One of my two interviews was based almost entirely on topics I'd talked about in my PS, as well as the interviewer in the first interview specifically mentioning part of my PS while walking back from the interview room.

I'm not quite sure about cs. But I know maths and engineering have over 300 applications on average per college for about 30 places on average per college.

Yes. I'm sure I'm a high-achiever if I was chosen at 15 years old despite the thousands of (already received qualifications) 16, 17 and 18 year olds who applied.

Last year CS was the 2nd most competitive course after architecture

what college are you studying in?

You were chosen for Sutton Trust or UNIQ?

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I've got an offer from Girton

CS here not maths/engineering, but don't count on them not reading your PS. One of my two interviews was based almost entirely on topics I'd talked about in my PS, as well as the interviewer in the first interview specifically mentioning part of my PS while walking back from the interview room.