Is Trinity unreachable?

I want to study Engineering (broad-based) at Cambridge, but I'm unsure which college to apply to. I go to a private school, as my parents value education highly and there are no nearby grammar schools where I live, and I achieved 8 A*s, 2 As and an A^ at GCSE. I've taken Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics for A Levels, and I try to do as much as I can in terms of relevant extra curricular stuff for engineering ( work experience, EES etc).

I just feel like Trinity appears as though it is only for the absolute greatest minds on earth, (especially with its historical students), there especially for Maths and Physics students. Is it naive for me to think I could achieve a place there?

Reply 1

Mosa99

15

I applied to trinity to do engineering this year and got pooled to a different college. Everyone told it’s hard to get in trinity before I applied but I applied to trinity anyway.

Reply 2

boi_

OP

12

Original post by Mosa99

I applied to trinity to do engineering this year and got pooled to a different college. Everyone told it’s hard to get in trinity before I applied but I applied to trinity anyway.

OK thanks, I heard that its quite unlikely to get pooled if you don't get Trinity, is that true? Also what kind of things did you do to improve your odds at Cambridge? :smile:

Reply 3

Plagioclase

21

Original post by chinkinator

I want to study Engineering (broad-based) at Cambridge, but I'm unsure which college to apply to. I go to a private school, as my parents value education highly and there are no nearby grammar schools where I live, and I achieved 8 A*s, 2 As and an A^ at GCSE. I've taken Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics for A Levels, and I try to do as much as I can in terms of relevant extra curricular stuff for engineering ( work experience, EES etc).

I just feel like Trinity appears as though it is only for the absolute greatest minds on earth, (especially with its historical students), there especially for Maths and Physics students. Is it naive for me to think I could achieve a place there?

If you want to apply to Trinity, apply to Trinity. It's not just for the absolute greatest minds on earth, as evidenced by the fact that (1) Trinity would rather struggle to recruit their 200 or so undergraduates a year if they only took the absolute greatest minds on earth and (2) their Tompkins score is still within the planes of normality. The pooling system in Cambridge means that if you're good enough to get in, you'll get a place somewhere (probably).

Reply 4

Mosa99

15

Original post by chinkinator

OK thanks, I heard that its quite unlikely to get pooled if you don't get Trinity, is that true? Also what kind of things did you do to improve your odds at Cambridge? :smile:

I don’t think it’s true that it’s unlikely to get pooled if you don’t get in Trinity because 94% of the colleges enter at least one student into the winter pool.

Applying to Cambridge has different stages, I first did the written admissions assessment which I revised for using two main websites
“(Isaac Physics ) and (I want to study Engineering) these two websites are pretty helpful. After you do the test you wait for an interview invitation. If you get invited for an interview you should watch some YouTube videos on how the interview is going to be like, do a lot of questions from the websites I mentioned above. First I thought the interview is going to be hard but they basically ask you maths and physics questions and I’m pretty sure you know how to do them. They don’t want just to see that you know how to solve these questions , they want to know the way you break down the question and the thinking techniques you use so it’s good to think aloud and communicate directly with the interviewers.

Reply 5

RedGiant

22

It might be worth reading through this thread linked below. The OP got rejected from compsci with a very good set of grades and an overall strong application. Bearing in mind though this was for compsci, which has skyrocketed in popularity recently (or so I hear), and has no pre admission test. You'll be advised not to play the statistics game, but always check for yourself.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5057160

That said, it might not be as tricky for engineering as there is a pre admission test.

Reply 6

boi_

OP

12

Original post by RedGiant

It might be worth reading through this thread linked below. The OP got rejected from compsci with a very good set of grades and an overall strong application. Bearing in mind though this was for compsci, which has skyrocketed in popularity recently (or so I hear), and has no pre admission test. You'll be advised not to play the statistics game, but always check for yourself.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5057160

That said, it might not be as tricky for engineering as there is a pre admission test.

Yeah man, its stuff like this that really hit me hard; I know I'm clever, intellectual, but my work ethic is nothing compared to this guy, and I'm sure many others. I've always done incredibly well at school, regardless of my effort, but I just don't feel like it's enough, when people like this guy don't get accepted. Makes me feel naive.

Reply 7

Doones

21

Original post by chinkinator

Yeah man, its stuff like this that really hit me hard; I know I'm clever, intellectual, but my work ethic is nothing compared to this guy, and I'm sure many others. I've always done incredibly well at school, regardless of my effort, but I just don't feel like it's enough, when people like this guy don't get accepted. Makes me feel naive.

This truism is true*: the guaranteed way to avoid getting an offer from Trinity is by not applying. If you like Trinity apply there.

Actually Trinity does fish from the pool (over 30 in the last 4 years) so some applicants do end up there despite applying elsewhere. Albeit rarely for Engineering (2 engineers were fished).

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 8

RedGiant

22

Original post by chinkinator

Yeah man, its stuff like this that really hit me hard; I know I'm clever, intellectual, but my work ethic is nothing compared to this guy, and I'm sure many others. I've always done incredibly well at school, regardless of my effort, but I just don't feel like it's enough, when people like this guy don't get accepted. Makes me feel naive.