Tripos results today?

I understand the end of year results are coming through around now (eg. for first years) good luck to those of you still hanging around these parts!

Reply 1

Doones

21

Original post by thewinelake

I understand the end of year results are coming through around now (eg. for first years) good luck to those of you still hanging around these parts!

I think it very much depends on the course. But yes good luck to all :smile:

Especially the architects :biggrin:

Edit: yup... classlist publication dates >> https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/files/website_publication_dates_2018.docx
via https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/your-course/examinations/all-students-timetable

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 2

Mesopotamian…

21

What is Tripos? I thought results day at uni was different depending on the course and the academic institution?

Reply 3

Doones

21

Original post by Mesopotamian.

What is Tripos? I thought results day at uni was different depending on the course and the academic institution?

Cambridge undergraduate exams are called Tripos for ancient reasons (students used to be verbally tested sitting on a 3-legged stool...)

See also: https://www.camdata.admin.cam.ac.uk/structure-undergraduate-courses-cambridge#Tripos

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 4

Mesopotamian…

21

Original post by Doonesbury

Cambridge undergraduate exams are called Tripos for ancient reasons (students used to verbally tested sitting on a 3-legged stool...)

See also: https://www.camdata.admin.cam.ac.uk/structure-undergraduate-courses-cambridge#Tripos

Oh I see, this is unique to Cambridge. Thank you for clarifying

Reply 5

Doones

21

Original post by Mesopotamian.

Oh I see, this is unique to Cambridge. Thank you for clarifying

Reply 6

Parliament

12

Original post by Doonesbury

I think it very much depends on the course. But yes good luck to all :smile:

Especially the architects :biggrin:

Edit: yup... classlist publication dates >> https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/files/website_publication_dates_2018.docx
via https://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/your-course/examinations/all-students-timetable

I've opted out of the class list this year; I wonder how many people will do likewise... If enough people opt out, they won't be able to produce the Tompkins Table :redface:

Reply 7

Doones

21

Original post by Parliament

I've opted out of the class list this year; I wonder how many people will do likewise... If enough people opt out, they won't be able to produce the Tompkins Table :redface:

Yes it will be interesting indeed. Unless they produce an anonymised class list, but even then identifying colleges would identify individuals for smaller courses... hmmm...

Reply 8

thewinelake

OP

17

I think about 2/3rds of DD's cohort have opted out, so I think Tompkins must be a goner unless they can persuade university that anonymised data is OK. Or maybe Cambridge Analytica could work it out by scanning everyone's Facebook feeds!

They'd also have to keep the breakdown secret, and just do the big final table. Maybe the university would have to do that themselves to be safe?

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 9

Doones

21

Original post by thewinelake

I think about 2/3rds of DD's cohort have opted out, so I think Tompkins must be a goner unless they can persuade university that anonymised data is OK. Or maybe Cambridge Analytica could work it out by scanning everyone's Facebook feeds!

They'd also have to keep the breakdown secret, and just do the big final table. Maybe the university would have to do that themselves to be safe?

The university already has Baxter which is impossible to get hold of even via FOI requests. So they have the data almost ready to go, but I doubt they would make it available to Mr Tompkins.

Reply 10

thewinelake

OP

17

Original post by Doonesbury

The university already has Baxter which is impossible to get hold of even via FOI requests. So they have the data almost ready to go, but I doubt they would make it available to Mr Tompkins.

Even the final league table? I wonder why?

Reply 11

thewinelake

OP

17

I see...

But what gives Dr Baxter a monopoly on the raw data, and can individual students say that they don't want this guy getting his mitts on their data for personal gain? Something's not right here.

---
Dear Mr Dinsmore
I write in response to your request received on 30 August 2016.
The College holds copies of the Baxter Tables for the years in question. However the College refuses your request for copies of those documents by reason of the following exemptions under the Act.
Section 41 (Information provided in confidence): The College was provided with the Tables by Dr Baxter on contractual terms that included an obligation of confidence in respect of the Tables preventing them from disclosure otherwise than with the permission of the author. That permission has not been granted.
Section 43 (Commercial interests): The College is satisfied that Dr Baxter’s commercial interests would be adversely affected by the provision of the documents requested, which he sells by way of business. It is further satisfied that the public interest in preserving Dr Baxter’s right to payment for his work outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Yours sincerely
J Durrant
Bursar’s Assistant
Christ’s College
---

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 12

Platopus

19

Original post by Parliament

I've opted out of the class list this year; I wonder how many people will do likewise... If enough people opt out, they won't be able to produce the Tompkins Table :redface:

I opted out too. Though I am a first year and I think it’s only third years whose results count towards the Tompkins Table.

Reply 13

username1865079

14

Publication of class list or not, I’ll be very happy if Tomlinson’s Table goes.
The methodology is just too simple, completely ignoring differences of context between colleges, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the real picture of academic strength/weakness of each college. It’s just so misleading and meaningless, providing good feed for irresponsible media......
It should come with a big warning sign and disclaimer if it continues to be published.

Original post by thewinelake

I see...

But what gives Dr Baxter a monopoly on the raw data, and can individual students say that they don't want this guy getting his mitts on their data for personal gain?
---

If the raw data has no reference to any individual, ie it is anonymised, results and subjects only, there is no issue. That can be done in every case except where there is only one student on the course in the College.

Original post by vincrows

The methodology is just too simple, completely ignoring differences of context between colleges, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the real picture of academic strength/weakness of each college. .

I thought we continually repeated the mantra that there is no academic difference between Colleges and the academic delivery you get is standardised? What you say here suggests that applicants ought to be concerned about the academic strengths/weaknesses of each college?

Reply 15

Doones

21

Original post by vincrows

Publication of class list or not, I’ll be very happy if Tomlinson’s Table goes.
The methodology is just too simple, completely ignoring differences of context between colleges, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the real picture of academic strength/weakness of each college. It’s just so misleading and meaningless, providing good feed for irresponsible media......
It should come with a big warning sign and disclaimer if it continues to be published.

Perhaps, but Tompkins *is* weighted:

"The scores in each subject are then weighted to a common average, to avoid the bias towards colleges with higher proportions of students entered for subjects which receive higher average grades.*"

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 16

Doones

21

Original post by threeportdrift

If the raw data has no reference to any individual, ie it is anonymised, results and subjects only, there is no issue. That can be done in every case except where there is only one student on the course in the College.

Cambridge generally suppresses anonymised data points (eg students per subject per class) if there's 3 or fewer students, so that could affect many subjects at a college. Buy it could be workable overall I guess.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 17

username1865079

14

Original post by threeportdrift

I thought we continually repeated the mantra that there is no academic difference between Colleges and the academic delivery you get is standardised? What you say here suggests that applicants ought to be concerned about the academic strengths/weaknesses of each college?

No, you're, intentionally or not, twisting and misinterpreting what I'm saying.

None of us has seen Baxter's Table, God knows how different it'd probably look than Tomlinson's, including a possibility of showing differences between colleges on each course (which Baxter shows, unlike Tomlinson's) is not as big as how Tomlinson's very simplistic picture (mis-) presents.
What I've noticed by looking at some class lists is that a number of firsts of each college is often very much in line with how many students the college has for the course. The context Tomlinson's completely ignores.

Teaching is centralized at each department and supervisions (except for the first years in most colleges/courses) are not tied to your college, so I don't see a problem in advising prospective applicants on this point. My daughter was at a biggest college for her course with largest number of DoS/fellows, but all her supervisors from the second year onwards were with academics at other colleges as well as most of her peers, so choosing a college like that doesn't necessarily influence who teaches/supervises you, anyway.
And I've been also advising them a college with a larger number of student for a course tend to have better stock of books for the course but you can usually request your college library to get a book you need if they don't have it, so it's up to them to decide if they want to be in a college with a large number of peers or not.

Being the only published ranking, Tomlinson's attracts too much attention and too many people (applicants and students) put too much importance on it, which I find very alarming because it (falsely) presents there're big differences in academic prowess between colleges.
So actually what I was saying is completely opposite of what you thought I was suggesting.

Have a good morning. :smile:

Reply 18