Ask an Admissions Tutor XIV: 28 August - 14 September

Hi, I have a few questions
Will my application be treated as an International application? I am not a UK citizen but have been studying in England since 2013
Are international applications treated any differently to domestic applications?

Hi

How will Cambridge be treating the new grade 9 in GCSEs? Are 8 and 9 considered equally as an A* by Cambridge, as per Oxford : https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admission-requirements/uk-qualifications?wssl=1.

Also, when will acceptances data be added to the stats page

8 & 9 at GCSE are going to be treated as equivalent to an A*. We will need to wait to see whether there is a significant difference between an 8 and a 9 in terms of what it means for performance in Cambridge before we can say how much we feel a 9 is better than an 8.

In due course, November I expect, but you'd need to ask someone at Cambridge Admissions Office rather than the Colleges if you really want to get your stats hit! We are still currently waiting on remarks and the official numbers won't be complete until entry actually happens in October.

Hello everyone and welcome to another Ask an Admissions Tutor thread. For anyone thinking of applying to Cambridge this year, do ask your question here and I will answer it as best I can, whether you are in Year 13 and about to apply, thinking of reapplying or just planning or thinking about applying some time in the future.

As well as asking questions here, there is still time to book on College Open Days that are happening in September at lots of the Cambridge Colleges, where you will get the opportunity to meet Admissions Tutors, students and, often, Directors of Studies too. Our own Open Day at Murray Edward is on Saturday 8 September and you can book a place here.

In the meantime, fire away with your questions...

Hello everyone and welcome to another Ask an Admissions Tutor thread. For anyone thinking of applying to Cambridge this year, do ask your question here and I will answer it as best I can, whether you are in Year 13 and about to apply, thinking of reapplying or just planning or thinking about applying some time in the future.

As well as asking questions here, there is still time to book on College Open Days that are happening in September at lots of the Cambridge Colleges, where you will get the opportunity to meet Admissions Tutors, students and, often, Directors of Studies too. Our own Open Day at Murray Edward is on Saturday 8 September and you can book a place here.

In the meantime, fire away with your questions...

If there is a "no deal" Brexit, how do you think that will affect international students applying for universities in the UK?

How are first year supervision pairings/groupings made? I know it's heavily dependent on the College and the DoS' personal preference, but in general. I'm applying for maths, so would STEP scores be looked at to put similar ability people together? Are notes made in the interview about the person's general personality, so you can put people together whose personalities won't clash? Do students get any say ante factum?

Hello,

I am an international student hoping to apply for biological natural science for 2019 entry. For context I'm doing CIE biology and chemistry and Edexcel maths so I have two AS results and three A level predictions. I've read somewhere that typical successful applicants usually have a PUM above 90%, but I can't be sure how good my chance of being considered for entry is because my school does not provide PUM. However, I have received my raw marks and I think my marks in practical papers seem subpar compared to papers 1 and 2, although they are above the threshold for A. Honestly I do not like to lay blame on others but I should mention being part of the first AS batch in my school and, in my opinion, receiving inadequate training in practical skills. If I provide my raw marks, can you kindly give me a rough idea of whether applying is worth a try?

Chemistry
Multiple choice: 39/40
Structured Questions: 58/60
Practical: 25/40 (threshold for A is 23)
Total After Weighting Factors Applied: 116/130

Biology
Multiple choice: 33/40
Structured Questions: 58/60
Practical:29/30 (threshold for A is 26)
Total After Weighting Factors Applied: 113/130

I sincerely apologise for the lengthy message, but I thought I should provide all details.
Thanks in advance.

Edit: My A2 predictions are either A*A*A or A*A*A*, not totally confirmed with maths. IGCSE's are 4A* 2A.

STEP scores would often be a significant factor in supervision pairings, yes, as DoSes often want to pair people who they feel are of similar quality. Sometimes, though, they will put people whom they regard as strong with someone a bit weaker to try to help them. Supervision pairings will often change when term starts and the DoS gets a sense of what’s working and what’s not. I’m afraid you don’t get a choice at the start, no.

Hi, I recently got my A-level results and am wondering if its worth reapplying for natural sciences. I got A*A*A in Physics,Maths and chemistry - last year I got an interview with A*A*A* prediction - will my application be as competitive?
Also may I ask am I close to any auto-interview conditions or anything?
btw if I decide apply for chemical engineering am I better off applying for engineering?

If I take F. Maths in my gap year is my offer likely to be based on that?

If there is a "no deal" Brexit, how do you think that will affect international students applying for universities in the UK?

Hi,

I'm studying Maths, Biology and Chemistry this year (going into Y13), and will be reapplying in my gap year for Mathematics.
In my gap year, I plan to do an EPQ and also do the full A-Levels of Further Maths and Physics, as I saw that FM is compulsory and most people who didn't take Physics got rejected. I am also getting some banking-related work experience.

What would you advise me to do in my gap year to enhance my application to Cambridge?
What would admissions tutors like to see in my personal statement?
How much does the SAQ matter and what part of it gets marked?
Will not doing A-Level physics put me at a disadvantage?

Thanks

If you're planning on taking a Gap Year for Maths, you will need to think carefully about which college to apply to first of all, as they have different attitudes to Gap Year (this is the only subject where this is ture and information can be found here).

Otherwise, do as much Maths as you can, not just FM but practice for STEP. All that really matters for Cambridge Maths is how good your Maths is. Yes, most successful applicants have Physics but that isn't essential to their application - there is correlation but not causation here. The SAQ and the PS do not get 'marked' as such. The most useful part of the SAQ for a Mathematician will be where you tell us what you've studied, so we know what we can ask you at interview and where you might need more help. For us the PS is not a major factor for Mathematicians.

A*A*A in hand but no FM A Level is going to put you behind a lot of candidates on this measure for Physical Natural Sciences or for Engineering. That doesn't mean you can't be successful but you will need to do well in other aspects. The only threshold which will guarantee an interview are the conditions for compulsory pooling, which is 3 A*s in your situation.

In terms of applying for Chemical Engineering, you need to decide which route you are going to enjoy most - there's no real difference in terms of competitiveness in applying for Natural Sciences or Engineering.

thanks - do you think since I will be doing further maths that will change my application significantly? Also I would pick modules Physics,Maths and Biology of cells so it wouldn't specifically be physical natural sciences but will I still be behind a lot of candidates?