Catz Cambridge JCR Q&amp;A

Original post by Catz Access

Good Luck with applications!

Moved to the University of Cambridge forum :wink:

Reply 3

Original post by nicholasflee

just got rejected from the college, any idea on figures of how many got interviewed to offers last year?

last year there were 609 applicants and 141 offers, so it is very competitive! The college say they try to interview everyone who is on track to receive the required grades, although this will depend on the subject. University wide, the interview offer rate is around 75%, although Catz prides itself on giving more interviews than most, so maybe 80-85% of applicants get interviews.

Reply 4

Saracen's Fez

Well this is very cool...

Reply 5

Apart from Catz which college is the best for overall student experience? :beard:

Reply 6

Saracen's Fez

And do any other Catz students/applicants want to come and lend a hand on the hurt/heal game? :tongue:

Reply 7

killedbytheib

do you know when the invitations for interview for English will be sent out? :smile:

Reply 8

username3517840

Original post by Catz Access

I applied for Catz because of the very friendly feeling in the college and because they made a big deal of how they interview most of their applicants. I come from a state school, but my teachers are knowledgeable when it comes to successful Oxbridge applications and they said my application was excellent. It was frankly a shock when I did not get an interview.

I know I put in a good application, I attended masterclasses, summer school and did very well in two subject related essay competitions. My predicated A Level grades met the entry requirements.

So I can only assume that I did poorly in my admissions assessment.

However, I do have depression – as a result of a PTSD type experience - and dyslexia and I can’t help wondering whether my mental health issues and dyslexia impacted on my application. I know this may not be the case, but without the ability to get feedback, this in itself is making me feel pretty rotten and low (especially after all the comments about Catz priding itself on interviewing all realistic candidates). I feel ashamed and an idiot for even applying.

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 9

Original post by emms2001

I can’t help wondering whether my mental health issues and dyslexia impacted on my application. I know this may not be the case, but without the ability to get feedback, this in itself is making me feel pretty rotten and low (especially after all the comments about Catz priding itself on interviewing all realistic candidates). I feel ashamed and an idiot for even applying.

Definitely not! :console:

And don't feel bad about applying - Cambridge has difficult decisions to make, and they can't accept or even interview everyone. Some feedback will follow in due course, but can take a while and probably won't be sent until Feb/March.

Of course it *is* fine to feel a bit sad about getting a rejection so give yourself time to recover, and then focus on your A-levels and your future at another excellent university. It's Cambridge's loss! :smile:

Reply 10

Hi! I’ve applied to Catz for vet med and have an interview on the 6th December. Do you know if I need to take anything with me (references, ID) as they haven’t specified on the email? Also, do you know when/if I will get feedback on the NSAA and/or my interview? Plus when do offers/rejections tend to come through after interview?

Sorry for all the questions, just curious about what’s going to happen.

Reply 11

Original post by stimtothesky

You will definitely need some form of valid ID - driving license or passport will be fine! If you are successful you won't receive any feedback but if you are unsuccessful you will be able to request interview feedback by late January/early February. Offers/rejections will be sent out by the second week of January! Good luck for your interview!

Reply 12

Original post by Doonesbury

Apart from Catz which college is the best for overall student experience? :beard:

Depends on what experience you want, but obviously we all think Catz is the best!! :smile:

Also all of us go to Catz so don't really know what other colleges are like, but almost everybody likes their college a lot.

Reply 13

Original post by stimtothesky

Also, do you know when/if I will get feedback on the NSAA and/or my interview? Plus when do offers/rejections tend to come through after interview?

You only get AA/Interview feedback if you get a rejection. Feedback is usually sent in Feb/March.

Decisions will be emailed by all colleges on 14th January 2019 (going by Trinity's info anyway).

Reply 14

bethbradbury

Do you know how much of an impact the admissions test has on wether you get an interview? I felt mine didn't go incredibly but the majority of my application I believe is up to standards... Applying for HSPS! x

Reply 15

Original post by bethbradbury

I think most people feel like their admissions tests don't go very well, they are designed to be very hard, and it is impossible to actually tell what they are looking for, so I wouldn't worry too much. Also because Cambridge has not had them in place for very long, they are less likely to be reliable indicators than say the TSA at Oxford. Again, Catz interview most people, so if the rest of your application is strong you have a good chance. Good luck!

Reply 16

Original post by Catz Access

Thank you! So you never know how you scored on the NSAA? That’s slightly frustrating but I’d rather be accepted than rejected with feedback :-)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 17

Original post by Doonesbury

You only get AA/Interview feedback if you get a rejection. Feedback is usually sent in Feb/March.

Decisions will be emailed by all colleges on 14th January 2019 (going by Trinity's info anyway).

So on the spreadsheet for last year where it says admissions test/interview rating, will those all be people who were rejected?

Reply 18

Original post by stimtothesky

So on the spreadsheet for last year where it says admissions test/interview rating, will those all be people who were rejected?

No, it's the interviewees rating their own performance - and usually doing very badly at judging it :wink:

Reply 19