[Official] Gonville and Caius College Applicants 2020

Hey everyone! I saw that St John's college had a thread like this, so thought why not create one for Caius!

Here are a couple questions I've copied from the Official Cambridge 2020 entry thread:

1)What A-levels are you taking and what grades are you hoping for?
2)What subject have you applied for at Cambridge?
3)What GCSE grades did you obtain?
3)Why Cambridge?
5)Why Gonville and Caius college?
6)What are you currently doing (academically especially) to make your application stronger?

Reply 1

callist_io

7

Hey! I'll be applying to G&C this year to study HSPS. This is my second time applying to Cambridge, the first time was with Trinity Hall and I ended up getting rejected from the winter pool, so I'm trying again with a different college!

I already wrote one of these for the HSPS thread so I'll just copy my questions from there:

Spoiler

Anyone else looking to study here?

Reply 2

app_

OP

12

Original post by callist_io

Hey! I'll be applying to G&C this year to study HSPS. This is my second time applying to Cambridge, the first time was with Trinity Hall and I ended up getting rejected from the winter pool, so I'm trying again with a different college!

I already wrote one of these for the HSPS thread so I'll just copy my questions from there:

Spoiler

Anyone else looking to study here?

I am! For medicine though

Reply 3

Technik23

6

1) I'm doing Cambridge Pre-U Physics, Chemistry, Maths, and Further Maths. I'm hoping for straight Distinction 1s in all of them.
2)Physical NatSci
3)99999A*A*A*A*A* and an A in FSMQ
4)I don't want to restrict myself to one science. I like the broad nature of the course.
5)Well-regarded college. Not too competitive and a strong science lineage.
6)Lots of things. I help out in Year 9 science lessons once a week and I am completing my amateur radio licence.

Reply 4

haya2020

7

Original post by app_

Hey everyone! I saw that St John's college had a thread like this, so thought why not create one for Caius!

Here are a couple questions I've copied from the Official Cambridge 2020 entry thread:

1)What A-levels are you taking and what grades are you hoping for?
2)What subject have you applied for at Cambridge?
3)What GCSE grades did you obtain?
3)Why Cambridge?
5)Why Gonville and Caius college?
6)What are you currently doing (academically especially) to make your application stronger?

1. I am an IB student and my courses are: Maths HL, Chem HL, Econ HL, Bio HL, Literature A SL, and Spanish Ab SL
2. I've applied for Law (unusual given my IB courses, I know)
3. N/A -- I have a predicted 7766 at HL and overall 42/45
4. Why not? I guess I was up for the challenge. No, but seriously, I spent a summer at Cambridge and the city and uni just felt right.
5. It felt right -- love the accommodation, location, and atmosphere of the college
6. Not exactly sure how to answer this question.

Reply 5

kingcreole

5

Original post by app_

Hey everyone! I saw that St John's college had a thread like this, so thought why not create one for Caius!

Here are a couple questions I've copied from the Official Cambridge 2020 entry thread:

1)What A-levels are you taking and what grades are you hoping for?
2)What subject have you applied for at Cambridge?
3)What GCSE grades did you obtain?
3)Why Cambridge?
5)Why Gonville and Caius college?
6)What are you currently doing (academically especially) to make your application stronger?

1) Maths, Physics, Biology and Chemistry, predicted A*A*A*A*
2) Biological Natural Sciences
3) 9999998866A*
4) I’ve been to Cambridge many times before and I love the city, but the quality of teaching and learning environment is very attractive too.
5) Gonville and Caius struck me as a college with a strong sense of community and it just felt like the right choice.
6) Currently I’m doing extra reading in case of an interview, but I’ve done the EES, gold crest and UKMT challenge.

Reply 6

kingcreole

5

Any ideas when we’ll hear back about interviews? I’ve heard between 10th-20th November but I don’t want to start preparing too soon in case I don’t even get invited!

Reply 7

legallyroyal63

11

Original post by kingcreole

Any ideas when we’ll hear back about interviews? I’ve heard between 10th-20th November but I don’t want to start preparing too soon in case I don’t even get invited!

yup around that time. I've started preparing despite not having an invite bc I've decided that:
-being invited to interview and not being prepared - thus wasting an opportunity (is worse)
-than: preparing and not being invited

Reply 8

kingcreole

5

Original post by legallyroyal63

yup around that time. I've started preparing despite not having an invite bc I've decided that:
-being invited to interview and not being prepared - thus wasting an opportunity (is worse)
-than: preparing and not being invited

yeah i suppose that’s true, how are you preparing?

Reply 9

DevAsn

5

anyone receive an interview? I'm applying for econ

Reply 10

boneappletea

8

Original post by DevAsn

anyone receive an interview? I'm applying for econ

Hi there, I'm applying for HSPS but haven't received an invite

Reply 11

kingcreole

5

Original post by DevAsn

anyone receive an interview? I'm applying for econ

I think invites will probably be coming around next week from what I’ve heard

Reply 12

legallyroyal63

11

No invite yet but I know that caius are renowned for being slow with admissions :/

Reply 13

legallyroyal63

11

Original post by kingcreole

yeah i suppose that’s true, how are you preparing?

I'm going over the books that I've read, analysing my ps and thinking of questions that they could ask about it, reading up on current affairs that interest me, reading a book about law (I'm applying for law) :smile:

Reply 14

kingcreole

5

Original post by legallyroyal63

I'm going over the books that I've read, analysing my ps and thinking of questions that they could ask about it, reading up on current affairs that interest me, reading a book about law (I'm applying for law) :smile:

yeah they sound like very good ideas, i’m applying for natural sciences so i’m getting my biology teacher to do a mock interview with me soon and trying to improve how i answer questions unprepared. it’s hard to know what to say sometimes!

Reply 15

kingcreole

5

i’ve seen that two people on other threads have invites now from caius, does anyone know what order the invites are sent out in or is it just random?

Reply 16

ifahad64

10

Original post by legallyroyal63

No invite yet but I know that caius are renowned for being slow with admissions :/

Original post by kingcreole

i’ve seen that two people on other threads have invites now from caius, does anyone know what order the invites are sent out in or is it just random?

I've received my interview invitation a few hours ago from Caius (Nat Sci Physical). I'm an international applicant though.

Reply 17

itsclyle

4

i got an interview invitation this morning for HSPS! (but im an international student interviewing in Toronto so i think the invite timeline is different)

Reply 18

boneappletea

8

Original post by itsclyle

i got an interview invitation this morning for HSPS! (but im an international student interviewing in Toronto so i think the invite timeline is different)