The Student Room Group

Scroll to see replies

tck
I will have self taught Maths and Further Maths over the course of two years, and do not consider it to be a major advantage. Many students will have taken all of F. Maths in one year, in order to fit both Maths and F. Maths in.
As for the interview, consider this quote from the Cambridge website
'We try to interview all applicants with a realistic chance of being offered a place on their chosen course at Cambridge. '
I do not mean to discourage you unnecessarily, but doubt that the extra maths modules and A levels taken over 3 years will help you much: apply if you want, but don't expect an offer...

Well it certainly is discouraging lol.
Reply 21
Alright, yeah guys I know my chance is way way too bleak. But will just have a go anyways. Thanks for all the advice. That was some warm welcome to this forum. :smile:
Reply 22
Ummm, oh in all the fuss; the main question of mine wasn't answered by anyone, except one or two above (bravo! dudes :wink:). My question was that supposing Oxford offers me a place conditionally, is there any way they can ask me to get A's in the modules for what AQA isn't awarding me any A level (Which is the AFM)?
Reply 23
Purbasha T
Hmm, guys guys. I've gone through all the Oxford entrance tests and stuff. And all of them looked pretty easy to me. What if I get around 90-100 in the Entrance test? Would that really help?


easier said than done tbh. are you applying for maths?
Reply 24
Purbasha T
Ummm, oh in all the fuss; the main question of mine wasn't answered by anyone, except one or two above (bravo! dudes :wink:). My question was that supposing Oxford offers me a place conditionally, is there any way they can ask me to get A's in the modules for what AQA isn't awarding me any A level (Which is the AFM)?


nope
Reply 25
J234
Well, you may end up with AAA but they won't know that, nor would they be able to infer you have the ability to get AAA from your previous examinations.

And AAAa isn't impressive by oxbridge standards if you take three years and multiple resits to achieve it! You should lower your expectations and apply to more realistic uni options. What subject do you want to apply for?


The_Lonely_Goatherd
I usually like to be vaguely encouraging to most people but this really doesn't look good at all. I think you're much better off trying to apply to unis that may realistically take you. Doing 30 modules in your second year isn't really an excuse for your results, since you only needed to be doing 12 really...

Plus maybe this is my arts student ignorance but I swear lots of people do their whole Further Maths A Level in one year and do very well in it... :s-smilie:


It's not AAAa, but AAAA (hopefully:rolleyes:) that I'm talking about. I'd do the whole A level in one year (but won't get awarded, :mad: Kill'em Shoot'em (AQA)).
.....
But ye, I agree with your point. And I'm not, to be honest, by heart expecting to get in there; just wanna give it a shot. I'm gonna apply to other unis as well.
.....
Maths degree is what I wanna apply for.
....
Well, they do do it in one year, but that's under normal circumstances. I had so much to do in that 2nd year, and couldn't really copre. But ye, you're right that they wouldn't bother about this excuse.
Purbasha T
And also considering that English wasn't my first language and I was somewhere else all my life. And came here in UK just three years back, had to go through so much acclimatisation, language adjustment etc etc. C'mon man, some encouragement at least. :p:


Did you put all that on the CSAS form? That would explain you getting to a Cambridge interview far more than doing your FM in one year or whatever it was you were thinking...

Honestly, I want to encourage and I'm sure the others do too but there's being encouraging and there's giving people false hope :smile:
Reply 27
Purbasha T
And also considering that English wasn't my first language and I was somewhere else all my life. And came here in UK just three years back, had to go through so much acclimatisation, language adjustment etc etc. C'mon man, some encouragement at least. :p:


Well if you put it that way...

Of course, Oxford would be delighted to have you, in fact I'm 95% sure they'll cream their pants at the sight of your application. You must apply or the world will be wasting your massive talent.

That enough encouragement for you?
Purbasha T
My question was that supposing Oxford offers me a place conditionally, is there any way they can ask me to get A's in the modules for what AQA isn't awarding me any A level (Which is the AFM)?


Universities can ask for whatever they like. Imperial College, for instance, insists on A grades in all maths modules taken, with no re-sits allowed at all - so don't apply there. Oxford encourages its maths applicants to take STEP, by the way.

I hope you are applying to a good range of universities with lower offer requirements. I think you might need a plan B.
Reply 29
Nfixlol
nope


Hopefully you're 100% sure. That's a relief to be honest. Coz now I can take as many modules as I want for AFM, get even Fs in it (NO WAY :cool:); still wouldn't harm me. Bcoz if by any tiny-iny chance, I get an offer, that at least wouldn't include any condition regarding this. So my job of impressing them with those extra modules would be done. .....Done and dusted, mate. Thanks.
Reply 30
Teebs
Well if you put it that way...

Of course, Oxford would be delighted to have you, in fact I'm 95% sure they'll cream their pants at the sight of your application. You must apply or the world will be wasting your massive talent.

That enough encouragement for you?


There you go. :biggrin:
Reply 31
Good bloke
Universities can ask for whatever they like. Imperial College, for instance, insists on A grades in all maths modules taken, with no re-sits allowed at all - so don't apply there. Oxford encourages its maths applicants to take STEP, by the way.

I hope you are applying to a good range of universities with lower offer requirements. I think you might need a plan B.


Yep yep, I do have plan B. Can't just be fantasizing about Oxford all the time. I got a wide range. I had offers from UCL (AAA), King's (ABB) and QMUL (BBC, lol). Even got a place in QMUL and also King's too I'd, had I not declined their offer intially (coz UCL was my firm choice), but din't go coz I'll be an international student until nxt year and have to pay a lot of money. Probably will apply to the same ones again.
.....
Umm, right then, you're saying they might ask anything they want. Hmm.
Purbasha T
Hopefully you're 100% sure. That's a relief to be honest.


Before you get too carried away by your imminent offer, I'd read my reply in post number 29 if I were you.
Reply 33
Good bloke
Before you get too carried away by your imminent offer, I'd read my reply in post number 29 if I were you.


STEP? Umm, okay; that might be tough. But yeah, if they ask for it.....ANYTHING FOR OXFORD!:yep:
no chance.
Reply 35
Nfixlol
easier said than done tbh. are you applying for maths?


Given that, I've raised my performances gradually since my arrival here, gives me a glimpse of hope for the entrance test; and also I've done so much similar extra over-extra Maths back home, it's just that I couldn't really organise everything after coming here. .....Yes, Maths it is. (G100 or whatever)
Reply 36
The_Lonely_Goatherd
Did you put all that on the CSAS form? That would explain you getting to a Cambridge interview far more than doing your FM in one year or whatever it was you were thinking...

Honestly, I want to encourage and I'm sure the others do too but there's being encouraging and there's giving people false hope :smile:


UCAS you mean? Umm, I din't put it exactly this way, loool. but they surely knew from my residencial history or whatever.
Purbasha T
UCAS you mean? Umm, I din't put it exactly this way, loool. but they surely knew from my residencial history or whatever.


No, the CSAS form is Cambridge's access form. It's for applicants to explain how their educational background, family matters, whatever might have affected their results.

They can't guess stuff from your residential history. Plenty of people emigrate to this country already speaking fluent English. You can't assume that people know your life story from a few vague details! You also can't expect/ask for any leniency if you don't state a good case why they should give you any either :nah:
Purbasha T
[Umm, okay; I've posted this questions in the Oxford applicants thread; but din't receive any quick reply, which I'm quite desperate about :o:. Sorry if I'm breaking any rules or guidelines]

OK, this is my third year in A levels (you can say gap year). My grades are ABCC respectively in Maths, Physics, F Maths and Chemistry; which I know isn't at all impressive for an Oxford applicant. But if you consider me doing the F. Maths modules all in the 2nd year (which I think as the reason Cambridge got impressed and had asked me for an interview even though I had mere ABB in AS, though I ended up getting rejected :p:), and doing almost 30 modules in total in the 2nd year, including AS retakes for the other subjects, which was a big mess, expectedly, as my results suggest; that's quite good.

So now I'll be doing retakes for F. Maths and Physics and quite sure of getting A's in those (God willing).

But I know that even students with straight A's get rejected, :frown: and my grades and situation is very dodgy as well. So to improve my chances, I am intending to do Additional Further Maths (6 more modules) in this one year.

Now the problem is that my exam board AQA doesn't award that third A level in Maths. So even if I end up with 18 Maths modules, I'll still be counted as having had done only 2 A levels :mad: and the best six from the 12 FM modules will be used to determine my FM grade; the other six will just be left alone. :no:

And even though Edexcel awards it, but they wouldn't let me just do AFM, if I don't have M and FM award under their board. :o:

So the only way left for me is to do these six modules (without getting awarded for the third A level). So my question is, would Oxford appreciate my efforts for those six modules? or will they only want to have looks at official awards of A level I receive? I mean are they allowed to ask me for A's in AFM in terms of UMS points, even though AQA wouldn't award a separate A level to me for that?

Any suggestions, please. :smile:


Seriously? I did more than what I bolded there and ended up with the grades Oxford at least require. Besides, doesn't pretty much everyone who does double maths do their FM modules in the second year?

Plus, I don't think doing whatever in AFM is going to save you from the rest of your poor application.
Reply 39
The_Lonely_Goatherd
No, the CSAS form is Cambridge's access form. It's for applicants to explain how their educational background, family matters, whatever might have affected their results.

They can't guess stuff from your residential history. Plenty of people emigrate to this country already speaking fluent English. You can't assume that people know your life story from a few vague details! You also can't expect/ask for any leniency if you don't state a good case why they should give you any either :nah:


Oh yeah oh yeah, did that too. Surely I wrote something like that in the 'Extra comments' section at the end of that CSAS that I had to fill onlin, hmmm. And noooo, I was saying that from the history they must've seen when I had come to this country for the first time. And the country I come from, normally people of my age don't speak fluent English. But anyways, I get your point.

Latest

Trending

Trending