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Cambridge 'No Hopers' 2015

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I applied for chemical engineering via engineering. For one of the unseen problems, I was so nervous I said sin instead of cos like five times, and actually forgot how to find sin and cos. Then I proceeded to go completely blank while solving basic algebra. The interviewers probably thought 'why is this idiot here?' My second interview was right after the first one (which ran 10 minutes late), so I sprinted from New Court to Chapel Court (St John's) without my coat. It was freezing and I arrived shivering and panting. They must have thought I was having a panic attack.

Reply 41

AMRF

I still have hope, but at the interview instead of saying supply I said "offer" which is the literall transaltion from my own language :colondollar:

And part of the interview was me trying to answer to a topic that I only knew part of what they asked, then they realised it was something that I didn't know, so explained me and moved on. BESIDE all this, it went well ahahah

Reply 42

cappunno18

Original post by AMRF

I still have hope, but at the interview instead of saying supply I said "offer" which is the literall transaltion from my own language :colondollar:

If you have hope you're on the wrong thread buddy - this is no hopers

Reply 43

Master219

Who wants to cry with me?

Reply 44

nnatcha

Original post by Master219

Who wants to cry with me?

I'll get the ice cream

Reply 45

Nat6394

My interview was the most hopeless thing ever. They asked me about the British empire (I'm a geographer) and I didn't even know when the empire was formed/my interviewer looked so bored etc.

That was in 2013, and having done a gap year, I'm now at Cambridge

The kids sitting there with 10a*s, talking about how fab their interview was, are not the kids you'll see in freshers week. So don't give up

P.S Many @ Cambridge get rejected from their original college of application, before being pooled and receiving an offer from a different college a few weeks later

Reply 46

AMRF

Original post by cappunno18

If you have hope you're on the wrong thread buddy - this is no hopers

I found out that I've been rejected by LSE (in December), not so hopeful rightnow ahahah

Reply 47

ianuam

Thought I'd chime in to soothe some consciences. I had 3 GCSEs (AAC), and at the time of applying had four AS levels BBCC (lolol), and applied under special circumstances as I suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome. The interviews went from ok (having a really great chat with the guy from the faculty) to god-awful, (blanking at a question, failing to identify 'to be' in the grammar test...

No, I didn't get in. But I did get pooled.

I then went on to get a first class degree from a russell group uni, and a distinction at MA, and now I'm - funding permitting - FINALLY getting in to Cambridge for a PhD.

CHINS UP.

Reply 48

Banshee38

Original post by russiantea

What was the question? Cause I had the same happen to me during my maths interview for Chem eng via natsci

Basic moments question, I had to find the tension in string holding a plank, I completely ignored reaction force
The other questions was on resistance

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(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 49

username1162972

Original post by Reacher65

Average GCSE's
90% UMS average

At the interview, the guy practically helped me step to step solving the maths problems (applied for Engineering). One time he got me to say the answer to one of the questions out loud, I still stared blankly at the paper, I just froze.

Most annoying is the fact that only 2 applied from my school and people are expecting us to get in, so I have to face a week of pity and sympathy.

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what college?

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Reply 50

russiantea

Original post by Reacher65

Basic moments question, I had to find the tension in string holding a plank, I completely ignored reaction force
The other questions was on resistance

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Aah I see, it will have happened to many though man :smile:

Reply 51

Mindless Behavior

My grades weren't great to begin with and I did pretty badly at the interviews
One of my interviewers at one point actually said 'I'm not sure I get what you're saying' :/

I messed up the Law test pretty badly. I was extremely tired (health issues which they didn't know about because I already had extenuating circumstances for my grades and I didn't want to seem like I'm making excuses at every stage) and barely wrote a page.

In my other interview, I had a stupid argument with the interviewer.
(I'd just criticised a controversial law and he had given me hypothetical situation where a guy in a crowd gets stabbed, to show that the law was useful)
Him: No one knows who stabbed the guy, what would you do then?
Me: Really? NO ONE knows, is that possible?
Him: Yes. What would you do then?
Me: The chances of that happening are pretty slim. I'm pretty sure someone would know...
Him: No. No one knows. The guy who was stabbed doesn't even know he was stabbed
Me: ...Are you sure?

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 52

cappunno18

In one of my interviews, this woman put a tea bag in front of me and said 'tell me what this tea bag means to you' and I literally said 'I don't know? Yum?'

Reply 53

cappunno18

Original post by Fawkesgirl33

I'm so glad I found this thread. I completely screwed up the interviews- one of the interviewers asked me about a 'famous soliloquy' in a Shakespeare play and I couldn't remember a single word of it. I made up some absolute BS and then finished really awkwardly by saying 'So... yeah.' And all my answers were basically crap, and then on the train home I thought of a million better things I could have said but didn't think of at the time.
The test was only average too. And I got a B in one of my AS's.
Basically, I've got no chance. But, you know, Cambridge isn't the be all and end all. At least other Uni's will have a less strenuous workload which won't drive you into the ground/

THIS IS EVERYTHING ^^^

I'm in a v.similar situation and thinking the same stuff... But also, some of us just don't peak at school and hopefully uni will be a chance to really get those top grades and smash the cambridge kids when it comes to jobs :wink:

Reply 54

RainbowVeins

Original post by cappunno18

In one of my interviews, this woman put a tea bag in front of me and said 'tell me what this tea bag means to you' and I literally said 'I don't know? Yum?'

Pretty much what I would say tbh :lol:

what course have you applied for?

Spoiler

Reply 55

ellipsis...

Medic over here with average bmat and terrible interview! This thread is perfect for me!

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Reply 56

CreamyRoss

I know I don't belong in this thread, but I thought I could maybe give a little hope.
In a physics interview at Oxford I told the interviewers that the earth orbits the sun every month. In a physics interview. And I still somehow got an offer :redface:

Good luck guys.

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Reply 57

cappunno18

Original post by CreamyRoss

Good luck guys.

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GO AWAY DUDE. WE'RE HERE TO MOVE ON AND RECONCILE OURSELVES TO FAILURE WE DON'T WANT HOPE.
Hence the 'no hopers' name

TAKE YOUR INSPIRATIONAL ADVICE AND STICK IT UP YO ********

Reply 58

RainbowVeins

Original post by cappunno18

GO AWAY DUDE. WE'RE HERE TO MOVE ON AND RECONCILE OURSELVES TO FAILURE WE DON'T WANT HOPE.
Hence the 'no hopers' name

TAKE YOUR INSPIRATIONAL ADVICE AND STICK IT UP YO ********