Calling All Maths Students!

Hi, well im considering applying for Maths at Cambridge, im 15 Ive got an A* in Maths and Ive done the first module of Maths AS-Level. Ive heard that the course is fairly competitve and is regarded very highly to be the best in Britian. I was wondering what sort of grades you lot have got and what you had to offer to Cambridge that so many other unsuccessful applicants didn't?
What kind of A-Levels they look for? Ive picked Maths, Futher Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics and im extremely passionate about these subjects and have started to read alot of books on Mathematicians, my favourite being Ramanujan. My parents have no experience of higher education and seem to care very little about my future, so funding will be difficult also my parents are from India and what me to become a lawyer or doctor. They said if i choose to become anything else, I wont make any money and I will be a disgrace to my family. I want to prove them wrong and this ambition is also driving me foward. If I had a choice I would only do Maths all the time because its fast becoming an obsession and I can't seem to concentrate on anything else, im predicted 5A*s, 3A's, 3B's, 1D :mad:

(history hate it, forced to pick it by my parents) and also an A in C1 Maths... :smile:

Reply 1

RxB

1

You're 15?

A-levels are fine. Ignore Cambridge for at least a year.

Reply 2

S. Tham

OP

yeh but 16 in august made my school year by a couple of ours, lol! Why ignore Cambridge? You from Oxford, they don't seem to like each other much do they?!

Reply 3

~Raphael~

9

He means you don't need to think about uni., concentrate on your studies...But Yeah, those subjects are fine...Just look into maths outside of the syllabus, read some mathsy books like you're doing, try the Senior Maths Challenge, look at STEP questions and the AEA, make sure you really uderstand the maths and aren't just learning how to do well in the exams etc etc...

Reply 4

freddie88

5

i doubt you'll get in with a D. it shows that you won't work at things you don't like or don't consider important. age is irrelevant. i got my maths a level two years early. doesn't help me now i'm here.

i don't know what C1 is, they've made the course easier since i did it three years ago, but i got an A in every module i did except for one maths - M3. i also got all A*s at GCSE. that's what you're competing against - that's what most people will be like. i think you need to focus on what you're doing now and get the best possible grades, then worry about cambridge next year when you're actually applying. your choice of a levels is fine.

oh, and sod your parents. it's your life. if you're that passionate about maths, you're a perfect mathmo candidate.

Reply 5

Willa

11

For mathmos I would generally expect:

A* in maths and all maths related subjects at GCSE
V Good A's in all Maths and Further Maths modules

I think a lot of it will come down to interview as well tbh. I doubt they will fret too much about a D in history (I doubt you'll get a D though, you'd be suprised by what GCSE grade you can get these days!)...just make sure you really nail your A Levels.

Dont some colleges do an entrance exam for maths as well (not STEP)? If they do, I can imagine that highly affects their choices!

Reply 6

freddie88

5

Willa

I doubt you'll get a D though, you'd be suprised by what GCSE grade you can get these days

that's what i meant about not expecting to get in with a d...if you can get an a* in maths you can get a b at least in history.

Reply 7

homoterror

I got an A in maths at GCSE. My excuse is my school didn't usually let people sit higher so they didn't teach any of it. Just do well in your alevels and read a few books and try STEP/AEA questions, perhaps even enter yourself for one in your AS year. Then apply in your A2 year. As for your parents, if they're that concerned with your success, tell them you want to do maths at cambridge so you can get into investment banking and earn more than most doctors do from your first day.

Reply 8

KAISER_MOLE

7

I'm a maths enthusiast too, in year 12 however, have already got an A in AS maths (did in January) and decided to do lots of applied modules on top of my FM A level. Your predicted GCSE's are similar to those that I achieved I suppose, you can definately get more than a D in history though, I slacked majorly in history after about half way through year 10 and still got a strong A grade. I have read around maths a bit, and before my revision I was actually reading a book on Ramanujan (will go back to it at some point!) ....You should definitely apply to Cambridge, as I am applying to Cambridge, so you should too.

Some advice I would give you, is only do subjects which interest you a fair deal, I do know how tempting it is to just do maths in other lessons, or not do homework in other subjects so you can do some maths work (or recently, a Su doku :wink:

)

Reply 9

RichE

15

Lozza

that's what i meant about not expecting to get in with a d...if you can get an a* in maths you can get a b at least in history.

I got into Oxford with a D in English Lit :eek:

But then that is Oxford :frown:

Anyway given that Camb interview everyone, they're not going to turn away someone they like because of their history grade - the question doesn't arise :biggrin:

Reply 10

WILLAY!

i have an offer for maths at cam, and my GCSE's were A*A*AAABCCDE, so getting below a C doesn't really matter, as long as its not in a relevant subject.

Reply 11

Mop

Lozza

that's what i meant about not expecting to get in with a d...if you can get an a* in maths you can get a b at least in history.

How so? They're completely different subjects. If they have to choose between two people, one with an A* history, one with a D in History, they'll take the one who appeared to be the better mathematician at interview, rather than go on grades in an irrelevent subject (or give them both stupidly difficult STEP offers so at least one fails to get the grades :smile:

)

Reply 12

khil

15

You don't need A* in GCSE Maths to get into Maths at Cambridge - my friend got an A at GCSE - well in saying that, no one in our school got an A* for Maths that year! But she's brilliant at Maths, according to her Maths teacher she can think of alternate routes to an answer and quickly spots a new route - which is probably what made her so good lol! She aced in all her subjects, needless to say, them being Maths, Further Maths, Chemistry and Physics. She didn't drop anything and got an offer from St Johns with AAA and first in STEP :smile:

with AA in the two Maths and the third A can be in either Physics or Chem. I don't think she's decided whether she wants to do Physics or Maths exactly yet though!

You sound passionate enough about Maths - I say just go for it but for now, focus on your A-Levels! You're only 15. You sound like the sort to get in though :biggrin:

that's just an impression - like I've always known my friend would get in. And yeh family can be so much trouble :frown:

not me personally, but my friend - at least you're allowed to choose a little. My friend who's only in yr10 is being told if she doesn't get 8A*s and the rest A's at GCSE, she's not allowed to even do A-Levels :frown:

It's just so STUPID! Wish I can help her :frown:

Even my Mathmo friend I mentioned above only got 7A*s! (only?) Hope you prove your parents wrong though! Nowadays with Maths you can literally walk into most jobs - it's certainly a highly employable degree if nothing else, especially coming from Cambridge.

Reply 13

khil

15

KAISER_MOLE

I'm a maths enthusiast too, in year 12 however, have already got an A in AS maths (did in January) and decided to do lots of applied modules on top of my FM A level. Your predicted GCSE's are similar to those that I achieved I suppose, you can definately get more than a D in history though, I slacked majorly in history after about half way through year 10 and still got a strong A grade. I have read around maths a bit, and before my revision I was actually reading a book on Ramanujan (will go back to it at some point!) ....You should definitely apply to Cambridge, as I am applying to Cambridge, so you should too.

Some advice I would give you, is only do subjects which interest you a fair deal, I do know how tempting it is to just do maths in other lessons, or not do homework in other subjects so you can do some maths work (or recently, a Su doku :wink:

)

Can I just say you must be mad to do Maths as a leisure! :eek:

Lol well it's good you're so passionate about it anyway! :biggrin:

And with History Cambridge wouldn't be worried about that at all anyway. Although yeh you're unlikely to get a D either way - I never revised for History and came out with A* :smile:

it's a doss at GCSE - not sure about A-Level cus I don't do it, but at GCSE it's definitely not hard at all.

Reply 14

homoterror

Mop

How so? They're completely different subjects. If they have to choose between two people, one with an A* history, one with a D in History, they'll take the one who appeared to be the better mathematician at interview, rather than go on grades in an irrelevent subject (or give them both stupidly difficult STEP offers so at least one fails to get the grades :smile:

)

Lol my DOS recently told some open day kids that if they failed all their alevels but still met the STEP offer he'd let them in.

Reply 15

S. Tham

OP

THANKZZ evry1 this really has helped me! I really want to go for it now, like you all said i'll do it STEP by STEP! lol! Thankz alot for all your advice it really has given me confident. Thankz