Pooling (2008)

I remember reading an article from TSR about Cambridge interviews and it says that people with 7A* or more at GCSE will get pooled if they don't get an offer. Is this true or am I making this up?

Thanks.

oh wow. Thank you! I am so happy. I now know that I have a second chance even if I don't get an offer!

I think getting pooled for that reason is not good news - as people who are ranked above you in the pool will get first pick for offers.

I'd put it another way: anyone, however good they are, can perform poorly in an interview if they're having a bad day, and to some extent what constitutes a bad personal statement is subjective. Autopooling, therefore, ensures that such candidates with an excellent grades profile definitely get a chance for a different person to look at them with fresh eyes.

Or, to look at it yet another way, it's a safety net which helps guard against the potential unfairness/negligence/poor judgement of the tutors at the applicant's first choice college; even if the relevant DoS/admissions tutor takes an utterly irrational dislike to you and wants to reject you outright, s/he cannot.

DoS's and admissions tutors are not divine, they can sometimes get things completely wrong or even act unfairly or irrationally; hence the need for autopooling.

Why do people with SEVEN A* get automatically pooled?

The 7A*+/90%+ requirement is clearly what the admissions people believe constitutes academic excellence. If someone achieved such grades it's clear that - on paper - they are good enough to be here. If they need another chance to shine - in interview - then auto-pooling can provide that if colleges have not been completely impressed with their own pool of applicants for that year.

Seems a little arbitrary (obviously I'm just annoyed because I don't have 7 A* but my 3 best grades average is 96%).

So yeah, I'll shut up now.

They have to set the level somewhere. The Cambridge average is said to be 6A*, so I guess they thought +1A* should constitute auto-pooling. Besides, if it was any lower way too many people would be auto-pooled which would render the system pretty useless.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry. You can still get pooled without the auto-pooling requirements, and if you do you'll likely be in a "better" category, thus more likely to get "fished" out.

Seems a little arbitrary (obviously I'm just annoyed because I don't have 7 A* but my 3 best grades average is 96%).

So yeah, I'll shut up now.

Im in your situation too!
Really high UMS but dont meet the gcse requirement, sucks!