anyone applying/doing sps at cambridge??

hi there fairy lights, i am at jesus at present doing sps, i am in my first year, pm me if you want any info

Reply 2

i am applying too!! havent got my interview date yet (slightly worried) but i havent done any prep work and im getting worried cos i dont know when i can find time to cos stupid philosophy cwk and school work is getting in the way!! the only "prep" stuff ive done is reading newspapers (not regularly tho..) so i'm pretty much screwed!! how much prep stuff have you done??

Reply 3

Nadia

Im applying for sps in Pembroke. I was informed i have to take 3 interviews :eek:

No preparation yet, what's bothering me though is that 2 of my 3 interviewers are teaching branches of sociology and the third one is a director of studies in another department, so im worried that all questions are going to be sociology related and no politics... :frown:

Reply 4

id PREFER that.. i hav no knowledge of politics despite it being social and POLITICAL sciences.. i was clearly attracted to the course for the psychology aspect of it..
whens your interview?

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also, it says on the website that i have to send essays to them.. yet they still haven't asked for them.. hmmm... have you lot had to send any and if so, what were yours about??

Reply 5

Nadia

Im the complete opposite. I know plenty of things on politics, but sociology.....just not my thing. Theres a psychology aspect of the course? What on? And yes Pembroke asked me to send them one essay a couple of weeks ago with a nov. 18th deadline. Mine was on the German view points concerning Turkey's entrance to the E.U.

Reply 6

The course is made up of four papers in the first year:
Politics
Sociology
Social Anthropology
Psychology - Developmental and Social
You also take lectures in numeracy for social scientists which is unexamined

You then in your second year choose from one of the following:
Politics
Sociology
Psychology
Sociology and Psychology
If you want to do anthropology, which believe we you wont, you switch to another tripos

your lecturers are going to be testing how you think, regardless of what part you want to specalise in or what part you think you will find most interesting, the four courses are highly related and you often find stuff from each discipline helping in the others. Do not worry about what your interviewers are interested in, they will have a good knowledge of the course and what is required

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Also just to add, you might be surprised at how much you enjoy the branches, i came here thinking i would do politics next year but im actually thinking that i would rather do sociology now

Reply 7

but was your interview catered to your own subjects and expertise though?? for me, i have no knowledge of politics so would they stick to asking me on my A level subjects and focus more on psychology, or do they have a set topic of questions that they ask every candidate??

Reply 8

some of my friends here hadn't done any of the four subjects, some had done one or two. how the interviews are done will vary hugely between colleges (jesus for isntance dont ask for work so cant go over that) but they won't have a set of questions that you can't answer. For most Ithink they will have a bunch of questions that they will ask everyone and then see where it goes from there and test your answers. I don't think i can emphasise enough that no prior knowledge (except to demonstrate an interest in the subject) is needed. Certainly politics a-level hasn't helped me much at all this year and i know a lot of people saying that psychology a-level has actually hindered them rather than helped

Reply 9

**noooni**

3

hey I am applying at king's and i dont do any of the subjects of SPS at a-level - I am really scared about the interview, panicking is my worst problem, and i dont think my school will provide any 'mock' interview so i wont have any practice.
What kind of questions do they ask?

Reply 10

mock interviews arent all that you know... ive had one n its made me realise that a) im not gonna get in cos i dont know anything b) i get ridiculously nervous and mess up stuff underpressure!!
im normally really chatty and bubbly but that side of me does not come across at interview.. ARGH!! :frown:

Reply 11

akutenshi2001

Hello! I am applying for SPS at Queens, and mu interview os on the 15th...

The only prep my college said I would need was to be aware of recent events and have an opinion on them...But as my college said it it must be wrong...

What sort of prep have you all found useful?

Reply 12

Jangliss

5

I'm at Corpus sometime between the 6th and 8th lol. I'm being quietly confident :tongue:

Reply 13

god i wish i was quietly confident.. i know that however much i prepare (as in try to guess the qus) the real thing will be a million times worse!!! i can see myself being asked a question which i have no opinion about and sitting there going errrrrrm.... **breaking out in sweats thinking about it**
as i dont know when my interview is, i'm still hoping it will be late on in december to give me extra time to panic and maybe think how to portray myself as vaguely intelligent!!!

Reply 14

Nadia

Does anybody know an average of how many applicants there are for sps and how many are accepted?

Reply 15

look on the cambridge website.. i know for christs last year there were 20 applicants and 5 got in (none through pools) i dont ave the link but its under undergraduate admissions, statistics, by college, sps

Reply 16

**noooni**

3

They should have that on the website somewhere. When I phones King's to ask if they got my essays, I asked the lady how many applicants they had for SPS at the college this year, and she said 30. Thats sort of low compared to last year, but then again i dont know if teh 30 includes the open application people.

Reply 17

if you want it for the whole uni then look in the prospectus! (its near the back) sorry for the vagueness lol!! cant be bothered to check!! should be doing an essay on refugees but clearly on here posting instead.. hmm..

Reply 18

**noooni**

They should have that on the website somewhere. When I phones King's to ask if they got my essays, I asked the lady how many applicants they had for SPS at the college this year, and she said 30. Thats sort of low compared to last year, but then again i dont know if teh 30 includes the open application people.

kings is one of the highest for sps applicants though (i think thats why they do the TSA aswell) but then again, stats vary each year. if everyone decided not to apply to kings due to competition then clearly other colleges will have more applicants!

Reply 19