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Which courses are hardest/easiest to get into at Cambridge?

I read a report on the times website which mentioned that certain subjects are harder/easier to get into than others? For instance; medicine has something like 10 applicants per place whilst classics have something like 2 applicants per place! Is this true?

If so, then what subjects will have the higher applicants to place ratio, med, vet med, law, english...?
And what subjects have a lower applicants to place ratio?

Also what will be the ratio for a modern language course e.g. french and spanish/russian and/or linguistics.

Thank you x

Reply 1

apd35

9

Gammon

I read a report on the times website which mentioned that certain subjects are harder/easier to get into than others? For instance; medicine has something like 10 applicants per place whilst classics have something like 2 applicants per place! Is this true?

If so, then what subjects will have the higher applicants to place ratio, med, vet med, law, english...?
And what subjects have a lower applicants to place ratio?

Also what will be the ratio for a modern language course e.g. french and spanish/russian and/or linguistics.

Thank you x

Why is the applicants :tongue:

laces ratio important to you? As has been said umpteen times, the easiest course for you to get in for is the one you're best at.

Reply 2

amateurish

4

All of these questions can be answered by looking at the Cambridge undergraduate prospectus, on the University's website. Also, it's worth noting that a lower ratio doesn't equate to 'easier'. Subjects such as Classics with less applicants per place are highly self-selecting: only candidates who are good at the subject and passionate about it apply. You won't get in by choosing a different subject other than the one you're interested in with less applicants per acceptance, for that reason.

Also: it isn't actually applications per place, it's applications per acceptance. A good thing about the college system is that the number of 'places' is flexible year to year, meaning that they can take more students if there are more good candidates (within reason).

Reply 3

Ronove

18

Gammon

I read a report on the times website which mentioned that certain subjects are harder/easier to get into than others? For instance; medicine has something like 10 applicants per place whilst classics have something like 2 applicants per place! Is this true?

If so, then what subjects will have the higher applicants to place ratio, med, vet med, law, english...?
And what subjects have a lower applicants to place ratio?

Also what will be the ratio for a modern language course e.g. french and spanish/russian and/or linguistics.

Thank you x

I stumbled upon that article a week or so ago. It both amused and annoyed me. There are more popular courses, yes. That's the same as at any university. The applications to offers ratios are on the Cam website somewhere, I believe they appear a lot 'milder' than at most universities. Which shows what a load of crap statistics are. They're not going to let you in if you're not Cambridge material. They're not bound to admitting a certain number of applicants for each subject, and if you apply for something less popular in the hope of getting in that way, it'll be obvious. Also, there are already threads about this.

EDIT: Also, what she said^

Reply 4

FadeToBlackout

15

Exactly. I had written a post about this but IE decided to crash...

Basically, just to try and reiterate what people said, you need to have a genuine commitment and interest, and if not passion, in the subject before applying. I'd say that if you were looking to choose a subject because of the number of applicants it recieves per acceptance you are unlikely to get past interview.

If you are trying to get into Cam just for the prestige of saying so and not for academic reasons, you may well need to prepare yourself for disappointment. If, however, you are a genuinely focussed and committed student you have a lot more chances of gaining a place.

Reply 5

IseethroughWalls

You need various things. However, it is a clear-cut fact that it is harder to get into certain subjects (law, med etc.) than others- there is a numbers game to be played, although the most important thing is ultimately your ability.

Reply 6

Ronove

18

IseethroughWalls

You need various things. However, it is a clear-cut fact that it is harder to get into certain subjects (law, med etc.) than others- there is a numbers game to be played, although the most important thing is ultimately your ability.

Erm, yes, Law and Medicine are very competitive courses to get onto. Everywhere.
Another very important thing (perhaps equally important) is your interest in and passion for the subject for which you are applying. There is only a numbers game to be lost. Don't talk crap.

Reply 7

ExitMusic

9

From what I've been told, the applicant to place ratio at Cambridge is quite low (around 4/5 to 1). However you have to take into account the fact that all these applicants are predicted top marks in their exams so the competition is fierce.

Reply 8

wiji

FadeToBlackout

Exactly. I had written a post about this but IE decided to crash...

Basically, just to try and reiterate what people said, you need to have a genuine commitment and interest, and if not passion, in the subject before applying. I'd say that if you were looking to choose a subject because of the number of applicants it recieves per acceptance you are unlikely to get past interview.

If you are trying to get into Cam just for the prestige of saying so and not for academic reasons, you may well need to prepare yourself for disappointment. If, however, you are a genuinely focussed and committed student you have a lot more chances of gaining a place.

I totally agree with this but some people may have interests that range across a lot of the courses. E.g. Someone who likes economics or geography may like to apply for Land Economy if they're really keen on cambridge if the numbers paint a better picture. The same applies for courses like philosophy/theology and economics/SPS.

Reply 9

kellywood_5

17

The most competitive courses are probably medicine, veterinary medicine, law, English and history and the least competitive classics, SPS, Land Economy etc (ie courses a lot of people have never even heard of). I imagine MML is somewhere in the middle, but towards the less competitive end. I only say 'less competitive' in terms of the number of applicants though. This is probably somewhat addressed by a higher number of places being allocated to more popular subjects and is the same at all universities. As others have said, you need to choose the course you feel most passionate about and are best at. That should be more important to you than getting into Cambridge, and if you apply for a 'less competitve' subject in the hope of getting in, admissions tutors will see straight through it. No subject is going to be 'easy' to get into at Cambridge; whatever you apply for, you'll still need to demonstrate high levels of enthusiasm and ability.

Reply 10

Chumbaniya

17

The number of applications per place won't tell you anything about the course except how many people want to study it. You could quite easily have a course with a 10:1 applicants to places ratio which is easier to get into than one which has 2:1. It all depends on how good you are at the subject, and how good the other applicants are.

Reply 11

Marx

I know its been said loads before, but the important point to reiterate is that you'll be playing 'the game' most skillfully if you go for the subject you love.

Also, to take an example, I know nothing about Land Economy or what it consists of, but if I got a place at Cambridge to study it just becouse I'd looked at ratios etc., I don't know whether I'd be happy with myself and would probably end up questioning my motives for uni altogether.
You shouldn't really apply for love of Cambridge, it should be for love of subject.

Reply 12

Nonsmoking

12

Land Econ is the easiest to get into. Which is odd, 'cos it seems such a cool course :s

Theology surely lol

In my experience, I'd say medicine is the easiest course to get into and everything else is tougher. I mean, I applied and got in first time, so thats a 100% success rate for me. I haven't yet to got an offer to read another subject, therefore making them tougher to get into.

:rolleyes:

Reply 15

Camford

12

Awww. some people have been digging corpses in here

Which courses are hardest/easiest to get into at Cambridge?

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