High UMS and very poor interview- chances being selected from the winter pool?

I've heard mixed opinions on this so want some clarification. I've heard that if you manage to get very high UMS (by high, I mean very high as in 98/100 or over average) but manage to do terribly at the interview, you are more likely to be selected from the winter pool in comparison to someone who is also in the winter pool, but with lower UMS, for the science subjects (e.g. natural sciences). Is this true?

Reply 1

Minerva

Original post by bobbricks

No. UMS are part of the picture, but the interview is also very important because this is when the tutors get an idea of your potential and capacity to benefit from the particular teaching environment that Cambridge offers. Poolees with lower UMS who did well at interview may also be in the Pool, and may get fished out for a direct offer or, possibly, re-interview in preference to the high UMS-poor interview candidate. Cambridge is looking for more than high UMS, whatever the subject. Every year there are plenty of candidates with stellar UMS who are nevertheless unsuccessful in their applications.

With very high UMS you would be auto-pooled, but this is not a guarantee that you would be invited for re-interview. A direct offer (ie without re-interview) would be extremely unlikely, even if there were clearly evidenced extenuating circumstances to explain the poor showing at interview. In that case you might be given the opportunity to try again, if the tutors are convinced by the rest of your application, but even that is not certain.