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Maths at Oxford or Cambridge?
Hi everybody
I'm not sure whether to apply to oxford or cambridge
My further maths teacher tells me that you have a much better chance if you apply to Oxford. This is because you usually have 3 interviews, and even if you mess up 2 of them, you might still get in.
He also said that the Cambridge interview, is much much harder. Cambridge apparently look at the interview as one of the most important things of the aplication and if you mess up you don't really have a chance of getting in.
Somebody i know who got full marks in nearly all of his AS modules , got the f.m prize and got a relatively high mark in the BMO1 applied to Cambridge and didn't get in. he said that he had done crap in the interview.
I think I might play it 'safe' and apply to oxford - cambridge is too much of a risk especially because of the interview and also the STEP.
is there anybody else who isn't sure of which one to apply to?
I'm not sure whether to apply to oxford or cambridge
My further maths teacher tells me that you have a much better chance if you apply to Oxford. This is because you usually have 3 interviews, and even if you mess up 2 of them, you might still get in.
He also said that the Cambridge interview, is much much harder. Cambridge apparently look at the interview as one of the most important things of the aplication and if you mess up you don't really have a chance of getting in.
Somebody i know who got full marks in nearly all of his AS modules , got the f.m prize and got a relatively high mark in the BMO1 applied to Cambridge and didn't get in. he said that he had done crap in the interview.
I think I might play it 'safe' and apply to oxford - cambridge is too much of a risk especially because of the interview and also the STEP.
is there anybody else who isn't sure of which one to apply to?
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But will you be left forever thinking..."what if I'd applied to Cambridge, would I have got in..." I would forget what chances I think I've got of getting in as its really hard to judge and just apply to the one you like the best.
Not that I know anything about maths tho!
Not that I know anything about maths tho!
Katie Heskins
Kings is the most competitive college for maths ! Has far more applications than places 
I'd apply to Trinity.
house badger
But will you be left forever thinking..."what if I'd applied to Cambridge, would I have got in..." I would forget what chances I think I've got of getting in as its really hard to judge and just apply to the one you like the best.
Not that I know anything about maths tho!
Not that I know anything about maths tho!
Why? Oxford is the best/second best university in the UK, if he/she got an oxford offer, i doubt the "what if i applied to cam" would be on her mind.
Especially with the torture of STEP.
hornblower
I'd apply to Trinity.
It is the place to apply for maths at cam.
bono
Why? Oxford is the best/second best university in the UK, if he/she got an oxford offer, i doubt the "what if i applied to cam" would be on her mind.
Especially with the torture of STEP.
Especially with the torture of STEP.
If she thought Cam was better but applied to Ox and got in she might. That was my point. Same goes for any other pairing of unis.
http://www.uk-learning.net/t35479.html
have a read through that post
have a read through that post
Katie Heskins
how do you work that out?
It's unbelievably prestigious, and if you qualify for the final stages of BMO/BIO it's almost a given you apply there, so the applicant pool is incredibly strong as well as large. This year, the best mathematician at Westminster (one of the top schools in the country), who qualified for BMO2 when he was a L6th, didn't get in. That's the sort of candidate who'd probably walk in almost anywhere else.
H&E
It's unbelievably prestigious, and if you qualify for the final stages of BMO/BIO it's almost a given you apply there, so the applicant pool is incredibly strong as well as large. This year, the best mathematician at Westminster (one of the top schools in the country), who qualified for BMO2 when he was a L6th, didn't get in. That's the sort of candidate who'd probably walk in almost anywhere else.
so...waht you mean, is that its doesn't have a very high applicants to places ratio, but that all the applicants are very strong candidates and therefore it is more difficult to get into?
Katie Heskins
so...waht you mean, is that its doesn't have a very high applicants to places ratio, but that all the applicants are very strong candidates and therefore it is more difficult to get into?
Yup. I appreciate that the applicant to offer ratio is barely over 3, but when you realise that there will be about 15 applicants each year who've been to the Trinity IMO training camp, and are therefore pretty much guaranteed places, another 5/10 who've been to the Infomatics equivalent, you can see why even someone who qualified for BMO2 (I think only 50 people in the country qualify each year) isn't guaranteed a place.
manhunter
Hi everybody
I'm not sure whether to apply to oxford or cambridge
My further maths teacher tells me that you have a much better chance if you apply to Oxford. This is because you usually have 3 interviews, and even if you mess up 2 of them, you might still get in.
He also said that the Cambridge interview, is much much harder. Cambridge apparently look at the interview as one of the most important things of the aplication and if you mess up you don't really have a chance of getting in.
Somebody i know who got full marks in nearly all of his AS modules , got the f.m prize and got a relatively high mark in the BMO1 applied to Cambridge and didn't get in. he said that he had done crap in the interview.
I think I might play it 'safe' and apply to oxford - cambridge is too much of a risk especially because of the interview and also the STEP.
is there anybody else who isn't sure of which one to apply to?
I'm not sure whether to apply to oxford or cambridge
My further maths teacher tells me that you have a much better chance if you apply to Oxford. This is because you usually have 3 interviews, and even if you mess up 2 of them, you might still get in.
He also said that the Cambridge interview, is much much harder. Cambridge apparently look at the interview as one of the most important things of the aplication and if you mess up you don't really have a chance of getting in.
Somebody i know who got full marks in nearly all of his AS modules , got the f.m prize and got a relatively high mark in the BMO1 applied to Cambridge and didn't get in. he said that he had done crap in the interview.
I think I might play it 'safe' and apply to oxford - cambridge is too much of a risk especially because of the interview and also the STEP.
is there anybody else who isn't sure of which one to apply to?
From what I've heard Cambridge is indeed better for maths. However, it seems to me that if you view the difference in academic quality and prestige between Oxford and Cambridge relative to that of other universities, the difference isn't that great. To be honest, I think I would choose the one where I had the greatest chance of getting in, unless there was a certain college that held some extraordinary fascination for me.
Katie Heskins
Kings is the most competitive college for maths ! Has far more applications than places
I study maths at King's.
It is exactly for the reason that they don't ask for STEP that the figures for applications are high. However, having spoken to the people who interviewed me once I actually got here, the figures are misleading. A disproportionate amount of 'no-hopers' apply to King's, people who either just apply for jokes and put down the college with the big chapel (this is actually true) or who aren't good enough at the subject so think they'll have a stab at the non-STEP college.
Effectively, if you are good enough to get into any other Cambridge college for maths, your chances at King's are about the same.
Also note that King's came 23rd out of 23 for Maths in the big table last year.
manhunter
Hi everybody
I'm not sure whether to apply to oxford or cambridge
My further maths teacher tells me that you have a much better chance if you apply to Oxford. This is because you usually have 3 interviews, and even if you mess up 2 of them, you might still get in.
He also said that the Cambridge interview, is much much harder. Cambridge apparently look at the interview as one of the most important things of the aplication and if you mess up you don't really have a chance of getting in.
Somebody i know who got full marks in nearly all of his AS modules , got the f.m prize and got a relatively high mark in the BMO1 applied to Cambridge and didn't get in. he said that he had done crap in the interview.
I think I might play it 'safe' and apply to oxford - cambridge is too much of a risk especially because of the interview and also the STEP.
is there anybody else who isn't sure of which one to apply to?
I'm not sure whether to apply to oxford or cambridge
My further maths teacher tells me that you have a much better chance if you apply to Oxford. This is because you usually have 3 interviews, and even if you mess up 2 of them, you might still get in.
He also said that the Cambridge interview, is much much harder. Cambridge apparently look at the interview as one of the most important things of the aplication and if you mess up you don't really have a chance of getting in.
Somebody i know who got full marks in nearly all of his AS modules , got the f.m prize and got a relatively high mark in the BMO1 applied to Cambridge and didn't get in. he said that he had done crap in the interview.
I think I might play it 'safe' and apply to oxford - cambridge is too much of a risk especially because of the interview and also the STEP.
is there anybody else who isn't sure of which one to apply to?
I was in more or less the same predicament as you last year. I do think that cambridge puts undue emphasis on the interview. Furthermore, you have a better chance of showing your potential at Oxford. In any case, you need to look at important things like the course outline, environment and city life etc. and then decide which place suits you better. No one disputes the fact that Cambridge is better for maths, but as I mentioned you need to look at other factors as well.... and you may turn out to be a better mathematician at Oxford than at Cambridge. It's alot about suitability.
I think I had a fair chance of getting into Cambridge, but I did a bit of research and figured Oxford maths was for me and landed up with a place at Magdalen. Not for a second did I think "what if....".
The Oxford Maths interviews are no cakewalk; nor is their exam (which was particularly hard this year! *g*). STEP will look hard now, but from my point of view (nearing the end of Adv Highers/A2s) it's not bad at all. They threw questions at me in the Oxford interviews that were similar to the mock ones I'd given by someone who was
Go and visit both, if you possibly can - after going to Open Days at both, there was no contest for me and I picked Oxford, despite Cambridge's reputation (I've got an offer for Maths/Phil at Queen's).
Don't play it safe. If everyone played it safe, no-one would apply to Oxbridge. Apply for the place that inspires you the most - ultimately, you'll do far better there.
Go and visit both, if you possibly can - after going to Open Days at both, there was no contest for me and I picked Oxford, despite Cambridge's reputation (I've got an offer for Maths/Phil at Queen's).
Don't play it safe. If everyone played it safe, no-one would apply to Oxbridge. Apply for the place that inspires you the most - ultimately, you'll do far better there.
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- Suggested A levels for Cambridge cs?
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