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Cambridge - 95 UMS average + across all A Levels?

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Original post by Maura Kat
those who achieved those grades are indeed beyond sheer brilliance.
they're something else altogether.
every now and then you get students from Pakistan getting those sort of results.
and their next step would be to walk through the gates of Oxbridge.



i'm just an observer.
nowhere near Oxford quality, to begin with.
but i was wondering.
if im an admissions tutor and i have 5 candidates before me who look the same, sound the same, think the same then how am I going to differentiate them?
hearts will be broken, some will be rejected whilst others leap for joy.
but is there any truth when people say about Oxbridge in that 'oh its not the be all end all'.
or are they merely consoling themselves?



congrats. so happy for you!


Why Pakistan?

I would like to know this too.

The two smartest people that I know are both Pakistani. I don't get it lol, are they just elite or go to the best schools, or do they early enter so sit GCSE's and accumulate A star grades. I'm not jealous just want to emulate them :smile:

I thought 6 was a lot but 23 is ******* amazing to put it bluntly.

I thought that the record for UK was 16 A stars and then 7 a stars, IIRC the pakistani boys got 23 A's not A*s but this was probably before the A star grade came out.

People who say that they are the be all and end all - either have not gone to those uni's or got into more competitive ones i.e. Harvard or MIT.
Original post by EmmaBxoxo
Why Pakistan?

I would like to know this too.

The two smartest people that I know are both Pakistani. I don't get it lol, are they just elite or go to the best schools, or do they early enter so sit GCSE's and accumulate A star grades. I'm not jealous just want to emulate them :smile:

I thought 6 was a lot but 23 is ******* amazing to put it bluntly.

I thought that the record for UK was 16 A stars and then 7 a stars, IIRC the pakistani boys got 23 A's not A*s but this was probably before the A star grade came out.

People who say that they are the be all and end all - either have not gone to those uni's or got into more competitive ones i.e. Harvard or MIT.


Only if your from Pakistan you can understand why this might be the case. :cool:
Original post by EmmaBxoxo
Why Pakistan?

I would like to know this too.

The two smartest people that I know are both Pakistani. I don't get it lol, are they just elite or go to the best schools, or do they early enter so sit GCSE's and accumulate A star grades. I'm not jealous just want to emulate them :smile:

I thought 6 was a lot but 23 is ******* amazing to put it bluntly.

I thought that the record for UK was 16 A stars and then 7 a stars, IIRC the pakistani boys got 23 A's not A*s but this was probably before the A star grade came out.

People who say that they are the be all and end all - either have not gone to those uni's or got into more competitive ones i.e. Harvard or MIT.


The guy who got 20+ A Levels got a 2.2 in his degree, interestingly enough.

Having been to Cambridge, and having worked in the real world since, I can categorically state that while attending Cambridge is advantageous it is certainly not the be all and end all of life.
Original post by darkdrifter10
Only if your from Pakistan you can understand why this might be the case. :cool:


"As it is among the Jewish community, Pakistanis (like most of the Asian citizens) simply treasure education to such an extent that they give 110%.
Make no excuses for themselves.
Parents accept no excuses."


Original post by ClickItBack
The guy who got 20+ A Levels got a 2.2 in his degree, interestingly enough.

Having been to Cambridge, and having worked in the real world since, I can categorically state that while attending Cambridge is advantageous it is certainly not the be all and end all of life.


I heard that too, I read he was off to Columbia :biggrin:

Did you feel it opened more doors, and that your life was better as a result of going to Cam?
Original post by K_o_46
Yh this is absolutely true.
I only got 4A* at GCSE and 91% ums at as but still got an offer for medicine at fitzwilliam. I must have smashed the interview


Great college choice :tongue:

Regarding the UMS thing, yes higher is better, as the university has found a 'good' correlation between A level results and tripos performance. Having said that, I still got in with only 88% for geography at fitz. And after my first year, despite virtually all of my subject peers having done better than me at a A level, I still got an above average score on tripos. So admissions tutors know that UMS is just one factor in the application - very high UMS applicants still get rejected, while below average UMS applicants can still get in. The interview often compensates for lower marks, and high marks often aren't outweighed by a poor interview. Obviously there's other factors as well but those seem to be the most important by some margin. Good luck with your application OP.
Original post by EmmaBxoxo
"As it is among the Jewish community, Pakistanis (like most of the Asian citizens) simply treasure education to such an extent that they give 110%.
Make no excuses for themselves.
Parents accept no excuses."




I heard that too, I read he was off to Columbia :biggrin:

Did you feel it opened more doors, and that your life was better as a result of going to Cam?


Yes it does, but I don't think the difference was very substantial over if I'd went to my insurance instead (Imperial). I've had maybe a couple of interviews/calls come my way which I thought might have been based mostly on the Cambridge tag, but it's hard to separate that from the fact that I was already working in a decent job and determine whether having Imperial instead would mean I didn't get those calls.

Mostly I'm happy I went to Cambridge for the people I got to meet and the overall experience.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by EmmaBxoxo


Remember that he didn't have 7A* when he applied. Oxford don't see UMS either.
Original post by ClickItBack
The guy who got 20+ A Levels got a 2.2 in his degree, interestingly enough.
.


2.1 in SPS/PPS I thought? (I think he transferred to that for third year after getting a 2.2 in Compsci in first and second year.)
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by Chief Wiggum
2.1 in SPS/PPS I thought?


Ah yeah you're right, I think he got a 2.2 in Compsci 1st or 2nd year which is what he originally applied for but switched after.

I didn't know him personally but I knew people who knew him, apparently he found the course very difficult. But then again I suppose that applies also to the majority of students :tongue:.
Original post by ClickItBack
Yes it does, but I don't think the difference was very substantial over if I'd went to my insurance instead (Imperial). I've had maybe a couple of interviews/calls come my way which I thought might have been based mostly on the Cambridge tag, but it's hard to separate that from the fact that I was already working in a decent job and determine whether having Imperial instead would mean I didn't get those calls.

Mostly I'm happy I went to Cambridge for the people I got to meet and the overall experience.


Interesting, in terms of networking and meeting people of similar ambition - I suppose Cambridge would be the perfect place for that.

Original post by Chief Wiggum
Remember that he didn't have 7A* when he applied. Oxford don't see UMS either.


Right yeah, but he would have had at least 5A at AS I am guessing.
Original post by EmmaBxoxo


Right yeah, but he would have had at least 5A at AS I am guessing.


Sure, but so do loads of people.
Original post by Chief Wiggum
Sure, but so do loads of people.


nice touch.

Not to compare myself to him by any stretch, but I wouldn't like the same to happen to me.

Oh well, might as well and go study now.
Original post by EmmaBxoxo
"As it is among the Jewish community, Pakistanis (like most of the Asian citizens) simply treasure education to such an extent that they give 110%.
Make no excuses for themselves.
Parents accept no excuses."



That final one seems quite accurate, although a combination of the last two seems more valid. We are also quite competitive and manipulative, good skill in business but often leads to social pariahs. Not to say other races may also be like this too, i have no idea as im not jewish/black ...
I dont want to turn this thread into some sort of race riot :rolleyes:
Original post by fnatic NateDestiel
Would the 95 UMS+ be needed in just the three most relevant, or across all AS's, and if say its like 95 95 95 83, but the 83 is a relevant a level would that be looked upon badly - and the highest three taken?

Also for a post a level applicant, would they hence require 95+ UMS across the whole A Level.


If you would like to study at Cambridge then apply. I got ABBB at AS and I still got a conditional offer from there. If you have the aptitude to do well and a passion for your subject then you should give it a shot. You never know until you try! Good luck! :smile:


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Original post by TheLightBulb
If you would like to study at Cambridge then apply. I got ABBB at AS and I still got a conditional offer from there. If you have the aptitude to do well and a passion for your subject then you should give it a shot. You never know until you try! Good luck! :smile:


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Except you didn't get in when you applied in 2012, and your last post on the applicants thread, Jan 4th 2014 says you were thinking of emailing Selwyn having not heard. Odd that you never posted that you got an offer. If you did it was post A-level so not really relevant to somebody applying with only AS.
Ums is more important that interview. Get as high as you can and even if you screw the interview you'll get in.

My ums was around 92 for engineering and I did pretty well in the interview but didn't get in.

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Original post by EmmaBxoxo


The guy who got 22 A levels and got into Cambridge got a 3rd in his first year and then switched subjects and ended up getting a 2.2 in second year. Extra number of A levels doesn't necessarily mean a better university student so it's not as surprising when they get rejected.

Oh this has already been mentioned. :/
(edited 9 years ago)
When you apply do they look at urUMS for AS?
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Original post by theeconomistkid
When you apply do they look at urUMS for AS?


Yes if you have UMS.

Linear AS and A-levels no longer have UMS.

This is an old thread now so I'm closing it.

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