What if you don't achieve your offer for Cambridge?

Hello,
So exams have gone very badly so far. My offer is A*AA for a Humanities subject, but although I may come very close to the A* in all three of my subjects, I'm just very unsure if I'll get an A* for definite in anything. What are the chances they would let me in with three very high As -- just from any experience or stories you might have heard? What is the process if you don't get your offer?
I may be worrying excessively, and it might be difficult for any of you to answer definitively, but it would be good to know if all is not lost...
Thanks a lot :smile:

Reply 1

izpenguin

15

My cousin got in to Cambridge for compsci in 2006- his offer was AAA and he got AAB.
But that was 9 years ago so I don't know how much has changed since then

Reply 2

joanneeve

1

Im in the same boat with an offer of A*A*A for Natsci which im unlikely to get after the exams ive had.
But whether they let you in depends on the number of people who miss the grade for the course at the college. They have a set quota of people for each course and if not enough people get the grades to fill the quota then they look for the next highest grades below the offer :smile:

Reply 3

claireestelle

22

My cousin got the equivalent grades but not the exact offer grades for Oxford like A*A*B instead of A*aa or something like that and she was made to get a remark to see if she got the A or got to her insurance. Oxbridge don't do flexible it seems

Reply 4

Boy_wonder_95

15

Original post by Daxen

Hello,
So exams have gone very badly so far. My offer is A*AA for a Humanities subject, but although I may come very close to the A* in all three of my subjects, I'm just very unsure if I'll get an A* for definite in anything. What are the chances they would let me in with three very high As -- just from any experience or stories you might have heard? What is the process if you don't get your offer?
I may be worrying excessively, and it might be difficult for any of you to answer definitively, but it would be good to know if all is not lost...
Thanks a lot :smile:

They'll ask for UMS results, and see how far off you are from A*. So if it's just narrow misses, given A Levels are probably Humanities, it would most likely be fine :smile:

.

Reply 5

Duncan2012

19

You may get an offer, you may not. At this stage there's absolutely nothing you can do about it (assuming you don't have any more exams?), so stop worrying about it and go and enjoy the sunshine.

Reply 6

username1865079

14

Original post by Daxen

Hello,
So exams have gone very badly so far. My offer is A*AA for a Humanities subject, but although I may come very close to the A* in all three of my subjects, I'm just very unsure if I'll get an A* for definite in anything. What are the chances they would let me in with three very high As -- just from any experience or stories you might have heard? What is the process if you don't get your offer?
I may be worrying excessively, and it might be difficult for any of you to answer definitively, but it would be good to know if all is not lost...
Thanks a lot :smile:

I understand you're worried so it's tempting to give you some comforting words, but it'll all depends how much you missed it by (IF you really miss it) and how many other people who missed theirs and how much by. So it's really impossible to say how it'll be at this stage. If you missed by a whisker you may be accepted by your college you applied or maybe you'll be put to summer pool.
It's not easy not to worry about it, I know, but since you don't even know if you actually missed it or not at this stage, try not worrying too much.
Good luck!!

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 7

IAMADAM27

12

Go to Plymouth, next logical step, really!

Reply 8

username1530463

6

Original post by joanneeve

Im in the same boat with an offer of A*A*A for Natsci which im unlikely to get after the exams ive had.
But whether they let you in depends on the number of people who miss the grade for the course at the college. They have a set quota of people for each course and if not enough people get the grades to fill the quota then they look for the next highest grades below the offer :smile:

vincrows

I understand you're worried so it's tempting to give you some comforting words, but it'll all depends how much you missed it by (IF you really miss it) and how many other people who missed theirs and how much by. So it's really impossible to say how it'll be at this stage. If you missed by a whisker you may be accepted by your college you applied or maybe you'll be put to summer pool.
It's not easy not to worry about it, I know, but since you don't even know if you actually missed it or not at this stage, try not worrying too much.
Good luck!!

Do you think that with the changes to A Levels, fewer people will be reaching their offers and so Cambridge might be a bit more lenient with people missing their offers and/or lower their entry requirements back down to A*AA or AAA, since fewer people will probably get A*s?

Reply 9

username1865079

14

Original post by asmuse123

Do you think that with the changes to A Levels, fewer people will be reaching their offers and so Cambridge might be a bit more lenient with people missing their offers and/or lower their entry requirements back down to A*AA or AAA, since fewer people will probably get A*s?

???? You're an offer holder, aren't you? And you've already sat your A2 exams and that's the reason you're worried about if you've managed to meet the condition, isn't it? So what happens with A-levels next year is not relevant to your situation. Are you thinking of re-applying next year? Or am I missing something???

In any case, it is not much use asking that question, I'm afraid, at this stage. The university itself hasn't decided yet how to deal with the possible change of A-level system, according to the admission tutors who host their threads in this forum, so we just do not know how they'll change their admission system to adjust to the change. No one can give you any reliable 'opinion' when even the people in charge at the university don't know yet.

Also, in reality now, most of Cambridge offer holders exceed their conditions anyway, especially for Arts/Humanities courses, so it's quite possible there won't be so many people who miss their conditions even after the A-level change. Perhaps maybe more than now but not that many and not that much by. Also it's quite possible they'll change their admission procedure quite different from the current one, anyway, it's just not possible to predict anything at the moment, I don't think.

I'm so sorry you feel you did well enough at the exams and are looking for some assurance, and it's easy to tell you anything just to comfort you. But you just have to be patient and wait for the result to come out. And if you really miss the condition, ring the college straightaway. I know a few people (some in TSR) who were accepted by them on the spot, so you may get lucky. But as said before, it'll all depend on the situation they have, why and how much you missed - it's all case by case.

Also, even if you are not accepted by Cambridge, as being some one who are good enough to get the offer from Cambridge, I'm sure you'll get some offers from other good universities you applied. Just remember Cambridge is NOT the only good university and I know many people who couldn't go to Cambridge (either not offered or missed the condition) but are/were completely happy with the university they went to. It's NOT the end of the world. Never. :smile:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 10

Sabbers24

2

Original post by Daxen

Hello,
So exams have gone very badly so far. My offer is A*AA for a Humanities subject, but although I may come very close to the A* in all three of my subjects, I'm just very unsure if I'll get an A* for definite in anything. What are the chances they would let me in with three very high As -- just from any experience or stories you might have heard? What is the process if you don't get your offer?
I may be worrying excessively, and it might be difficult for any of you to answer definitively, but it would be good to know if all is not lost...
Thanks a lot :smile:

This has been worrying me too, I have the same offer but to do law, and I can't confidently say for certain that I have achieved an A* in the exams I've ha so far. I have two more to go, but I guess all we can do is wait until results day, and hope for low grade boundaries and a generous examiner

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 11

Daxen

OP

9

Hey everyone, thanks for the responses. I feel like I'm treading on shaky ground but I still have a couple more exams to sit - just got to hope and pray they'll go well! I'm very surprised with how unanimously awful exam papers have seemed to be across all subjects this year. Best of luck to everyone hoping to achieve their offers! :smile:

Reply 12

Sabbers24

2

Original post by Daxen

Hey everyone, thanks for the responses. I feel like I'm treading on shaky ground but I still have a couple more exams to sit - just got to hope and pray they'll go well! I'm very surprised with how unanimously awful exam papers have seemed to be across all subjects this year. Best of luck to everyone hoping to achieve their offers! :smile:

Thank you, my penultimate exam went awfully because I was so nervous, I need a miracle in my last one to get an A in maths. But all I can do it try my best and then try not to think about it until results day. I've always said as long as I've tried my absolute hardest in revision and coursework, and couldn't have done any more and don't get in, well then I couldn't have done any more so I won't feel as bad. Good luck with the remaining exams :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 13

username1865079

14

Have you read my posts above?
It'll depend on;
- how much you missed it by and in which subject(exam)
- how many other offer holders missed their condition and by how much/in which subject (exam)

You may still be accepted or maybe they'll put you in summer pool. Or you may lose your offer. There's no any fixed rule and it'll be decided case by case.
One important thing for you to do is to ring the college as soon as you know you missed the condition.

Good luck with your result! :smile:

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 14

Raven of the Sun

3

Original post by Daxen

Hello,
So exams have gone very badly so far. My offer is A*AA for a Humanities subject, but although I may come very close to the A* in all three of my subjects, I'm just very unsure if I'll get an A* for definite in anything. What are the chances they would let me in with three very high As -- just from any experience or stories you might have heard? What is the process if you don't get your offer?
I may be worrying excessively, and it might be difficult for any of you to answer definitively, but it would be good to know if all is not lost...
Thanks a lot :smile:

if you had a good interview they might let you in anyway

Reply 15

Peterhouse Admissions

Official Rep

13

Original post by vincrows

Have you read my posts above?
It'll depend on;
- how much you missed it by and in which subject(exam)
- how many other offer holders missed their condition and by how much/in which subject (exam)

You may still be accepted or maybe they'll put you in summer pool. Or you may lose your offer. There's no any fixed rule and it'll be decided case by case.
One important thing for you to do is to ring the college as soon as you know you missed the condition.

Good luck with your result! :smile:

Hi it's Martin the Admissions Assistant here. I'm going to use bold in a slightly OTT way so you can all see what to do. Think of this as your reference for what to do when you get your results.

Hopefully you will find that despite all the worrying, you have done well and have met your offer. If this is the case there's nothing you need to do - we'll be in touch by post that morning (provided Royal Mail cooperate). It may take some time for your UCAS track to be confirmed - we have to confirm each offer individually and this then has to be communicated to UCAS. Don't panic if it doesn't update - any offer you were made was binding and if you've achieved the conditions, you're in.

If you find that you haven't achieved your offer, don't panic. There are some things you can do to be helpful and help us reach a decision. Firstly, don't phone the College on results day if you can help it. The phones ring off the hook and you might find it engaged or not answered. We get a LOT of calls that day from parents, students, teachers concerning missed offers, achieved offers, whether we do clearing or adjustment etc.

Instead, it is much better to email the college admissions office with the subject as "Offer missed - name, subject" then in the email state what the offer was, what grades you got and what the UMS scores are and whether you are requesting a remark. We already know who has missed and what grades they got but it's helpful to be reminded and the UMS is new and useful information. Emailing allows us to very easily print/forward it for the relevant people and put a copy in your file.

You have until the 31st August to achieve your conditions so if you grades increase to meet your offer following a remark and we get the confirmation before this date then your binding offer stands and your place is guaranteed. If it is after this date then nothing is guaranteed and everything is done on a case-by-case basis.

Please also note that we are unable to discuss anything with anyone apart from the candidate themselves. It is important that you send the email and if you do want to get in touch by phone it needs to be you, not your parents or teacher (or at least you need to be available to take the phone when we get to the important bit). It is not worth your parents calling us up independently as there's nothing we can discuss with them.

This will help us immensely. Thanks all!

Reply 16

username1865079

14

Original post by Peterhouse Admissions

Firstly, don't phone the College on results day if you can help it. The phones ring off the hook and you might find it engaged or not answered. We get a LOT of calls that day from parents, students, teachers concerning missed offers, achieved offers, whether we do clearing or adjustment etc.

Instead, it is much better to email the college admissions office with the subject as "Offer missed - name, subject" then in the email state what the offer was, what grades you got and what the UMS scores are and whether you are requesting a remark. We already know who has missed and what grades they got but it's helpful to be reminded and the UMS is new and useful information. Emailing allows us to very easily print/forward it for the relevant people and put a copy in your file

The reason the colleges are inundated with phone calls on the result day = countless advices on TSR over the years by many posters to phone them asap. :tongue:

As a guilty part myself, sincere apology.

It'd probably be different from year to year and the subject, how long does it usually take until you get reply for your email? I know someone who didn't receive the reply for a couple of days a few years ago, which he (and his parents) found extremely worrying and stressful. Do you at least send an acknowledgment of the receipt of email (which he didn't), so that the applicant at least know their cases are being dealt with?

Reply 17

Peterhouse Admissions

Official Rep

13

Original post by vincrows

The reason the colleges are inundated with phone calls on the result day = countless advices on TSR over the years by many posters to phone them asap. :tongue:

As a guilty part myself, sincere apology.

It'd probably be different from year to year and the subject, how long does it usually take until you get reply for your email? I know someone who didn't receive the reply for a couple of days a few years ago, which he (and his parents) found extremely worrying and stressful. Do you at least send an acknowledgment of the receipt of email (which he didn't), so that the applicant at least know their cases are being dealt with?

I don't think even the mighty TSR can explain most of the calls!

I'm afraid we're very busy so it isn't always possible to acknowledge emails. Decisions take a variable length of time - some are relatively straightforward and others take a lot longer. It might not be until after remarks are in (beginning of September). We realise that people will want to make plans and get in touch with their insurance choice so we try to work as quickly as possible. All cases are dealt with - we've put a lot of effort into finding the right candidates so if we haven't heard from someone who we know missed their offer we might chase them for their UMS.

Reply 18

username1865079

14

Original post by Peterhouse Admissions

I don't think even the mighty TSR can explain most of the calls!

I'm afraid we're very busy so it isn't always possible to acknowledge emails. Decisions take a variable length of time - some are relatively straightforward and others take a lot longer. It might not be until after remarks are in (beginning of September). We realise that people will want to make plans and get in touch with their insurance choice so we try to work as quickly as possible. All cases are dealt with - we've put a lot of effort into finding the right candidates so if we haven't heard from someone who we know missed their offer we might chase them for their UMS.

It's rather interesting to learn you even get phone calls from the applicants who achieved the offer. What do they do that for??? :tongue:

I can imagine it's really hectic time for you. But isn't it possible to set up an automatic acknowledgement emailing system to be sent out? (Or maybe it's too complicated to separate those from unrelated emails you receive...? < thinking out loud :tongue:

)
The thing is, this applicant I mentioned earlier ended up phoning the college in the end because he wasn't sure if the admission office missed to see his email or it's just because they're just taking time to process. If you send an acknowledgment of receipt with a note that it may take several days until they get a definite answer, that'd perhaps reduce the number of unnecessary phone calls?

(edited 8 years ago)

Reply 19

Doones

21

Original post by Peterhouse Admissions

If you find that you haven't achieved your offer, don't panic. There are some things you can do to be helpful and help us reach a decision. Firstly, don't phone the College on results day if you can help it. The phones ring off the hook and you might find it engaged or not answered. We get a LOT of calls that day from parents, students, teachers concerning missed offers, achieved offers, whether we do clearing or adjustment etc.

Instead, it is much better to email the college admissions office with the subject as "Offer missed - name, subject" then in the email state what the offer was, what grades you got and what the UMS scores are and whether you are requesting a remark. We already know who has missed and what grades they got but it's helpful to be reminded and the UMS is new and useful information. Emailing allows us to very easily print/forward it for the relevant people and put a copy in your file.

That's clear! Would it help for candidates to also include their UCAS ID number in the subject?

eg. "Offer missed - UCAS ID, Name, Subject"

Maybe a TSR mod could include the text of your post in the Official Results Day threads they will be creating for the big day...?

What if you don't achieve your offer for Cambridge?

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