The Student Room Group

Ask an Admissions Tutor XI - 13 June 23 June 2017

Hello All and welcome to another Ask an Admissions Tutor Thread which I've been running intermittently since 2013. Feel free to ask all and any questions about admissions to Cambridge generally and Murray Edwards College, one of Cambridge's three women's colleges, specifically.

I'll be here for the next ten days answering questions in advance of the University Open Days on 6 and 7 July. As many colleges do, we are running an Open Day at Murray Edwards to combine with the University Open Days. Ours is on the morning of 6 July (my birthday!) and you can book a place here which will allow you access to other events in Cambridge as well as the sessions at Murray Edwards.

Do please fire away with your questions. :smile:

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How has the removal of UMS in most AS subjects and introduction of the new admissions assessments impacted on decision making this year?
Original post by Forecast
How has the removal of UMS in most AS subjects and introduction of the new admissions assessments impacted on decision making this year?


Hello and thanks for your question. The new Admissions Assessments (AAs) have helped provide a data point for everyone, which has been useful in benchmarking everyone in this particular area. That said, it's important to stress that they are very new and we can't be entirely sure how useful the information they are telling us is, so it's fair to say that they have been used with caution by colleges.

A lot of candidates never had UMS in the past (in some subjects more than 50% of the applicant field before this year didn't have modular A Levels), so we've been used to dealing with candidates presenting with no UMS for a long time. A number of students have taken stand alone AS exams and those who did well in those public exams had that recognised as part of our overall assessment.

Any major change (and this was a big one) is always going to make things a little more difficult as they settle down and we understand the impact of the changes better. One practical change is that a number of colleges increased their 'cover ratio' - i.e. gave out slightly more offers per place than usual in an attempt to avoid being left short in August if the new A Level marks are a bit strange and also to ensure that as many people as possible get the chance to prove they are worth a Cambridge place.
Reply 3
Hi! Thanks for doing this :smile: I think it helps all us potential applicants.

My questions are:

In the COPA, what is the "high school transcript" that needs to be attached?

I am a post qualification applicant so would this mean I attach my IB Diploma transcript (in my case)?

Do GCSE-equivalents also need to be uploaded (for post qualification applicants)?

My GCSE-equivalent is exams that are specific to my school (not a national exam or anything of the sort) where I got many Cs and a few Ds; would these be detrimental to the application even if I have scored 43 in the IB?

Sorry if that's a bit convoluted, thanks very much for your help.


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by lasjmcbr
Hi! Thanks for doing this :smile: I think it helps all us potential applicants.

My questions are:

In the COPA, what is the "high school transcript" that needs to be attached?

I am a post qualification applicant so would this mean I attach my IB Diploma transcript (in my case)?

Do GCSE-equivalents also need to be uploaded (for post qualification applicants)?

My GCSE-equivalent is exams that are specific to my school (not a national exam or anything of the sort) where I got many Cs and a few Ds; would these be detrimental to the application even if I have scored 43 in the IB?

Sorry if that's a bit convoluted, thanks very much for your help.


Posted from TSR Mobile


Hello and thanks for your questions. Transcripts will vary in different countries and different schools. You will need to ask your school about what they can produce. You IB diploma transcript would be very useful, yes, but schools will often include two or three years worth of data on internal and external exams.

Of most relevance to your application will be the most recent results and any application with 43 achieved in the IB will be a strong one.
Reply 5
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
Hello All and welcome to another Ask an Admissions Tutor Thread which I've been running intermittently since 2013. Feel free to ask all and any questions about admissions to Cambridge generally and Murray Edwards College, one of Cambridge's three women's colleges, specifically.

I'll be here for the next ten days answering questions in advance of the University Open Days on 6 and 7 July. As many colleges do, we are running an Open Day at Murray Edwards to combine with the University Open Days. Ours is on the morning of 6 July (my birthday!) and you can book a place here which will allow you access to other events in Cambridge as well as the sessions at Murray Edwards.

Do please fire away with your questions. :smile:


Hello,
I have two questions about the admission process to Cambridge:
Does Cambridge accept the TOEFL as an english language requirement?
What is the equivalent of the gpa used in the United States in the United Kingdom? because my gpa is 4.85.
Thank you
Thank you for doing this and my question concerns GCSE's. My GCSE's are not at the standard of a typical Cambridge student but my A-levels are looking fairly interesting. I would like to read Law as it stands and I'm looking this year to get:

Mathematics: 6 (B)
English Literature: 7 (A)
English Language: 7 (A)
Biology: B
Chemistry: B
Physics: B
Drama: A
Geography: B
Art: B

A few A's and mostly B's. However, I took some AS mocks for some reason and I got a B in Government & Politics which I'm told is a very good result for a younger student. It looks like I just work better with A-levels than GCSE's (must be a multi-tasking thing). I have read countless responses to this type of question saying revise, revise, revise but I was more interested in what my specific grades look like to an examiner?
Original post by User889
Hello,
I have two questions about the admission process to Cambridge:
Does Cambridge accept the TOEFL as an english language requirement?
What is the equivalent of the gpa used in the United States in the United Kingdom? because my gpa is 4.85.
Thank you


We do not currently accept TOEFL for undergraduate admission, though we do for graduate admission. Instead we use IELTS and ask for 7.5 overall and 7.0 in each individual element. We are currently reviewing our position on TOEFL but any decision to accept TOEFL would be effective for 2019 entry.

We don't use GPA from High School as a measure for admissions to undergraduate level, as we usually expect Amercian students to be taking AP courses in addition to the High School Diploma.
Hi, I know that generally, candidates are only considered if they are predicted A*AA or higher, however, if your school predicts you, say AAA instead but your GCSE's are decent (7 A*'s, 4 A's, 1B) are you still likely to be considered?
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
Hello All and welcome to another Ask an Admissions Tutor Thread which I've been running intermittently since 2013. Feel free to ask all and any questions about admissions to Cambridge generally and Murray Edwards College, one of Cambridge's three women's colleges, specifically.

I'll be here for the next ten days answering questions in advance of the University Open Days on 6 and 7 July. As many colleges do, we are running an Open Day at Murray Edwards to combine with the University Open Days. Ours is on the morning of 6 July (my birthday!) and you can book a place here which will allow you access to other events in Cambridge as well as the sessions at Murray Edwards.

Do please fire away with your questions. :smile:
Original post by JamesLeo
Thank you for doing this and my question concerns GCSE's. My GCSE's are not at the standard of a typical Cambridge student but my A-levels are looking fairly interesting. I would like to read Law as it stands and I'm looking this year to get:

Mathematics: 6 (B)
English Literature: 7 (A)
English Language: 7 (A)
Biology: B
Chemistry: B
Physics: B
Drama: A
Geography: B
Art: B

A few A's and mostly B's. However, I took some AS mocks for some reason and I got a B in Government & Politics which I'm told is a very good result for a younger student. It looks like I just work better with A-levels than GCSE's (must be a multi-tasking thing). I have read countless responses to this type of question saying revise, revise, revise but I was more interested in what my specific grades look like to an examiner?


Hello. Your GCSE grades will not be very strong compared to most applicants. The average successful applicant has around 8 A*s at GCSE. We would like to see a significant improvement from GCSEs to A Levels if you were to be a competitive candidate.
Original post by Lcuthbert7
Hi, I know that generally, candidates are only considered if they are predicted A*AA or higher, however, if your school predicts you, say AAA instead but your GCSE's are decent (7 A*'s, 4 A's, 1B) are you still likely to be considered?


Hello and thank you for your question. If you are predicted lower than the standard offer then it is very likely that you will be rejected without an interview. About 1,500 applicants who got A*A*A* were rejected for entry in 2015, so it shows just how competitive it is to win a place even for those who easily exceed our stated offer.
Reply 11
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
We do not currently accept TOEFL for undergraduate admission, though we do for graduate admission. Instead we use IELTS and ask for 7.5 overall and 7.0 in each individual element. We are currently reviewing our position on TOEFL but any decision to accept TOEFL would be effective for 2019 entry.

We don't use GPA from High School as a measure for admissions to undergraduate level, as we usually expect Amercian students to be taking AP courses in addition to the High School Diploma.


I'm actually a latino, I am peruvian and I am not currently living in the United States, but I already took the SAT and started my application at UCAS. If I am not able to take AP courses or tests because I live in Peru, in what way that case can affect my chances to get in?
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
Hello All and welcome to another Ask an Admissions Tutor Thread which I've been running intermittently since 2013. Feel free to ask all and any questions about admissions to Cambridge generally and Murray Edwards College, one of Cambridge's three women's colleges, specifically.

I'll be here for the next ten days answering questions in advance of the University Open Days on 6 and 7 July. As many colleges do, we are running an Open Day at Murray Edwards to combine with the University Open Days. Ours is on the morning of 6 July (my birthday!) and you can book a place here which will allow you access to other events in Cambridge as well as the sessions at Murray Edwards.

Do please fire away with your questions. :smile:

What is the gcse requirement for studying history in the university of Cambridge?
Original post by User889
I'm actually a latino, I am peruvian and I am not currently living in the United States, but I already took the SAT and started my application at UCAS. If I am not able to take AP courses or tests because I live in Peru, in what way that case can affect my chances to get in?


You would need to contact the central Cambridge Admissions Office ([email protected]) to ask them whether we would accept Peruvian qualifications. The SAT alone is not considered suitable and I think it unlikely that Peruvian qualification alone would be acceptable. I am sorry but ask the email above to be sure.
Original post by Miaomiao1210
What is the gcse requirement for studying history in the university of Cambridge?


There is no GCSE requirement for studying History at Cambridge, nor any other subject. We do not ask for minimum grades or specific subjects.
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
Hello. Your GCSE grades will not be very strong compared to most applicants. The average successful applicant has around 8 A*s at GCSE. We would like to see a significant improvement from GCSEs to A Levels if you were to be a competitive candidate.


That's unfortunate, I now know the average amount of A*s from a successful applicant but what would you say is the minimum amount of A*s needed to be taken seriously, with the rest of the grades at A grade or is that the average as well?
I'm applying post a-level and was wondering if I only met the standard offer (a*aa) would i still be considered. My school is not the best and these are the highest results anyone has achieved in the schools history and also i had extenuating circumstances (bereavement) during my A2 year, just worried as I've heard it's likely I'll be automatically rejected because I don't exceed the standard offer for geography. Thanks for your time :smile:
Original post by JamesLeo
That's unfortunate, I now know the average amount of A*s from a successful applicant but what would you say is the minimum amount of A*s needed to be taken seriously, with the rest of the grades at A grade or is that the average as well?


There isn't a minimum amount per se. I've admitted people with no A*s at GCSE if the rest of their application was strong and I've turned down plenty of people with 10, 11 and 12 A*s if we felt that the rest of the application did not match up to the strong GCSE performance.

As a general rule of thumb, however, the more A*s you have the better your chances of admissions but each application is treated individually.
Original post by rosie_cats
I'm applying post a-level and was wondering if I only met the standard offer (a*aa) would i still be considered. My school is not the best and these are the highest results anyone has achieved in the schools history and also i had extenuating circumstances (bereavement) during my A2 year, just worried as I've heard it's likely I'll be automatically rejected because I don't exceed the standard offer for geography. Thanks for your time :smile:


Hello there and thank you for your question. Yes, you would certainly be considered if you applied having met the standard offer. While people who are admitted on average exceed the standard offer by 1 A*, that doesn't mean that you would not have a decent chance of admission if you could show strength and potential elsewhere in the application.
Original post by JamesLeo
That's unfortunate, I now know the average amount of A*s from a successful applicant but what would you say is the minimum amount of A*s needed to be taken seriously, with the rest of the grades at A grade or is that the average as well?

I got 2 offers for maths(2015/16 entries) with 0A*s in GCSE (not even in Maths). Impress them in AS/interviews and you will get a place.