Engineering and UMS

Hello TSR!
Was thinking of giving an application a shot - I'll be doing maths further maths physics and German next year, and currently my predictions stand at A*A*A D2 (pre u). I'll be doing a resit in September for physics (it was an internal exam) to try and get my prediction to A*.
My UMS across maths/further averaged 90:
C1-100
C2-100
S1-98
FP1-85
D1-74
S2-86
I'll probably resit S2 to make the fm A* easier, also got 9 A*s 4 As at GCSE.
So:
1. if i'm on for the required grades of A*A*A, does it matter if i'm 'only' predicted an A in physics?
2. will my lower than average UMS pose a serious problem?
3. how many resits does it take before it becomes a concern? (have heard one is fine as everyone has off days, but it might seem odd im not resitting D1?)

Thanks for any responses

Hi. What M units are you doing this year? I advise you to have a look at these as well as www.iwanttostudyengineering.org which will be useful practice for the ENGAA and interview.

As I say to everyone engineering is one of the more competitive courses at Cambridge but it is also only one of your five UCAS choices.😜 So if you are on course for A*A*A across Maths, FM and Physics you should find you have little trouble getting offers from your four other choices.

Your German A2. Whilst there is no doubt a foreign language is useful in terms of career prospects, it has minimal bearing on uni admission for engineering. Is this something you need to carry on with? Many students make the mistake of believing the more A2 the better. This is not true, it is quality over quantity. So for example:

A*A*A is always better than A*AAA. Consider whether it is better to concentrate upon math, FM and physics and get that physics to an A* which will stand you in good stead for your degree. Obviously your choice 😜In terms of your specific questions:

1) predicted grades are just that, predictions and not given that much weighting in the admissions process. The ENGAA, interview and maths AS data will take priority but it is an individual holistic process.
2) your MUMS is 90.5 and fine. There is no minimum contrary to what you may have been told. It's the devil behind the detail. As I said do look at M1 and M2 if you are serious about applying.
3) the odd resit is fine. Obviously the more you take the less competitive you become. It's not just about the grades it's how you get there. I would advise improving mechanics and physics to make you as competitive as you can be ( plus you'll be thankful you did once you start your degree)
Hope this helps a little.
Real best of luck to you 😀

My school doesn't normally allow people to drop subjects, unless you're doing really badly, so I don't really have a case to drop German (and I enjoy it anyway). Thanks for your advice!

I want to study engineering website might be a good idea to train up your skills in applying maths to physics.

Except you do have a case: as @210555 mentioned above, A*A*A is better than A*AAA.

There have been a number of people this year (and every year) taking 4 A-levels and missing their 3 A-level offers. You can always continue with German at university (if you have time...) - most universities (including Cambridge) have good language centres.

Exactly. Why is your school insisting upon 4 A2 levels? Is it a funding issue, I really don't know)? There may well be a legitimate reason, who am I? However, I found out ( to my cost) that schools don't always give the most objective advice.

Keep remembering A*A*A in Maths, FM and physics is always better in terms of engineering than A* AAA including German.
With very best wishes and good luck 😀😀

It would be totally pointless to resit d1 unless you were at risk of missing out on 480/600 ums for fm which if you are aiming for A*, obviously wont be the case! Not having done mechanics this year might put you at a bit of a disadvantage so yeah practising on the I want to study engineering website might be a good idea to train up your skills in applying maths to physics. Most of the time in physics a-level you just do basic substitutions and rearranging equations although obviously calculus is hugely applicable to physics. Mechanics also helps so much with physics because physics a-level questions rarely require you to solve very complex problems where as even the problems in mechanics 1 can be very difficult even to the most competent A-level physicist.
Tl;dr version- you're grades are good enough just start doing some practice to hone your problem solving skills for interview.

I also saw on the engineering admissions website that although not required, having a fourth a level shows (to some extent) you'd be able to cope with the demands of the course at Cambridge - I know I can do well in German and enjoy it, so do really want to keep it on