CUSU Shadowing Scheme 2017-18

Do you work with CUSU? and yeah, I didn't think she realised that I was on about my cousins not me, because she never knew until I brought it up to her. I'm kind of nervous since most applicants are getting emails. do you think acceptance emails will continue coming until tomorrow or?

Nope I have no connection. And note @Paralove's update

Who is this @paralove

A 3rd year MML student at Cambridge.

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Who is this @paralove

A 3rd year MML student at Cambridge.

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*4th year

Also, and this is more important, you don't need to go on any of these schemes to be a successful applicant. The schemes are designed to benefit you as an individual, not to make you a better (or more "passionate", whatever that means) applicant.

If they gave any preference to attendees then that would be severely disadvantagous to those who miss out, which is the vast majority of applicants.

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Of course you still can! You don't have to have the opportunity to do any of these things to show your passion. Just because you got accepted onto the cusu shadow scheme, it doesn't mean you're passionate about the subject (that's not the purpose of the scheme). The shadowing scheme is a great thing to do, as it shows you what Cambridge is like, but it's not a ticket to getting an offer (or anything to do with the admissions process). You can do lots of things like further reading, helping out in lessons at your school (unless you're at a college), you can apply to headstart courses, take part (not necessarily win) in all the Olympiads, etc. You really don't have to do something amazing that few others have done.

Also, all things like these really do, is help you with your interview. They are taken account of, but it's not like just because you've done something amazing you will get an overall application score of 10. How you think, and what you are able to answer (both in the admissions assessment and in the interview), and your grades, are what really matter.

You should try Sutton summer trust summer schools aswell

Where are you getting her messages from. Are they on the Twitter or this forum

Also please be super patient, it's a massive massive task to organise this (my friend is the CUSU Access Officer!).

It's not necessarily just attending the events- it's what I'll see during the events, not saying "oh I attended this so I'm passionate" . I want to be shown something that will amaze me- that will form a solid foundation for a topic to talk about. There are barely any books solely about chemistry- they're always mixed up in biology or physics, at least when it comes to books that I actually have the ability to understand. Physicists have a huge range of books they can look at, biology/med books are quite common, but chemistry is the odd one out. I am still looking- got a few books on my Kindle that I'm doing to attempt to understand, but I also have some books with mixed topics. Fingers crossed.

I'm at a sixth form college without a school attached to it, but I am going to be tutoring at schools in the area. Just waiting for the meeting after Christmas which will give me information about whether it's going to be subject specific- although it will help with different universities regardless. The headstart courses are very few for Chemistry- two courses, if I recall correctly, with one mixed in with chemical engineering. Besides, the Nuffield course needs 4 consecutive weeks, so most would be off the table.

I'm so scared that in less than a year's time, I could start my first draft for my personal statement and realise that the only Chemistry related thing I've attended is the Top of the Bench competition in year 11- which we didn't even get top 3 in for our area (our school were short notice and barely prepared us), let alone region or country.

I just really want that experience of actually doing something and not just reading, if I can even find anything with depth. I'd also love to find something I can do an EPQ on too- which trips/schemes could also potentially help with. I don't feel as though saying "oh I read a few books" will cut it.



I'll have a look! Although the Nuffield problem may prevent me from attending this too.

I just really want that experience of actually doing something and not just reading, if I can even find anything with depth. I'd also love to find something I can do an EPQ on too- which trips/schemes could also potentially help with. I don't feel as though saying "oh I read a few books" will cut it.

I'm so scared that in less than a year's time, I could start my first draft for my personal statement and realise that the only Chemistry related thing I've attended is the Top of the Bench competition in year 11- which we didn't even get top 3 in for our area (our school were short notice and barely prepared us), let alone region or country.

Which course are you considering applying to at Cambridge?

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Cut what? What are you trying to prove, and to whom?

And as I said you can do the Olympiads (British physics Olympiad, C3L6, there are many more), you can attend public lectures if you really want, if you genuinely are passionate about your subject then you shouldn't have much of an issue with finding ways to show it. Such things shouldn't be done just for the sake of it however, which is what you're starting to imply, they should be done purely because you genuinely want to (i.e. you actually enjoy doing whatever it is). That's the whole point of any of those things.

For simply finding stuff to put on your PS, all you have to do is attend the Olympiads, do some further reading, etc. The fact that you got accepted onto the shadowing scheme is hardly one of them.

I agree with what RedGiant said.

Your personal statement shouldn't be a list of things you attended, and you shouldn't force yourself to do things because they'll look good on your PS. I mean, you are interested in chemistry now without having done those things, aren't you? Sure, in the year you have left it is certainly a good idea to seek out opportunities to explore the subject, but it is nothing to be so stressed about this early. You'll be surprised by how easily just a few things (like the suggested olympiads, or even one single book you read) can be more than enough for statement.

Anyways, good luck I wish I had this much motivation a year ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do then lol

I actually want to apply to do Chemistry at Oxford, but NatSci is still definitely an option.

but I'll never get the experiences if I get rejected.

I don't want to do Physical NatSci- I want to do Chemistry at Oxford, so none of the Physics opportunities I'm getting are helping with the PS, but they're fun so I'm taking part. I do want to go to all of these schemes as I'm genuinely interested in experiencing the universities. It's not a case of "I got on the shadowing scheme" or "I went to UNIQ", it's what I do while I'm there- experience wise and academically.

Any recommendations for experience I coul do towards an economics course