Official Cambridge 2018 Decisions Thread [no discussion]

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Pending

Course: Economics
College: St Catharine's
Offer Conditions: -
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): will hear by email

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): College
GCSE Grades: 8A*4A
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): Maths-A(298 UMS + 93,95,88 in S2, S3, C3). Politics-A(195 UMS). Economics-A(178 UMS)
A2 Predictions: A*A*A*A* (Maths, Further Maths, GovPol, Economics)

Reflection
Strengths: AS level grades. Wide range of super curricular activities. The second interview
Weaknesses: the first interview (nerves). Probably the admissions assessment
Admissions Test: ECAA 5/10 (average)
Interview Assessment: (include what you think you scored: 1=bad, 10=excellent) 6/10 (3 in interview 1. 9 in interview 2)
Why did you chose your college? A gut instinct. Pretty, homely, close to the Sidgwick site and strong academically
What other universities did you apply to? Warwick, Bath, Nottingham, Exeter
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Warwick
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Warwick

General Comments & Advice: not looking forward to tomorrow 😬😬

Any official feedback received from your college: -

(edited 6 years ago)

Spot reserved

Decision: Accepted

Course: Law
College: Emmanuel
Offer Conditions: pending
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): Email at 12pm

Home, EU or International (Country): England
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): Private
GCSE Grades: 9A* 2A
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): -
A2 Predictions: A*A*A*

Reflection
Strengths: I think managed to convey my interest in law particularly well, both through talking about it in interview as well as having written about it in my personal statement.
Weaknesses: I think the CLAT where you have to write an essay on a choice of three was the weakest part of my application. I sort of panicked when I got to doing it (especially because I did it on the same day as my interviews) and I don't think I developed and analysed my points anywhere near as much as I should have/would have if I wasn't stressing and I believe that's a strong factor when they are marked.
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment (CLAT): As I just mentioned, I don't think this part of the application process was my strongest. I'd probably rate it a 4/10. The more I think about it the worse I think it was!
Interview Assessment:
Interview 1 - (5/10)
I rate this interview 5/10 because I genuinely have no idea how I went or how they would have perceived me to be. This was my first assessment of the day and it was all a blur, looking back on it. It was one of those interviews where there was a counter-argument made to every single point I said and I got backed into a corner a bit where I felt a bit helpless. However I did manage to stick my ground eventually (after abandoning my first point of view in the first 5 minutes), so that may be seen as a positive. However I did genuinely enjoy the challenge.
Interview 2 - (8/10)
This interview followed a 25 minute reading session pre-interview. I felt much more relaxed in this interview...I think it might have been because it was quite late in the day and the lady doing the interview seemed so, so sweet and friendly! I felt like I properly thought out what I was saying in my head while also showing my thought process.

Why did you chose your college?
Other than the ducks...which I did love when I visited - the main reason I chose Emma was the sense of community I felt when I visited. I'm not saying the other colleges don't have this but when I went I just felt like I could see myself there. (cringe sorry)

What other universities did you apply to? UCL, Durham, LSE, Bristol

If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Durham

General Comments & Advice: Good luck to everyone else!

Any official feedback received from your college: - pending

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 23

Munsterrrr

Decision: Accepted
Course: Music
College: King's
Offer Conditions: Unconditional (although not confirmed, but Post Qualifications Applicant, so I'm assuming!)
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): Email at 11:45

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): Private
GCSE Grades: 5A* 4A 2B
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): N/A
Pre-U Grades: Post Qualification Applicant, with Pre-U rather than A Levels (Cambridge Board, slightly harder and linear) D1, D2, D2 (A*A*A*)

Reflection
Strengths: Good set of grades (Not GCSEs however, was very disappointed with them), Post Qual applicant, with a Gap year in teaching at a school, with music in mind too.
Weaknesses: Not a great personal statement, and the interviews weren't fantastic either... Not very confident, especially in interviews and I believed that that showed...
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment: N/A
Interview Assessment: (include what you think you scored: 1=bad, 10=excellent) -
1st interview: 5 - The 'General' interview, with a music DoS however, so still a music interview nonetheless... Stumbled a bit and had a few awkward pauses, but nothing horrendous...!
2nd interview: 8 - A lot better, with the DoS at Caius. Very much enjoyed it, he even told me to be 'less specific'! Still was very nervous and some questions were scuffed.
Why did you choose your college? Lovely old college in the centre of the city, with the 1st year accomodation (Harvey Court) about 30 seconds away from Sidgwick and the Music faculty. Choir as well, as it's my first choice choir and as a singer, that played a huge part.
What other universities did you apply to? York, Durham, Royal Holloway and King's London
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? N/A (post qual)
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Second Gap Year abroad lol (I say that, would probably be the most likely option!)

General Comments & Advice:
Definitely try and apply after A levels (if your course/school/anyone else allows you to do so). A lot more relaxed to know you have a strong set of results, rather than worry you might not reach your offer in the summer! Other than that, just work your socks off and you'll get what you deserve!

Update (March): Due to certain events and other circumstances, I was transferred to King's from Caius.

Any official feedback received from your college: Not yet

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 24

ImprobableCacti

Decision: Accepted

Course: CompSci (w/ NatSci)
College: Queens'
Offer Conditions: A*A*A with A* in FM
How did you first hear and when? Email at 10am 10/1/18

Home, EU or International: Home
School Type: State Comprehensive
GCSE Grades: 1A^, 8A*s, 3As, 1B
AS Subjects & Grades:

Maths: A - 291/300
Further Maths: A - 296/300
Physics: A (no UMS)
Computer Science: A (no UMS)

A2 Predictions:

Maths: A*
Further Maths: A*
Physics: A*
Computer Science: A*

Reflection
Strengths:

My Personal Statement (reading etc.) was pretty good. I had done a Nuffield Research Placement during the summer, Top 10% in Bebras 2016, one of 9 to get a distinction in the Oxford TCS 2017 and a Gold in the UKMT Senior Maths Challenge 2017.

Weaknesses:

My interview felt like it went awful, I was stumbling on everything and made some stupid mistakes. The CSAT went even worse.

Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment (CSAT): 4
Interview Assessment: first 4, second 6 or 7
Why did you chose your college?

The awesome pastoral care that they provide; the friendliness of the college; the fact that in-college accommodation is provided for the duration of the degree; they visited my school; the initiative to get more women into computer science; Jake Wright; the list goes on...

What other universities did you apply to?

Durham - offer, Manchester - interview, UCL - offer, Reading - offer

If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice?

Durham :smile:

General Comments & Advice:

Take in all of the awesome advice from the ATs on TSR, read about what you love and DO YOUR RESEARCH!

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 25

Bogstandardrunt

Decision: Offer

Course: Mathematics
College: Emmanuel
Offer Conditions: A* in Maths, A* in Further Maths, A in Physics, 1 in STEP II, 1 in STEP III
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): email 12:04

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): Grammar
GCSE Grades: 11 A*
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): 2 A (Maths, Further Maths) 99% UMS
A2 Predictions: 5 A* (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Computer Science, EPQ)

Reflection
Strengths: Decent at maths
Weaknesses: Not THAT good at it
Interview Assessment: 6. Got most of the questions right in the end with quite a few minor prompts and slipups. Some major hints were needed.
Why did you chose your college? Close to the centre. Opposite Nando's.
What other universities did you apply to? Imperial, LSE, UCL, Warwick
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Imperial, LSE or UCL
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Cambridge

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 26

int_compsci2018

Decision: Rejected :frown:

Course: Computer Science (G400)
College: Trinity College
Home, EU or International (Country): EU

Offer Conditions: X
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): mail, 10:30 GMT

Reflection

Strengths: personal statement, references, interview
Weaknesses: CSAT (admissions test)

Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment (CSAT): 4 maybe 4.5 (but it's really hard to judge)
i messed up couple of questions, did not answer many

Interview Assessment: 7
Why not higher? I could've shown more mathematical knowledge and could be a bit faster
Why not lower? It went really well, I have shown that I am teachable, able to grasp new concepts, the interview was very enjoyable.

Why did you chose your college (Trinity College)? I really liked the looks, size, history. Also it's in the city centre.

What other universities did you apply to? Durham, St. Andrews, UCL, Warwick
got an offer from Warwick, pending from others (but imo I have strong PS/reference so I don't worry that much)

If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Probably Durham, heard a lot of positive things about it. But it also depends on the offer conditions (if Durham offer is the same as Cambridge, there would be no point in having Durham as insurance).

If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Durham.

General Comments & Advice:
I messed up the CSAT but really liked my interview, which went very well imo. I am happy regardless of the decision (I enjoyed the application process, the journey to Cambridge, the dreams about being there), though will be a bit sad if I am rejected. Hopefully my interview performance was as good as I think of it, and combined with my PS and reference it made up that poor CSAT performance.

Any official feedback received from your college:
X

I also wrote a post about my application experience: https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=75020046

Good luck everyone! May the force be with us tomorrow!
And remember: Cambridge or not, it's not the university what defines you :smile:

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 27

ustocambridge

Decision: Accepted

Course: HSPS
College: King's
Offer Conditions: Unclear, I'm reaching out
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): Email at 11:24 (Cambridge time)

Home, EU or International (Country): International, U.S.

Reflection
Strengths: I think my PS was good, I have good qualifications in the US system although I don't know how they stand up to UK quals when Cambridge evaluates, and I believe I did well on the pre-interview assessment.
Weaknesses: The interview (although based on the graph I may be over or under evaluating my performance)
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment : I actually think I did well on this, maybe an 8 or 9
Interview Assessment: Less good in the actual interview, I'm guessing a 6
Why did you chose your college? I'd heard and read good things about the atmosphere (friendly, inclusive, diverse), I love the architecture, the gardens were amazing, and I liked that they had a large range of extracurricular events organized by the college.
What other universities did you apply to? In the UK, just LSE, and a good bit more at home.
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? A U.S. university

General Comments & Advice: Make sure you enjoy the process instead of just stressing about the final result, know that your worth isn't determined by the decisions, and make friends with your fellow applicants. Go into the interview with an open mind and know they'll ask you things you're probably not prepared for and that's fine. Choose your college carefully - obviously Cambridge is Cambridge but the different cultures do matter. Finally, if you can manage it, take decision day off because I wish could've had more time to process my offer before I had to go to class.

Any official feedback received from your college: N/A

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 28

irishapplicant

Reserving

Course: Computer Science
College: Queens'
Offer Conditions: X
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): X

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): EU
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): State
GCSE Grades: equivalent of 9 A* and a B

Leaving Certificate predictions: 7 H1, 1 H3 (I think roughly equal to A*A*A*A(*?))

Reflection
Strengths: Good supercurriculars, (mostly) good 1st interview
Weaknesses: 2nd interview
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment: CSAT, depending on how partial marks are allocated I think I got somewhere from 50-65 out of 100
Interview Assessment: maybe a 7 on the first, a 5 on the second
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? X
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Trinity College Dublin :tongue:

General Comments & Advice: I'll probably fill this in later

Reply 29

NobleMarshmallow

I guess I'm gonna reserve a spot as well :smile:

Decision: Rejected

Course: Engineering
College: Gonville & Caius
Offer Conditions: X
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): X

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): EU
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): State
GCSE Grades: N/A
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): N/A
A2 Predictions: N/A
Other Qualifications
IB (with predicted score): N/A
Other: different system, final grades will probably be 19 As 4 Bs

Reflection
Strengths: I feel like all of my stuff was mediocre, nothing went super awesomely but nothing went horribly...
Weaknesses:
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment (EngAA: (1=bad, 10=excellent): 7? though I really have no idea
Interview Assessment (1=bad, 10=excellent): 7. I found the interviews very easy to my surprise so I think I did well on those, the test, on the other hand, was not as easy.
Why did you chose your college? It felt like a happy middle. Quite big, but not too big. Also they had pretty rooms and a reputation for great and free wifi :wink:

What other universities did you apply to? Cambridge or bust! (at least in the UK)
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice?
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight?

General Comments & Advice: Don't stress too much about the interviews, they are the easy part. Do stress about the EngAA, at least a little bit.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 30

NathCave

Decision: Accepted from Pool (From Queens' to Sidney Sussex)

Course: Mathematics
College: Sidney Sussex (originally applied + interviewed at Queens')
Offer Conditions: Concealed in a letter which I should receive next week
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): 11:15am, Email (an owl would have been much cooler though)

Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): Grammar
GCSE Grades: 3 A*, 6 A, 3 B
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it):
- Maths: Core 1 (100), Core 2 (93), Stats 1 (95)
- Further Maths: Further Pure 1 (100), Stats 2 (100), Mech 1 (81)
- Physics: A
A2 Predictions: A*, A*, A*, A (Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry respectively)
Other Qualifications:
- Grade 7 Classical Guitar
- UKMT Maths Challenge Awards 2013-2017

Reflection
Strengths: Strong personal statement and reference, interviews went very well
Weaknesses: I scrubbed my mech 1 exam... ;D
Interview Assessment: (include what you think you scored: 1=bad, 10=excellent)
- First interview: 9; had absolute chemistry with the interviewers, they kept pushing me further and further and I coped with the challenge
- Second interview: 7; answered all of the questions confidently and correctly, but there was a bit of a hiccup with one of the interviewers.
Why did you chose your college? I got accepted onto a music course in Year 12 which included a night's residence at Queens', and it was really nice. After going on the open day and visiting other colleges, I realised it was a lot nicer than all of the others. It's also a great location and has really nice accommodation.
What other universities did you apply to?
- Bristol (A* A A)
- Bath (A* A A)
- Warwick (A* A* A)
- Nottingham (A A B)
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice?
- Bristol
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight?
- Bristol as firm, Bath as insurance

General Comments & Advice:
Start all preparation early, including wider reading and taking part in extra-curricular activities related to your subject. You won't have the opportunity to attend that course on parametric equations of hyperbolic paraboloids that you missed in Year 12 further into the application process, and when it comes down to things you can talk about in your personal statement or interview, that's when attending these extra courses or reading books will benefit you. Show the long-term engagement in your subject, but also don't just do a few things in the summer of Year 12 and leave it at that - continue doing extra work between the start of Year 13 and your interview, since most people won't bother and if you mention in your interview something you've done recently that isn't on your personal statement, they'll no doubt be impressed with your commitment to the subject.

Also have fun doing STEP practice for maths, you're probably going to lose your mind in the process. ;D

Any official feedback received from your college:
Email from Sidney Sussex said "the college to which you applied had sufficient confidence in your abilities and potential to recommend you to the Inter-Collegiate Winter Pool" in regards to Queens' pooling my application.
SS also said "At Sidney Sussex we were very impressed by your application" in the email.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 31

username2324315

Decision: Accepted

Course: Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Arabic and Spanish)
College: St John's
Offer Conditions: A*AA
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): N/A

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): Private
GCSE Grades: A*A*A*A*AABBBB
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): Classical Civilisation: B (75 UMS) - yeah, let's not talk about this...
A2 Predictions: A*AA (Spanish, French, History)

Reflection
Strengths: Hopefully my passion shone through at interview
Weaknesses: Academic Profile, AMES admissions assessment, Predicted Grades, AS grade
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment (e.g. NSAA, CSAT, ELAT, ENGAA, BMAT, etc): AMESAA: 3/10, MML assessment: 6/10
Interview Assessment: 6/10? Can't really tell, all 3 interviews had good points and dreadful points
Why did you chose your college? Gorgeous grounds and very big, location is very central and college has lots of history
What other universities did you apply to? Durham (offer), Manchester (offer), Leeds (offer), Edinburgh (pending)
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Durham
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Durham

General Comments & Advice: Writing out all of my GCSE grades, AS grades and assessment ratings solidifies my opinion that I will be rejected lmao

Any official feedback received from your college: N/A

Update: Just received an offer. How. What? This isn't real.....

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 32

JessicaAsh

Decision: REJECTED FROM POOL
Course: Geography
college: Emmanuel

Home
Grammar school
GCSE grades: 5 A* 2 A 1B
AS grades: math-C :frown:

3 UMS off B
A2 predictions: Bio: A* business: A* psychology: a math: B EPQ: A

Weakness: Defo my math a-level and lack of geography. First interview was mediocre. Fully expecting rejection but a good experience.

Strength: Homeschooled before a levels so self taught almost all my GCSE's and have a lot of travelling experience so hopefully makes me a passionate and unique candidate. GAA went quite well I think. Seemed to do well in second interview.

Who will benefit from Cambridge's oversight? Durham

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 33

Blookie

Decision: Pending

Course: English
College: Girton
Offer Conditions:
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl):

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Scotland, feels like I’m from the EU due to our different education system
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): State
GCSE Grades: we have National 5’a which are harder (we also don’t have A*s, instead a “High A”) 1A+ (English) 6As
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): Scottish Highers: again no A*s in our system but got A+ English A+ History A Maths A German B Psychology
A2 Predictions: hoping AAA in my Advanved Highers!
Other Qualifications
IB (with predicted score):
Other:

Reflection I was the only Scottish person at the interview, making me a little sad lol. Really liked the accommodation and Cambridge wasn’t as bad as I though. But I could sense the immense pressure for students to perform well... I dunno how I would deal with that ahaha
Strengths: My record for A+s in English. My submitted essays and the stimulating conversation I had with one of the lecturers about Thomas Hardy!
Weaknesses: Second interview was not as good as the first, felt a lil attacked.
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment (e.g. NSAA, CSAT, ELAT, ENGAA, BMAT, etc): (include what you think you scored: 1=bad, 10=excellent)
Interview Assessment: (include what you think you scored: 1=bad, 10=excellent) I think I did good, they were impressed how passionate I was and how my analytical skills were quick so 7ish
Why did you chose your college? Because girl power
What other universities did you apply to? Durham (offer) , Edinburgh, Exeter (offer) , St Andrews
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? I would make it an unconditional uni (hoping St A’s)
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? DEFINITELY Durham

General Comments & Advice:

Any official feedback received from your college:
(if you haven't got this yet it would be very helpful if you could edit it into your post when you receive it.)

---
Best of luck to everybody!

Reply 34

junelee2309

Decision: Rejected

Course: Law
College: Emmanuel
Offer Conditions:
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl):

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): State
GCSE Grades: 6.5A*, 4A, 1B
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): Maths - A (C1 90UMS; C2 93UMS; D1 92UMS), Further Maths - C (FP1 70UMS; M1 84UMS; M2 42UMS)
A2 Predictions: A*A*A*
Other Qualifications
IB (with predicted score): n/a
Other: n/a

Reflection
Strengths: My personal statement and predicted grades are pretty strong. Also, the CLAT went pretty well as I remember enjoying writing my response to the question.
Weaknesses: From memory, interviews were not that great. Also my C in further maths just isn't ideal lol
Pre- or At-Interview Admissions Assessment CLAT, maybe 6 or 7? As I said, I enjoyed writing the response but I feel like I could've expanded my analysis more and give myself a little more time at the end to read over to see if my points were coherent.
Interview Assessment:
Interview 1: 5? Started off quite nice and casual, I was able to talk about my A Level subjects (which I really enjoy) so that was a strong point (even though I did get one of the facts wrong opps). But once they started pressing on with the questions and kept challenging my answers, I felt very dumb? Like they would question my reasoning, which made me doubt my answer but I did hold my ground for the most part and hopefully that paid off.

Interview 2: 4 or 5. It started off quite well. The lady who interviewed me was honestly the sweetest person. It allowed me to relax a little bit and talk through my thought process. But at one point, she asked me to answer using a phrase from the extract and because I hadn't picked up on it, this made me PANIC. From then on, it just went downhill :frown:

It was just like 5-7 mins of me reading through the page and really painful silence where they were staring at me, expecting an answer. Came out thinking I've messed it up and just felt really unconfident.

Why did you chose your college? Honestly, I loved the duck pond and the tunnel. Also the location of the college as it's quite central but not too busy or crowded.
What other universities did you apply to? KCL, UCL, Bristol, Durham
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Bristol/UCL
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Bristol/UCL

General Comments & Advice: fully bricking it for tomorrow lol

Any official feedback received from your college:

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 35

PlatyPi09

Decision: REJECTED FROM POOL
(I am taking a gap year and reapplying to Oxford with A*A*A*A*A and 1, 2 (two marks off a 1!) in STEP II, III)

Course: Maths
College: Jesus

Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type : Private
GCSE Grades: 10A*s, A in FSMQ Additional Maths (highest possible grade is A)
AS Subjects & Grades: A in English Lit AS (sat in Y11), Maths modules: C1(98) C2(98) C3(91) M1(96) S1(90)
A2 Predictions: 5A*s in triple science double maths :tongue:

Reflection
Strengths: looked decent on paper - good grades (although maths UMS could have been higher), sat STEP I in Y12 (only got a 2 though ://), success with UKMT (SMC, STC, BMO, Kangaroo, etc)
Weaknesses: First interview was mediocre, didn’t feel like I was anything special :// Second interview was actually atrocious... I did everything you shouldn’t do in an interview, including sitting and struggling in silence. Genuinely burst into tears the day after, when someone asked me how it went, because I thought it had gone so badly.
Interview Assessment: First interview: 5 Second interview: 3
Why did you chose your college? Lovely location and beautiful grounds/accommodation, amazing food and sports facilities, has nice music practice rooms, and I also like the questionable statues :biggrin:

What other universities did you apply to? Imperial, Warwick, Bristol, Bath
Insurance: Imperial or Warwick

General Comments & Advice:
Don’t try to prepare every single question you think might come up, just make sure you know the A Level syllabus inside out (graph sketching, calculus, trig etc) I think both you and the interviewers will have a much better time when they can see you work through a problem you don’t immediately know the answer to - enjoying the interview is very important too, how else would they be able to see your dazzling enthusiasm? STEP I papers are an AMAZING resource for practicing advanced problem solving using basic A Level knowledge, can’t recommend enough! Easier said than done, but really try to keep a cool head when you can’t see a solution right away, work through it slowly and logically, and ALWAYS think out loud (seems like I wasn’t so good at this under pressure...). Remember that the interviewers are happy to help you out, not catch you out :wink:

)

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 36

9LF2T

Decision: Offer
Course: Mathematics
College: Pooled to Newnham
Offer conditions: A*A*A Maths/ Further Maths/ Physics- grade 1s in STEP 2

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 37

arcminute

Decision: PendingCourse: Natural SciencesCollege: QueensOffer Conditions :h:

ow did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl):Optional Home, EU or International (Country): International (USA)School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): PublicGCSE Grades: AS Subjects

Reply 38

Johnsm898

Decision: Accepted

Course: Education
College: Jesus
Offer Conditions: Unconditional

Home, EU or International (Country): Home
Course: Education
College: Jesus
Offer Conditions:
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl):

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): Home
School Type: Private
GCSE Grades: 10A*
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): AS&A2 UMS Average 87%
A2 Predictions: Post A2 - A*A*A

Reflection
Strengths: Interview went fairly well (I hope), gap year work experience, GCSE grades
Weaknesses: Poor UMS average, mixed feelings about at-interview assessment
Why did you chose your college? Professors in the department
What other universities did you apply to? LSE, Durham, UCL, Warwick
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? LSE

General Comment and Advice:

In terms of courses, it's really good to have a look at lesser known courses like education, ASNC or oriental studies. They can often include a lot areas that interest many people. E.g. My course has a strong politics focus.

At interview I would recommend being prepared with a lot of factual knowledge. A lot of the advice centres on these big, abstract sorts of question but what I found most important was being up-to-date with all the latest news, policy and publications in the field.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 39

Cened

To prevent hindsight bias
Decision: Accepted

Course: NatSci
College: John's
Offer Conditions: A in Chemistry (which I'd just achieved after submitting application)
How did you first hear and when? (email/letter/owl): owl(email)

Optional
Home, EU or International (Country): International
School Type (Private/State/Grammar/other): other
GCSE Grades: NA
AS Subjects & Grades (include UMS if you have it): AAAA (math, further math, physics, and chemistry)
A2: Achieved A*A*A*A* (I wasn't post-A Level but took all my a2 in my as year anyway)

Reflection
Strengths: Summer research project, grades.
Weaknesses: NSAA and interview.
NSAA : 5
Interview Assessment: 5
Why did you chose your college? accommodation photos, and alumnus Paul Dirac, whose bracket notation is BEAUTIFUL
What other universities did you apply to? Imperial Durham Warwick and UCL
If you were accepted, what is your Insurance choice? Imperial College
If you were rejected, which uni is benefiting from Cambridge’s oversight? Imperial and Durham I think.

I have definitely benefited greatly from reading Cambridge publications (written by professors at the university). Also for me the application process is kinda like letting ATs at John's help me decide if I will be suitable for the course in terms of interest, intensity, etc.