Ask an Admissions Tutor XV 16 July - 2 August

OP

Original post by RussianQuestion

@Murray Edwards Admissions
Hello there,

I hope your day is going well. I was just wondering when you receive students' A-Level results and what typically happens between then and results day. Will Adjustment be affecting any of this?

Hello and good question. We normally receive the results on the weekend before A Levels, typically the Saturday, under strict embargo from UCAS. Some Colleges will process them over the weekend. Where I've worked, we always done it on the Monday. My team and I will go through all the results carefully, checking them against the conditions of the offers we made. All those who have made the offer are confirmed at UCAS and Track notifies the candidates on Thursday, plus they'll get a letter from us welcoming them to College.

For those who miss the offer the situation is more complicated. The Admissions Office notifies the Director of Studies (DoS) that there is a miss in their subject and the DoS will then come to discuss the case with the Admissions Tutor. Here, what happens next is discussions with the Senior Tutor and the Admissions Tutor about whether to relax conditions. Essentially, we have three options.

1) Relax the conditions immediately and process the decision before Thursday so the candidate finds out with all those who made the offer via Track first thing Thursday.

2) Reject them. We usually do this if the candidate has missed by some distance.

3) Wait until results day. We can then get more information on their results such as raw marks and make a decision then to accept, reject or place them in the summer pool.

Near misses are usually placed in the Summer Pool (and if you meet the typical entry offer for A Levels, Scottish Highers or IB for your course then the College has to place you in the SP), which occurs on Friday.

Adjustment will alter things this year as it will operate between results on Thursday and the opening of the SP on Friday for those people who have already been communicated with by Cambridge (and *only* them). I suspect it will mean that fewer students get taken through the SP (except in Maths), though one cannot be sure until it has happened.

Reply 3

tintin456

3

Hello Medwards!

I'm a mature applicant, and will be applying for Cambridge this year (was serving in the military). Should I apply through the school using the buzzword or apply as an individual. Would I be at an disadvantage if I apply as an individual rather than through the school? I mean I can still apply through the school, but I do feel a little awkward asking them now. But if it is better to apply through the school, I will do so!

Thanks

Reply 4

OP

You can do either, it won’t make a difference to us. You’ll need an academic reference though and your school are probably still the best people to provide this unless you’ve been studying since school.

Original post by tintin456

Hello Medwards!

I'm a mature applicant, and will be applying for Cambridge this year (was serving in the military). Should I apply through the school using the buzzword or apply as an individual. Would I be at an disadvantage if I apply as an individual rather than through the school? I mean I can still apply through the school, but I do feel a little awkward asking them now. But if it is better to apply through the school, I will do so!

Thanks

Reply 5

sweetietweetie

12

Hello Admissions,

I've done some research into the university's stance on resits, but I noticed that the information is more suited to the old modular A levels. Is it possible this will be revised for the new linear A levels as the full A level would need to be retaken?

If the rest of the application is strong like GCSEs, pre-interview assessment, new predictions, personal statement, is the chance of an interview still feasible? Also applying with eventuating circumstances to explain as to why

Would all subjects need to be retaken or just the ones that do not match the standard offer?

Thanks in advance.

Reply 6

OP

Original post by sweetietweetie

Hello Admissions,

I've done some research into the university's stance on resits, but I noticed that the information is more suited to the old modular A levels. Is it possible this will be revised for the new linear A levels as the full A level would need to be retaken?

If the rest of the application is strong like GCSEs, pre-interview assessment, new predictions, personal statement, is the chance of an interview still feasible? Also applying with eventuating circumstances to explain as to why

Would all subjects need to be retaken or just the ones that do not match the standard offer?

Thanks in advance.

It is more unusual now to see students applying with resists in linear A Levels. It will usually happen with offer holders who missed with extenuating circumstances and then reapply to make up the one A level they missed on. It can happen also for post A Level candidates who didn't apply in year 13 or who did and were unsuccessful in January but there would need to be extenuating circumstances usually for such a candidate to be viable. Only subjects not matching the typical offer would need to be retaken.

Reply 7

dxnilok

3

Good afternoon, I am UK national but for the past 5 years living and studying in UK. I will be getting my Maturitätszeugnis (acceptable international qualification by Cambridge) in June 2020. As I understood from my School, provisonal grades I will get only in January 2020. May I ask in which format would you accept the information about my grades from Swiss gymnasium so that I apply and send those grades by 15th October 2019? Thank you very much in advance.

Reply 8

OP

Original post by dxnilok

Good afternoon, I am UK national but for the past 5 years living and studying in UK. I will be getting my Maturitätszeugnis (acceptable international qualification by Cambridge) in June 2020. As I understood from my School, provisonal grades I will get only in January 2020. May I ask in which format would you accept the information about my grades from Swiss gymnasium so that I apply and send those grades by 15th October 2019? Thank you very much in advance.

We ask for a transcript from your school if you’ve been educated overseas. There’s information about it on the University website. Essentially we want information on your progress at school, particularly over the last two years and broken down by subject.

Reply 9

izzyd-c

7

Hi! I’ce just finished Year 11 but with making A level decisions soon, I was wondering about choices. I would love to study a degree in Religiok and Theology or History, but I’m not 100% sure yet. At my school you can only do 3 A levels. I will definitely be doing History and Literature, but I’m not sure if Geography, Polotics or Philosophy would look best for the degrees I am looking at. I love all 3, it’s just making the decision. As I can’t seem to decide, which looks best from an Admissions point of view for Cambridge. Thank you x

Reply 10

username1539513

21

Do you accept IAL Edexcel international A-levels?

Reply 11

RinTheRen

3

Hello Admissions Team

I’ve heard of the winter pool where applicants are mostly re-interviewed by another College in January. What would happen to an international applicant who did their interview at overseas? Would they be required to be interviewed at Cambridge? If yes, would it affect their chances of getting an offer if they are unable to attend due to financial costs?

Reply 12

OP

Original post by izzyd-c

Hi! I’ce just finished Year 11 but with making A level decisions soon, I was wondering about choices. I would love to study a degree in Religiok and Theology or History, but I’m not 100% sure yet. At my school you can only do 3 A levels. I will definitely be doing History and Literature, but I’m not sure if Geography, Polotics or Philosophy would look best for the degrees I am looking at. I love all 3, it’s just making the decision. As I can’t seem to decide, which looks best from an Admissions point of view for Cambridge. Thank you x

All three choices would be absolutely fine for either History or Theology so you have free rein to do the one you enjoy the most.

Reply 13