Official Cambridge University 2021 Applicants thread

Thanks guys for your reassurance about zero gravity, I had my session and it was honestly amazing! Nothing to worry about at all

see link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6yuBP0KfZ4

Hi everyone,

We've just started a new YouTube channel for outreach at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. I can't post a link due to the mods on here, but you can check out our latest video on 'Developing an interest in your subject' if you add watch?v=j6yuBP0KfZ4 to the usual youtube dot com URL. Please do like and subscribe if you're interested, and feel free to leave feedback and suggestions for further content in the comments. We've got lots of exciting videos planned...

You might recognise Dr Chris Scott from the introduction video on our channel if you've been on this thread for a while - he has now moved from Clare and is the new Tutor for Admissions and Outreach at Caius. The Clare Schools YouTube channel is still going too, although unfortunately the mods on TSR deleted the old Clare Schools TSR account - which is why we went quiet on here!

Hope you're all doing well.

Out of boredom I've done a little bit of number crunching. Assuming I've got my maths right (a pretty big assumption lol), here are some statistics:

2011
Mean number of A levels: 4.006
percent doing 3 A levels: 15.97
percent doing 4 A levels: 63.31
percent doing 5 A levels: 17.93

2012
Mean number of A levels: 4.078
percent doing 3 A levels: 17.57
percent doing 4 A levels: 57.36
percent doing 5 A levels: 18.86

2013
Mean number of A levels: 4.048
percent doing 3 A levels: 17.51
percent doing 4 A levels: 59.68
percent doing 5 A levels: 18.04

2014
Mean number of A levels: 3.927
percent doing 3 A levels: 24.81
percent doing 4 A levels: 58.15
percent doing 5 A levels: 13.28

2015
Mean number of A levels: 3.895
percent doing 3 A levels: 24.52
percent doing 4 A levels: 59.05
percent doing 5 A levels: 12.38

2016
Mean number of A levels: 3.822
percent doing 3 A levels: 28.17
percent doing 4 A levels: 57.61
percent doing 5 A levels: 10.41

2017
Mean number of A levels: 3.744
percent doing 3 A levels: 30.77
percent doing 4 A levels: 52.31
percent doing 5 A levels: 9.74

2018
Mean number of A levels: 3.771
percent doing 3 A levels: 33.17
percent doing 4 A levels: 53.12
percent doing 5 A levels: 6.73

2019
Mean number of A levels: 3.65
percent doing 3 A levels: 29.28
percent doing 4 A levels: 60.3
percent doing 5 A levels: 4.22

So this is what you have been doing instead of your very short GYG, wow.

So who else here is a post-qualification applicant/re-applicant?

Not an applicant though because I already have a place.

Did everything work out in the end? I seem to remember you being disappointed with the outcome of the summer pool.

So who else here is a post-qualification applicant/re-applicant?

Yeah, 10 days later (after they had our CAGs) I've been given a deferred place for 2021 entry.

What's up! (Although I might not be brave enough to give it a shot but we'll see )

What are you applying/reapplying for?

I'd be applying first time for History and Modern Languages. What about you?

It's impossible to say how it'll impact your chances without knowing what your chances are. Someone in my FM class got in this year (for maths) with only 3 subjects, and given the standard offer is A*A*A, it's clearly not impossible.

I've found an FOI that might give a better (and numeric) answer your question, but even then it'll depend on the type of school you go to etc.

Here's the FOI: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mathematics_offer_holders_outcom#incoming-1545212

There's no analysis, but just scrolling through it looks like the majority of offer holders did 4 A levels.

That might change since many state schools have recently stopped allowing people to do 4 A-levels. In my son's 6th form college they moved from a standard of doing four A-levels to doing only three (the kids who did A-level this year being the first). They did get two people getting offers from Cambridge maths with only 3 A-levels, which was consistent with previous years when they did 4.

However doing four and dropping one is different to not being allowed to do four of course.

Applying to law too!!
Congrats on EPQ, must’ve been super chuffed with that ))
I really recommend Christ’s obvs hehe but just look at which one suits you most in terms of location, size, reputation perhaps, financial endowments, facilities.

GCSE Grades: All 9s
AS Grades: A in maths, A in further maths
Target course: Cambridge Mathematics
My question:

I am doing A Level maths, further maths, physics and computer science.
I am not passionate about my physics course, have lost all interest in it, and it's the subject I'm most likely not to get the A* in.

I want to drop it and go down to 3 A Levels.

I am only keeping it to increase my chances of a successful application to maths at Cambridge.

To what extent will dropping it harm my chances?

On the maths open day they said 'if you can do 4 and you werent, we would wonder why not'.

It's impossible to say how it'll impact your chances without knowing what your chances are. Someone in my FM class got in this year (for maths) with only 3 subjects, and given the standard offer is A*A*A, it's clearly not impossible.

I've found an FOI that might give a better (and numeric) answer your question, but even then it'll depend on the type of school you go to etc.

Here's the FOI: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/mathematics_offer_holders_outcom#incoming-1545212

There's no analysis, but just scrolling through it looks like the majority of offer holders did 4 A levels.

Here is the Cambridge Demystified chapter about the different colleges. There are videos and websites for each, as well as the criteria some would use. However as the admissions tutor for Clare College says in the video, it's more a sense of a gut feeling than anything. You may be pooled and get into a different college entirely, but Cambridge is Cambridge!

Or you may choose to make an open application.

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?p=88684784&highlight=Cambridge%20Demystifie