Cambridge History of Art Students and Applicants

2

Laurie161

I definately agree with the well rounded bit. The good thing about a gap year is your old enough to do all the things you want to do :biggrin:

I wasnt looking forward to it before but once you have holidays etc planned it gets exciting

Yeah im having a gap year but its planned as my subject kinda promotes it.
Im working in Los Angeles, which is the ultimate for someone who wants to work in business etc.
I like the idea of taking time out from all the hard work i put in, i feel like you do one thing then more crops up, instead of chilling and relaxing lol.
Back to topic, i didnt mean everyone with 7 As etc has no life. But to me it gives the impression that, well i havent got much else to put on my application, so il just do every a level going and it will look better. To me i just think they are good at academic work, so they are focusing that 100% as there is nothing else to put.
Hope this helped somewhat.

Reply 22

14

Laurie161

I just want to show I can sustain my academis and not go off track on a gap year. Plus I've been told my GCSEs arent good enough by my referee so I have to improve in my academics aswell.

And I have got jobs planned :smile:

one paid and a internship kind of thing

Just forget Cambridge.

Reply 23

2

Laurie161

I just want to show I can sustain my academis and not go off track on a gap year. Plus I've been told my GCSEs arent good enough by my referee so I have to improve in my academics aswell.

And I have got jobs planned :smile:

one paid and a internship kind of thing

Thats good planning, but if you take another 3 a levels you basically doing this year again, i.e same intensity and no "free time" as it where. Your better off seeing if you can redo some GCSE's, you seem keen so im sure you have looked into it, but turning afew of the B's into A* would look good, and getting you a levels subjects you did at gcse to an A*, and your sorted. Just 7 overall is too too much in my opinion.
Yes your showing your focused, but life isnt about academics, university isnt preparing you for more academics, its preparing you for the working real life world! Colleges care about academics because they are passing you to another academic place, but universities want there graduates to get good jobs for their rep etc. So you need to be more than the academic nut you see on University challenge.
Thats another point, they are still in education at 24+ because they probably did 7 a levels, and have no common sense but love academics, and they cant get a good job, so just keep studying, they are then going to be over qualified for many things. They are very clever, but unemployable.
Just think about it, im sure many on here would agree 7 a levels isnt going to help.

Reply 24

Maturity

Just forget Cambridge.

I'll be reapplying anyway so I might aswell give it a shot.

Will1692

Back to topic, i didnt mean everyone with 7 As etc has no life. But to me it gives the impression that, well i havent got much else to put on my application, so il just do every a level going and it will look better. To me i just think they are good at academic work, so they are focusing that 100% as there is nothing else to put.
Hope this helped somewhat.

Yeh its good to see things from other people's points of view aswell.

I just don't want to look back after year gap year and regret not filling it up with great stuff

Back to the OP, it is woth a shot if your willing to try because you don't lose anything except 1 ucas space :smile:

Reply 25

moomin_love

15

daydreamdreamer

I'm a little scared. I've recently (a month ago) decided to do history of art at university, but i've never studied it, i've read a few books on it, visit galleries in my free time (i live in london, im lucky) and am genuinly interested in art, however, im really new to it but have a strong passion for it. Is it too much to compete with other students who have wanted to do it for longer and have read more and have more experience with it?

Also, I really want to go to Cambridge to study it (my first choice), however, im afraid my gcse grades arnt good enough (i know i'll get really good grades for my AS's because i feel bad for not revising for my gcses and getting the grades i got). I got 7 A's and 2 B's... i know they're okay grades, however, i also know they're mediocre compared to Cambridge students' and do NOT reflect my potention (btw, i did not revise for ANY of my exams - was going through a rough patch - wrong time in my life, i know lol). although im going to desperatly try to get in... i want to know if its too unrealistic, firstly with the history of art course, and secondly with Cambridge. I really need your advice (those who do history of art or attend cambridge) and would really appreciate it.

im so scared, this is my whole future...

I think you should go for it. Apply. The worst that can happen is that they reject you. You've still got 4 other Universities, just make sure you love every single one you apply to and you'll be happy :smile:

I studied History of Art at AS at it's a wicked subject, just a shame my teacher was an incompetent idiot who managed to make everyone taking that exam get a U in one of the modules (worth 40%).

Reply 26

2

Laurie161

I'll be reapplying anyway so I might aswell give it a shot.

Yeh its good to see things from other people's points of view aswell.

I just don't want to look back after year gap year and regret not filling it up with great stuff

Back to the OP, it is woth a shot if your willing to try because you don't lose anything except 1 ucas space :smile:

You will not regret it, ive been very interested in some of these schemes abroad for two months or so. That sounds impressive, if you say i went to NYC for two months to work with .............
I dont know your career plan, my degree is International Business, Finance and Economics so working in companies helps, but if your doing history its less relevant i guess.
See my other post. I will get flamed on the Uni Challenge bit but its so so true. I wouldnt employ them, they are going to have no idea when they get an instruction from their boss, and playing the social game of football on a saturday type thing, no chance!
To add, taking 3 extra a levels i gurantee you will regret, it will be like this year, so 3 years of education when your mates are at uni etc, you will feel like the people who resit their first year because they failed. You should be travelling the world doing internships and maybe doing up a few resits here and there.
Maybe do some sports coaching qualifications, go to Africa and help out. Thats what will get you an offer, not i love academics pick me pick me! Employers can feel intimidated as well. If everyone your working with has say 3 good a levels, and you have 7, it doesnt gel well usually and its well known most people who do that many a levels lack somewhat common sense.
In summary its not going to help, just have a "perfection" year, thats what im calling mine. A year where your grades are tidied up, not expanded, i.e B to A etc. And add in the Personal Statement type area, remember quality NOT quantity.
Wow ive written alot tonight for me, i guess i feel passionately about this kinda of thing lol

Reply 27

IndiePixie

14

Laurie161: Three A-levels is enough, especially if you have maths and physics. Cambridge is more interested in a rounded application - rather than take more A-levels, I'd spend the year getting work experience in the UK or abroad, building a strong portfolio, and reading around / researching the subject.

Daydreamdreamer: Apply. There were people in my year with far worse GCSE results.

Reply 28

Will1692

Your better off seeing if you can redo some GCSE's

So you need to be more than the academic nut you see on University challenge.
Thats another point, they are still in education at 24+ because they probably did 7 a levels, and have no common sense but love academics.

Hehe I have looked at doing some more GCSEs but I didnt think it was very impressive at 17/18. I was really interested in doing an italian gcse though, only because I want to live there at some point though.

Hehe the people on uni challenge scrae me with the things they know.

I'm going to be finishing off y degree at 25 :P 7 years of uni :woo:

Reply 29

14

Laurie161

I'll be reapplying anyway so I might aswell give it a shot.

Yeh its good to see things from other people's points of view aswell.

I just don't want to look back after year gap year and regret not filling it up with great stuff

Back to the OP, it is woth a shot if your willing to try because you don't lose anything except 1 ucas space :smile:

Personally I don't think you should be even allowed to study at Cambridge due to poor grammar. "aswell" is not a word. as well

Reply 30

2

Laurie161

Hehe I have looked at doing some more GCSEs but I didnt think it was very impressive at 17/18. I was really interested in doing an italian gcse though, only because I want to live there at some point though.

Hehe the people on uni challenge scrae me with the things they know.

I'm going to be finishing off y degree at 25 :P 7 years of uni :woo:

You really need to think Quality NOT Quantity. GCSE italian is going to be useless if you still have X B, Y A and NO A*!
Doing 7 a levels makes you unemployable in my book, it appears then your just an academic freak!

Reply 31

14

Will1692

You really need to think Quality NOT Quantity. GCSE italian is going to be useless if you still have X B, Y A and NO A*!
Doing 7 a levels makes you unemployable in my book, it appears then your just an academic freak!

Experiences>>>>Academics.
Common sense>>>>>>Academics.

Reply 32

lol alright then, i don't generally check the spelling of posts

Reply 33

OrmondDrone

14

Will1692

You really need to think Quality NOT Quantity. GCSE italian is going to be useless if you still have X B, Y A and NO A*!
Doing 7 a levels makes you unemployable in my book, it appears then your just an academic freak!

I agree about not taking more A-levels but not having any A*s is not a big issue - I got into Oxford to read medicine with no A* GCSEs :rolleyes:

Oxford and Cambridge are actually far more flexible than other places about such things...

Reply 34

2

Maturity

Experiences>>>>Academics.
Common sense>>>>>>Academics.

if you bothered to read my other post i said all this, trying to Get them to realise 7 is just silly lol, and separates you from others in good and also many bad ways.
she is having a gap year so it makes sense to polish everything up.

Reply 35

2

OrmondDrone

I agree about not taking more A-levels but not having any A*s is not a big issue - I got into Oxford to read medicine with no A* GCSEs :rolleyes:

Oxford and Cambridge are actually far more flexible than other places about such things...

congrats, but if you had already been rejected once and were having a gap year naturally you would think a* is worth doing to enhance your application?

Reply 36

charlottesometimes

Laurie161

...

Just wanted to add to what others are saying re doing three more A-levels. I don't know whether you're planning to have tutors or do it yourself, but I'm pretty motivated and am doing an A-level in English Language this year which is pretty straightforward via correspondence course, but I'm still finding it difficult to keep it up around work/actually having a life and doing things I enjoy. As it was, I was made my offer on the basis of my other A-levels anyway.

If you really want to do it, go for it, but doing all that work in a year will leave you exhausted - is that the kind of frame of mind you really want to go to Cambridge in?

Reply 37

OrmondDrone

14

Will1692

congrats, but if you had already been rejected once and were having a gap year naturally you would think a* is worth doing to enhance your application?

No, going back to take GCSEs at 18 or older when you have already completed A-levels to a high standard doesn't make sense to me unless a particular GCSE grade is a requirement for the course. Many academics are dismissive of GCSEs as being pointless regurgitation exercises anyway. In OPs position I wouldn't take any more exams in the gap year but go for depth of knowledge of the subject through personal research - I'd also try and do something interesting and subject related through travel. I think it is interesting that a couple of Cambridge colleges are very positive about gap years for architecture students and Downing suggests that architecture students travel overseas in their gap year to experience different architecture and culture.

Reply 38

14

Will1692

if you bothered to read my other post i said all this, trying to Get them to realise 7 is just silly lol, and separates you from others in good and also many bad ways.
she is having a gap year so it makes sense to polish everything up.

I know hence I just summed it up.
dik.

Reply 39