Is it over for me? (maths at oxbridge)

I competed in the senior maths challenge this year and qualified for the kangaroo. I then got merit and best in school (I'm in year 12 but my school is kinda bad).
However I really wanted to apply to do maths or maths/physics at oxbridge, and I am concerned that I just wont be good enough because I've never qualified for the olympiad. I did also get selected to go to the ukmt summer school last year but I couldn't attend, if that is relevant.
I'm aware that, relatively, this is a good score, but I don't know how good it would be in context. I have some super curriculars and I got a good mark in GCSE maths/FM-not full marks but pretty close- so I could just not mention I competed if that would be better. I just want to know if this an indicator that maybe I'm not cut out to pursue this path.
Thanks

There are no entry requirements depending on ukmt and while it can be something to put on your personal statement, there are plenty of other projects / ... you can do in y12 to put on there to show enthusiasm. Kangaroo is ok, and as Ive mentioned on another thread, someone has applied to trinity this year with a similar score to yourself (and got an interview). So youre in an ok position.

I competed in the senior maths challenge this year and qualified for the kangaroo. I then got merit and best in school (I'm in year 12 but my school is kinda bad).
However I really wanted to apply to do maths or maths/physics at oxbridge, and I am concerned that I just wont be good enough because I've never qualified for the olympiad. I did also get selected to go to the ukmt summer school last year but I couldn't attend, if that is relevant.
I'm aware that, relatively, this is a good score, but I don't know how good it would be in context. I have some super curriculars and I got a good mark in GCSE maths/FM-not full marks but pretty close- so I could just not mention I competed if that would be better. I just want to know if this an indicator that maybe I'm not cut out to pursue this path.
Thanks

thank you, that made me less depressed about it

I know someone who went to Cambridge for Maths, got Bronze in UKMT year 12, Gold in 13. So at least in year 12 they didn't reach the kangaroo stage! In my school I got Best in school this year (y12) and got a Bronze (1 off silver) and a Merit in the Maths Girls Olympiad, so in comparison you've done exceptionally well (I also have a fairly small school with no oxbridge applicants). I visited Jesus College recently and Oxford really want to see you have a passion for your subject and supercurriculars around it - so if you continue to try for maths competitions and opportunities in general it should be worth it. I think there is a girls maths Cambridge residential in February, it's worth applying for that! Also definitely mention it in your PS, it's better than what most applicants get in the UKMT.

Youre doing ok, just think about some supercurriculum things you can do to put on a personal statement and if youre really aiming at oxbridge maths, the key thing(s) are the mat/step tests so have a think about working towards them. The ~25 step foundation modules could be done gradually in y12 and theyd be useful for whichever one you end up doing. Its also worth noting that while the ukmt stuff (problem solving) can be partially useful for the tests/interview, the y13 challenge/... wont affect your application (too late) so do them as you see fit.

thank you, that made me less depressed about it

I do Maths at Cambridge and I think I got a bronze maybe not even that in Year 12 so you're doing better than I did.
My DoS (Director of Studies) said that UKMT and Olympiads aren't even that relevant as the Maths is of such a different style to undergrad and is much more like solving puzzles.

Thank you, that’s good to know If you don’t mind me asking, is there anything that you would say helped your application to Cambridge the most?

I competed in the senior maths challenge this year and qualified for the kangaroo. I then got merit and best in school (I'm in year 12 but my school is kinda bad).
However I really wanted to apply to do maths or maths/physics at oxbridge, and I am concerned that I just wont be good enough because I've never qualified for the olympiad. I did also get selected to go to the ukmt summer school last year but I couldn't attend, if that is relevant.
I'm aware that, relatively, this is a good score, but I don't know how good it would be in context. I have some super curriculars and I got a good mark in GCSE maths/FM-not full marks but pretty close- so I could just not mention I competed if that would be better. I just want to know if this an indicator that maybe I'm not cut out to pursue this path.
Thanks

I do Maths at Cambridge and I think I got a bronze maybe not even that in Year 12 so you're doing better than I did.
My DoS (Director of Studies) said that UKMT and Olympiads aren't even that relevant as the Maths is of such a different style to undergrad and is much more like solving puzzles.

Well that's not Trinity College think!

That's true, Trinity seem to really like Olympiads for some reason

Usually UKMT success does correlate with Mathematical ability - not always of course!

It does, but within Cambridge less so than you'd expect. With Pure Maths, the correlation is stronger; but for Applied Maths, I haven't noticed especially it. Then again, even those without UKMT are still Cambridge students, and there are far more people without Maths Olympiads who couldn't get into Cambridge than there are those with.

I teach Maths so have followed this quite closely. Your view doesn't match mine - most of my Cambridge entrants have done well at UKMT challeges but they also are the students that bnaturally want to explore beyond the specification. It's the probelm solving aspect that marks them out and their novel approaches to a problem - linking their learning.

I should clarify that I'm talking only about my experiences of Maths students who have been accepted to Cambridge. Of those, there is less of a correlation between UKMT and Olympiad success than you'd expect. Certainly, those with Maths Olympiads tend to have a much higher chance of admission, but the distribution of Olympiad medallists among the Tripos' highest scorers, specifically those focusing on Applied Courses, isn't wildly different from those who didn't do Olympiads.
In other words, it may help you get in, but it doesn't seem to predict success in Applied courses as well as many seem to think after that.