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best research supercurriculars for computer science (cambridge)

hey guys,
i am in y12 and want to study computer science at cambridge (i take math, fm, physics, chemistry). and Math and CS or computing at imperial. Can anyone recommend the types of wider research I can do around my subject that unis like cambridge will like to see. So far the only stuff I have done is mainly math based (basically learning some number theory congruences etc.) and then some other stuff about algorithms. Should I base my research/ wider reading to be mainly math based or CS based.

Thanks
(edited 4 weeks ago)
I feel like CS applications like machine learning are super relevant nowadays and could come up in an interview. Granted, I live in the US, but I would think the supercurriculars that get ppl into schools like Harvard are probably pretty similar to the ones that get people into Oxbridge. My friends who have gotten into top schools for CS have done research with professors, virtual internships, or science fair projects at the national level on AI and machine learning topics. Eg one of my friends did research with a professor on how machine learning can help detect lung disease. I think unis really like to see that you can apply your passion/subject area to broader contexts.

Maybe you could look into those types of opportunities?
Reply 2
Original post by akashDTV
hey guys,
i am in y12 and want to study computer science at cambridge (i take math, fm, physics, chemistry). and Math and CS or computing at imperial. Can anyone recommend the types of wider research I can do around my subject that unis like cambridge will like to see. So far the only stuff I have done is mainly math based (basically learning some number theory congruences etc.) and then some other stuff about algorithms. Should I base my research/ wider reading to be mainly math based or CS based.
Thanks

I take it youve looked at (googled) some recommended supercurriculars like
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
https://www.cst.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/super-curricular-activities
... but the usual advice is that supercurriculars should really expose you to ideas/practice, rather than thinking that there is somehow a perfect mix. Passing the entrance exam (tmua?) and the interview (cover the core stuff and know it) will probably be more discriminatory.

In another post you mention your coding isnt great? Id really sort that out first so do smaller projects like project euler, adventofcode, ... as well as some algorithm stuff like bio, .... Similarly, tmua has a reasonable overlap with the mat multiple choice so practice on those to avoid burning through the limited number of tmua papers. Its not going to be "research supercurriculars", but they are more likely to discriminate between applications (test/interview).
(edited 3 weeks ago)

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