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Mathematics undergrad at St. John’s vs. Kings

I’m a 17 year old student residing outside the UK, and I’ve been quite keen for a while to apply to Cambridge for pure mathematics. For reference, my grades are all A*s in everything but computer science. I’ve finished the further math syllabus (although I’m not set to give the exam till next year) , and it’s become a pastime of mine to occasionally solve STEP 3 problems. I’m generally able to solve almost all of the STEP pure maths questions (although I’m quite bad at the mechanics part), which I’m hoping is a indicator of being able to give a strong performance at the interview. However, I don’t know whether to apply to King’s, or St John’s. Afaik King’s is less competitive for math, but St. John’s has separate pure and applied interviews, which would hopefully mean the chance I get asked a mechanics question is lower. I don’t have any math Olympiad experience so I’d also like to know if that makes a difference. TLDR; I have good grades and am able to fully solve pretty advanced STEP questions, and don’t know whether to apply to St. John’s or King’s.

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Original post
by Amarnaanthony
I’m a 17 year old student residing outside the UK, and I’ve been quite keen for a while to apply to Cambridge for pure mathematics. For reference, my grades are all A*s in everything but computer science. I’ve finished the further math syllabus (although I’m not set to give the exam till next year) , and it’s become a pastime of mine to occasionally solve STEP 3 problems. I’m generally able to solve almost all of the STEP pure maths questions (although I’m quite bad at the mechanics part), which I’m hoping is a indicator of being able to give a strong performance at the interview. However, I don’t know whether to apply to King’s, or St John’s. Afaik King’s is less competitive for math, but St. John’s has separate pure and applied interviews, which would hopefully mean the chance I get asked a mechanics question is lower. I don’t have any math Olympiad experience so I’d also like to know if that makes a difference. TLDR; I have good grades and am able to fully solve pretty advanced STEP questions, and don’t know whether to apply to St. John’s or King’s.

Honestly, it won't make a difference, and which one is more competitive will vary depending a given year. I don't know if Olympiad experience makes a difference (they look at applications holistically), but if you can do STEP questions and have good predicted grades, you have a good chance.

Apply to whichever of the two colleges you prefer - I'd personally not choose King's because of all the tourists, but that's just my view. You could also consider other colleges? The main differences are cohort sizes, general vibe, supervisions, and living areas, but most teaching is departmental anyway.

(I don't do maths, but I am at Cambridge!)

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