Improving Cambridge, imperial application

I'm currently in year 12 studying maths, further maths and physics, and am predicted A* in all three. I want to study engineering and specialize in aerospace, hopefully at Cambridge or imperial but I'm aware of how competitive it is and am slightly concerned by the fact I'm only doing 3 a levels.
My super-curriculars include: EDT gold project where im basically designing an exoskeleton for people who have no muscles so cant move themselves, did engineering work experience over summer last year, I just finished a free online course by TU Delft - An introduction to aerospace engineering - which took 8 weeks and I received a passing grade in it, I'm also currently planning a project focusing on hypersonic flight where I'll use computational fluid dynamics and thermal analysis to study how re-entry vehicles perform during re entry into the earth's atmosphere, and Im also part of an Isaac physics club at my school where we just do difficult physics questions weekly.
I've heard that these unis in particular look for competitions or some sort of achievement that shows an analytical mindset but I only achieved a silver in senior UKMT. what else could I do to improve my application or chances, and any advice on the admissions process (preparing for admissions test, interviews, etc) would be helpful too. Also, other than Cambridge and imperial, how competitive would this be to other Russel group unis. thanks

I'm currently in year 12 studying maths, further maths and physics, and am predicted A* in all three. I want to study engineering and specialize in aerospace, hopefully at Cambridge or imperial but I'm aware of how competitive it is and am slightly concerned by the fact I'm only doing 3 a levels.
My super-curriculars include: EDT gold project where im basically designing an exoskeleton for people who have no muscles so cant move themselves, did engineering work experience over summer last year, I just finished a free online course by TU Delft - An introduction to aerospace engineering - which took 8 weeks and I received a passing grade in it, I'm also currently planning a project focusing on hypersonic flight where I'll use computational fluid dynamics and thermal analysis to study how re-entry vehicles perform during re entry into the earth's atmosphere, and Im also part of an Isaac physics club at my school where we just do difficult physics questions weekly.
I've heard that these unis in particular look for competitions or some sort of achievement that shows an analytical mindset but I only achieved a silver in senior UKMT. what else could I do to improve my application or chances, and any advice on the admissions process (preparing for admissions test, interviews, etc) would be helpful too. Also, other than Cambridge and imperial, how competitive would this be to other Russel group unis. thanks

I'd honestly look elsewhere for aerospace .. far too early for A* predictions as you haven't covered enough A* work - do you mean they are your targets?

No, we recently had our first set of exams on everything we have done and my school predicted me A*s. I get that they might not be accurate but its still a good start point. Why do you recommend looking somewhere else?

Neither are known for aerospace ...
You haven't covered enough A* material to get A* predictions that are reliable.

so basically smash the admission test and interview. you also said that you should be starting to prepare preferably over a year before applying. do you think now is too late to start practicing for the test and interview then?

fair enough. aren't they both in the top 5 for engineering in the UK though? I'm not too sure about aerospace but I assumed since they have some of the best research and teaching they'd probably be pretty good in that field too.

I'm currently in year 12 studying maths, further maths and physics, and am predicted A* in all three. I want to study engineering and specialize in aerospace, hopefully at Cambridge or imperial but I'm aware of how competitive it is and am slightly concerned by the fact I'm only doing 3 a levels.
My super-curriculars include: EDT gold project where im basically designing an exoskeleton for people who have no muscles so cant move themselves, did engineering work experience over summer last year, I just finished a free online course by TU Delft - An introduction to aerospace engineering - which took 8 weeks and I received a passing grade in it, I'm also currently planning a project focusing on hypersonic flight where I'll use computational fluid dynamics and thermal analysis to study how re-entry vehicles perform during re entry into the earth's atmosphere, and Im also part of an Isaac physics club at my school where we just do difficult physics questions weekly.
I've heard that these unis in particular look for competitions or some sort of achievement that shows an analytical mindset but I only achieved a silver in senior UKMT. what else could I do to improve my application or chances, and any advice on the admissions process (preparing for admissions test, interviews, etc) would be helpful too. Also, other than Cambridge and imperial, how competitive would this be to other Russel group unis. thanks

Hello - for both Cambridge and Imperial you will need to sit the ESAT and aim for a score of 7+ to be a competitive applicant. So invest time in preparing for the admission test (there is a lot of good advice online about this and past/test papers) and practice, practice. A good score and strong personal statement will help a lot and then make sure you prepare for interviews - again a lot of good advice online for this. For Cambridge, think carefully about the college you choose (as some more competitive) and for Imperial be aware than over 60% of aero places go to international students, so very competitive for domestic students. Other very good aero courses include Southampton, Bath and Bristol. Good luck!

what’s the case for mech eng at imperial l is it as competitive and what percentage goes to internationals

Neither are known for aerospace ...
You haven't covered enough A* material to get A* predictions that are reliable.

fair enough. aren't they both in the top 5 for engineering in the UK though? I'm not too sure about aerospace but I assumed since they have some of the best research and teaching they'd probably be pretty good in that field too.

with respect, why are you making these crazy assertions "neither are known for aero" to someone asking for advice.
from imperial's aero dept website: "The Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College has achieved an outstanding reputation for its research in the aeronautical engineering field. This reputation translates into benefits for its students including excellent equipment, workshops and computing facilities. Besides having talented and enthusiastic staff, the Department maintains close connections with industry."
you are disputing this with little evidence to the contrary.
i know a guy doing aero and he really likes it. last term he had to build a car (or something like that) and this term gets to go in the flight sim. it's an intensive course but he enjoys it. ofc imperial is well known for it and the dept is kitted out for the things you'd want to do.

So what they say on their website conflicts with what students say and their experiences - I know who I believe.

Perhaps so, but you certainly don't know everyone and very many people enjoy the degree and rate it. It's important to present an argument with things on both side. Enjoyment and ability to cope with such a fast paced and advanced course is certainly subjective.

with respect, why are you making these crazy assertions "neither are known for aero" to someone asking for advice.
from imperial's aero dept website: "The Department of Aeronautics at Imperial College has achieved an outstanding reputation for its research in the aeronautical engineering field. This reputation translates into benefits for its students including excellent equipment, workshops and computing facilities. Besides having talented and enthusiastic staff, the Department maintains close connections with industry."
you are disputing this with little evidence to the contrary.
i know a guy doing aero and he really likes it. last term he had to build a car (or something like that) and this term gets to go in the flight sim. it's an intensive course but he enjoys it. ofc imperial is well known for it and the dept is kitted out for the things you'd want to do.