APs are “easy” exams (from a UK perspective). 9 5s and a 4 is OK, 5 5s and 5 lower grades is not, even though the theoretical requirement is just the 5 5s.
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Got it, thank you. By the time I leave school I should have 9 5s and a 4, HOPEfully.
Also, I’ve asked all my teachers about predicting grades and one of them straight up said “no, I will not predict any grade for you, either good or bad”. What should I do in that scenario?
You have to have a prediction. So the (single) reference must come from someone who will give that. And the prediction had better be all 5s.
Note the format is extremely different from the US format. It will take your teacher a lot of time to do properly. So pick carefully and warn them now because the deadline is early in the fall.
I think so because while the sciences are not required or even officially recommended for applicants, some of the applicants will have taken Biology A level and got A or A*; and really, any sign of academic weakness is a problem for Cambridge. That’s not to say it’s a definite no: but a problem. The rest of your application will need to be stellar.
You’re likely to be on track for your other selected courses. Good luck writing a PS to work for all of them.
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Reopening at OP’s request.
Hi, update:
I got my interview invite from Cam recently! I’m really excited and would love it if anyone had any sort of advice. My school has been thoroughly unhelpful throughout this entire process and I just want to know what to expect (things that aren’t online).
Thanks!
Have you read a bunch of the books on here?
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I’ve read a lot of books in the topic area and talked about them in my personal statement… should I read books specifically off the list too?
I would compare what you’ve read to this list and see if there are any major gaps in what you’ve already covered.
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Congratulations and good luck!
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I’m getting a bit nervous as the interview gets closer. For context, I’m autistic and a bit socially awkward.
Will there be lengthy introductions?
How should I refer to the interviewers (by Mr/Ms/Dr [surname] or first name as one of them is a graduate student)?
If they ask me about my ECs as an icebreaker, how long should I talk about those things?
Will they cut me off if I’m going in the wrong direction or spending too much time on one topic?
If they ask question my reasoning, should I backtrack or continue? (would it be seen as stubborn or weak?)
If they ask me about something I disliked or thought was subpar, should I express that?
And are there British formalities that I should know about that could be seen as rude?
Thanks, I really appreciate any help!
No
Referring to interviewers by name is a curious Americanism which almost never comes up in British conversation, and using someone’s name tends to be regarded as being over-familiar. You are simply responding to direct questions.
This is unlikely, but in terms of icebreakers you might want to have something to say about why you are so interested in going to the UK and Cambridge in particular, because they often are concerned that US students will turn down an offer in favor of staying in the US.
Yes. Quite abruptly in a way which might seem rude to some.
They will gently redirect you if you are on the wrong track. But that’s more the case when there is a definitively correct answer (eg an economics question). You will get encouragement if you are on the right track and usually the questions are multi-part where the next part depends on getting to the right answer on the previous part.
In an academic sense it is ok to think that say philosopher A’s views make more sense than philosopher B’s. Try to frame your dislike for B with a contrasting view of A.
You’ll find the interview terminates abruptly and is not full of the social niceties in US Ivy interviews. They want to see if you can answer questions, understand their feedback and take that into account in your responses.
Thank you so much for the response! It was really helpful. I’ve had my interview and it was so different than I expected.
Good luck. It might help future candidates if you expand on how the interview differed from your expectations.
For sure! Everyone’s interview is different, so for anyone reading this, please take it with a grain of salt. I might write a more detailed “report” at a later point.
I thought they would ask me in detail about arguments made in my personal statement or submitted work, or about my books, or current affairs, or the course; no, they used literal words out of my PS to jumpstart a conversation. It was really interesting and surprising, I had fun but might have fumbled part of the second interview. A lot of the prep I did was a total waste of time as many of the questions I got were conceptual rather than specific.
Basically, it’s very logic-based and if you think you have a solid answer, they’ll say “yes, but do you think that might be instead explained by xyz as opposed to abc?” and you’ll say “no, here’s why” and they’ll say "but isn’t that still … "
One of the on-the-fly questions was super out of left field and made me laugh!
I worry I danced around the answer too much and wasn’t direct enough. I know you’re meant to struggle, but I can’t tell if it was “good struggling” like thinking hard or “bad struggling” like “I have no idea what’s happening”!
The interviewers were nice to talk with, I really enjoyed it. The students helping out were also super nice and joked around with me. I also got a little panicked when one of the students said “half five”. I knew it meant 5:30 but I had never heard it “in real life” before!
I’m still mulling it over even though I know I shouldn’t; sometimes I’ll think I did well, but half an hour later I’ll think I did terribly.
Best of luck!