Applying to Cambridge from Canada

Contents What we have to offer The admissions process What we are looking for Choosing a College The Blyth Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarships

Key Facts & Figures

~12,000 full-time undergraduate students from over 90 different countries male:female ratio is 54:46 15,389 applications for 3,274 places (2010-11)

What We Have To Offer 1 Superb facilities: Accommodation Libraries IT Language Unit Museums, gardens Recreational facilities: drama, music, sports etc. Unparalleled levels of student support

What We Have To Offer 2 Top-rated teaching by Lecturers at the forefront of their field in A unique system featuring extensive small group teaching

What We Have To Offer 3 Challenging, stimulating courses In a range of more traditional arts, science and social science subjects Which tend to start very broad and narrow in focus each year And are predominantly assessed by terminal examinations

The University & The Colleges

Role of the University

Lectures Seminars / classes / practicals Field trips / language courses Examinations

Role of the Colleges

Supervisions Directors of Studies Personal Tutors Undergraduate admissions

Student Life

College community College and University societies Sport at every level Music and drama Nightlife Cambridge University Students Union (CUSU)

Making An Application To Cambridge 15 October deadline Open application or choose a College Interviews Submission of written work Tests at interview or in advance

Colleges 29 Colleges admit undergraduates 4 Colleges admit only mature (age 21+) students 3 Colleges admit only women Most Colleges admit for all subjects but there are exceptions see Prospectus or website

The Cambridge Overseas Application An online application

www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/apply/copa.html

The primary source of information Details of academic record The personal statement Completed application has to be submitted by 15 October

The UCAS Application A back-up source of information for us A necessary part of the process The school/college reference Completed UCAS application has to be submitted by 15 October

Open Applications A student can apply to a particular College or make an Open application If they make an Open application, their application is allocated by computer to a College the algorithm aims to spread applications evenly across the Colleges

Making An Open Application Saves the student the bother of choosing a College Evens out the assessment/interviewing load for us Makes no difference to their chances of getting a place at Cambridge

Admissions Process 1 Apply by October 15 to UCAS Interview (normally in December) Decision (early in January)

Admissions Process 2

Decision (early in January)

Yes No

Offer

Pool

Sorry

Reasons For Pooling To sell applicants squeezed out by the competition to other Colleges To allow reconsideration of applicants where indicators disagree To allow moderation comparison of applicants across Colleges before offers are made

Admissions Process 3

Pool
Yes No

Offer

Pool interview Yes (early in January) No

Sorry

Information For Selection Academic record to date Predicted future results Personal statement School/college reference Written work if submitted Test result if taken Performance at interview

What We Are Looking For 1 Students who Can most benefit from what we have to offer, whatever their background Enjoy a challenge Are academically able Have very real enthusiasm for their chosen course

What We Are Looking For 2 A sound knowledge base and confidence in a range of skills, with the potential to go beyond the school syllabus and to use this knowledge in unfamiliar situations A wider engagement in the subject, expressed through an interest in new ideas and an enthusiasm for reading round the subject Self-discipline, self-motivation and commitment

Knowledge Base Each Cambridge course has different requirements, which are all detailed in the Prospectus and on our website The Science courses tend to be more prescriptive than the Humanities/Social Science courses Requirements are expressed in terms of A Levels, but alternative educational systems are acceptable provided the required subjects represent the main focus of study

Skills Base Thinking Skills tested at interview and/or through a Thinking Skills Assessment Problem solving Understanding argument Data analysis and inference Research / Communication / Extended Argumentation Skills usually assessed by reviewing and discussing at interview school essays or project work

The Interview Process 1 The majority of applicants are called for interview Interviews usually take place in December Interviews are conducted by the Colleges In some subjects applicants may be interviewed by more than one College Interviews will also be conducted in Toronto in late November/early December

The Interview Process 2 Applicants have 1, 2 or 3 interviews, each lasting 20-45 minutes Most common format is two interviewers per interview Interviews are conducted by lecturers and are predominantly academic and subject-focused

What We Are Looking For At Interview 1 Genuine passion for the subject chosen Appropriateness of the course chosen Enthusiasm for complex and challenging ideas Clarity of thought and analytical ability

What We Are Looking For At Interview 2 Intellectual flexibility Technical skills and knowledge, as appropriate Where appropriate, vocational or professional commitment Where appropriate, budding interpersonal skills

Additional Exams/Tests Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Cambridge Law Test (CLT) Sixth Term Examination Papers (STEP) Mathematics Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) (not all colleges set this) Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Natural Sciences

Extra Curricular Activities 1 Demonstrate spare capacity Evidence of time management skills For some subjects, can reflect genuine enthusiasm for that subject Can show something about an approach to life

Extra Curricular Activities 2 We do not favour all-rounders We do not value some activities above others Excellence in an extra curricular activity will never compensate for lower academic potential

How We Use Personal Statements To confirm appropriateness of chosen subject and course To confirm commitment and organisation As an embarkation-point for discussion at interview To find out about
Subject focus Reading and other wider exploration Work experience Extra-curricular activities/positions of responsibility Honesty

A Good Personal Statement Template An opening paragraph explaining why they want to study the course Two or three paragraphs detailing how they ve developed their interest in the subject outside school e.g. by reading, attending seminars, work experience, hobbies etc. A closing couple of paragraphs about their extra curricular interests and career aspirations

References 1 The school/college reference is helpful because it tells us about an applicants abilities and potential Comments from subject specialists that show evidence of intellectual flexibility and curiosity, analytic ability, logical reasoning and the ability to learn quickly are most useful It is helpful if remarks about academic performance and potential are made as specific as possible

References 2 The following are particularly helpful: Comments from subject teachers indicating a rank order in class or a comparison with current or previous applicants Where an applicant has underachieved in the past, reasons why this might have happened Any health or personal circumstances that might affect performance at interview

References 3 The following are particularly helpful (continued): Evidence of a willingness to explore and discuss ideas outside the confines of the subject syllabus, if applying for a subject studied at school Evidence of steps taken to find out about the subject, for a non-school subject

Levels Of Conditional Offer Candidates would usually be expected to offer:

EITHER IB (full diploma or just three Higher Level subjects). Full diploma typical offer is 40 or 41+ points (including bonus points) and 776 in HL subjects; HL only offer is likely to be 776 or 777 OR Advanced Placement Tests, in which a typical offer asks for 5s in relevant subjects or a range of subjects

And
Performance in the High School Diploma that places the student within the top 2% of their cohort

Choosing A College 1 Colleges are much more alike than they are different Whatever their College, the lectures a student goes to and the coursework and exams they do will be exactly the same Almost all Cambridge students recommend their own College

Choosing A College 2 All subjects have moderation procedures to ensure that the best applicants across the University are admitted Our statistics show that the chance of being admitted to Cambridge is independent of College choice Choosing a College to try to maximise chance of successful application is pointless

Choosing A College 3 Factors an applicant might consider: Age, size or location Provision of accommodation Provision of sporting, musical or drama facilities Provision for other recreational interests The types (mature, women only) of students admitted

Blyth CCT Scholarships 1 Canadian citizens or permanent residents in their graduating year at high school or university are eligible 4 scholarships available one tenable at Pembroke College, three tenable at any College For any subject except Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Blyth CCT Scholarships 2 Awarded on the basis of merit and need Need doesn t mean no money, just not enough Candidates should have shown academic excellence, intellectual depth, personal integrity and success beyond their studies Scholarship covers full tuition fees for three years, travel costs and a full living allowance

Blyth CCT Scholarships: Timeline 15 October: application deadline Short-listing process Late Nov: interviews for short-listed candidates in Toronto Early-mid Jan: outcomes announced

2013-14 Fee Levels & Costs

University fee: Most subjects: Maths Architecture, Geography & Music: Experimental sciences: Medicine & Veterinary Medicine: College fee: Living costs: 13,662 pa 15,237 pa 17,880 pa 20,790 pa 33,069 pa ~5,750 pa ~8,850 pa

Any Questions?