A grades but missed offer what are the options?

[secretsquirrels]

I would be very grateful for some advice for DS1.
DS has missed his Cambridge offer because the STEP exam went badly.
He may well miss his insurance as well.
Having said that he is pretty sure he will get AAA*A in his A levels.

We are trying to get a plan ready before results day. I am struggling to understand how clearing works. Does he have to search for a uni with a vacancy on a maths course. If a uni is not in clearing is there any mileage in contacting them or is that just adjustment?
Does the lifting of the cap on A grade students help him?

According to DS2: Apparently most Cambridge applicants who miss their STEP condition are sunmer pooled (unless it was utterly disastrous) so even if the college from whom he's been offered are unable to take him, he may be fished by another college. The number of people who miss STEP is high even at Cambridge.

I would expect they'll take him if he's only narrowly missed. Does he go to a state school that is low performing according to DofE perf data?

Cambridge maths selects by STEP - many more offers are made than there are places available. A candidate with low STEP (low 2s or below), even from a poorly performing school, is unlikely to get in. Even a near miss candidate is more likely to end up at their insurance.

Several previous posters suggest that a gap year is very bad for mathematicians. It is not that rare for mathematicians to take a gap year, however, and they generally get up to speed again quite quickly even if they have not done maths in their gap year.

uiler123 Exactly. This is why he has written off his Cambridge offer. It wasn't a near miss.
On the other hand, his insurance would only be a near miss. Of course he may not miss his insurance.
It may seem that I am worrying unnecessarily but I did say before that it seems sensible to have a back up plan before the heat is on, on results day.

www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2430914

Lots of people fail to meet their step conditions. Many are placed in the summer pool. Here's the student room 2013 cambridge summer pool thread. There are students who were pooled and fished in circumstances the same as what you fear may turn out to be the case for your son.

Most people on that thread were not applying for maths. There are big differences between subjects in Cambridge. Even maths and physical nat sci are not comparable. Somebody with 3s in two STEP papers is unlikely to be pooled or fished for maths.

Uiler - but he hasn't got his STEP result yet. In my experience STEP is not as easy a result to call as maths and further maths A level modules.

Prepare for the worst but don't give up all hope.

Somebody on that thread got pooled and fished with a high 3 and high 2 in STEP for straight maths.

uiler123 of course I don't know what your background is but I'm pretty seasoned at sitting on the side lines watching highly able students project dire results in individual papers, then achieving highly in their 'failed' papers and often doing middling to less in the papers they were happy with. Of course it can be the other way round, but more rarely in my experience. I'm no mathematician but I think university aptitude tests are hard to predict so I'm hoping secret's son has woefully misjudged his result. And if he hasn't, then there can be no harm in doing what he can to put feelers out to his firm and insurance if he failed to do himself justice on the day. Because any sane tutor knows that this happens with the most stellar of students and who knows what their judgment might be. That said, Cambridge does appear to be more staid on the whole and more exam mark reliant than elsewhere. Bottom line message to secret's DS is: don't write yourself off! (and good luck).

Cambridge maths background (as student and staff). I also have experience at other universities (US and elsewhere). Plus I monitor admission stats in maths at many UK universities as part of an admin job I do.

I wrote upthread that students notoriously misjudge their performance in STEP maths because they underestimate the marks they can get by partly solving the problem and indeed sometimes overestimate their marks, thinking they solved questions when they didn't. I also suggested that he contact all places he is interested in if his results are indeed as he fears, both his firm and his insurance, and other high ranking places such as Bath and Durham. He can also discuss with his Cambridge college what they think of his chances in the pool, if they decide to pool him.

I totally agree that tutors should not judge just on the basis of a couple of poor STEP papers but currently (like it or not, I certainly don't like it) Cambridge maths is over-offering and making decisions using STEP grades. Sure, there will be occasional counterexamples of students getting into certain colleges with low grades on one paper, but one can't rely on it.

1. Contact all offers and see if there is any wriggle room. Summer pool at Cambridge may be a possibility; it's hard to predict for individual cases what decision would be made on pooling. E.g. If the applicant did badly on STEP but the Director of Studies thought the candidate's answers were "interesting" they might still pool them (says DH, recent Admissions Tutor and Senior Tutor).
2. Enter clearing for the best institution he can find.
3. Gap year and sit STEP again having had some tutoring.
4. Enter clearing for slightly different course (e.g. physics). Often with an early declaration during the first year of intention to change course in second year this is allowed provided the student gets above a certain threshold in exams (often a 2.1)

(Also, not contradicting Uiler here either - agreed pooling for STEP 3 unlikely, but not wholly out of the Q)

Be careful with option 4. Changing from physics to maths is not possible in many institutions I know because students will have missed too much prerequisite pure maths and stats needed for second year courses - physics maths modules cover only analysis and applied maths. The only way to switch from physics to maths would be by repeating the first year.

I agree with options 1, 2 and 3. But with option 3 he couldn't count on getting an offer from Warwick or Cambridge again so it's a bit of gamble to wait, resit and reapply rather than getting Bath, Durham etc in clearing this year.

Secret your DS is obviously a dedicated and very able mathematician. I just wonder though whether because of his shyness and anxiety, the often solitary over intense lifestyle of a Cambridge mathematician may not be best for him at this stage. Taking the longterm view he may well do better developing both socially and in confidence at Warwick or an alternative and will still be able to push his maths to a high level.
He could apply to Cambridge if he then wants to as a postgraduate.
At this stage it would be worth him deciding which other universities he would consider / like should it come to that.
I don't like Cambridge's approach for maths. Not sure why they bother interviewing since they then leave the 1 in 2 selection to STEP results. You would think that they could pick up the very able mathematicians at interview but leave marginal candidates with a second chance by STEP

I think Cambridge is perfect for a shy boy actually. And the fact that he'll most likely get accommodation for all three years is a massive benefit.

An American college might be worthwhile looking into too. Perhaps if he does end up having a year out and reapplying, he could look into also applying to MIT or somewhere like that?

Perhaps the interview isn't solely to test applicants' mathematic reach, but also to gauge how an applicant responds to the tutors?

Cambridge seem pretty good at getting the best mathematicians as far as I can tell.

Polinium I agree that college accommodation is a benefit. However an intense course may reinforce social isolation with little time to develop 'soft skills' especially as it is not uncommon for extremely able mathematicians that social skills are not a forte. Finding housemates and a house to rent is not a bad thing to have to do to develop future coping skills.
Cambridge certainly gets excellent undergraduate mathematicians but there is no way of knowing whether they have the best (may be the best at doing well in exams without problems of anxiety). There are other very highly regarded courses at other universities particularly with computing.

I think the collegiate structure and favourable staff to student ratio makes Cambridge a very sensible option for someone who has yet to fully spread his wings.

This is not what Secret or her DS need now but IMO:
pluses - college structure with some enforced mixing plus pleasure of fellow like-minded mathematicians (the latter obviously not exclusive to Cambridge)
negatives - introspective, solitary intense work environment that increases anxiety and may allow the shy, socially insecure little time to explore other activities or incentives to 'spread their wings' outside the college structure.
It would be interesting to hear first hand experience from people like uiler.

Some very perceptive comments here. Most of which have gone through my mind.

Polonium I think Cambridge is perfect for a shy boy actually. And the fact that he'll most likely get accommodation for all three years is a massive benefit.
This was my view for some time. It was the only way I felt he would cope.

However now that this is not an option I think summerends is probably right in that he would do better developing both socially and in confidence at Warwick or an alternative

He is intense about his subject. He doesn't need tutoring as he is perfectly capable of doing the STEP but fell apart with nerves on the day. Perhaps an indication that he is not suited to the pressure of Cambridge. Having said that he normally adores exams, loved his A levels. (I think he is a changeling. I am not educated beyond O levels).
He did explore the MIT option but decided against it for various reasons.
If he takes a year out I'm not sure he will put himself through the gruelling (to him) experience of applying to Cambridge again.
He doesn't want to do Maths with Physics or Statistics. Even if offered by his insurance, he would rather wait a year.
He does of course fit the stereotype personality for very able mathematicians. This makes picking up the phone to speak to admissions people a major ordeal and I am perfectly aware that my place is to support and advise and not to do it for him even if I itch to.

Thanks again to all. Over recent years I have gained so much advice and information on this, without doubt DS has benefited from the wisdom of MN.

Could he email the admissions tutors claiming to be away travelling and thus not able to speak in person?

My DS is in a similar situation, he has an offer for Cambridge maths and has definitely missed his STEP grades. He thinks he has 1,2 or 2,2 so he may be lucky enough to still get a place, Unlike Secret's DS, he is fortunate in that he is confident he has the grades for his insurance, which is Bath.
Secret, I agree with others, it's so hard to predict STEP grades. Hopefully he will meet his offer for Warwick. But it's wise to be thinking 'what if..'
We have also done this. He has talked about rejecting his insurance and applying to Cambridge again next year, perhaps for a different course that doesn't include STEP. But I agree with uiler123 that it is very risky and I have tried to discourage him.
Like your DS, mine is extremely shy and would find it impossible to phone a university to talk about options.
It's all very uncertain and stressful.

Secret even the most able can have off days especially when the stakes are high. That is why Cambridge will end up with only a selection of the best undergraduate mathematicians and I imagine not necessarily the ones most capable of original work. Your DS will hopefully realise that his degree is a only a stepping stone for further studies if he wants to continue as a pure mathematician.
Personally I would avoid universities in large cities with a big drinking / clubbing culture if that is not what he enjoys.
As has been said by others, he may have misjudged what the STEP examiners are going to give credit for.

DS has missed his Cambridge offer because the STEP exam went badly.

He doesn't actually know that and won't know it until / unless they release him. If he misses his offer they don't have to take him, but they still may.

With A* A levels he should be thinking about a gap year rather than clearing. I know at that age a year is a long time but he can go to a top uni so he should not settle for somewhere the others in the class have CDE grades.

Top RG universities will go into clearing to pick up extra students in maths. Very few of them will take students below AAA. I know of a number of AAA/AA*A students who have found maths places at top courses during clearing in similar circumstances to OP's son.

I don't personally know of any UK maths course which would take a CDE student. Most universities won't take less than A in maths for a maths course even in clearing because students with less than A generally can't cope with university maths.

I haven't read the entire thread, so I hope this isn't out of turn. One way to look at it (if he has missed his STEP) is that Cambridge may not be the best place for him academically. I got in to read Maths, and was still accepted in spite of missing my STEP. I was thrilled. Until I got there and started the course and realised very quickly it wasn't for me. I ended up switching around a lot and never really finding my academic 'home' there. I think if I'd gone somewhere else and done Maths I would have been fine... (Admittedly, this is many moons ago)