Anyone who’s dc *did* get a place at Camb for Economics?

[Drench]

Tmua booked, personal statement very nearly there, 3 a*s predicted (hoping for a 4th after FM mock next week - they’re doing it slightly differently to other colleges), all 9s… state school, state sixth form.

dc is so driven - only has their sights on Camb - I think they’ll be picking the other 4 quite randomly… 🤯

such a competitive course, looking at the stats…

i suppose I’m interested to hear whose dc did get in… I wonder what ‘did it’. 😬😬😬 aaagghhh

Please try to get him to engage with his other choices. Loads of other candidates will have exactly his profile - he just can't pin everything on Cambridge.

I know 😫 trying.

and re reading my post it looks like some stealth post… apologies if it reads like that … have had a glass of wine!!! Concerned for my dc is all… not even sure which uni to suggest for a ‘safe’ option.

@Drench DS studies Econ at Cambridge and he says it was his interview that got him his place. His TMUA score was only a mid 5 (second lowest out of the ten who applied from his school) but he ended up being one of the two who got in.
Everyone will have 3/4 A* predicted (DS had 3).
Due to low TMUA, DS didn’t believe he would get in so was relaxed at his interview, and that probably helped.
Don’t think PS helped much tbh.

Aw thanks so much @Theworried2 and huge congrats to your ds! I thought they didn’t know their tmua score and that it goes straight to the uni? That’s really interesting!
May I ask where else your da applied? But also did he enjoy Camb - did it live up to its hype?! Tia

You get the result later

@Drench Not sure if it’s changed but DS found out the score before interview, and needed to submit it to other unis (e.g. LSE). He got the score on 25th or 30th Nov I think, interview invite came on 30th.

Applied to Cambridge, LSE, Warwick, Notts, UCL. Rejected by LSE but got the others.
Cambridge certainly has lots of opportunities he’s found- networking, societies etc but not really more so than his friends at London unis- who also have more time for other things.
lots of like minded peers though which is great and he enjoys the collegiate structure and atmosphere.
Course is challenging/mathematical but the tutorial teaching is very good
he said- much better system than other unis. However the work he needs to give in (supervision work) means he has less time for internship applications, etc, than he would elsewhere.
good luck to your DC- it is a lovely place to study if they get in.

Had a look at the TMUA website. The new provider does automatically give the TMUA score to all unis in your UCAS. When DS did it, only Cambridge automatically got it-DS could choose which other unis to disclose it too.

however you still find out the score 6 weeks after- 30th nov this year.

@Drench there is usually a thread for parents of applicants for Oxbridge with tons of advice. Have a look through the 2024 one and you might gain some knowledge about the Econ app stats. Your DC will need to either submit an open app or pick the college they most think suits them. Only a handful do in person interviews so that may also be a factor in their choice of college. It’s great your DC is focussed and driven but do not let a C offer be the measure of success - Econ is a very competitive course at every university so your DC will need to consider where to place their insurance offer. However tempting, an insurance offer equal to their first choice leads to stress on results day if one grade is missed and this could lead to a scrabble in clearing. C is very clear on their offers and tends to be specific about which subject needs which grades. They are also highly unlikely to accept a student if the exact offer is not met, even if the overall grade profile is equal to the offer. Bear in mind there is no national ‘offer day’ for unis and some unis tend to make offers later than others (Durham in particular is always later than others) so it’s a sensible idea to not have an application profile of unis that are known to make late offers because if your DC has a C rejection the lack of alternative offers combined with the exams looming is really stressful….Especially if the other kids in the year have 4 or 5 offers (if that makes sense).

Oxford PPE rather than Cambridge Economics. Far from straight 9s at GCSE or straight A*s at A level, but excellent in the context of her school which hadn't had any Oxbridge applicants for over 10 years. She interviewed well, could think on the spot, could discuss everything from Dr Who, the Kardashians, optimal tax rates and car parking charges. She also scored very well in the TSA.

There are no safe options! DD wanted to go to Edinburgh, but they turned her down despite offers from Warwick, York, Durham & Oxford.

DD in for Oxford Economics and Management (I read Economics at Cambridge but years ago), 18 to 1 so challenging odds but online it says how its scored. Entrance test in circa top 5%, 3 A stars predicted, 12 GCSEs (10 at 8s and 9s) and a level 3 A in underperforming comp - negative progress 8 score, OK interview. Oxford interviews a lot less than Cambridge so a very high entrance test score is needed for E&M. Then its 1 in 3 but people are already ranked so if you are in the ranked for a place its more not doing really badly at interview than anything amazing. DD didn't have Economics A level.

Cambridge but not Economics. Definitely performance in test backed up by good interview. As said below not necessarily eloquent speaker but I think managed to sound interested and engaged on a wide range of seemingly random topics

DS didn't get Cambridge and went to LSE

DS graduated last year. Typical profile for his Cambridge cohort: predicted and achieved all A stars at A Level, 10 9’s at GCSE. Performed well in test, found his interviews interesting and enjoyable. He felt he had gelled with his interviewer (who became his DoS) and that this was a significant factor.

Also applied to St Andrew’s, Durham, Bath and Bristol.

Looks like he’s in a very good position. Suggest extra reading- The Economist, popular Economics books, lectures etc to show interest and dedication. LSE obviously v strong for Economics.

Sorry to jump on this, but how much times (honestly) did people spend preparing for the TSA Section 1.

I understand it's mostly logic, so once you know the type of structure how long do you need.

As I said, honest answers (i.e. if they spent 2 years doing 1 practice paper every week please say so).

DD got given a few practice papers on UNIQ. No support from school whatsoever. She also had a great book called So You Think You Can Think recommended by a regular poster. We passed it on this time last year to someone who will now be starting PPE next month.

I had it on my bingo card after seeing the thread title that there would be someone here saying their DC didn't go to Cambridge but went to LSE instead, and sure enough...!

Not that this post is going to be much more helpful to you than that OP, mind, sorry about that. I don't have a DC in that position but as a lecturer at Cambridge/Oxford (being deliberately vague), I'd stress the importance of your DC focusing on the process and not the destination which I know is trite and easy to say. But he can control how much work for his exams and prep for the application he does, and he can't control Cambridge's decision. There are always going to be a few decisions that shock people, either by being a yay or a nay. Sometimes there's no obvious rhyme or reason so it's imperative to have an insurance choice you'd be happy to go to and to accept that you may well be going there.

With the benefit of hindsight and a recent graduate with 8 finals in 15 days for 100% of her degree, getting the offer and A level grades is the easy bit!

I think you have got to really get on top of the Cambridge obsession. I had very stern words with DC about expectations and being realistic and basically not being a idiot by thinking it was the only answer. By the time he got to the interview I told him that it was a great experience and to go for it but not to expect anything. I also made sure he was equally excited about other options.

The other thing I did was talk about friends and colleagues who both did and didn't go to Cambridge. I have several I line manage who did who are frankly pains in the wotsit and told him in great detail how and why they are, and if he is to go how I expect him not to turn out like that. The worst thing is if they turn out entitled and expect an automatic ascent to the upper echelons of an organisation because "they went to Cambridge and my friends are all doing better than me" which I had someone crying over me with the other day. He also I hope respects me and my graduate degrees and can see I have done perfectly well without having gone.

I hope I am sending him there in a few weeks with a realistic view of the world and he's had a bit of a reality check over the summer in his job how people react to him in a slightly weird way. Having said all this it's fantastic and he's very excited and I am of course v happy for him. I would have been equally happy if he had gone to his insurance - my old uni and think he would have done just as well in life.

DS spent a couple of weeks prepping for the admission test but he leaves everything to the last minute.

My DC were equally happy with their first and insurance choices, had no expectation of getting Oxbridge offers and no pressure from school so it wasn’t an onerous process.

I think DD first looked at TSA around this time last year and did a few practice papers.