1. Applications to Cambridge
David Woodman,
Robinson College

2. GRADE PROFILE OF A TYPICAL CAMBRIDGE APPLICANT
Profile of a statistically ‘middling’ Cambridge applicant:
GCSE: 4-8 A*s
AS: 86-93% across three most relevant, or best, subjects; now use admissions assessments also
Profile of a typical successful applicant, whose education has not been significantly disadvantaged or disrupted:
GCSE: A* in most subjects
AS: 91-97%, including one or two rather lower scores
These are not minimal requirements; each application considered individually
Question of how to use new admissions assessments

3. How many A Level subjects should students take?
Arts: there is no particular advantage in taking more than three subjects to A Level. In fact, more time reading may be better use of a student’s time between June and December rather than accumulating more A Levels.
Sciences: four is common, especially when Maths and FM are two of them. But even in sciences, the fourth should be taken for educational reasons and not just for Cambridge entry. We regularly admit students with three A Level subjects.

4. Advice on College choice, open applications and use of the Pool
Choice of College makes no difference in terms of the teaching available to students.
Open applications are common and constitute between 15% and 20% of the gathered field. Allocation of applicants depends on a complex algorithm that is run when we know the precise distributions of preference applicants. Once allocated, students are indistinguishable from the rest of the field.
Use of the Pool – most colleges make use of the Pool in one way or another. Students can be made direct offers from the Pool or they can be asked back for an interview at a different college. Between a quarter and a third of pooled applicants receive offers.

5. Do we value EPQ?
The EPQ is greatly valued as a good educational experience.
It is not made part of the formal offer because we want students to be adventurous, explore unfamiliar areas and take risks, not just write to specification.
It is worth doing because it can give students the chance to engage with new subjects, future subjects, or just deepen and broaden their engagement with existing subjects in ways that can help both in constructing personal statements or references. It can be particularly useful at the interview stage.

6. How is contextual data used?
We use a variety of contextual data:
school performance for GCSE and A Level;
postcode data on HE participation;
demographic information on residential postcode;
whether a student has ever been in care;
whether the student has completed an Extenuating Circumstances Form.
This permits the consideration of such factors in assessing each individual, both in terms of whether or not to interview and whether or not to make an offer.
All of this information is flagged on the subject moderation spreadsheets for each applicant.

7. UCAS REFERENCE
Most references describe the excellent students but few describe the exceptional ones
The most helpful references:
Are consistent and specific, indicating where an applicant lies in relation to his/her peers
Emphasise the academic and the subject-related
Back the genuinely exceptional to the hilt but be realistic

8. SAMPLE REFERENCE 1
‘She is extremely well motivated and conscientious, with outstanding intellectual ability and great personal charm. An exceptionally well rounded student, she has contributed so much to the life of the school. She is an outstanding geographer with the potential to succeed at university. She has developed excellent cartographic, graphical and statistical skills. She contributes well to discussion and has made good presentations to the group. She is highly organised and expresses herself well in both oral and written and English … She is an exemplary student with an excellent academic record and impressive commitment to the school, as Deputy Head Girl, as well as to the wider community’.
GCSE: 10A*
AS: 92%

9. SAMPLE REFERENCE 2
‘She is an exceptionally gifted student – one of the most erudite and cerebral to have passed through this school. Her decision to study History at university is eminently appropriate given her long-held fascination with, and insatiable appetite for, the subject. She is a scholarly and forensic historian who responds to primary and secondary sources alike with incredible enthusiasm and commitment. Her analytical and evaluative skills are acute and her knowledge – built through reading – extensive. She has in abundance the clarity of thought and meticulousness that are needed for her intended degree … She also has a laconic sense of humour, a product of her intellectualism no doubt, and esoteric, discriminatory musical taste … It is easy to trot out platitudes in a UCAS reference but she is a superb student of immense potential, easily capable of obtaining a First at university’.
GCSE: 10 A*
AS: 92%

10. UCAS PERSONAL STATEMENT
How do we use personal statements?
To confirm appropriateness of chosen subject and course
As an embarkation-point for discussion at interview
Subject focus
Reading and other wider exploration
Personal statements must be both honest and personal
Extra-curricular activities/positions of responsibility: these are of only very marginal importance to us but some universities do look at them

11. Interviews We interview well over 80% of applicants.
In the most competitive subjects, notably Medicine and Economics, the proportion may fall to the 70-75% range.
The decision on whether or not to interview is based on whether a student would have a chance of an offer regardless of how well the interview went.
Key factors in the decision are where they fall in the College and in the University field in their subject, predicted grades being lower than the standard offer, and the absence of required subjects for the course for which they have applied.
Extenuating circumstances and contextual data taken very seriously at this stage.
The decision is taken by the College Admissions Tutor in consultation with the Director of Studies.
In Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, the BMAT marks are used and so decisions are made towards the end of November for these subjects.

12. TYPICAL PITFALLS AT INTERVIEW
Candidates have done insufficient revision/homework on:
The Cambridge course
Recent school/college work
Submitted essays (where applicable)
They cannot back up what they wrote in their UCAS personal statement
They have not read anything, or they haven’t read it analytically or critically
They try to ‘perform’ or second-guess what is going on

13. INFORMATION USED IN MAKING DECISIONS
Information considered:
Academic record
Personal statement
School or college reference
Submitted written work, where requested
Test results, where required
Interview
Contextual data
Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ)
Extenuating Circumstances Form

14. Admissions assessments for 2017 entry onwards Assessments for 2017 entry onwards
Purpose? To supplement information in your application and provide a gauge of your abilities
Type? There will be two forms of admissions assessment, one taken before the interview stage and one taken at the interview stage
Use? These assessments are not pass/fail tests – important to stress that your performance in any required written assessment won’t be considered in isolation

15. Form of assessment for each course for 2017 entry:
Courses with pre-interview assessments
Courses with at-interview written assessments
ASNC
AMES
Chemical Engineering
Economics
Engineering
English
Geography
History
History and Modern Languages
History and Politics
HSPS
Medicine
Natural Sciences
PBS
Theology
Veterinary Medicine
Archaeology
Architecture
Classics
Computer Science
Education
History of Art
Land Economy
Law
Linguistics
Modern and Medieval Languages
Philosophy

16. Further information about pre-interview assessments
Where and when?
organised by Cambridge Admissions Testing service and taken at authorised local centre (likely to be your school/college); speak to your teacher/exams officer for more information
pre-interview assessments will happen on 2 November 2016
Registration?
you have to register in advance and separately from your UCAS application
the registration deadline is different for different subjects:
if applying for Medicine or Veterinary Medicine, you will take the BMAT, for which you must register by 5.00pm on 1 October 2016
the registration for ALL OTHER subjects is 6.00pm on 15 October 2016
Cost?
there is an entry fee for BMAT
no extra cost for the other pre-interview assessments

17. FuFurther information about at-interview assessments about at-interview assessments
Where and when?
if an at-interview assessment is required, this will be taken in Cambridge at the same time as the interview
most interviews take place in the first three weeks of December
the College will provide details of arrangements for the written assessment in the letter inviting you to interview
Is there a registration requirement?
there is no need to register or be registered for written assessments at interview
if you have a disability/Specific Learning Difficulty/long-term medical condition/injury, we strongly recommend that you disclose this and provide any relevant information in your UCAS application so that appropriate adjustments are made to the interview process (incl. written assessments)
Cost?
there is no cost associated with these written assessments

18. Useful resource for pre-interview and at-interview assessments pre-interview and at-interview assessments
From mid-March sample past papers (and more information) will be available here:

19. New subjects on offer for 2017 entry onwards degrees on offer from 2017
History and Politics
an exciting new joint Honours programme; it offers subjects from the History and Politics and International Relations courses, and also new and unique papers designed to explore the space between history and politics
applicants take the pre-interview written admissions assessments
History and Modern Languages
a four-year degree that involves intensive study in language, culture, film, the history of political thought and a wide variety of modern British, European, American and world history
like other languages, the third year is spent abroad
for 2017, languages available: French, German, Russian or Spanish. An A Level/IB HL (or equivalent) is required in the relevant language to take French, German or Spanish. Russian can be taken from scratch or post-A Level/IB HL
applicants take the pre-interview assessment (History) and the at-interview assessment (Modern languages)

20. TOTAL APPLICATIONS BY COLLEGE

21. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ROBINSON
Robinson Facebook page
Robinson admissions video
Robinson essay prize
Robinson student residentials in early July
Robinson prospectus
Robinson Admissions Coordinator: Francesca Amabile
Robinson SLO: Eleanor Humphrey