A GUIDE TO ADMISSIONS IN ENGINEERING

Transcription

1 A GUIDE TO ADMISSIONS IN ENGINEERING GEOFF PARKS DIRECTOR OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS ADMISSIONS 29 Colleges admit undergraduates to read Engineering 4 Colleges admit only mature students (Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund s and Wolfson) 3 Colleges admit only women (Lucy Cavendish, Murray Edwards and Newnham)

2 OPEN APPLICATIONS You can apply to a particular College or make an Open application If you make an Open application, your application is allocated to a College that has fewer than the average number of applications in your subject Saves you the bother of choosing a College Evens out the interviewing load for us Makes no difference to your chances of getting a place at Cambridge EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCES FORM The form should be used where your education has been seriously disrupted or disadvantaged through health or personal problems, disability or difficulties with schooling The form is completed and submitted by your school/college (or a care professional) This then enables the Cambridge Colleges to assess your application fairly

3 ADMISSIONS PROCESS I Apply to UCAS by October 15 Complete online SAQ Interview (normally in December) Decision (early in January) ONLINE SAQ You are asked to complete this online after you have applied Space for you to supplement your UCAS personal statement Enables you to provide us with useful information not on the UCAS application, e.g. AS/A2 UMS scores

4 ADMISSIONS PROCESS II 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 reassessment of applicants where indicators disagree To allow moderation comparison of applicants across Colleges before offers are made

5 ADMISSIONS PROCESS III Pool Yes No Offer Yes Pool interview (early in January) No Sorry CHOOSING A COLLEGE I Colleges are much more alike than they are different Whatever your College, the lectures you go to and the coursework you do will be exactly the same If you stop 100 current Cambridge students and ask them to recommend a College, 99 will recommend their own

6 CHOOSING A COLLEGE II Do not pick a College because you think it will be easier to get into all subjects have moderation procedures to ensure that the best applicants across the University are admitted Do not attach too much importance to the differences in admissions procedures between the Colleges CHOOSING A COLLEGE III Factors you might consider: Age, size or location Provision of accommodation Provision of sporting, musical or drama facilities

7 CHOOSING A COLLEGE IV More factors you might consider: The number of Engineering students typically admitted each year The number of Engineers on the Fellowship The types (mature, women only) of students admitted CHOOSING A COLLEGE V Factors you should consider: Academic requirements Colleges attitudes to deferred entry

8 ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS All Colleges require Maths and Physics A Levels (or their equivalent) All Colleges require Chemistry for Chemical Engineering All Colleges strongly prefer applicants to be doing 3 Science/Maths/Technology A Levels A balance of academic and vocational qualifications also acceptable, e.g. Maths A Level + BTEC National Certificate 3 RD A LEVEL SUBJECT COLLEGE PREFERENCES Strongly Somewhat Preferred Preferred Desirable Chemistry Computing Design & Technology Electronics Further Maths Economics Modern Language Further Maths A Level is normally required by 8 Colleges Further Maths AS Level (including M1 and M2) is normally required by 20 Colleges

9 FURTHER MATHS (FM) I In practice, about a third of the students admitted to study Engineering at Cambridge have not done FM A Level What Colleges are looking for is high ability in maths Colleges are aware that not all schools/ colleges offer FM A Level, and will not discriminate against applicants who have not had the chance to take it FURTHER MATHS (FM) II If your school/college does offer FM, you should seriously consider taking it If you have recognised the desirability of FM too late to take the full A Level if you take FM AS Level in Year 13 and concentrate on FP and M units, you will not be at a serious disadvantage Students in England and Wales should be able to get support for the study of FM from the Further Mathematics Support Programme

10 TYPICAL OFFERS A Levels: A*A*A or A*A*AA or A*A*AB Welsh Bac: A*A*A on A Level components Advanced Highers: AAA International Baccalaureate: 40 points with 776 in Higher Level subjects Cambridge Pre-U: D2 or D3 in Principal Subjects STEP / AEA Some Colleges may include the requirement to take STEP or AEA in Maths in their conditional offers for Engineering Details of Colleges attitudes on this are given in the Guide to Admissions in Engineering

11 DEFERRED ENTRY 4 Colleges strongly encourage deferred entry for Engineering 2 Colleges encourage deferred entry 23 Colleges are neutral on the issue 0 Colleges discourage deferred entry for Engineering INDUSTRIAL PLACEMENT COORDINATOR CUED has a full-time Industrial Placement Coordinator, whose role is to help deferred entrants and undergraduates find suitable industrial experience He will help students holding (conditional or unconditional) offers to find gainful gap year employment

12 GAP YEAR PLACEMENTS There are a number of organisations offering gap year placements to budding engineers, most notably the Year in Industry If you are a Cambridge calibre engineering student, you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to find a suitable placement WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? High achievement in relevant subjects Maths (including Further Maths) Physics Other science/technology subjects

13 HIGH ACHIEVEMENT? HIGH ACHIEVEMENT?

14 WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? Enthusiasm for and commitment to Engineering Relevant hobbies and interests; Participation in the Engineering Education Scheme, Headstart and/or similar activities; Relevant work experience placements; Planned participation in the Year In Industry or similar schemes; The seeking of industrial sponsorship. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? Thinking skills Can you use existing knowledge in unfamiliar situations? How well do you assimilate new information? Can you see the connections between different but related situations? Can you link your Maths and Physics knowledge to develop mathematical models of real-world situations? Are you willing to experiment with new ideas? If given a hint, can you run with it or do you need to be spoon fed?

15 WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR? Understanding Can you demonstrate understanding of basic principles or do you only think in equations? Analytical skills Are your basic mathematical/analysis skills sound or is your working inaccurate/errorprone? Time management skills Can you handle a demanding workload? MORE ADMISSIONS INFORMATION Guide To Admissions In Engineering Cambridge University Undergraduate Prospectus Individual College Admissions Offices and websites available on CUED website:

16 ANOTHER USEFUL WEBSITE IF YOU HAVE DETAILED QUESTIONS Go to the Directors of Studies desk in LR4 ( ) Try to catch me later Ask now (if there is any time left)

17 ANY QUESTIONS