Cambridge Applications

As an overseas applicant from outside the EU, I had to download the Cambridge Overseas Application Form from here.

The form there is a pdf, so you most print out the hardcopy and physically take a pen to write everything in. My post here is on showing what I wrote for the sections in the form which may not be completely self explanatory. Please note that since the form must be filled in by hand, you need to plan carefully how to squeeze in everything you want to write. Be prepared to fill in the form multiple times as you are bound to make mistakes on a paper form. I redid my form at least five times to make sure there were no visible mistakes.

The course I applied for was Mathematics. More specifically, Mathematics with Physics, a course which allows you to choose to take the natural sciences track (physical) after your first year in Cambridge if you choose to do so. If you are planning to do Mathematics at Cambridge, or UK, do think about taking the STEP the year you apply, as taking the STEP is compulsory for students seeking to do Mathematics at Cambridge. I didn’t plan to apply for Mathematics at Cambridge at first; I had planned to do Physics initially, so I received the STEP as part of my conditional offer.

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Are there any aspects of the course at Cambridge that attracted you to apply here?
I have a deep interest in both Mathematics and Physics, so the Mathematical Tripos is very attractive as it provides a rigorous grounding in both subjects, which are highly dependent on each other. The Mathematics department has world class research laboratories in many areas of Physics which I am interested in, such as Astrophysics. I hope to eventually take up a research project in my time there if admitted. I intend to apply for Mathematics with Physics as it allows me to decide later on if I prefer to specialize in Physics, or continue with Mathematics. I believe the rigorous grounding in Mathematics at Cambridge would enable me to succeed in whichever path I choose to take.

Fees and Funding
Residential category as given on your UCAS application: other
Fee code as given on your UCAS application: 09 overseas Agency
Source of funding(?): Scholarship application pending: Agency for Science, Technology, and Research; Defence Science and Technology Agency.

Were you able to take all the AS and A level (or equivalent) subjects you wanted? Please comment.
Yes, NUS High School being a school specially catered for mathematically and scientifically inclined students allowed me to read triple sciences and Mathematics.

Approximately how many students were/ are in your classes last year and this year?
Average size of class: Put the number of students in your ENTIRE level. My year was 88, so I wrote that in.
Level: NUS High School Diploma.
Subject: English Language; Mathematics major with honours; Biology major with honours; chemistry major with honours; physics major with honours

Can your school of college provide extra lessons, or other help if needed, to support preparation for Cambridge applicants?
No

Qualifications completed
List everything that gives bragging rights here. Even if you have already wrote them on the UCAS online form.
Example:
Date taken: 08/2009
Awarding body: Australia Science Innovations
Subject: Rio Tinto Big Science Competition
Level: Grade 12
Result: Distinction

Qualifications being studied/ not yet completed
List your schools
Example:
Month.Year: 12/2009
Awarding body: 1P/ Diploma
Subject: Biology Major with Honours
Level: NUS High School Diploma
Leave blank (I cancelled this out and wrote “Cumulative results so far”): 4.57/5.00

SAT Results
Example:
Date taken: 06/2009
Test: SAT II
Results: Biology(M), 790/800
Planning to retake: No

Modular AS/A level units taken
N/A

Modular AS/A level units currently being studied
N/A

Personal Statement
Enclose a copy of your UCAS personal statement

Optional additional personal statement
As an incorrigible scientist with a passion for the arts, I believe Churchill College will be a good fit for me because it emphasizes science and technology as well as humanities and the arts, which I believe complement each other. Subjects such as political science increasingly rely on analytical techniques like game theory to predict and explain outcomes, while research increasingly needs to take into account ethics before deciding on further directions. One hobby of mine is knitting and crocheting. There s a certain rigid pattern to making beautiful knitted pieces because one must be careful about the regularity of the knitting stitches done. The mathematical structure underlying lacy patterns fascinates me. for example, one must be careful with how the yfwd increase correlates with a knit decrease to scallop the edge of the piece evenly. There are many existing patterns, and I believe there are yet more beautiful patterns which can be discovered more quickly with the aid of a computer. Personally, I would prefer to research crochet patterns as most of them till today cannot be reproduced by machines, a great pity as crochet is admittedly a very tedious process if one is short of time, an all too common phenomenon today.

Very long paragraph to write, you can imagine what pains I took to squeeze it in that tiny space given in the form. Don’t hesitate to throw away a page if you think it’s smudged and doesn’t look nice.

Reference
Ask your referee to fill this part in. For the predicted grades, last year we were told to put down our average CAPs for your subject combination we had at the point of applying. Also ask your referee to print a copy of the reference he wrote for your UCAS application.

Payment
When you paid online to apply to Cambridge (£55 last year), you will receive an email receipt. Print this out and enclose in your application.

Notes
Photocopy/ scan a few copies of your Cambridge application form. Give a set to the college counselor and keep one for yourself. Just in case something gets lost in the mail, and also for you to read before your interview, to remind yourself of what you wrote. Some people choose to send a copy of the NUS High Diploma to Cambridge after it was ready. Not something I did, but it sounds like a good idea to me.

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There was supposed to be a get-together for all the Cambridge applicants at our school to group in the college counselor's office together and send off everything at one go. However, I did not join them as I had to fix a mistake I made. To avoid being late, I got Fedex (speed postal service) to send it over.

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A few months later, about everyone who applied got an email asking them to take a test and interview held at HCJC. For me, my test came first. It was a test on mathematics questions. To practice for it, I downloaded past year STEP papers and practiced them, and fished out my sister’s old A Level Mathematics papers and did them. Even then, I couldn’t finish the paper.

My interview was held a few days later. The night before, I practiced somemore STEP questions. I also checked the Cambridge website to view the mock interviews for an application for Mathematics. The interview is almost purely academic; you will be asked to tackle Mathematics questions. I arrived half an hour early and waited outside.

My interviewer was a Dr. Stuart Martin. I was told that the friend of a friend had him as an interviewer a few years back also. If you've played "pass the message", some things get lost in transit. When I first got into the (cold) interview room, Dr. Martin was looking through what looked like a photocopy of my Cambridge application form. There were also lots of pieces of blank paper and pens lying around on the table, so the interviewer could write down a question and the applicant could do their working there. He saw that I had written something on liking astrophysics, so I got a question relating to differentiation and the Hubble constant. I managed to do it.

My next question was on number theory. I got half the question correct. If I had more time, I could have done the whole thing, but well… The question was: When we consider all the prime numbers between two powers of 10, e.g. numbers between 50 to 60, we have 11, 13, 17, 19 as the primes between 10 and 20. Can this scenario ever be repeated?

After that, he told me a bit about Churchill College, and that Mathematics with Physics is one of the toughest courses in Cambridge. I was also asked what would happen if I didn’t succeed in getting a scholarship to Cambridge in the event I was given a place.

Admit rate to Mathematics at Cambridge
A very reliable source in our school (someone within the senior admin) said that one to two people from Singapore get admitted each year as the Mathematics course is very competitive and tough. However, a current mathmo (slang for a mathematics student at Cambridge) told me that Cambridge tends to offer more places to applicants seeking admission for Mathematics, since they think that some people might not be able to fulfill the STEP condition. You decide what to think.

After I was awarded a conditional place in Newnham College (for women only), I was sent an application form for a partial grant from the Cambridge Bursary fund. I had to do a writeup on things like: Why I wanted to study at Cambridge, my ambitions, interests, and achievements. I also had to ask a referee to answer some questions. I was told to mail in financial proof of an estimate of my funds available.

In almost every school, your showing proof of being able to finance your way throughout your years there is a condition of matriculation, even if you have already been admitted.