When an admissions officer first opens an application, what are they looking for? Is there something that tends to immediately capture their attention or make an applicant stand out?
A student should talk in detail about their academic interests and motivation for applying to their chosen course. The best personal statements show a pattern and logic in an applicant’s academic engagement. For example, writing about the connections between the students’ academic interests or how one academic interest led to another.
Conversely, are there particular aspects of an application that might raise concerns or lead to an applicant being ruled out at an early stage?
I’d advise students not to include lots of information about non-academic activities that are not related to their chosen course, as these activities will not increase their chances of receiving a Cambridge offer (but other universities may place importance on them). Instead, students could reference how their school studies have led them to develop their academic interests outside of school, but they shouldn’t include lots of information about learning they have done in class.
An over-reliance on AI also carries risks – it may generate ‘false claims’ about the student’s personal achievements or produce poor quality output, which can weaken their chances of success.
How does the assessment process work once an application has been submitted? Is an application typically reviewed by one admissions officer, or does it involve several people? How do different members of the admissions team and College contribute to the final decision, and how do you ensure consistency when different people may have different views?
Colleges are entirely responsible for Undergraduate Admission to the University of Cambridge. Admissions Tutors at the College a student applied to (or was allocated to if submitting an open application) will review their application. Admissions Tutors will consider all the information in the application.
How does Cambridge take an applicant’s individual educational context into account? For example, how might you assess a student whose opportunities, school curriculum or academic background differ significantly from those of other applicants?
Section 1 of the UCAS reference is dedicated to providing information about the school’s context. For example, for applications outside of the UK, a teacher writing the reference can mention:
- proportion of students from the student’s school that typically apply to study in UK universities each year
- length of time the school has been teaching qualifications taken by the applicant
- school policy on the production or content of transcripts
When an applicant has excellent grades, what else can influence the decision? How do you assess factors such as admissions tests, interviews, submitted work and the wider application, and what does “academic potential” look like in practice?
Applications are considered holistically, taking all aspects into account. No part of the application is considered in isolation. To make an application stand out, a student should explore the subject that they’re interested in beyond what they have learned about it at school. Academic potential shows that a student:
- has their own thoughts and opinions, critical thinking and analytical skills
- can consider different points of view and arguments
- is curious about the world and open to new ideas
- feels confident that they‘ve picked an area of study that’s right for them
- is passionate and enthusiastic about their subject
What is the interview designed to reveal that cannot be seen from the written application alone? And what distinguishes a strong interview from simply giving the “right” answers?
Interviews are designed to reflect the Supervision teaching system at Cambridge and are academic conversations about the subject a student is interested in studying. Interviews give Admissions Tutors more of a chance to find out about students’ strengths and their current understanding of their chosen subject area. They will also help to assess whether a student will thrive in the Cambridge learning environment, which is why they reflect the Supervision system. An interview will also help to show the students’ ability to think critically, their enthusiasm for their subject and their openness to new ideas, which may not always come across in the written application.
Can you explain what the Supervision teaching system is?
Supervisions are small group discussions about the topic you’re studying. It will be led by a specialist (a supervisor) in the subject area and they usually last an hour. The number of supervisions you have each week will vary depending on which course you’re studying, but all courses at Cambridge include them. Cambridge students prepare for their supervisions by reading, writing an essay or working on some problems and will be expected to contribute to the conversation – the interview is partly designed to identify who would thrive within this unique teaching style.
Cambridge courses can have very specific academic requirements. How much flexibility is there when an applicant narrowly misses the published entry requirements? Are there circumstances in which the University might still make an offer?
A student needs to be predicted to meet the entry requirements for the course at the College they are applying to. Some Colleges usually make offers above the minimum offer level.
Once Cambridge decides to make an offer, how is the level and content of that offer determined? Are there circumstances in which two applicants for the same course might receive different offers?
As some Colleges usually make offers above the minimum offer level, two applicants from the same course may receive different offer conditions.
What is one thing you wish students and school counselors better understood about what happens after an application is submitted to Cambridge?
I wish they both understood that there are so many brilliant resources online to help students prepare for an interview, particularly on various College’s YouTube channels. These give insight into what to expect in an interview and what Admissions Tutors are looking for, they can also help to clear up any misconceptions.
Also, once a student has applied, their application is being considered by Admissions Tutors at the College they applied to or were allocated to. Unlike other universities, there is not a centralized Undergraduate Admissions Team.
About the Author
Emily Ferris is Regional Manager (Europe) at University of Cambridge.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to email internationaladmissions@admin.can.ac.uk. Good luck to all your students with this year’s applications!
