Chance me in Cambridge

Applying to College
1

<p>I'm thinking of a natural science degree specifically in physical sciences</p>

<p>I took AP:
Chemistry (5), World History (5), US History (?), Physics C (5), Calculus BC (5), English Language (?)</p>

<p>Will be taking AP: Econ, Biology, English Language, Music Theory, Computer Science</p>

<p>Also will be taking Multivariable Calculus although not AP (college board does not offer)</p>

<p>Took Physics 29: Electricity & Magnetism, Wave, Modern Physics, Astronomy course at Stanford (It is a real Stanford college course which mostly freshman take at the second half of the year, or sophomore take at the beginning. And I actually think I was the only high school student in that class at the time, and most were actual Stanford students)</p>

<p>SAT: 2180</p>

<p>SAT II: 800: physics, math 2, chemistry, world history
700: Latin (it was really really hard ok!!!)</p>

<p>I don't know if UK schools look at awards but...</p>

<p>Awards: Manga Cum Laude National Latin exam (I'm actually good at Latin! I was #1 in my class)</p>

<p>AMC 12 score: 117 (school winner)
AIME score: 4</p>

<p>2nd Place in Physics Olympics in Halford College</p>

<p>1st place team in Monterey Mathletics for Math Analysis</p>

<p>And I know they don't look at EC but...</p>

<p>I created a team to compete in the national Science Bowl. We did practice hard and arranged practice sessions, but we didn't achieve far at the competition.</p>

<p>Also, I have a quick question. I've been told that Cambridge is better at math and science than Oxford, but unfortunately Cambridge does not have a physics degree while Oxford does. Is it better that I apply to Oxford if I want to study physics?</p>

2

<p>bump bump bump</p>

3

<p>First of all, Oxford has a great physics program as well as joint courses in physics and philosophy, etc. so I would definitely apply there if I were you. Remember, you can’t change majors at all, so think hard about what course you want to take and don’t apply to Cambridge just because of its science degrees in general.
Secondly, I think your chances at these schools are good, since your scores are all that’s important. You’ll probably make it to the interview stage, but be sure to complete your UCAS form correctly and on time, and be ready for the interview because it will be the deciding factor. Good luck!</p>

4

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<p>I have marked the subjects relevant with a *. The others will be ignored as they are non-science. </p>

<p>

Possibly put in personal statement. This doesn’t appear to have led to any kind of certificate or qualification, so I am not sure UK unis would really rate it.</p>

<p>

Not if the award is for Latin and you want to study Physics! Just mention the maths and physics ones in the personal statement section of UCAS. Generally leave out ECs unless they are directly relevant to the course you are applying for.</p>

<p>

This old chestnut is very boring. Over the 800+ years of their exsistance, Oxford has produced more arts scholars (Nobel prizes etc) in the arts and Cambridge has produced more in the sciences. However, that is over 800 years. This does not mean if Cambridge is the top uni for Physics that Oxford is bottom. It usually means Oxford is second, and this varies year from year. Takes it from someone who was an undergraduate at Camrbridge and a graduate at oxford, they are far more alike than they are different, and no-one is ever going to refuse you a job because you did Physics at Oxford and are therefore stupid compared to someone who went to Cambridge!</p>

<p>If you are going to do NatSci at Cambridge (which I did) bear in mind that you cannot fully specialise in Physics till the 3rd year. In the first year you will have to take other science subjects, such as Chemistry. If you want to purely specialise in Physics from year 1, apply to Oxford (or pretty much anywhere else in the UK apart from Cambridge. NatSci is a pretty unusual course).</p>

5

<p>Anyone actually want to criticize me of what I’m lacking or praise me of what I have and tell me how that it’ll affect my chances??</p>

6

<p>Hi, Maruhan.</p>

<p>Your qualification are impressive, but Cupcake makes a good point. Most universities will focus on the test scores that are relevant to the course to which you’re applying. Since many ask for a minimum number of APs or SAT IIs, I’d list all your scores of 5 on the AP and the SAT II scores you fill happy about (you may want to leave out the Latin score if youre not satisfied with it, especially as it’s unrelated to your subject of study). </p>

<p>You can mention the awards and activities in your personal statement as a way of showing that you’re a well-rounded student if you’d like the university to know about them. I would guess that the awards and the Stanford class would mean more than the Science Bowl team. Universities here aren’t nearly as concerned with extracurricular activities as they are in the USA, but it still may be worth mentioning the oes that are related to your propsed course of study.</p>

<p>Either Oxford or Cambridge would be great places to study science, so I’d read the course descriptions carefully and choose the one that sounds most like what you’re looking for. Small differences in course descriptions and titles may end up being bi differences in content. For example, do you want something that includes philosophy, as Cupcake mentioned, or a course that is purely science-based? You might want to think about your post-uni plans and choose from there.</p>

<p>I hope this helps! Good luck!</p>

<p>You may want to check out the British Council’s Education UK Website. They answer a lot of questions about applying and studying in the UK.
[Education</a> UK - Innovative. Individual. Inspirational.](<a href=“http://www.educationuk.org/pls/hot_bc/bc_all_home.page_pls_onapps_info?x=173332902212&y=0&a=0]Education”>http://www.educationuk.org/pls/hot_bc/bc_all_home.page_pls_onapps_info?x=173332902212&y=0&a=0)</p>

7

<p>Sorry to hijack thread, but how far are you in the application so far?</p>

8

<p>I was under the impression one needs to take the IELTS for applying to the UK.?</p>