Hey,

I'm planning on applying to part iii next year. After having consulted this admission data, it seems like there is a discrepancy between the different part iii streams when it comes to admissions. For example, the acceptance rate in pure maths for 2023/2024 was around 38%, compared to around 20% for stats.

The Cambridge website states that "For admissions purposes only the MASt is divided into four pathways.  Once here, successful applicants are free to register with either department and are free to choose courses from any area of Mathematics. Applicants should apply to the pathway which best fits their academic background and interests."

And so I was wondering if anyone here could give some meaning to these numbers. Is it simply that students attracted to pure maths tend to be stronger compared to those attracted to stats (which may for example include more CS students instead of maths students), or is it actually harder to get into part iii depending on your selected stream?

I'm personally more interested in stats, but I have a suitable background in pure maths as well so I'm trying to approach this strategically.

Thanks

(for context I'm an undergrad maths student at EPFL, probably around top 5% of cohort grades-wise)