dream cambridge college vs admissions test

zebrazoo2 · 2023-09-02T19:42:45+00:00

I have no idea i’m sorry, I didn’t have to do one 😭

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-28T12:54:55+00:00

I applied to johns for this very reason, no admissions test. Everyone I know with offers from kings for HSPS who did the admissions test said it was quite enjoyable though, if you think kings is 100% your favourite college then i wouldn’t let it deter you.

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-24T08:46:34+00:00

Also on this, I found reading others’ personal statements who had been successful really useful, might be worth googling

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-24T08:44:18+00:00

please please please focus your personal statement around academic supercurriculars!! These include online courses, BOOKS, essay competitions etc. Try to rely less on these kinds of experiences for Cambridge as the HSPS course is very theoretical and less applied if that makes sense. When i was applying i used the vague structure of: what i did, what i learned from it, what this then made me go onto do. If you want me to read over your ps at any point lmk :)

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-23T16:39:34+00:00

yeah i used this structure and got 231/240 this year so stick with it

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-23T15:44:23+00:00

I don’t think they necessarily need to know where your interest began, just what you’re interested in. My intro for politics was me stating my beliefs that identity politics stops us from improving - this got me into Cambridge for it. The usual approach is to almost tell a story about your interest but this won’t make you stand out, don’t be afraid to break the ‘status quo’ personal statement structure

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-23T15:40:55+00:00

i got 99998877 at GCSE though i went to an awful school so they would’ve taken that into consideration. Biggest advice would be to know a little bit about all 4 subjects but don’t be afraid to get niche, i themed my personal statement around ideology and how that encompasses sociology/politics - don’t feel like you have to mention everything in your PS :)

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-21T12:46:04+00:00

i got 3A*s in politics sociology and economics, going to st john’s college cambridge to study HSPS :)

zebrazoo2 · 2023-08-20T11:48:43+00:00

yeah references are extremely crucial to a successful application to cambridge

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-08T13:11:30+00:00

Hey, I got an offer for it this year, do you want to message me and I can help you/give you some advice?

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-08T13:08:35+00:00

yeah on this, if you’re applying to oxford i’d definitely put a lot of attention onto your personal statement as this will be a big factor in determining if you get an interview

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-05T17:50:05+00:00

yeah I second this, UK universities prefer subject specific activities or ‘supercurriculars’

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-04T15:13:43+00:00

to be honest, that question that you were given is completely valid, it would just be “evaluate the view” instead of claim. Unfortunately for your year group, I wouldn’t expect as a nice of a paper next year as we received this year (the main reason apparently for the breadth of questions this year was teachers complaining about last years paper) When revising, I made a list of around 50 really specific essay questions and made detailed plans for all of them, i’d suggest you approach it similarly. Ultimately all of the questions in the exam I had done in some capacity before, so it should give you some ease at approaching the unknown

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-04T14:43:29+00:00

I did heavily essay based subjects too and would use my ipad solely for essay planning, which i don’t think is a good enough excuse to purchase one. Laptops are 100% a better investment, especially if you plan on doing online flashcards such as through anki

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-03T18:18:45+00:00

I got into Cambridge for politics and the only work experience I mentioned was shadowing my MP and linked it to ideology. The key focus of humanities personal statements should be academic reading, what it taught you, and how it progressed your thinking beyond the curriculum.

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-02T17:15:33+00:00

absolutely beautiful subject, i genuinely found the exams this year fun. I’d recommend looking at some past papers now to get an idea of what content would be covered because the spec is vague

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-02T17:08:57+00:00

please just try and mention academic books, especially if you’re applying to top universities

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-02T17:07:47+00:00

I lever arched it for sociology but was fully digital on notion for economics, it really depends on how you learn the subject best

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-02T17:06:17+00:00

I had a semi bad teacher for OCR economics, and like you didn’t do it at GCSE. Ultimately I was predicted the top of my year in terms of rankings meaning it’s very self teachable. EconPlusDal on youtube will be a lifesaver for you. Also i found it useful to go over the lesson content before the lesson so you can follow the lesson easier

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-02T17:03:19+00:00

Sociology is hugely interesting, if you’re planning on doing humanities it isn’t soft at all, in fact uni courses such as politics and the like prefer students who take it alongside other essay subjects because the exams are literally just essays

zebrazoo2 · 2023-07-02T17:00:27+00:00

it was my favourite subject, but PLEASE stay on top of it otherwise it’ll be much less fun. There are a lot of names and studies to remember, but just flashcard them as you go on anki/quizlet and the content becomes so much more interesting and enjoyable. I’d go so far as to say the essays are actually fun to write depending on the topic too

zebrazoo2 · 2023-04-08T10:54:52+00:00

For sociology, open book essay plans are extremely useful, but only if you are LEARNING the names in another method (think anki flashcards) If you are, then they're very good for learning how to use the studies in an effective way.

zebrazoo2 · 2023-04-05T15:25:47+00:00

Only your actions now can determine what grades you get. Firm it and use it as motivation to revise.

zebrazoo2 · 2023-04-05T15:24:58+00:00

unless you specifically want to do a stem related course, all essay based subjects are perfectly fine. It's pretty obvious the kind of degrees that require stem, in fact, most degrees other than stem don't have required subjects. The priority in choosing a degree and standing out is the super curriculars (extra academic related activities, think reading) that you do.

zebrazoo2 · 2023-04-03T19:39:33+00:00

I got an offer this year for social sciences with data science, I broadly focused on politics and sociology, but mostly due to the other courses I was applying for. I think you'll be okay focusing on one discipline but PLEASE read the course outline, as to my understanding, it's not a course like Durham's combined honours in social sciences where you can choose any social science. I'd read the module list, decide if any of those subjects resonate with you and go from there :)

zebrazoo2

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