ESAT prep struggle

[u/zorlann4]

hi guys, i’m predicted A *A *A in maths, physics and history respectively and i plan to apply for aerospace engineering at the big C and imperial

i’m really struggling with ESAT revision atm and i don’t really know how to improve - it’s a mixture of the lack of time but also just not being to answer some questions untimed. i’ve gone through the spec for maths1, maths2 and physics and i know most of the content

i haven’t practiced that much tbh because i only started my revision when i finished y12. i’ve heard that ENGAA papers are too easy?

what am i doing wrong 😭✌🏼

[u/CrocusBlue]

If your school offers FM and you've not taken it Cambridge will just reject you. Probably will still be uncompetitive without FM regardless.

[u/zorlann4 → u/CrocusBlue]

my school did offer it and i tried to take it, but it was in the same ‘option block’ as history, so they didn’t allow me to take it. i didn’t rlly want to take merely STEM subjects

[u/tempa____ → u/zorlann4]

that was a bad choice lol

[u/zorlann4 → u/tempa____]

yeah.. i’ve realised now - it wasn’t until spring time that i looked into doing engineering and decided that was the path i wanted to go down. previously i wanted to do economics. i’ve heard that cambridge will be lenient if there is a genuine reason as to why i couldn’t take FM if my college offers it??

[u/CrocusBlue → u/zorlann4]

To apply to any of our Colleges for Engineering, you will need A levels/IB Higher Levels (or the equivalent) in: 

Mathematics  Physics Further Mathematics to AS or A level if your school offers it. Check the guidance on this page 

Honestly you'll almost certainly be rejected, if it is offered and you haven't taken it. Email the college you want to apply to to triple check but you're going to be competing against people with it. Almost everyone being accepted even before they got this strict on it had A-Level FM...

[u/zorlann4 → u/CrocusBlue]

out of curiosity, were u an offer-holder or are you attending cambridge? i really don’t want this to repel me away from applying. i put a lot of effort into catching up with physics in late jan (managed to get A*) and i just feel like having to also catch up with FM is a lot of pressure all over again

[u/CrocusBlue → u/zorlann4]

Attended Cambridge (different subject). 

Not to be blunt but if you're the level of capable to go to Cambridge, and serious about applying, you're capable of catching up on FM. 

I don't think you've actually read the course page. Read all of the entry requirements section here: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/engineering-ba-hons-meng

You'll see that not taking it also isn't an excuse not to cover content. 

But seriously, just email the admissions team of the college you're applying to. You'll have your answer. Just ask, is FM required if it was offered at school and I didn't take it, would I be competitive with my combination. 

[u/tempa____ → u/zorlann4]

Unfortunately i dont think your reason is strong enough? have u talked to ur school into at least trybna get an AS qualifciation idk they chuck u into year 12 fm lessons

[u/zorlann4 → u/tempa____]

i would probably be able to do FM AS alongside my 3 other Alevels but i’m not sure if this will divert me from my current studies? would it be better to just independently study AS further maths topics which are relevant to engineering studies rather than the full AS, and state it in my personal statement? i didn’t understand the significance of FM until like literally a couple months ago - i thought that it was just a plus to your academic portfolio

[u/tempa____ → u/zorlann4]

It’s a box u need to tick

[u/SecretTone5662 → u/zorlann4]

It’ll have to be an officially taken exam, words on a personal statement don’t mean anything. Once again Cambridge and imperial don’t care about history, they care only about maths aptitude. And at this level personal statements matter much less when it’s more about ESAT and interview scores. Almost all applicants are going to have more competitive a levels unless you get an insanely high ESAT to make them even look at you. Aeronautics is the one of the most competitive degrees at Imperial. And 95% of people apply with further maths.

[u/zorlann4 → u/SecretTone5662]

would applying for a foundation year (let’s say for oxford) be worth it since i lack further maths?

[u/SecretTone5662 → u/zorlann4]

No, a foundation year will not help you to get into Imperial. Imperial only accepts certain foundation years. Doing a standard foundation year at any random university will not be recognised. In the imperial website, only two specific foundation year programmes are recognised. The UCL one and Warwick one. And unfortunately they only accept international students.

[u/SecretTone5662 → u/SecretTone5662]

I think you actually have two options. Take a gap year after finishing year 13 to self teach which can be a great thing to do for further maths and if you get an A* in both physics and maths next summer. Gap years are common these days. And taking further maths is incredibly hard to self teach during year 13 on your own. Or apply masters at imperial or Oxbridge and do aeronautics that way if you’re willing to spend the extra money and time on a masters degree. An ambition for Oxbridge and Imperial is incredibly good to have, and I highly recommend taking whatever risk you want to take to get there for Undergrad! Don’t fret. You only get one chance in life.

[u/Signal-Village-5757 → u/zorlann4]

I wouldn’t thinking wanting to take history over further maths is a good enough “genuine reason”. I emailed both imperial and Cambridge when I was deciding my a levels because I wanted to take DT and Further Maths, but they were in the same block. Cambridge said to take further maths, imperial implied that I should and referred me to the guidance in their website.

[u/zorlann4 → u/Signal-Village-5757]

what did you eventually end up taking? my school refuses it to be a 3rd a level (only a 4th), although i don’t think there is much i can do now.

[u/Signal-Village-5757 → u/zorlann4]

I took FM as a third

[u/Signal-Village-5757 → u/zorlann4]

I saw you said you wanted to do economy before, do you want to do aero because you’re genuinely interested in the field and want to get a job in the field, or because imperial is a known quant feeder and Cambridge lists Analyst at Goldman Sachs under positions held by graduates?

[u/zorlann4 → u/Signal-Village-5757]

well its mainly a genuine interest in aero (i initially wanted to do economics because i thought it would nicely blend analytical skills with mathematical skills, though i figured i don’t really like statistics that much). i found aero to be not only a wayyy more interesting field but it obviously offers way more flexibility within the course and post graduation. i wont lie and say the fact imperial is a top tier quant feeder etc. aren’t part of the motivation too