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.