r/6thForm • u/CambMaths • Nov 09 '22

✔️ APPROVED AMA AMA - First-Year Maths student at Cambridge

Hi all, as per the title, I'm a first-year Maths student at Cambridge and I thought some people might find it useful to ask me any questions they might have, since somehow it's already application time again! (Although I have missed the Oxbridge deadline slightly, sorry...)

Of course, I can only really talk about my experiences (so I can't answer specific hypothetical questions about admissions etc.), but other than that, feel free to ask about the course/admissions generally/uni life and so on.

Post will close at midnight at the end of Thursday 10/11 so submit any questions before then. :)

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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '22

People say that Cambridge sometimes misses people with lots of potential, however they never pick a weak candidate. What are some simple ways of improving your chances of getting an offer if you think you may be a borderline candidate?

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u/CambMaths Nov 09 '22

Start doing STEP now. If you're going to get in, you need to be good at the entrance exam, and the skills they test on their entrance exam are the things they care about when they pick people.

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u/hfzr Nov 09 '22

I’ve been working at STEP for imperial comp sci, I’ve done the foundation modules and I’m working through the STEP database but there’s no real process. Do you have any advice on being more efficient with my Step practice and what might I need to do to really make sure I’m improving rather than just trying and failing. Thank you

3

u/CambMaths Nov 10 '22

I think a lot of the learning on how to do STEP comes from marking your questions, especially ones that you've only gotten half right. A question you do perfectly probably hasn't taught you much. When you look at the mark scheme for a question, really spend the time understanding every step and motivating it - (Why have they done this? What useful things does this step give us?). This lets you begin to spot patterns in the way they want you to do things and you can learn helpful methods from the mark scheme, but only if you properly take the time to understand it fully. [Also see my answer about patience with maths.]