Latest news
Swine Flu and Interviews (October 2009)
Applicants displaying the symptoms of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus should not travel to Cambridge for interview. In cases where applicants are unable to travel to Cambridge due to illness, contingency arrangements will be made if possible. For more information on the virus, please refer to the National Pandemic Flu Service.
Applicants unable to travel to Cambridge should inform the relevant College as soon as possible.
29 October 2009
Swine Flu and the 2010 Entry Application Deadline (October 2009)
The University of Cambridge anticipates that applicants will still be able to submit their applications electronically by the 15 October deadline, even if their school or college has been closed to students. Where schools or colleges have been required to close because of the pandemic, we would ask the referee to note this in the applicant's reference.
If an applicant finds it impossible to submit their UCAS application by 15 October for reasons relating to swine flu, then they/their school or college should contact the Cambridge Admissions Office (01223 333308) as a matter of urgency.
13 October 2009
Postal strike in the Cambridge area (August 2009)
Please note that communications by post may be slightly delayed because of on-going postal strikes in the Cambridge area. Decisions are being communicated to UCAS as soon as they are made, so applicants are advised to consult UCAS Track rather than contacting the University or Colleges by telephone at this busy time.
If no decision is showing on UCAS Track this means that you are still under consideration. Applicants in this situation are advised to continue checking UCAS Track rather than telephoning the University or Colleges, as decisions are communicated to UCAS as soon as they are made
19 August 2009
Cambridge’s use of personal statements in UCAS applications (May 2009)
Recent media reports about the use of personal statements and their value in the admissions process have created a number of misleading impressions which we want to rectify.
We would like to assure all applicants and their advisers that, when making our admissions decisions, we take into account all the information available to us, including that contained in personal statements and references.
Our admissions decisions are based upon careful, holistic assessment in which paper applications are scored by assessors in advance of interview. This involves a close reading of personal statements and references as well as consideration of examination record.
Personal statements allow students to tell us about their subject interest and this is something we almost always pursue at interview. Moreover, the University recognises that the process of writing a personal statement can help a student better understand their academic interests and intellectual motivations. This in itself is an important element in the preparation for any interview.
Our Supplementary Application Questionnaire includes specific questions that allow students to expand on or fill in gaps in their personal statements. In this way we try to ensure that we have consistent, salient information about all our applicants.
Teachers' references often play a significant role in our judgements because they represent the views of people who know an applicant well academically. Contrary to some comment, references are far from all the same and they really do help us distinguish among our many very good applicants.
29 May 2009