My very unusual uni offers (including Cambridge)

[@annajones9701]

Funny I got offer from Oxford but rejected from York. Both had same entry grade requirements.

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Yeah it's weird when that happens, but congratulations on Oxford!

[@edmund184]

it's becoming like a circus, isn't it?

[@Sxn.teehee]

Can I know what gcses you got?

[@flipzappa893]

So he did 5 A-levels. Two of which were maths and further maths; renowned for being some of the top hardest A-levels. Then he did an EPQ. And finally, to top it off he got 5 A*s

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Ngl I actually found biology my hardest A-level

[@atm__03]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice facts biology exams built diff frfr

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

subscribe or you'll get into Oxf*rd 0:00 Introduction 0:23 What I applied for 0:58 Summary of A-levels I did 1:25 Sheffield Offer 2:14 Bristol Offer 2:47 Bath Offer 3:18 Durham Offer (and I get triggered) 5:14 Cambridge Offer

[@Guresu]

You smart, smart, boy 😂😂

[@christy.c15]

heyyy grace :33

[@Guresu]

@@christy.c15 heyyyyyy

[@steeldoubloon19]

This is so weird I saw a guy who got 5A* and was rejected from Cambridge, guess he wasn’t what they wanted in the interview.

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Yeah it sometimes can be hard to understand how people with 5 A*s can be rejected and people with 3 As or lower can be accepted. Ultimately, they aren't just looking for someone with grades but someone who also has a genuine interest in their subject and who is receptive to the Oxbridge style of teaching (i.e. with supervisions and tutorials).

[@bensonkwok951]

Tbh 5A*s don’t really mean anything People with 3 high A*s are more likely to succeed in a uni course than people with 5 low-mid A*s

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

@@bensonkwok951 I don't think it's fair to say "5A*s don't really mean anything" because getting 5 top grades is no meaningless feat, and I'm not sure if there's enough statistics to show that people with 3 high A*s do significantly better at university than people with 5 low to mid A*s, though I do understand your point that more A*s doesn't necessarily make you a better student than people with fewer A*s.

[@bensonkwok951]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice sorry this was kind of out of context. In private schools/feeder schools, many people who aren’t really that good can easily get 5A*s because they literally spend all day studying and learn for the sake of exams. This doesn’t mean they are suitable for Oxbridge. However, people who get 5A*s without “help” from their schools are no doubt very good. I’m just saying someone from a private school/feeder school with 5A*s doesn’t mean they are any better than someone from a state/grammar school with 3A*s (If they were given the resources, they would have gotten 5A*s as well)

[@bensonkwok951]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice well I guess it’s also from personal experience. There are a few people in my set who were predicted 5A*s (which is a fair prediction) but got rejected by Cambridge meanwhile people who were eager to ask questions and learn beyond the exam syllabus with less A*s (3 or 4) got accepted. I wouldn’t say getting 5A*s is anywhere near a guarantee for a place at Cambridge.

[@black1blade74]

My natsci offer was fucking grim, A* in physics and chemistry, A in fm after already having an A* in maths from year12. I think it's cus in the interview I ballsed up the physics and chem Qs but breezed through all the maths stuff. Got all A*s tho (like most people doing natsci...) so it was chill.

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Congratulations on getting it! Though to be fair isn't your offer essentially the standard offer of A*A*A? I've got friends in your position who got 3 A* offers, sometimes excluding the A* from maths A-level done in year 12.

[@black1blade74]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice I think the specification was the scary part for me tho you're right, could have been worse haha.

[@Sobiaaaaaa]

I don't understand how you achieved such good grades i can just about achieve C's😭

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Work smart + work hard + luck :) I go through some of my tips here if you're interested: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4e7gINmqturjNk

[@lintz_lin]

Hello, I am going to do 3 A2 levels in the next year and 4 AS this year. Will Oxbridge universities count the additional AS or will they just ignore it?

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

They will see it on your application and if you get a good grade then that's going to look good on your application, though it is unlikely to be included in your offer. It'll also look better if it's in a subject relevant to the degree you're applying for.

[@lintz_lin]

​@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice Thank you very much! Also, I am living in Turkey and attending a dual education system (British and Turkish) school; therefore I will get a Turkish highschool diploma after I graduate. Will this diploma help for the application if I have a very high score (like an average of 98%)?

[@dff9384]

what does it mean "excluding general studies" at the end of the offer from Cambridge?

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

General Studies is a kind of A-level, but some places like Cambridge don't include it in offers because they don't consider it academic enough.

[@ritakings3862]

Why didn’t you do Alevel Persian ? All Persian students get the easiest A* from Persian. And it counts as an Alevel too.

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

My Persian isn't good enough unfortunately 😢

[@emina8700]

Hi, this comment is much later than when the vid was posted so hopefully you see this! I want to apply for natural sciences at Cambridge because I want to still study chemistry and maths as well as biology, however other unis dint offer this, what shall I apply for at other unis when I genuinely want a mix of things not just one subject such as biology?

[@hello-pi2yo]

idk how i stumbled on this video but literally subscribed and liked cos ur fit. OxbridgeTimothotee Chalamet keep it up.

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

nice

[@ピアノマン-k1y]

This whole comment was a bruh moment.

[@athmis4828]

Did you just call him timothotee 😭

[@PhoebeJones]

Amazing!

[@alancherian8543]

can you do a video about your personal statement?

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Can do! But I give personal statement in some videos already such as this kzbin.info/www/bejne/qWqTeYaQl9F9pNE

[@judepope6196]

Hi Ilya! So, all universities except Cambridge did count your Dutch A level. Is this true? That because I am also to Uni's with French A level, which I am a native speaker at. Do you think I should be worried about whether different Uni's will accept it (Especially Imperial ) ? I am applying to ( Imperial, UCL, KCL, Edinburgh, Bristol ).

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Cambridge and Bath didn't count Dutch, but that could be partially because I did it in year 12 and not year 13. If you do it in year 13, I think universities are much more likely to accept it. Also, French A-level is a much more well-recognised and robust A-level (even native speakers might struggle) so together with this I think it's much more likely to be counted.

[@japreet_kah]

Cant believe you know your results, I'm still bloody waiting to hear back its a joke! Edit: by results i mean offers from uni

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Tbf l did apply 3 years ago

[@japreet_kah]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice never knew you could apply in such advance

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Me neither

[@edmund184]

So you can do a degree without the relevant A level now??

[@liangchen4679]

wtf the durham offer is so funny

[@laurenamber3709]

Hi! Can I ask a question? I’m in year 11. I’m aiming for physics - 9 maths - 7 comp science - 8. I got into a really good college (taking those subjects) but they are subjects I REALLY struggle in. It’s my goal to study computer science at Cambridge, but I need all the help I can get to improve myself enough to get a level a*’s. I know about supercurricular activities and extra studies on the subject you want to take. But I know that computer science is one of the most competitive degrees to get into, and I have no idea what a levels will be like. Any tips/ or help would be appreciated:)

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

Hi! I'd say make sure to get top grades in your A-levels, including Maths and Further maths. Physics A-level would also be good, and computer science too if that's an option. GCSEs aren't as important as A-levels, but it's good to do well. You can do that by learning and understanding all the theory, and doing past papers. Use Anki flashcards to memorise content. Doing reading and maybe projects that relate to computing would be a good idea too.

[@laurenamber3709]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice thank you so so much! Really helpful :)

[@firstfirst809]

@@laurenamber3709 also if your goal is Cambridge, you need to be dedicated and hard working from now til the end of Y13. Learn tons of super curricular stuff, do programming for fun in your own time, learn relevant math eg algorithms for fast square roots etc. Ideally you want to be at a point where spending a few hours a day learning about computer science is both normal for you and fun. Différent strategies for revision will work for different people, but the most important thing is that you put time in consistently and never say "oh I’ll do that eventually". Some of the people you’ll be competing for places with will be spending 8+ hours a day on weekends coding their own personal projects. Obviously I’m not suggesting you do quite that much, but it’s a good yardstick to measure your own work with. I’m kinda repeating myself but that’s because it’s so important, start trying, REALLY trying, early and keep it going through both years. If you’re learning something, revising etc for a few hours a day on average, you’ll smash it!

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

@@firstfirst809 ​ I think you've got the right idea but some of what you're suggesting seems excessive to me. Spending a few hours a day doing extra learning during school years is overkill I'd say, and you'd probably miss out on things like a social life and hobbies, which are important for personal development. Another issue is if you put years of effort into getting into Cambridge, then you'll feel destroyed if you get rejected, or you might get in and regret spending so much time studying. See this post from a Cambridge student for example: m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1777060049133879&id=923191587854067 Anyway, what I'm saying is that it's good to do extra stuff but I think it's not necessary to be spending hours a day preparing for Cambridge, which is something I never did and which I doubt many Cambridge students did.

[@firstfirst809]

@@IlyasCambridgeAdvice yeah I completely agree, I probably wasn’t clear enough. The top end is the no social life 8 hours a day people, but just having a genuine interest and looking at things related to your course fairly regularly when you feel like it is a much healthier approach. By a few hours a day I meant more 1-2 hours if you’ve gotten all your homework done and have nothing better to do, not if you don’t do something every day you will fail. Edit: also yeah if you’re only doing it because you want to get into Cambridge it’ll be rough. If computer science becomes a genuine hobby and you find yourself wanting to spend time building PCs or optimising algorithms then even if you don’t get in you’ll be in a much better place at another university

[@ishmaelsassoon795]

@Ilya's Cambridge Advice what did you do for alevels?

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4e7gINmqturjNk

[@eddykohlmann471]

I didn't know there was such a thing as A level Dutch. Where did you do that?

[@IlyasCambridgeAdvice]

I'm not sure it's still a thing (as you can imagine not many people did it and they might have dropped it recently). But I sat the exams at my school though they didn't teach me anytime, they literally just hosted the exams.

[@beatrizmarinho339]

Parabéns