Welcome! Chances are if you are reading this blog then you have applied to Peterhouse or been allocated to us through the open application scheme for 2012/2013. This blog exists in an effort to help answer your questions and keep you updated with what's going on throughout the admissions cycle. As such you might like to either bookmark it or subscribe to its updates.
We know it's pretty stressful applying to University (in fact, we were in your shoes just a few years ago) so please use this blog as a way to put your mind at ease. We want this process to be as transparent as possible. Comments won't automatically appear, mostly because we want to avoid people who are applying to other Colleges posting (we all have slightly different systems so this wouldn't be productive) but we'll take note of every comment and try to make sure posts reflect what people are asking.
To the introductions! Formerly an English student at Homerton College, Kathy Purdy is now the Admissions Coordinator at Peterhouse so knows what it's like to be on both sides of the Cambridge application process. You'll also hear from Carrie Boyce who works as the Admissions Assistant and was a student at Corpus Christi College studying Biological Natural Sciences. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us on admissions@pet.cam.ac.uk if you have any problems or queries.
By the time you read this you should have received a letter telling you what to do next. Included in the pack should be a letter, a subject slip, a data protection form, a fee status form and for some of you an essay cover sheet. Please make sure you know what you have to do and when you have to do it by. Here's a summary:
Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic (ASNC) - 3 school essays
Archaeology and Anthropology (Arch and Anth) - a set essay
Architecture - a written project
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) - 3 school essays
Classics - 3 school essays
Economics - a set essay
English - 2 school essays
History - 3 school essays
History of Art - 3 school essays
Law - 3 school essays
Linguistics - 2 school essays
Medicine - BMAT
Modern and Medieval Languages (MML) - 4 school essays
Music - 3 school essays
Natural Sciences (Biological) - 3 school essays
Philosophy - 3 school essays
Theology - 3 school essays
If your subject is not in the list then you are not expected to submit any work before interview. Also, if it is not clear which Natural Sciences course you are applying for from your A Level choices then you will receive subject slips for both Physical and Biological; please ignore the one that it is not relevant to you. Please remember that every applicant needs to complete the SAQ by 22nd October and that the deadline for all forms and essays is 7th November. All documents should be sent to:
The Admissions Office
Peterhouse
Cambridge
CB2 1RD
That's it for now. While you guys get all your documentation/essays together we'll be sending out initial response letters as soon as we receive applications up to the 15th October deadline as well as trying to plan the interview schedule.
Good luck to you all!
Kathy and Carrie
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14 comments:
Hi Kathy - I'm filling out the fee status questionnaire and am just wondering about section B where it asks about my 'current residence' - since I'm a British citizen and have lived here all my life do I still have to fill it in and justsay I've been here since my birth date? And what should I put down as my 'purpose of residence'?
Thanks,
William Kennaway
Hi William,
If you've lived in the UK all your life then you still need to fill the form in but, as you suggest, simply say that you've lived here since birth. Under 'Purpose of Residence' most people just put 'Living with Family'.
For more advice, see the link at the top of the form.
Cheers,
Kathy & Carrie
Hi Kathy and Carrie,
I have received the confirmation of the application to read Chemical Engineering via NatSci. I have also received a slip about reading Biological Sciences. However, as I will be going for the physical sciences route, is it appropriate for me to ignore the slip?
Thank you,
Pascoe
Hi Pascoe,
If we couldn't easily tell which route you were intending to take (Biological/Physical) then we gave you the slip for Bio just in case. There is no slip for Physical, so if that's the route you're taking then yes, you should just ignore the Bio slip!
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Kathy and Carie,
I want to ask about the submission of written work for the application to read Economics. The letter does not request me to submit my school work at any point but there is a cover sheet for submitted written work inside the envelope. Would I have to submit some of my school work too or I will only need to submit the essay set by Peterhouse (I haven't received the question)?
Thank you very much,
Tran Hoang Nam
Hi Kathy,
I've applied for archaeology and I just received all the forms today. The problem is that there is still no set essay subject, it just says that "we will be setting you an essay soon". Is this normal or should I already have the subject?
Hi Tran,
Thanks for pointing this out. This was an administrative error. If you are applying for Economics then you do not need the cover sheet for submitted written work. We will be sending you the set essay question sometime during the next week, so keep checking your inboxes!!
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Richard,
We haven't set the essays yet as we want to give everyone the same amount of time to work on it and some applications are still being processed. Like with Economics, we'll be letting you know the essay topic by email, and it should be sometime in the next week, so keep checking your inbox!
Thanks,
Kathy
Dear Kathy,
I received my confirmation letter yesterday for my application to read Natural Sciences (Biological). It asks me to send in 3 recent essays and I am concerned because we don't tend to write essays for my A-level course. I have only ever done one since the beginning of Year 12 (my coursework)! What shall I do? I am already on holiday so it will be difficult for me to contact my teachers.
Thank you,
Emma Cartledge
Dear Emma,
Please send us your coursework essay and any other essays you might have written for other subjects. Otherwise, don't worry too much - we appreciate that not all applicants will have recently written essays for science based subjects.
Best wishes,
Carrie
Hi Kathy and Carrie,
I've applied for History: my question concerns the three essays which need to be submitted by 7th November. I already have two essays which I completed for the A2 course (which together cover both History subjects studied this year). For the third, would I be allowed to submit an essay I completed over the Summer as part of a compulsory school 'Extended Essay' project? It has been marked by a teacher, is under 2000 words, but is on a subject I researched outside the currriculum.
Thanks,
Dunstan
Hi Dunstan,
Yes, that will be fine - your interviewers just want to see the current standard of your school work, so it doesn't really matter what the topic is, as long as you've done it at school and haven't written it especially for us!
Thanks,
Kathy
Hi Kathy and Carrie,
I have yet to receive a letter from Peterhouse saying what I have to do next. I know it said that I have to be patient, but its already the 25th and I only just found out about the written project and I am starting to worry about that already. Will I be getting the email at some point this week? Does the email include what to include in my portfolio because I am struggling? (applying for architecture)
Thank you so much
Dear applicant,
Your initial response pack will have been mailed to the address you provided us with. The last packs were sent out last week so perhaps this is still in the post if you live overseas. If you do not receive this within the next week or so please contact us and we will mail another one as it contains some forms we need you to complete.
The title of the written project can now be found online at http://www.pet.cam.ac.uk/prospective-students/architecture and the deadline is November 25th.
With regards the portfolio, interviewers will be looking for a range of representational skills, using line, tone and colour and the work should indicate how these skills have developed over a period of time. An interest in Architecture should be clear from at least some of the work in the portfolio and the study of a building or a group of buildings with drawings of both internal and external spaces is encouraged, as is the inclusion of any sketch books or sketch diaries you may have kept. If you are not going to be able to come to interview because you live abroad then please e-mail the admissions office to arrange for a suitable range of work to be sent.
I hope that helps for now - any further questions don't hesitate to contact us in the Admissions Office directly.
Best wishes,
Carrie
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