19/04/2024
The politics of time with Carolyn Smith
The mature colleges, St Edmund’s, Lucy Cavendish, Hughes Hall and of course Wolfson, are the only ones that accept applications during the March Round, which is ideal for anyone coming from a non-traditional study route such as an Access Course.
English student Nina Umbelino-Purton says applying in March gave her more time to consider her options, as she was coming back to education after a break. She says, “The second application deadline was quite welcoming. I felt they want mature students and it encouraged me to apply.”
Felix Lucien, studying Modern and Medieval Languages, also applied through the March Round. He had started a “very different” degree elsewhere, but found it wasn’t right for him and decided to leave. He says, “I wasn’t even sure if I’d go back to University. I tried to get work and found that I needed a degree, so being 22 it definitely would have been a shame to wait another year.”
History and Politics student Leanne Gayle emphasises the importance of the 1 March deadline for students on Access Courses “October is a bit too soon to apply. I didn’t have anyone to give me a reference then, I didn’t have any work to show.” She used the extra time to get in touch with the Director of Studies at Wolfson for her intended course and do some reading on current affairs, basing her application essays around books on topics that particularly interested her.
While the majority of undergraduate courses accept applications at this time, Architecture, History of Art, Law, Medicine, Music, Philosophy and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Graduate Course in Medicine do not. All the information is here. You will have to complete the Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ) by 8 March.
Applications are made through UCAS in the normal way; click for full details on the Cambridge application process. Interviews come around quickly after the deadline so if you apply, be optimistic and keep the week of 30 March free!
