Intro

Hello! My name is Arnold, and I will be starting at Cambridge University next fall, studying chemical engineering and biotechnology. I’m from Shanghai, China, although I moved to Japan for high school due to my mom’s job. I completed the IGCSE and IB Diploma program at KIST.

Explaining my choice to study abroad

When applying, I considered many options for studying abroad, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and Singapore. The US was definitely my top choice because it has so many top-ranked universities, especially for STEM, that have excellent teaching and research resources. It also has many top tech firms that I could do internships at, but since the political climate isn’t the most stable, I chose to go elsewhere.

Additionally, my US application did not go very successfully, while my UK applications were almost perfect.

My Application Details

My Stats

GPA: Around 3.87/4.0 (My school calculated the GPA slightly differently from others, so each university calculated it by themselves)

SAT: 1530

IB Predicted: 43

IB Final: 44 (Math HL, Physics HL, Chemistry HL)

My ECs

For my extracurriculars, I mostly focused on STEM-related activities. Firstly, I was the co-leader of the KIT (KIST Information Technology) club at my school, which was in charge of maintaining the technology at our school. I was also leading the coding club, as well as being a varsity debater with the school team.

Externally, I did a research project with a professor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences about nanocatalysts, and an engineering summer program at Johns Hopkins University. https://ei.jhu.edu/

My Essays

For both the Common App and the UK personal statement, I wrote about my passion for chemistry through a few experiments I did in the past that I really liked. Additionally, I also talked about the process of writing my extended essay and what I’ve learnt from that. Another thing I also mentioned was my frustration with the limited knowledge that is being taught in school textbooks and how I always go off to learn more myself. I think that this was showcased by curiosity and eagerness to learn, which may have helped with my Cambridge acceptance.

My Results

For the US, I applied to Cornell ED, but was rejected. Then for the regular round, I applied to the University of Michigan, UIUC (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) Georgia Tech, UCLA, UC Berkeley and UCSD. I got rejected by all the schools except for UCSD and UIUC. I think this might be because my GPA was a bit lower than necessary, especially for the STEM majors I’m applying to, which are very competitive.

For the UK, I applied to 5 universities: UCL, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cambridge, and Imperial. I was accepted in all except for UCL.

Timeline of my application

For my applications, the UK personal statement was the easiest, which I completed in a day, while the US essays and supplements took longer. I structured each essay in the same way:

1. Discussing and brainstorming with my mom

2. Write the essay and send it to my counsellor for feedback

3. Edit and submit

I mostly wrote 2-3 drafts for each essay, although some of my friends wrote many more.

Cost

Cambridge does not offer any scholarships for international students. My course costs 53,424 pounds per year.

Tips for Applying to Cambridge

For Cambridge, a major deciding factor in your application is your interview. So for the interview, they will ask you some subjected related questions and have you answer it, going through your thinking process. These questions are always beyond the syllabus you’re taught, and the goal is to see if your approach to the problem and thought process is the type of student that Cambridge is looking for.

So, I would recommend reading books, journals, newspapers, and other publications to keep up to date about your intended subject. Also, spend your free time studying the subject you want to study, it will definitely help with the interview.

Message to my younger self…

I think that although most universities do not explicitly state it, they have a baseline for GPA, especially for competitive majors. So, I would tell my younger self to take grade 9 and grade 10 more seriously and get my academics up. Additionally, I would have also wanted to explore my interests and majors early on, as I only found out about chemical engineering in Grade 10. Knowing what you want to do early on will help you find more extracurricular opportunities, such as research and internships.

Also, starting early will allow you to participate in more contests that could lead to global recognition, helping you gain a competitive edge over others.