What do you really look for in an applicant?

Our students come from every imaginable background and have the widest possible variety of experiences, interests and skills. The one thing they share is intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm for their subject, and the potential to get the most out of what a Cambridge degree has to offer. These qualities are often clear in the school record, but they may be apparent in a range of other ways. Within the means available to them, some good applicants will have read widely around their subject in their own time; some may have taken the trouble to seek work experience connected with their academic interests; some may have planned a Gap year in the same way. But do not worry — genuine commitment and motivation usually come across anyway!