So inspirational! I can relate to SO MUCH of this stuff (especially on problem solving) and congratulations to you for accomplishing such great things despite the difficult circumstances!
I have watched it all, felt like talking to a friend. Really enjoyed this, I am noticing your video qualities are improving keep it up man. Love the new thumbnail styles
Hello Rey, I'm glad you shared your experience as I can relate to them. So I wanted to share mine, I'm from an immigrant family as well and only started working hard in school after a 2-month trip to Afghanistan when I was 14. The trip really allowed me to see the sacrifices my parents had to go through to come to the UK and how if I wasn't born here, my life would have been much worse(there were literally 6-year old+ kids doing manual labour on the streets). On my previous point when I say I started working hard, I mean that before that I didn't do a single hour of revision from year 7 to 10 and was mostly in bottom sets, which I can attribute to my -love- addiction to games and lack of a good social circle. Since then I started revising with decent consistency, stopped playing games, stopped being friends with the wrong people and managed to move up to top-set for most of my subjects and got 5 A/A*'s in GCSE. I'm currently doing maths, physics and computer science at A-levels. I also started programming at 15 and since then I've learnt multiple languages and built multiple projects. I am now hoping to apply to Cambridge this year for CompSci.
I think that my loose plan is to do a PhD in the US but I need to figure out if I'd enjoy living in the US and doing research there so I'll be contacting a bunch of US professors to try to spend the next summer doing a research internship and if I enjoy that summer then I'd apply for programmes there, if not, I'll try to figure something out. I may make a whole separate video about career / future plans with friends because I think it can be super helpful to hear many different perspectives!
@@Abc-vc4ml I think I've grown pretty bored of the UK and Oxford would just seem like being at Cambridge again to me and I don't particularly like the big city vibe of Imperial. Also, I feel like there's a bunch more interesting stuff going on in the US that I can get involved in during the summers of the PhD (especially when it comes to startups!)
im in year 11 going into y12 and trying to improve problem solving, i have tried poveys perplexing problems but in finding the problems too hard. What would you recommended to do?
Hi, so I have a problem-solving bookmarks page here (it's been a little while since I've uploaded it but hopefully you still find it useful): github.com/RehmanAmjad/problem-solving-bookmarks And don't worry too much about finding the problems too difficult, they will get gradually easier as you cover more of the AS-level physics content
Yeah its true. I the part where you said a boy who got AABB discouraged you to apply to Oxford or Cambridge had insecurities. Its fully true as people who has insecurities will insult you to hide their insecurities
i really loved this video and i want to work on my problem solving skills, could you possibly do a video on the best ways to do that? I'm in year 12 for reference haha
Hi Ray I just wanted to take the time to offer my gratitude towards revision videos and the techniques they are really insightful and informative and are massively helping me thank you for making those videos and keep up the good work thanks :)
Hi Ray, Great video. Thanks. You mentioned that it would be good to improve your problem solving skills. I am starting Year 12 in September and want to apply for STEM. I struggle at the Senior Maths Challenge questions, so how do you suggest that I can improve my problem solving skills in the best way possible? Thank you!
Hi, super sorry for the late reply, I do have a video on tackling difficult questions here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9qfh66TPemc.html And I will have another one on how I more generally improved my problem-solving skills coming sometime in the next week or two. But ultimately just tackling more and more questions and doing questions just outside your comfort zone will be really beneficial in helping you gain traction and make progress
Ray it would be really helpful if you made a video on how to get or apply for scholarships and maybe the criteria required to be eligible for bursaries such as the one you receive. Nevertheless, a very very honest and inspirational video!
Ah, so I didn't apply, I just qualified for it and got picked because of my socioeconomic background, grades, and the subject that I was going to study so I was pretty lucky in that sense
Yup so like @Captain Snark said, it is pretty uncommon. I didn't actually apply, I just qualified for it and got picked because of my socioeconomic background, grades, and the subject that I was going to study so I was pretty lucky in that sense
I am looking to apply for land economy in Cambridge but economics in lse and the other ones so is it fine if I just talk about economics in my personal statements
Yup, I think that's completely fine. Many people do something similar and use the extra 1,200 characters you get given on the Cambridge SAQ to write something more specific to the Cambridge course (for you that would be land economy). Cambridge does have some pretty niche courses so appreciates that many people applying will have broader personal statements
Brilliant, I feel inspired🙌 I commented on one of your earlier videos but never got back to you as I thought I'd wait untill after you'd finished your exams but forget (sorry about that, entirely my fault)... if you were still looking for suggestions for video ideas for adding to the 'Oxbridge application series' I had: Colleges, bursary and disadvantaged background opportunities, different summer schools available and steps to take on a 'problem solving journey' (I think many watching also run/ran into the same issues you bring up with attitudes and support) Btw please don't feel pressured in anyway to do these, I just thought it might help On a sidenote, please could you help me with some other questions, namely: what's are the best ways to try and learn something/topic accessable (I sometimes find myself lost in where I can find new topics to learn about!) and a brief answer on the question regarding a 'problem solving journey' Thanks v much 😀
Awesome! I do have a video planned going over how I improved my problem-solving skills personally over the last four to five years. As for the others questions, I think the websites remain pretty up to date. For summer schools, I attended ones at Imperial College, Eton College (full remittance), Cambridge (via the Sutton Trust), UCL. I also got onto the Oxford one (via UNIQ) but it clashed with the Eton summer school and I chose Eton because it was longer and hence more enjoyable.
Can you make a video on your opinion on the flat earth? And consider it with seriousness. The famous blue marble picture is an edited image, and we have not been back to space in decades despite technological advances which is extremely odd. Want to see what a physicist has to say.
Do you think doing 4 subjects, super curriculars and working a part time job would be hard to balance because ive been offered a job in a tuition centre?
Hi, it does depend how much hours you're working in your part time job. If you don't have a contract and can leave after say a month then I'd just see how it goes and how I'm managing the workload and if I feel like it's too much then I'd most likely leave the part time job first or try to reduce the hours further to spend more time getting better grades or improving my problem-solving skills which will help with getting into better universities and I could take on part time tuition then. But that's just what I would do and since I don't understand all the facets of your life do take my decision with a big pinch of salt (hope it still helps a little!) (You could also reduce your hours during the term time and ask for additional hours during the half-term holiday, I have no idea how flexible it may be but it's just a suggestion)
Hey Rey, i'm currently in year 12 and looking to study at a top university in the field of mathematics because i really enjoy the satisfaction of solving problems in more than 1 way (usually given in the mark scheme) and expanding my maths knowledge through different fields varying from calculus to linear algebra. However, my school doesn't offer Olympiad's or UKMT challenges so do you have any recommendations for getting more involved in the field as well as supporting the personal statement along the way? Many thanks.
search up isaac physics and enter the senior physics challenge, where u solve online physics and maths problems, and if u solve enough before the deadline(which is the 1st of may) then u can go to cambridge for a summer school
Hello Ray. Do GCSEs matter that much I’m going in to year 12 now doing Biology, Chemistry and Maths. I got 4 8s 3 7s and 2 5s at GCSE btw. I would’ve liked to apply for a top uni but u tell me is it still possible? Thanks 👍🏽. And also I’ve never used Anki in my life so should I use it for 6th form?
Firstly, you should definitely use Anki for sixth form! I have no idea where I'd be without it. And for Oxbridge, they largely don't matter unless you got say a 5 in Maths and you're hoping to apply for Maths. But if you got a 5 in English and you're hoping to apply for Maths then they wouldn't really care since you've passed. Also, they may take your year group with a little grain of salt or put more emphasis on A-level predicted grades because you didn't actually sit the exams - I'm not sure, there's no telling what they'd do. But it's definitely possible (I have a friend here who achieved like 2 A*'s at GCSE and still made it)
Hello thanks for the video really like it seeing ur journey. Im going into y13 now and im looking to apply to maths at cambridge, and especially after this summer school i went to ive realised im really behind for problem solving. Do you think just going through step questions i will ultimately get better at doing them or is there a better way
Hi, I would recommend watching the STEP-related video that I made with my friend here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tmsVyncYOxM.html (I think we answered something similar in that video?)
I remember the whole what GCSEs did you get and people claiming they had 16 9s and putting others down but yeah often they get complacent or don’t get in because they’re so cocky. Also often you don’t know what these people actually got and they may be lying. I know people here at cam who got very average GCSEs so 🤷♀️
