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Anyone turned down an offer from Oxbridge? Why?

Just curious.

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Yes. I preferred London Met. More diversity.
My sister did because she applied to the best vet schools, but hated the student lifestyle at Oxbridge so went to Edinburgh instead.
A friend's brother turned down Cambridge for Strathclyde as he does a water sport to national level and continuing with training was easier there.*
Original post by spark12
Just curious.


The intensity and work culture there isn't for everyone!

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Original post by trythis
I'm applying for Cambridge and Edinburgh but if both give me offers I'm taking Edinburgh. Partly because I didn't like the atmosphere at Cambridge (only fellows can walk on the grass! that's just dumb) and partly because Edinburgh specialises in a niche subject I want to study and offers a bunch of modules for it but Cambridge only offers one.


If you don't mind me asking, how come you're applying to Cambridge if it's not quite your cup of tea?
Original post by trythis
I'm applying for Cambridge and Edinburgh but if both give me offers I'm taking Edinburgh. Partly because I didn't like the atmosphere at Cambridge (only fellows can walk on the grass! that's just dumb) and partly because Edinburgh specialises in a niche subject I want to study and offers a bunch of modules for it but Cambridge only offers one.

Lol why are you applying for it if you don't want to go?
Bragging rights
Original post by such_a_lady
If you don't mind me asking, how come you're applying to Cambridge if it's not quite your cup of tea?
I know somebody that decided to go to Birmingham to be with his girlfriend....
Original post by 1010marina
I know somebody that decided to go to Birmingham to be with his girlfriend....


Yeah I know someone who turned down Oxford to be with their bf at Leeds
I know a guy who turned it down because the requirements were too damn high for him.
I assume many people do it to give Oxbridge the big middle finger. Though it would probably be more impressive if you rejected them after you'd received your A-level results and have definitely gotten in...
It's rare (if someone doesn't want to go to Oxbridge then generally speaking they don't apply) but it does happen, for a variety of reasons.

What's always sad is when you hear of a case where supposedly someone's done it because 'I didn't like the people', 'they were too posh' or similar based on, like, one open day and an interview session where most people you meet won't get in anyway. To think you know a whole uni of thousands of undergrads based on one or two visits is pretty silly. You hope most of those stories aren't true.
Original post by Moonstruck16
I assume many people do it to give Oxbridge the big middle finger. Though it would probably be more impressive if you rejected them after you'd received your A-level results and have definitely gotten in...


Not many do that. :nah: If they do, it's usually because of some crushing family issue or similar, or because they've got into Harvard or something.
Original post by trythis
Parents say they won't fund me unless I apply for Oxbridge. Such is life. Also, in case I don't get an Edinburgh offer.


Wouldn't they definitely not give you funding if they know you rejected Oxbridge? Also why not just get a student loan, your repayments aren't dependent on how much you took out
I know someone who got into Oxford after an interview, but rejected them and went elsewhere (I think it was Birmingham). Apparently the life at Oxford would have been "too intense". I understand the reasoning, but what confuses me is this person went to a summer school and found that too intense, yet still applied... :confused: Surely it would have made sense not to apply after realising it wasn't for her? That would have also given her longer to work on her application/personal statement for the other universities...

Some people in my school who desperately wanted to go didn't get an offer, so understandably they were slightly annoyed that someone who didn't actually want to go got an offer instead...
Why apply if you're just going to turn it down? Ngl it's pretty selfish as many others would have done anything for your place.
Original post by 1010marina
I know somebody that decided to go to Birmingham to be with his girlfriend....


A guy in my 6th form did this. He got in Oxford but went to Durham to be with his girlfriend. He had a kind of cool image for the last few months of 6th form, he was the guy that bucked the trend of what was expected of him - most of the high fliers went for being prefects, did all the corporate school stuff and had the fawning adulation of the teachers, there was a very definite "in" group of 6th formers seen as the teachers' favourites, and we all kind of respected that he was really bright but did his own thing. The girls used to like him too and said how cute it was that he would turn down Oxford for his girlfriend and so on.

Anyway Facebook revealed that the two of them split up by the end of the first term, and his now ex girlfriend soon started posting pics with her new boyfriend. I guess she just found someone else. I always wondered whether he regretted it after that happened. It's not like Durham is bad, but maybe it made such a significant life decision seem a bit futile given how quickly they split up.
I never turned up to my Oxford interview if that counts.
Original post by MagicNMedicine
A guy in my 6th form did this. He got in Oxford but went to Durham to be with his girlfriend. He had a kind of cool image for the last few months of 6th form, he was the guy that bucked the trend of what was expected of him - most of the high fliers went for being prefects, did all the corporate school stuff and had the fawning adulation of the teachers, there was a very definite "in" group of 6th formers seen as the teachers' favourites, and we all kind of respected that he was really bright but did his own thing. The girls used to like him too and said how cute it was that he would turn down Oxford for his girlfriend and so on.

Anyway Facebook revealed that the two of them split up by the end of the first term, and his now ex girlfriend soon started posting pics with her new boyfriend. I guess she just found someone else. I always wondered whether he regretted it after that happened. It's not like Durham is bad, but maybe it made such a significant life decision seem a bit futile given how quickly they split up.


If the relationship was meant to last they could make it work while at different unis... I could never do this, but to each their own I guess. Predictable though, since people change so quickly at uni

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