Reapplying - Intensive A Levels

It sounds like you're really aiming for the top. Newcastle and Leicester are excellent law schools - does that not cut it for you?

Maybe your hopes are too high...

On paper you look like a v. strong candidate. To me it looks like your LNAT/personal statement is what's let you down with Durham and Oxford.

I mean, everyone knows Law and Eng Lang are not the most well respected subjects, especially when we're talking about Oxford. Subject choice has possibly come into play here as well.

I really think you might regret turning down an offer from Newcastle. Is it worth 'wasting' a year of your life, just for the possibility of getting into a marginally better law school? Who's to say you won't fluff your LNAT again?

Reply 3

riiight.

It sounds like you're really aiming for the top. Newcastle and Leicester are excellent law schools - does that not cut it for you?

Maybe your hopes are too high...

On paper you look like a v. strong candidate. To me it looks like your LNAT/personal statement is what's let you down with Durham and Oxford.

I mean, everyone knows Law and Eng Lang are not the most well respected subjects, especially when we're talking about Oxford. Subject choice has possibly come into play here as well.

I really think you might regret turning down an offer from Newcastle. Is it worth 'wasting' a year of your life, just for the possibility of getting into a marginally better law school? Who's to say you won't fluff your LNAT again?

My friend got into Oxford, Exeter and Cardiff for Law studying English Language, Law and Theatre Studies... When will people start realising the subject choice really isn't THAT big of a deal?! If you're a good candidate they'll want you no matter what.

I think you should get over it OP. Go to a big city and have fun instead of having piles of work (well, more than what you'd get at other Unis) thrown at you. Boooring. Just go to Newcastle, it's obviously your favourite out of the ones you've been given offers for considering you'd be reapplying there next year! Think about it, you'll probably have more fun at a different University :smile:

More fun at a less prestigious University, which is still good is much better than a degree from Oxford where you're most likely have less fun because of the ridiculous amount of work. Just go there for postgrad or something.

Reply 4

moomin_love

My friend got into Oxford, Exeter and Cardiff for Law studying English Language, Law and Theatre Studies... When will people start realising the subject choice really isn't THAT big of a deal?! If you're a good candidate they'll want you no matter what.

Let me put it another way: it certainly didn't advantage his application.

Argue what you like, but they aren't stupid. They know Theatre Studies isn't as academic as Eng Lit.

Reply 5

jmat

3 very good offers. Would it really be worth taking a year out? Working with your dad and get some savings may help you but if you get AAA I would definetly not go back to college.
What you must ask yourself is that after you have a 20-30k loan would you have regretted not trying to get into a better university (that is not saying yours are not top). Also if you feel it was your LNAT that let you down then if you do re-apply QMUL and LSE both very good unis that don't use the LNAT.

Basically what I am saying is will you regret not trying to get into UCL LSE oxbridge etc etc or will you be happy at leeds or newcastle????

Reply 6

SiaSiaSia

16

Those 3 are very good offers, I doubt you'd get an offer from Oxford due to your A-level choices to be honest

Reply 7

riiight.

Let me put it another way: it certainly didn't advantage his application.

Argue what you like, but they aren't stupid. They know Theatre Studies isn't as academic as Eng Lit.

Stop being a subject snob. It's so ridiculous that people who enjoy certain subjects get talked out of taking them because some don't see them as being academic. Point is, more than half the people in the country aren't talented enough to take theatre studies and come out with an A or even a B in it. It is a lot of hard work considering you have to learn a scripted play off by heart, stage it all yourself and perform it in front of strangers and examiners and write your own play, stage it, and again perform it in front of examiners and you have 2 and a half months to do it in. Sounds very easy doesn't it? :hmmm:

If you look on the oxbridge threads there are loads of people who go to oxbridge and keep saying the same thing over and over again. That they have soft subjects, many of them theatre studies, and they still got in. People should just do the subjects that they enjoy. Three of my Universities are in the top ten for my subject, but I still got an offer from every single institution that I applied to studying theatre, psychology and history. Again, they REALLY couldn't care less about what subjects I take. The only one was Exeter, as they gave me an AAA offer for not taking 2 sciences. Oh and my friend got an AAB offer from Exeter with her subjects when normally they give out AAA offers for law. Subject choice really does not matter. I can show you SO many examples of people who have gotten into top 10 Universities with soft subjects.

You're entitled to have your opinion on what you think about taking certain subjects, but please don't voice them to 15/16 year olds who come on here like "what subjects should I study at A level?" I bet so many people come away from this website thinking that they can't get into Oxbridge with soft subjects like theatre studies.

Reply 8

moomin_love

Stop being a subject snob. It's so ridiculous that people who enjoy certain subjects get talked out of taking them because some don't see them as being academic. Point is, more than half the people in the country aren't talented enough to take theatre studies and come out with an A or even a B in it. It is a lot of hard work considering you have to learn a scripted play off by heart, stage it all yourself and perform it in front of strangers and examiners and write your own play, stage it, and again perform it in front of examiners and you have 2 and a half months to do it in. Sounds very easy doesn't it? :hmmm:

Ok - I guess you take Theatre Studies. Trust me, it wasn't a personal attack on your subject and i'm not saying it's any easier than anything else. I'm sure it's hard work.

moomin_love

You're entitled to have your opinion on what you think about taking certain subjects, but please don't voice them to 15/16 year olds who come on here like "what subjects should I study at A level?" I bet so many people come away from this website thinking that they can't get into Oxbridge with soft subjects like theatre studies.

Firstly, this guy is probably 18. He has already applied with A*A*A predictions, and been rejected from Oxford and Durham. Law is the most competitive course in the country. All I was suggesting is that subject choice could have played a part in that.

No, it's not right, but that's life. You have 2 identical Oxbridge candidates - 1 has A*A*A* in Eng Lit, History and Maths. The other has A*A*A* in 'soft subjects'. Which would you take?

I'm not saying it's the same for every subject. But Law is immensely competitive. We're talking 25:1 applicants to places at the top places. How else are you suggesting they differentiate?

Reply 9

riiight.

Ok - I guess you take Theatre Studies. Trust me, it wasn't a personal attack on your subject and i'm not saying it's any easier than anything else. I'm sure it's hard work.

Firstly, this guy is probably 18. He has already applied with A*A*A predictions, and been rejected from Oxford and Durham. Law is the most competitive course in the country. All I was suggesting is that subject choice could have played a part in that.

No, it's not right, but that's life. You have 2 identical Oxbridge candidates - 1 has A*A*A* in Eng Lit, History and Maths. The other has A*A*A* in 'soft subjects'. Which would you take?

I'm not saying it's the same for every subject. But Law is immensely competitive. We're talking 25:1 applicants to places at the top places. How else are you suggesting they differentiate?

But then why did my friend get an offer from Oxford when she was predicted AAA in law, theatre and english lang? They look for something more than subjects at Oxbridge. She didn't get straight A's at AS level and no A*'s at GCSE either...

Reply 10

moomin_love

But then why did my friend get an offer from Oxford when she was predicted AAA in law, theatre and english lang? They look for something more than subjects at Oxbridge. She didn't get straight A's at AS level and no A*'s at GCSE either...

No A*s at GCSE? I honestly can't answer that. She's the weakest Oxford student i've ever heard of (no insult intended).

Reply 11

jjarvis

14

riiight.

No, it's not right, but that's life. You have 2 identical Oxbridge candidates - 1 has A*A*A* in Eng Lit, History and Maths. The other has A*A*A* in 'soft subjects'. Which would you take?

The candidate who performed best at interview, or best on the combination of interview/CLT or LNAT as relevant. (You claim they are otherwise identical, but interviews can't be identical and there are two interviewers who probably have a slightly different take on each candidate.)

Beyond that, however, marginal considerations and subconscious issues can be the deciding factor. Someone with an accent that grated the interviewer might be disadvantaged, not because of conscious bias on the interviewer's part but just because people are not perfectly impartial. A candidate who looked more well-presented and put together might have more success than one who looked a bit sloppier. There's so many things that can influence someone's perception, and at Oxbridge the fact that you meet in person makes impressions crucial.

This doesn't apply for Durham, of course, but the case you raised was Oxbridge.

Reply 12

jjarvis

14

moomin_love

But then why did my friend get an offer from Oxford when she was predicted AAA in law, theatre and english lang? They look for something more than subjects at Oxbridge. She didn't get straight A's at AS level and no A*'s at GCSE either...

Because she nailed the interview/LNAT/combination thereof. Simple as that.

(Earlier marks aren't everything, anyway. Cambridge saw my first and second year marks, which followed an upward trend but were predominantly Bs, with a handful of As and one C each year. My third year marks were straight As, though. Oxford just saw my predicted first. Cambs made an offer, Oxford didn't.)

OP, I would suggest you take the Newcastle offer unless there's something you actively *dislike* about Newcastle. It doesn't sound like that's the case. Go there, work your ass off for a first, and move on. You can do well wherever you end up. I was rejected at Oxford my first time applying to uni, came to Edinburgh and loved it. Oxford wouldn't have been for me at that point.

Reply 13

riiight.

No A*s at GCSE? I honestly can't answer that. She's the weakest Oxford student i've ever heard of (no insult intended).

Exactly. My point proven. Just because you haven't heard of it happening doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. There are lots of people who go to Oxbridge who don't have loads of A*'s, a large amount have a mixture of A's, B's and C's at AS, and there a quite a few that didn't even get straight A's at A level and still got in. Getting into Oxbridge isn't just about grades and subjects. As long as you get an interview you have just as much chance as anybody else. Sure, grades can help, but they aren't the key to success.

Theatre can be just as good as a "strong" subject for something like Law because it shows you have the confidence and the skill to put your point across in front of a reasonable sized audience under immense pressure without being too fazed, English Language shows that you can write clearly, get your point across clearly and understand language easily and Law shows that you already have a passion for the subject, you know you want to study it and you have some idea what the course entails. Not exactly a bad subject choice really.

If we take the subject combination you suggested, History and English Lit are the same as the English Language point, but Maths really has no relevance whatsoever. It's pretty useless when dealing with Law unless you want to count how many convicts are in the room :smile:

Reply 14

At the risk of going hugely off-topic...

jjarvis

X

I think you've missed my point.

Yes, I know that once you reach the interview stage, it's supposedly a level playing field from there onwards. However, the OP did not get interviewed.

Therefore, I was offering subject choice as one possible reason out of many for why he was rejected.

moomin_love

Theatre can be just as good as a "strong" subject for something like Law because it shows you have the confidence and the skill to put your point across in front of a reasonable sized audience under immense pressure without being too fazed.

Without being rude, no it can't. 40% leave Law degrees and don't go into the Legal career field. (ie. the performing under immense pressure point is irrelevant). They aren't looking for readymade lawyers - just people with academic potential.

moomin_love

If we take the subject combination you suggested, History and English Lit are the same as the English Language point, but Maths really has no relevance whatsoever. It's pretty useless when dealing with Law unless you want to count how many convicts are in the room :smile:

Missed the point. I was merely offering an example of 3 heavily academic subjects, not suggesting that they have any relevance to a Law degree. Although, as it turns out, plenty of people get accepted to top Law schools each year with subjects like, for example, Biology, Chemistry and Maths. Weird but true.

All they are looking for is someone with academic potential.

Reply 15

Mann18