[ssssam]

I'd go to Bristol, personally, as it is a really good uni. Whilst its not Oxford, its not as if its a uni that's a massive step down. I would only suggest reapplying if you got rejected from all the top end unis that you'd applied to.

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

(Original post by communiKate)
Yesterday I found out I didn't get in to Oxford for English.
I'm extremely disappointed as I put so much effort in (as I'm sure everyone does) and it's been my dream and focus for a very long time. In some ways I'm not surprised- there were so many strong candidates and while I look good on paper (12 A*s GCSE's and A's at AS) I underperformed in the interviews.
The previous week I received an offer from Bristol- my 2nd choice- which sort of softens the blow. Although it has given me a dilemma.
I feel split- on the one hand Bristol is a fabulous Uni and getting a place is no easy thing. Also, if I were to reapply to Oxford, I may still be rejected.
On the other hand, I'm in love with Oxford. It's not so much that I feel robbed and I think I deserve to go there, it's just that I want it and I'm willing to put in the effort.
Any advice?

Go to Bristol. A few weeks there and you'll wonder why on earth you ever wanted to go to Oxford in the first place

[LancashireLass]

What is it you love? If it is the course and the intimate method of teaching and the intensive study style, then by all means reconsider, but you don't have to do anything now.

Bristol is a wonderful university and if you like the course I'm sure you would be happy there.

Also consider what you could add during a gap year to improve your chance of success.

Try and enjoy Christmas and look at this as a project to work on in 2012.

[coodooloo]

(Original post by communiKate)
Yesterday I found out I didn't get in to Oxford for English.
I'm extremely disappointed as I put so much effort in (as I'm sure everyone does) and it's been my dream and focus for a very long time. In some ways I'm not surprised- there were so many strong candidates and while I look good on paper (12 A*s GCSE's and A's at AS) I underperformed in the interviews.
The previous week I received an offer from Bristol- my 2nd choice- which sort of softens the blow. Although it has given me a dilemma.
I feel split- on the one hand Bristol is a fabulous Uni and getting a place is no easy thing. Also, if I were to reapply to Oxford, I may still be rejected.
On the other hand, I'm in love with Oxford. It's not so much that I feel robbed and I think I deserve to go there, it's just that I want it and I'm willing to put in the effort.
Any advice?

I think completely fair-play, if you really want to go for Oxford over any other choice, then I think you should definitely consider reapplying. Its better to pay that large amount of money at a university or institution you are happy about. That said, Bristol is one of the most competitive English departments, and even more competitive than Oxford, so getting a place there is quite a valuable thing- so I wouldn't waste it without seriously thinking about how much you want Oxford. Why don't you visit Bristol, have a look round and see tutors, as this may change your opinion.
Good luck whatever you choose to do. It really comes down to what you personally want- don't think that getting an offer by a prestigious university- Bristol should determine you to accept it, whilst feeling unhappy about not being offered a place at Oxford...

[Bright Lights]

Hey, I have a similar situation.

I feel like I've screwed up my UCAS application this year. I applied to E&M too, and was rejected post-interview. I only had interviews at the college I applied to, and wasn't pooled anywhere else, which I would definitely say gives you a false sense of security :/

My GCSEs were 10A*s, 4As at AS (and hopefully another in FMaths by the end of this month fingers crossed) and A*A*AA prediction at A2. I do';t really think it was my grades that let me down. Once I get my TSA result on the 13th, I'll see if it was that, but at our introductory talk, the tutors made it clear we all got to where we were primarily by having good TSA scores, and (not that this is much of a measure but its the only thing I can really compare it to :P) I always get high Golds in maths challenges - things like the TSA, I can generally do without problem.

I applied to UCL, Durham, Notts and Birmingham this year... but from the outset I knew I only really wanted to go to the first two.
Don't get me wrong, I am not in any way trying to put down the other courses, as I know Durham is a brilliant university, as is Nottingham, and at the time I thought I would be happy there... but if it's 3 years of my life and £27k, I want to be somewhere that I actually really want to be.

And at the time, i also thought applying for the L101 course (4years) at UCL was the best choice. Looking back , I really wish I hadn't. Because if I reapply to ox again next year, I would still be finishing at the same time.

(Bear in mind, UCL haven't made a decision yet, so a rejection would make my decision for me!)

I'm completely torn by the decision. Not to sound completely idiotic, but Oxford has been more than a dream, its not just for the prestige that I want to go. I'm more than able at mathematics, and I would be able to perform fine at a straight Econ course, but that's just not what I want to do. I want to be able to choose as much or as little of Economics as I want, and a few people who I know to have read the course say that the management aspect is extremely interesting, so much so that they want to go into management post-uni. And, of course, tutorials. I think the system is the one unique thing about Oxbridge that nowhere else can hope to match.

I' m going to apply to the Gap Year schemes as soon as possible anyway, even if my decision is ultimately to go to wherever this year, but I was wondering - bad idea to apply to the same college? They had 40 applicants for 3 places this year (told by tutors at introductory meeting) which is a pretty ridiculous appl./place (until you realise that for E&M thats about average :P) and 10 of us were interviewed... so I'm in the top 10 right? Is it a better idea to apply 'strategically' to a college like Brasenose with 6 places, or in reality will that be even more competitive as more applicants will apply there for the exact same reasons?


Waaah, I'm just so hung up on this, but I know that most importantly, I need to stop stalking TSR and get my 100UMS modules grades that i so desire this month! Hahaha Sorry for going on a bit.

[Swayum]

(Original post by Bright Lights)
And at the time, i also thought applying for the L101 course (4years) at UCL was the best choice. Looking back , I really wish I hadn't. Because if I reapply to ox again next year, I would still be finishing at the same time.

Things are never that set in stone mate, if you want to switch to the 3 year course when you're at UCL, they'll definitely let you. Likewise, anyone wishing to switch from the 3 year one to 4 year would also be allowed (conditional maybe on decent grades at the end of the 3 years).

[Bright Lights]

(Original post by Swayum)
Things are never that set in stone mate, if you want to switch to the 3 year course when you're at UCL, they'll definitely let you. Likewise, anyone wishing to switch from the 3 year one to 4 year would also be allowed (conditional maybe on decent grades at the end of the 3 years).

Thanks, thats good to know... if I get in that is. There's only 20 places and I'm guessing a huge number of appl/place.

[bigfishlittlefish9]

I applied this year to Oxford, for Physics and Philosophy. I was rejected post-interview, but, just like so many other people, fell in love with the place. Well, not so much that as it had been a massive aspiration and goal of mine, and it was hard to know I had failed. I have been advised by the Head of Sixth Form at my school that there have been a lot of successful reapplicants, and this might be an option for me.

I was only 16 at the time I was interviewed (I didn't apply early, this is just because I was in the English school system, and then gained a year moving to the Scottish system.) So even after a gap year, I would only be 17 if I did get an interview, and only 18 when I went to University.

So my first question is whether or not to reapply. (My other choices are Durham, St Andrews, Sheffield and York, which I like, but I feel like I didn't put enough effort and time into my application to Oxford the first time, and feel like I can't settle somewhere else until I can be sure that I really tried my hardest) If I get the 4As this year that I am predicted, am I likely to be given offers again next year having withdrawn my application this year?

And my second question is any advice people might have about what to do in my gap year? Obviously I need to be around before Christmas to put in the application and go to an Interview if I get one, plus I couldn't go on a gap year before that because I won't be 18. But after that I was considering a short gap (anywhere between a few weeks and a few months) and I don't know what I can do that might be relevant or helpful for my application, or to Physics and Philosophy.

Thanks in advance for any help

[Musical-Ocean]

Amazing degree choice !!! Urmm yeah as your going to be 18 even if you re-apply
i think you should go for it !!!!

you wont lose out on anything by re-applying and you can make ur ucas more stronger for next time round.

[ROBBY7896]

I know a guy that was in a similiar position to you. He applied for straight physics and didn't get in first time around. Then the next year he applied for it again and got in, so it is definitely possible.

During his gap year, he spent 3 or 6 months (forgotten which) doing a research project at a physics lab near Oxford - The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. I believe he just sent a load of emails off to all the physics laboratories near him asking to do something there, and they said he could do that. I guess you could do the same if this interested you.

[bigfishlittlefish9]

(Original post by ROBBY7896)
I believe he just sent a load of emails off to all the physics laboratories near him asking to do something there, and they said he could do that. I guess you could do the same if this interested you.

Thanks for the advice I think I'll probably try this. Although its hard to find placements that aren't geared towards engineering, which is annoying !

I think I might also try and organise a sort of mini-gap, my only problem now is how to keep my academic work at a level that will be good enough if I get an interview, and for when I do go to uni after my gap year, because I don't want to get out of the habit of hard work and study, and forget all the work I've done this year.

Any suggestions ?

Thanks for the help

[Arreh]

(Original post by bigfishlittlefish9)
I applied this year to Oxford, for Physics and Philosophy. I was rejected post-interview, but, just like so many other people, fell in love with the place. Well, not so much that as it had been a massive aspiration and goal of mine, and it was hard to know I had failed. I have been advised by the Head of Sixth Form at my school that there have been a lot of successful reapplicants, and this might be an option for me.

Blimey, PhysPhil - don't see many of that type.

I was accepted for PhysPhil at Oriel, beginning Oct this year, and whilst I have no personal experience on gap years I'd be more than happy to try and help if you have any questions about whatever.

For PhysPhil I think that having an extra year of experience and maturity will help you immensely, I really do.

Some people will recommend you read a lot on philosophy, but from what I could tell they just want you to be bloody good at maths, and capable of interesting, unique thought. Over-reading the greats may even stifle your natural voice, which is not something they want to see in an interview, I don't think.

What college did you go for, out of interest?

[cpchem]

(Original post by Arreh)
Blimey, PhysPhil - don't see many of that type.

I was accepted for PhysPhil at Oriel, beginning Oct this year, and whilst I have no personal experience on gap years I'd be more than happy to try and help if you have any questions about whatever.

For PhysPhil I think that having an extra year of experience and maturity will help you immensely, I really do.

Some people will recommend you read a lot on philosophy, but from what I could tell they just want you to be bloody good at maths, and capable of interesting, unique thought. Over-reading the greats may even stifle your natural voice, which is not something they want to see in an interview, I don't think.

What college did you go for, out of interest?

You think it will help? Many tutors in the physical sciences are anti-gap year, as people tend to lose their mathematical mojo... and that's something you'll get nowhere without. It's like an old car... you need to take it out for a drive every now and again to keep it working.

[Indecisive me.....]

So I completed my A-Levels in June 2011, getting 3 As, and am now a first-year science student at a Russell Group uni. But, having almost completed a whole year, my course isn't all that I expected it to be, plus I’ve realised that I’m not really a scientist at all and I am regretting the fact that I didn't take the time to properly think through what subject to apply for at the time of my UCAS application. Now I am thinking of taking a gap year after completing this first year, which I will hopefully spend working (and would be willing to re-sit one of my A-Levels to get it up to an A* standard) and then re-applying to other universities and Oxford too but for a different subject to the one I initially applied for. However, the tuition fees have obviously gone up and it is this coupled with the fact that Oxford have now raised their standard entry requirements from 3 As to A*AA that is making me wonder whether it would be worth a shot, bearing in mind that I did not achieve this the ‘first-time round’.

Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated.

[michael321]

(Original post by Indecisive me.....)
So I completed my A-Levels in June 2011, getting 3 As, and am now a first-year science student at a Russell Group uni. But, having almost completed a whole year, my course isn't all that I expected it to be, plus I’ve realised that I’m not really a scientist at all and I am regretting the fact that I didn't take the time to properly think through what subject to apply for at the time of my UCAS application. Now I am thinking of taking a gap year after completing this first year, which I will hopefully spend working (and would be willing to re-sit one of my A-Levels to get it up to an A* standard) and then re-applying to other universities and Oxford too but for a different subject to the one I initially applied for. However, the tuition fees have obviously gone up and it is this coupled with the fact that Oxford have now raised their standard entry requirements from 3 As to A*AA that is making me wonder whether it would be worth a shot, bearing in mind that I did not achieve this the ‘first-time round’.

Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated.

I didn't think subject through properly either. Applied for History first time round, got a couple of offers but decided I didn't want to do the subject. I reapplied for Law and got into Oxford.

My advice is that if it's honestly the subject choice which is bothering you, definitely consider reapplying. You're only in the first year and if you don't enjoy the course at all that's probably going to be a problem.

However, there are some downsides. Firstly you need to check out the student finance situation if you've dropped out and restarted - you may find that you miss out on a year's funding. Secondly, you need to bear in mind that I think Oxford frowns on resits taken over more than one year (i.e. you should complete your A-levels, AS-levels etc. in one academic year each). However, do double check this. A*s at A-level and a lack of resits are advantages at Oxbridge which many other candidates will have, though you will still have a chance; but if it's mainly the subject that's bothering you, there are good universities which will probably not mind so much, depending on the competitiveness of the course you apply for.

[nexttime]

Oxford will see that you re-took to get the A* and it won't exactly count in your favor, and you would get caught in the new fees. Why are you so keen to go to Oxford specifically? Wouldn't a course change within your university be a lot easier?

[astro67]

(Original post by Indecisive me.....)
So I completed my A-Levels in June 2011, getting 3 As, and am now a first-year science student at a Russell Group uni. But, having almost completed a whole year, my course isn't all that I expected it to be, plus I’ve realised that I’m not really a scientist at all and I am regretting the fact that I didn't take the time to properly think through what subject to apply for at the time of my UCAS application. Now I am thinking of taking a gap year after completing this first year, which I will hopefully spend working (and would be willing to re-sit one of my A-Levels to get it up to an A* standard) and then re-applying to other universities and Oxford too but for a different subject to the one I initially applied for. However, the tuition fees have obviously gone up and it is this coupled with the fact that Oxford have now raised their standard entry requirements from 3 As to A*AA that is making me wonder whether it would be worth a shot, bearing in mind that I did not achieve this the ‘first-time round’.

Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated.

It's up to you but have you explored the possibility of changing course with your current University? - nexttime mentioned it and it seems to me that the possibility may have a lot going for it - if you switch to a new subject and re-enter level 1 at your current Uni you pay the same fees as you do now. That's a saving of £18000, which might make a difference.

If you are considering applying to Oxford for a non-science course then the standard offer is still AAA for now so there probably wouldn't be a need to improve an A-level grade - re-doing a single A-level in which you've already got an A and getting an A* is hardly a huge achievement and the admissions tutors will be aware of that so it might be better to do something that demonstrates your commitment to your newly chosen discipline more clearly. Good luck.

[KPCN]

(Original post by astro67)
It's up to you but have you explored the possibility of changing course with your current University? - nexttime mentioned it and it seems to me that the possibility may have a lot going for it - if you switch to a new subject and re-enter level 1 at your current Uni you pay the same fees as you do now. That's a saving of £18000, which might make a difference.

Are you sure about that because from what a lot of other people say, I think you do still pay the £9000 fees.

@OP I advise you check with Oxford that they do accept resits before deciding to reapply. I would've thought they wouldn't accept resits.

Good luck!

[Indecisive me.....]

Thank you all for your advice.

(Original post by michael321)
I didn't think subject through properly either. Applied for History first time round, got a couple of offers but decided I didn't want to do the subject. I reapplied for Law and got into Oxford.

My advice is that if it's honestly the subject choice which is bothering you, definitely consider reapplying. You're only in the first year and if you don't enjoy the course at all that's probably going to be a problem.

However, there are some downsides. Firstly you need to check out the student finance situation if you've dropped out and restarted - you may find that you miss out on a year's funding. Secondly, you need to bear in mind that I think Oxford frowns on resits taken over more than one year (i.e. you should complete your A-levels, AS-levels etc. in one academic year each). However, do double check this. A*s at A-level and a lack of resits are advantages at Oxbridge which many other candidates will have, though you will still have a chance; but if it's mainly the subject that's bothering you, there are good universities which will probably not mind so much, depending on the competitiveness of the course you apply for.

May I ask what you did during your gap year? You make some good points. I've already checked with one of the admission tutors and they have said that my lack of an A* the first time round will be a disadvantage. However, they have also said that it would be helpful if I could prove that I am capable of achieving one and the course I am thinking of re-applying for is one that requires me to sit an admissions test, which I'll probably have to get an above average score on to have a chance of making it to interview, but, the lack of an A* aside, my application would otherwise be fairly competitive and I am determined enough to prepare really hard for the admissions test.

With regards to student finance, as far as I'm aware, you're allowed the length of your course + 1 year's funding, which is applicable in my case. Provided that's true, the situation with the higher fees wouldn't bother me so much so long as I have to make re-payments under the current system rather than the old one but I do have to check with them to see whether this would be the case.

(Original post by nexttime)
Oxford will see that you re-took to get the A* and it won't exactly count in your favor, and you would get caught in the new fees. Why are you so keen to go to Oxford specifically? Wouldn't a course change within your university be a lot easier?

As I've said above, I do appreciate the fact that it won't be a level playing field any more as it was for my original application but I am hoping that I can compensate for this with the other aspects of my application.

It is the tutorial system that makes me want to go to Oxford. One of the things that I hate about my current course is how it is delivered, how impersonal it is and how, like sponges, we are expected to absorb so much information almost exclusively through lectures alone. I'm aware that lectures are regularly used as a way of teaching at virtually all higher education institutions but I would like it to be supplemented with 2-way interaction in the form of tutorials, like it is at Oxford, because I love that intense way of learning and believe that the degree of interaction involved where you're exchanging ideas, developing your own views....etc. is the best way to learn. With the exception of Cambridge, I don't know what other universities offer this style of learning. Also, having attended a summer school there, I fell in love with the city and its small community feel too.

(Original post by astro67)
It's up to you but have you explored the possibility of changing course with your current University? - nexttime mentioned it and it seems to me that the possibility may have a lot going for it - if you switch to a new subject and re-enter level 1 at your current Uni you pay the same fees as you do now. That's a saving of £18000, which might make a difference.

If you are considering applying to Oxford for a non-science course then the standard offer is still AAA for now so there probably wouldn't be a need to improve an A-level grade - re-doing a single A-level in which you've already got an A and getting an A* is hardly a huge achievement and the admissions tutors will be aware of that so it might be better to do something that demonstrates your commitment to your newly chosen discipline more clearly. Good luck.

When I first started having doubts about the suitability of my course last year, I asked whether it would be possible to transfer internally but was told that the course, being quite a popular and typically over-subscribed one, was completely full up and that they were only accepting applications directly into the start of the first year. I also enquired at another university and they gave the same response.

Having checked with an admission tutor and taken a look on their website, A*AA is definitely now their standard requirement. My application would be a lot stronger this time round though as I have done other stuff related to the subject I am considering re-applying for.

[nexttime]

(Original post by Indecisive me.....)
As I've said above, I do appreciate the fact that it won't be a level playing field any more as it was for my original application but I am hoping that I can compensate for this with the other aspects of my application.

Fair enough. As long as you are aware that the most likely outcome is just ending up at another russel-group, with the higher fees, and you are happy with that, then go for it.