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The Oxford rejection - Is this really it?

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Original post by Historophilia
Mine from KCL said something about me not being suited for the course, two of the the books I wrote about were by academics in their history department (that wasn't on purpose as it happens) and my historical interests tie in perfectly with their particular areas of expertise, eg. Byzantium, Russia and Military History! :curious:

Oh well never mind.

What did you apply for at UCL?


Oh dear, sometimes it just doesn't make sense does it? :s-smilie: I applied for English :smile:
Original post by la-dauphine
Oh dear, sometimes it just doesn't make sense does it? :s-smilie: I applied for English :smile:


I know, I was a bit baffled but then the whole process of choosing applicants seems a bit random to me, I have no clue how they actually differentiate between people!

Ohh that's a really, really tough course isn't it? I've known so many amazing people who got rejected for it!
Original post by Historophilia
I know, I was a bit baffled but then the whole process of choosing applicants seems a bit random to me, I have no clue how they actually differentiate between people!

Ohh that's a really, really tough course isn't it? I've known so many amazing people who got rejected for it!


I know! I've lost count of the amount of people who've been rejected from UCL for English and got offers from Oxford!
Original post by la-dauphine
I know! I've lost count of the amount of people who've been rejected from UCL for English and got offers from Oxford!


I think there's actually fewer applicants per place for English at Oxford than English at UCL so that might explain it somewhat but yes it seems bizarre.
Reply 64
Original post by Historophilia
I think there's actually fewer applicants per place for English at Oxford than English at UCL so that might explain it somewhat but yes it seems bizarre.

Their process of assessing candidates is also different. Oxford has subject tests and written work samples to consider on top of what's on the UCAS form and interviews are a routine part of the process, whereas UCL bases decisions mostly on the UCAS form and only interviews applicants who appear to be borderline. So it isn't all that surprising that they can end up reaching different conclusions about the same people...
Original post by Historophilia
I think there's actually fewer applicants per place for English at Oxford than English at UCL so that might explain it somewhat but yes it seems bizarre.


Yeah, last year there were about 20 applicants chasing every place at UCL!
Original post by hobnob
Their process of assessing candidates is also different. Oxford has subject tests and written work samples to consider on top of what's on the UCAS form and interviews are a routine part of the process, whereas UCL bases decisions mostly on the UCAS form and only interviews applicants who appear to be borderline. So it isn't all that surprising that they can end up reaching different conclusions about the same people...


That's one thing that disappointed me. UCL didn't ask for any written work at all!
Original post by la-dauphine
Yeah, last year there were about 20 applicants chasing every place at UCL!


Yeesh! That's more competitive than even the most oversubscribed course at Oxford!
Original post by hobnob
Their process of assessing candidates is also different. Oxford has subject tests and written work samples to consider on top of what's on the UCAS form and interviews are a routine part of the process, whereas UCL bases decisions mostly on the UCAS form and only interviews applicants who appear to be borderline. So it isn't all that surprising that they can end up reaching different conclusions about the same people...


True, this happens with many top universities, I've known people get offers for History at Oxford and be rejected by Durham.
Reply 69
Original post by iamlovinit05
Not really, I've been out of school for 3 years so it's quite a miracle that i could still find one to write me a reference. Thing is, when kings rejected me , both times, they said i met the academic requirement which was AAA on their website. This means that i also would have met the requirements for all other uni/courses that i applied for. PS wise, i had nothing much to write other then my aspirations.. nothing that could make me stand out like internships would.
And yea, times a scary thing.


In that case that makes me think that the only thing that pulled you down was your PS somehow just not showing them enough that you were suitable for the course.

Perhaps I'm speaking out of ignorance (I barely know you after all), but it seems the most logical from my position here.

Original post by Historophilia
I actually had to do a resit as well, I got A*AB (ie. very bloody awkward to know what to do with) and was resitting the one paper in Politics that made me drop down. It may turn out that that was why I was rejected by Oxford but they gave me an interview so...

I am looking forward to going back to studying, though I've been doing tonnes of reading and I'm going to start a little research project of my own later this year so I'm not having withdrawal symptoms just yet :smile:

Do you have offers from other UK Universities?


Yes that is a very awkward score to be saddled with. I was in somewhat the same position with my IB scores. Most top universities ask for a grade of at least 6,6,6 in your core subjects (out of a possible grade of 7). I got 7,7,5.

Honestly, I'm thinking that I stood a worse chance than others because I didn't have the opportunity to go down to Oxford to do the interview. Because of army commitments and limited leave opportunities I had to do a Skype interview here in Singapore. At least if I went over I could've been interviewed by other colleges as well... Ah well, all this conjecture will get me nowhere. Gotta focus on the here and now right?

Doing a pet research project eh? Sounds great; you don't often find that sort of drive among people here. What's it about, if I may ask? :smile:

So far my application status is as follows:

Oxford, PPE - Rejected post-interview
Durham, PPE - Unconditional offer
UCL, ESPS - Unconditional offer
Warwick, PPE - Pending
LSE, Politics and Philosophy - Rejected

And to be very frank I couldn't care less for my LSE rejection, because I never really wanted to go there at all (neither have I read great things about their teaching methods). UCL is the only other school I'm striving for, although there's a nagging voice in my head asking me to consider reapplying for PPE when in UCL..

Have any other universities gotten to you? I know that so far you've received decisions from Exeter and KCL. What about the others?
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Johof

Yes that is a very awkward score to be saddled with. I was in somewhat the same position with my IB scores. Most top universities ask for a grade of at least 6,6,6 in your core subjects (out of a possible grade of 7). I got 7,7,5.


So you kinda had the equivalent of A*A*B (I know it doesn't quite correspond but bear with me :tongue:)

Yeah, I do wonder if that was in the end why I was rejected, they can't really be seen to let their academic standards drop enough to let people with post A2 resits in, unless you are a megagenius. My school has had it happen once before, to a girl who got a place for English with A*AB post A level (though she is a genius!)

Honestly, I'm thinking that I stood a worse chance than others because I didn't have the opportunity to go down to Oxford to do the interview. Because of army commitments and limited leave opportunities I had to do a Skype interview here in Singapore. At least if I went over I could've been interviewed by other colleges as well... Ah well, all this conjecture will get me nowhere. Gotta focus on the here and now right?


Yes (though I frequently indulge in it myself), speculation doesn't really help! They do say that you aren't at at any disadvantage though I know I'd be hard pushed to perform my best being interviewed by a screen!

Doing a pet research project eh? Sounds great; you don't often find that sort of drive among people here. What's it about, if I may ask? :smile:


Thank you :smile: I like to think that drive is one thing I can say I definitely have! :tongue: It would be about the origins of the Russian Orthodox Church, how it was spread by Byzantine missionaries and how the ordinary Russians were converted. It's just something I'm really interested in, I'd planned to do a reading project on the same lines (so I got a load of relevent books for Christmas) but I think I might actually try and write something up and try and use some primary source material.

So far my application status is as follows:

Oxford, PPE - Rejected post-interview
Durham, PPE - Unconditional offer
UCL, ESPS - Unconditional offer
Warwick, PPE - Pending
LSE, Politics and Philosophy - Rejected

And to be very frank I couldn't care less for my LSE rejection, because I never really wanted to go there at all (neither have I read great things about their teaching methods). UCL is the only other school I'm striving for, although there's a nagging voice in my head asking me to consider reapplying for PPE when in UCL..


Ah you're doing well so far, and the UCL offer looks great! ESPS sounds like a fascinating subject.

I've had the same thought about reapplying to Oxford while at another Uni, but I don't think I'd want to go start again in 1st year

Have any other universities gotten to you? I know that so far you've received decisions from Exeter and KCL. What about the others?


I'm still waiting on York and Warwick. I'd only be interested in York though, applying to Warwick was a massive mistake as their course has nothing of what I want and the place itself is a bit grim!
Reply 71
Original post by Historophilia
So you kinda had the equivalent of A*A*B (I know it doesn't quite correspond but bear with me )

Yeah, I do wonder if that was in the end why I was rejected, they can't really be seen to let their academic standards drop enough to let people with post A2 resits in, unless you are a megagenius. My school has had it happen once before, to a girl who got a place for English with A*AB post A level (though she is a genius!)

Thank you I like to think that drive is one thing I can say I definitely have! It would be about the origins of the Russian Orthodox Church, how it was spread by Byzantine missionaries and how the ordinary Russians were converted. It's just something I'm really interested in, I'd planned to do a reading project on the same lines (so I got a load of relevent books for Christmas) but I think I might actually try and write something up and try and use some primary source material.

Ah you're doing well so far, and the UCL offer looks great! ESPS sounds like a fascinating subject.

I've had the same thought about reapplying to Oxford while at another Uni, but I don't think I'd want to go start again in 1st year

I'm still waiting on York and Warwick. I'd only be interested in York though, applying to Warwick was a massive mistake as their course has nothing of what I want and the place itself is a bit grim!


Yes I did have marks which were somewhat the equivalent of your A*A*B, darn grades. :tongue:

Oh wow. That sounds like a really interesting thing to do your research on! Do you plan to write any sort of thesis, or is this just something that you'll be doing in an unformatted and informal way? It kinda reminds me of the Extended Essay I did in the IB, which is essentially a 4000 word thesis on any subject you want (mine was on literature; Terry Pratchett to be exact).

About my university applications, thanks. :smile: Yes, ESPS is an amazing subject, and I'm very excited that at least UCL wants me as a student. The only thing that's worrying me is that according to what I read on forums, students inside ESPS generally feel that it hasn't lived up to its hype. I've gotta find out more from ESPSers themselves it seems...

So your choices are:
- Oxford
- KCL
- Exeter
- York
- Warwick

Honestly I'm very surprised that someone of your calibre isn't applying to more top-tier universities like UCL, LSE and Durham, and I can only assume that it's because their courses don't interest you. What sort of history are you interested in?
(edited 12 years ago)
It's alright, you can try again next year (along with me :P)!
Reply 73
reapplicant made an offer here; don't lose hope! :biggrin:
Original post by Johof
Yes I did have marks which were somewhat the equivalent of your A*A*B, darn grades. :tongue:

Oh wow. That sounds like a really interesting thing to do your research on! Do you plan to write any sort of thesis, or is this just something that you'll be doing in an unformatted and informal way? It kinda reminds me of the Extended Essay I did in the IB, which is essentially a 4000 word thesis on any subject you want (mine was on literature; Terry Pratchett to be exact).

About my university applications, thanks. :smile: Yes, ESPS is an amazing subject, and I'm very excited that at least UCL wants me as a student. The only thing that's worrying me is that according to what I read on forums, students inside ESPS generally feel that it hasn't lived up to its hype. I've gotta find out more from ESPSers themselves it seems...

So your choices are:
- Oxford
- KCL
- Exeter
- York
- Warwick

Honestly I'm very surprised that someone of your calibre isn't applying to more top-tier universities like UCL, LSE and Durham, and I can only assume that it's because their courses don't interest you. What sort of history are you interested in?


Yeah I'm more thinking an extended essay type thing, I haven't got the language skills or access to the primary sources that I'd need to make it a proper academic work, ii'd be good practice for when using secondary sources though, as that's what i'd mostly have to use. And it's also a way of educating myself on it generally, make myself an expert (kinda) on it, for my own satisfaction.

I LOVE TERRY PRATCHETT! What exactly did you write about on him?

Yeah first hand accounts are key when I make my final decision I'm going to try and find some relevant people from York and Exeter to make help make a decision.

That's very kind of you to say but my problem is my results, most Unis are very strict on post a level resits, I was told not to apply to Durham for that reason, both Oxford and KCL were risky choices and I've paid the price for that, even my less prestigious choices are still competitive, none wanted any less than AAA.

If I'd applied to all top tier Unis I'd risk being rejected by all of them and having nowhere to go at all!

So basically though I still tried to ambitious and I'm glad I did, I have to take what I can get, and though i'd always wanted to go to a Uni with 'wow factor', sadly that isn't going to happen.

I like medieval history and religious history in particular, and anything Russian but I love studying all kinds :smile:
Does anyone know if there's some sort of 'reserve list' for Oxford undergraduate applications? (last bit of hope lol :tongue: )
Original post by tigerlilygem
Does anyone know if there's some sort of 'reserve list' for Oxford undergraduate applications? (last bit of hope lol :tongue: )


Whoops, just realised this has already been answered :/
Reply 77
Original post by Historophilia
Yeah I'm more thinking an extended essay type thing, I haven't got the language skills or access to the primary sources that I'd need to make it a proper academic work, ii'd be good practice for when using secondary sources though, as that's what i'd mostly have to use. And it's also a way of educating myself on it generally, make myself an expert (kinda) on it, for my own satisfaction.

I LOVE TERRY PRATCHETT! What exactly did you write about on him?

Yeah first hand accounts are key when I make my final decision I'm going to try and find some relevant people from York and Exeter to make help make a decision.

That's very kind of you to say but my problem is my results, most Unis are very strict on post a level resits, I was told not to apply to Durham for that reason, both Oxford and KCL were risky choices and I've paid the price for that, even my less prestigious choices are still competitive, none wanted any less than AAA.

If I'd applied to all top tier Unis I'd risk being rejected by all of them and having nowhere to go at all!

So basically though I still tried to ambitious and I'm glad I did, I have to take what I can get, and though i'd always wanted to go to a Uni with 'wow factor', sadly that isn't going to happen.

I like medieval history and religious history in particular, and anything Russian but I love studying all kinds :smile:


Wow, I wish you all the best with that! Sounds like you're gonna be the sort to write history books. And when your books top the New York Times bestseller list, write a letter to Oxford that says, "I told you so." :tongue:

Another Terry Pratchett fan? Woohoo! :biggrin:

My essay was basically "an exploration of how Terry Pratchett uses belief to comment on the nature of reality in the world of the reader". I used three books: Hogfather, Witches Abroad and Small Gods. In essence, my essay proved how Terry Pratchett was saying that the line between reality and what we believe reality to be isn't distinct at all. I really enjoyed the process, because I love Terry Pratchett, and because I had a great supervisor.

Oh man, I can see how painful that one B turned out to be.. I suppose I was luckier in the sense that I had nothing to lose in applying to all top-tier universities. As an international student my mentality was: aim for the best, or don't even bother trying. After all, I wouldn't travel halfway across the globe for an education at a university which isn't internationally recognised.

Still, if you really have it in you, it's gonna shine through no matter where you go. And besides, there's nothing stopping us from a master's at Oxbridge. :smile:

Say, that's a very interesting period of history to be interested in. If I have anything that I want your opinion on regarding this period, would you be fine with that?
Original post by Johof
Wow, I wish you all the best with that! Sounds like you're gonna be the sort to write history books. And when your books top the New York Times bestseller list, write a letter to Oxford that says, "I told you so." :tongue:

Another Terry Pratchett fan? Woohoo! :biggrin:

My essay was basically "an exploration of how Terry Pratchett uses belief to comment on the nature of reality in the world of the reader". I used three books: Hogfather, Witches Abroad and Small Gods. In essence, my essay proved how Terry Pratchett was saying that the line between reality and what we believe reality to be isn't distinct at all. I really enjoyed the process, because I love Terry Pratchett, and because I had a great supervisor.

Oh man, I can see how painful that one B turned out to be.. I suppose I was luckier in the sense that I had nothing to lose in applying to all top-tier universities. As an international student my mentality was: aim for the best, or don't even bother trying. After all, I wouldn't travel halfway across the globe for an education at a university which isn't internationally recognised.

Still, if you really have it in you, it's gonna shine through no matter where you go. And besides, there's nothing stopping us from a master's at Oxbridge. :smile:

Say, that's a very interesting period of history to be interested in. If I have anything that I want your opinion on regarding this period, would you be fine with that?


:biggrin: I hadn't considered going into academia as such, but I've considered journalism as a career and lots of journalists write history books as well. Or maybe I could just do it anyway, fitting in the time around a normal job :smile: I would like to write a book on the subject, I'd call it 'the Third Rome', which is a reference to the fact that the Muscovite states regarded themselves as the heirs of Byzantium after it fell (which was itself the second Rome) and thus was the centre of christendom. In a book I'd also explore the impact that religion has had on ordinary russians and how it shaped the national character.

If I did go into Academia though, I'd try to become a tutor at Oxford, and then choose all the awkward and interesting candidates at interviews and beforehand inform them all that I had got rejected just to see their faces :tongue:

That sounds really interesting, and yes I love Terry Pratcett, he's such a human writer, you read him and feel that he really understands people, and he loves and finds them exasperating in equal measure.

The B was a massive annoyance, particularly as we got the paper back and my teacher (who is an examiner for that paper, so she knows) said that I shouldn't have got the mark I did :frown: but my remark didn't change at all and she said it wasn't worth appealing it.

I hope so, York or Exeter would be good enough places to get onto a Masters, as long as I have a First (which I have decided I will get :tongue:)

Oh go ahead! I love talking about my areas of interest, so many people just look at me like 'Wha...?' when I tell them about them!
Reply 79
Original post by Historophilia
:biggrin: I hadn't considered going into academia as such, but I've considered journalism as a career and lots of journalists write history books as well. Or maybe I could just do it anyway, fitting in the time around a normal job :smile: I would like to write a book on the subject, I'd call it 'the Third Rome', which is a reference to the fact that the Muscovite states regarded themselves as the heirs of Byzantium after it fell (which was itself the second Rome) and thus was the centre of christendom. In a book I'd also explore the impact that religion has had on ordinary russians and how it shaped the national character.

If I did go into Academia though, I'd try to become a tutor at Oxford, and then choose all the awkward and interesting candidates at interviews and beforehand inform them all that I had got rejected just to see their faces :tongue:

That sounds really interesting, and yes I love Terry Pratcett, he's such a human writer, you read him and feel that he really understands people, and he loves and finds them exasperating in equal measure.

The B was a massive annoyance, particularly as we got the paper back and my teacher (who is an examiner for that paper, so she knows) said that I shouldn't have got the mark I did :frown: but my remark didn't change at all and she said it wasn't worth appealing it.

I hope so, York or Exeter would be good enough places to get onto a Masters, as long as I have a First (which I have decided I will get :tongue:)

Oh go ahead! I love talking about my areas of interest, so many people just look at me like 'Wha...?' when I tell them about them!


The Muscovites considered their capital the third Rome? Now that's something I didn't know. To be honest I always thought Russian history to be kind of mysterious. Blood and wars shrouded in the impenetrable icy clouds of the far north. Something exotic that nobody really pays attention to really.

Hahaha getting into Oxford as a tutor and then doing that to the interviewees would be totally awesome. It'd definitely screw with their minds. :P

Terry Pratchett is amazing isn't he? Just like you, one thing I especially love about his books is the way he so successfully builds his characters into such believable people. The depth of his skills shot through my mind with the first book I picked up, and I have never looked back since. I've conquered almost all of the Discworld series, but am worried about his quality now, especially with his Alzheimer's.. :frown:

As I said, so long as you do what you love, I think you'll have no issues. It's good that you're certain about following your passions. A problem that many of us Asians face is that we too often pursue what is practical for us, and not what we love. I can only hope that I manage to strike a balance between that. :smile:

By the way, did you get your application feedback yet? Just got mine a few hours back. Quite sad about it.
(edited 12 years ago)

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