[tigerlilygem]

So I applied to Oxford for Classics and English this year and didn't get in. I said to my mum before that I thought I needed to take a gap year, because I thought I was good enough, but needed some work before I was ready and up to their standard, and in my interview feedback that's basically what they said.

I absolutely adore Oxford and always just assumed I would go there (not in an arrogant way, just because I wanted it so much), so I'm really considering taking a gap year and reapplying next year.

BUT...

I have offers from Royal Holloway and King's College. I really like RHUL, but King's is higher up in the league tables. However, I would be living at home if I went to King's, and I feel like I'd be missing out on a lot. Also, King's is 75% Classics and only 25% English

WHAT SHALL I DO? (with a drunken sailor )

Any opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated

[Feartheunknown]

HI I'm at RHUL and I think you should go to King's College London. You're less likely to be 'missing out' at King's if you lived at home than anywhere else! King's has the best Student's Union and it's really active so there is always something going on. You just need to make extra effort and may have to stick around for events that may run in the evenings when everyone is free. That said, you shouldn't find yourself bored- you're in central London.. lots to do and see! RHUL, on the other hand, well it's not THAT great. Students Union is what you make it out to be - but one thing I have noticed since I went to the open day, it's not that friendly. People are in clicks (sp?!) and it's a lot harder to make friends with people. I try really hard and it seems to be working out for me, but it's not natural - people at King's are more friendly and there's a sense of unity. Also, people seem really snobby, most people don't make an effort and I have noticed this is lots of people in diff departments. It seems most people have the attitude that people will speak to me if they want to be my friend, I dont have to talk to anyone, they'll come to me - as if their of some grand status! However, this could just be people on my course. Also, RHUL is really expensive and even worse students from RHUL have higher debt than those studying at King's - it was in our student magazine, 'The Orbital' which can be accessed online and I recommend you read the article if you can find it!

Oh and I forgot, the classics department at RHUL was going to get shut down, so I think it's a bit unstable. This was on the front page of the student newspaper 'The Founder' you can find the article online too!

[amber109]

(Original post by Feartheunknown)
HI I'm at RHUL and I think you should go to King's College London. You're less likely to be 'missing out' at King's if you lived at home than anywhere else! King's has the best Student's Union and it's really active so there is always something going on. You just need to make extra effort and may have to stick around for events that may run in the evenings when everyone is free. That said, you shouldn't find yourself bored- you're in central London.. lots to do and see! RHUL, on the other hand, well it's not THAT great. Students Union is what you make it out to be - but one thing I have noticed since I went to the open day, it's not that friendly. People are in clicks (sp?!) and it's a lot harder to make friends with people. I try really hard and it seems to be working out for me, but it's not natural - people at King's are more friendly and there's a sense of unity. Also, people seem really snobby, most people don't make an effort and I have noticed this is lots of people in diff departments. It seems most people have the attitude that people will speak to me if they want to be my friend, I dont have to talk to anyone, they'll come to me - as if their of some grand status! However, this could just be people on my course. Also, RHUL is really expensive and even worse students from RHUL have higher debt than those studying at King's - it was in our student magazine, 'The Orbital' which can be accessed online and I recommend you read the article if you can find it!

Oh and I forgot, the classics department at RHUL was going to get shut down, so I think it's a bit unstable. This was on the front page of the student newspaper 'The Founder' you can find the article online too!

if i were you i would probably go to kings college

[Wave]

This is what happens when people don't put effort into making their 2nd and 3rd choices. You get rejected from your first choice and then you're stuck because you never really liked your 2nd choice/it wasn't suitable. That aside remember that you're just another applicant to Oxford and you're one of hundreds of people on TSR who "assume they are gonna go there". I would go to RHUL as you don't like the sound of living at home + you don't seem to like the course structure + RHUL isn't massively worse than King's

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by Feartheunknown)
HI I'm at RHUL and I think you should go to King's College London. You're less likely to be 'missing out' at King's if you lived at home than anywhere else! King's has the best Student's Union and it's really active so there is always something going on. You just need to make extra effort and may have to stick around for events that may run in the evenings when everyone is free. That said, you shouldn't find yourself bored- you're in central London.. lots to do and see! RHUL, on the other hand, well it's not THAT great. Students Union is what you make it out to be - but one thing I have noticed since I went to the open day, it's not that friendly. People are in clicks (sp?!) and it's a lot harder to make friends with people. I try really hard and it seems to be working out for me, but it's not natural - people at King's are more friendly and there's a sense of unity. Also, people seem really snobby, most people don't make an effort and I have noticed this is lots of people in diff departments. It seems most people have the attitude that people will speak to me if they want to be my friend, I dont have to talk to anyone, they'll come to me - as if their of some grand status! However, this could just be people on my course. Also, RHUL is really expensive and even worse students from RHUL have higher debt than those studying at King's - it was in our student magazine, 'The Orbital' which can be accessed online and I recommend you read the article if you can find it!

Oh and I forgot, the classics department at RHUL was going to get shut down, so I think it's a bit unstable. This was on the front page of the student newspaper 'The Founder' you can find the article online too!

Wow. You've told me the complete opposite of what I thought! I thought RHUL was the friendly one and King's was the kind of cliquey one from the open days I went to. But I'm going to the King's post-offer open day, so definitely something to look out for.

Obviously it would be cheaper to go to Kings due to staying at home, but I think it wouldn't be too bad at RHUL for me, as I'm eligible for the bursaries/grants/whatever they are, so some money could be taken off? But I'll definitely read the article.

Yeah, I heard about that :/ They said that my year would be safe, but then safe doesn't mean up to the same standard as when they had more money...

Thanks so much for your help

[Kenan and Kel]

Go King's and live out your first year

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by Wave)
This is what happens when people don't put effort into making their 2nd and 3rd choices. You get rejected from your first choice and then you're stuck because you never really liked your 2nd choice/it wasn't suitable. That aside remember that you're just another applicant to Oxford and you're one of hundreds of people on TSR who "assume they are gonna go there". I would go to RHUL as you don't like the sound of living at home + you don't seem to like the course structure + RHUL isn't massively worse than King's

Before I went to Oxford for the interviews, I honestly was also besotted with RHUL! It's just that now I'm getting into the nitty gritty of things, I've had to take note of all the problems.

Exactly, I feel like I could do it for Oxford, but there's no guarantee, and they'd expect me to be a year's worth of work better than this time :/

Thanks for you help

[ndx]

My cousin did classics at Kings and I'm planning to do it at RHUL. My cousin loved classics at Kings, the department was top class and the course was extremely broad (you can do anything from Homer to Amcient Persia). However,it has gone down on the league tables for classics recently so you might want to keep that in mind. She also lived at home and didn't feel she got the university experience and she's usually pretty outgoing. As for RHUL, I was worried about the classics department closing but at the open day, they said it was overhyped and there's absolutely no threat of it being closed. The department looks fantastic and so does the uni if you want to go somewhere a bit quiter.

RHUL is ranked lower than Kings but rankings arent everything, its where you're the most comfortable. I got an offer from Nottimgham and was sure I'd firm there but I went to RHUL and fell in love with it! Hope that helped, well done on your offers!

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by Kenan and Kel)
Go King's and live out your first year

I think I live too close to get accommodation for King's, as I live inside the M25. Do you know if I could still apply though?

[Axellia]

To be honest, I would reapply next year, and then if I didn't get into Oxford, I would just take the next best offer

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by ndx)
My cousin did classics at Kings and I'm planning to do it at RHUL. My cousin loved classics at Kings, the department was top class and the course was extremely broad (you can do anything from Homer to Amcient Persia). However,it has gone down on the league tables for classics recently so you might want to keep that in mind. She also lived at home and didn't feel she got the university experience and she's usually pretty outgoing. As for RHUL, I was worried about the classics department closing but at the open day, they said it was overhyped and there's absolutely no threat of it being closed. The department looks fantastic and so does the uni if you want to go somewhere a bit quiter.

RHUL is ranked lower than Kings but rankings arent everything, its where you're the most comfortable. I got an offer from Nottimgham and was sure I'd firm there but I went to RHUL and fell in love with it! Hope that helped, well done on your offers!

Ooh, a wider selection does sound good! And I agree, rankings aren't everything, but it's just another point for my pros and cons list haha :P

Thanks!

[Feartheunknown]

(Original post by tigerlilygem)
Wow. You've told me the complete opposite of what I thought! I thought RHUL was the friendly one and King's was the kind of cliquey one from the open days I went to. But I'm going to the King's post-offer open day, so definitely something to look out for.

Obviously it would be cheaper to go to Kings due to staying at home, but I think it wouldn't be too bad at RHUL for me, as I'm eligible for the bursaries/grants/whatever they are, so some money could be taken off? But I'll definitely read the article.

Yeah, I heard about that :/ They said that my year would be safe, but then safe doesn't mean up to the same standard as when they had more money...

Thanks so much for your help

You're very very welcome! I guess everyone has a different perception, but I found it dramatically different to the other universities I had visited and the whole unity thing stuck out A LOT! Also another thing to keep in mind, would you prefer to be in a city or to be in a village? Egham is really quiet, most buses run every half an hour, trains to Waterloo run every half an hour - that said, the train station is also 1 mile (downhill - thankfully!) away.

AND finally, the one thing has completely pissed me off was, on the open day they said (for my subject) we accept only Bs and As - we really don't like Cs. And now that I'm here, there are people here with Cs!!! Yes this depends on the number of applicants and firmers etc. But I feel betrayed and stupid for believing that RHUL actually had standards! This may relate to Classics even more so due to the closing scare - people may be less inclined to apply.

Having said all this, make your own opinion, you have applied for a different subject and consequently different universities to me so all I can say is all the best with your exams and I hope you get in to which ever uni you decide to firm. Feel free to ask questions too and Good Luck.

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by Axellia)
To be honest, I would reapply next year, and then if I didn't get into Oxford, I would just take the next best offer

I know, I'm so tempted! I'm just worried that if I didn't get in again and I had turned down my offers from King's and RHUL, they may not take me again next year :/

[Feartheunknown]

(Original post by tigerlilygem)
I think I live too close to get accommodation for King's, as I live inside the M25. Do you know if I could still apply though?

You're automatically rejected for student housing if you live within the M25 for King's.

[Rascacielos]

(Original post by Wave)
This is what happens when people don't put effort into making their 2nd and 3rd choices. You get rejected from your first choice and then you're stuck because you never really liked your 2nd choice/it wasn't suitable. That aside remember that you're just another applicant to Oxford and you're one of hundreds of people on TSR who "assume they are gonna go there". I would go to RHUL as you don't like the sound of living at home + you don't seem to like the course structure + RHUL isn't massively worse than King's

That's not necessarily the OP's case at all. Some people prefer their first choice way above every other choice, so it's a disappointment regardless of how well you've chosen your 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th choices.

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by Feartheunknown)
You're very very welcome! I guess everyone has a different perception, but I found it dramatically different to the other universities I had visited and the whole unity thing stuck out A LOT! Also another thing to keep in mind, would you prefer to be in a city or to be in a village? Egham is really quiet, most buses run every half an hour, trains to Waterloo run every half an hour - that said, the train station is also 1 mile (downhill - thankfully!) away.

AND finally, the one thing has completely pissed me off was, on the open day they said (for my subject) we accept only Bs and As - we really don't like Cs. And now that I'm here, there are people here with Cs!!! Yes this depends on the number of applicants and firmers etc. But I feel betrayed and stupid for believing that RHUL actually had standards! This may relate to Classics even more so due to the closing scare - people may be less inclined to apply.

Having said all this, make your own opinion, you have applied for a different subject and consequently different universities to me so all I can say is all the best with your exams and I hope you get in to which ever uni you decide to firm. Feel free to ask questions too and Good Luck.

I'm not too fussed about nightlife as such: I think I'd enjoy a nice quiet village most of the time, it's just that I tend to make friends more easily if I spend more time with people in a social context. But it's a good job that train station is downhill- freewheel biking woo! :P

Well you've helped me a lot, thank you

[tigerlilygem]

(Original post by Feartheunknown)
You're automatically rejected for student housing if you live within the M25 for King's.

Aw boo Thanks though

[Kenan and Kel]

(Original post by tigerlilygem)
I think I live too close to get accommodation for King's, as I live inside the M25. Do you know if I could still apply though?

Applicants with a home address inside the M25 ring road and those who have previously commenced a higher education academic programme in the UK may apply but will have lower priority and are unlikely to be considered for accommodation until after the start of session.

http://www.kcl.ac.uk/campuslife/acco...ing/index.aspx

[floralia]

(Original post by tigerlilygem)
So I applied to Oxford for Classics and English this year and didn't get in. I said to my mum before that I thought I needed to take a gap year, because I thought I was good enough, but needed some work before I was ready and up to their standard, and in my interview feedback that's basically what they said.

I absolutely adore Oxford and always just assumed I would go there (not in an arrogant way, just because I wanted it so much), so I'm really considering taking a gap year and reapplying next year.

BUT...

I have offers from Royal Holloway and King's College. I really like RHUL, but King's is higher up in the league tables. However, I would be living at home if I went to King's, and I feel like I'd be missing out on a lot. Also, King's is 75% Classics and only 25% English

WHAT SHALL I DO? (with a drunken sailor )

Any opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated

Hi - just thought I'd add a note of caution about reapplying. I did this year (for a different subject and Cambridge, so slightly different but still :P ) with 4 A*s, a better personal statement and having done lots more work and was pooled then rejected. If you are going to reapply definitely make your other choices carefully and don't place all your hopes on Oxford.

[trippers]

don't take a gap year you smelly poo