This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

English rejection - pissed off..

Andrew_2006

Okay it doesn't matter now but I still am absolutely hacked off that Durham rejected me for English.

300/300 in English - who else can claim to have that? seriously?
3 High As in other proper academic subjects.
Sporting Achievements including county level sport (tennis) and club hockey
Other Achievements, Prefect, Head of House, Debating

I really don't understand grounds for rejection and like UCL/Cambridge (my other rejections) they are unable to give out any feedback.

I have changed course now, because the entry criteria for English is silly.

If someone can actually tell me what more I could have done, I will be happy to heed their advice!

Sorry if this post sounds arrogant, but you can understand my frustration...there is something fundamentally wrong with the system...Cambridge and UCL i can accept - maybe i didn't come across well at interview but Durham that really takes the piss.

Reply 1

Pinball_heart

13

Maybe you wrote one hell of an arrogant personal statement :P

Reply 2

toothwort white

What about your personal statement? Maybe it doesn't have what they're looking for? :smile:

Reply 3

peteharris

Has to definitely be your personal statement

Reply 4

username102860

10

Er, Durham is just as, if not more competitive than UCL and Cambridge. At least with the latter two, you generally get interviews to prove yourself, something which you don't usually get at Durham. You should have come in the English sub-forum, the guys in the applicants thread will be able to empathise with your situation better than others.

I myself have been rejected by 4 unis for English, and the one I've been accepted to, I really don't want to go to anymore, so I'm having to take a compulsory gap year. All I've done is emailed the admissions tutor and asked if specific areas can be improved upon. However, I have to face facts, I applied with average grades (yours are nothing spectacular just so you know, pretty common for this course) and my PS must not have been up to the required standard. It's all about conveying enthusiasm, which neither of us may have done.

Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide to do, but honestly, Durham is equally, if not more difficult to get into for English than Cambridge and UCL. It's got one of the best English departments possibly in the world, after all.

Reply 5

Kater Murr

20

It's just bad luck. They probably didn't like your PS as much as someone else's, perhaps even by a margin.

Why have you changed course? You could have got into Nottingham uni for english with AAAA.

Reply 6

toothwort white

What Ploop said.
And besides, English is a competitive subject, so sometimes it's really a matter of luck!
(at least that's what I told myself)

Reply 7

peteharris

English is an essay based subject. The language you use in your personal statement is probably what determines what sort of person you are. Many people under estimate the personal statement's value when applying for their courses. However with English, not only do you have to show your enthusiasm, but also apply many techniques which you have acquired in your lessons to write that high standard statement.

Reply 8

Andrew_2006

OP

15

I appreciate my grades are nothing spectacular, but honestly do you know a lot of people with full marks in English? It's rare and I feel the hard work which I put into English was not been sufficiently rewarded.

I got an offer from exeter, barely in the top 20 and combined with the fact that the place is a bit of a joke..And yes I HAVE valid reasoning and would quote an admissions tutor but I might get sued for liable.

Maybe they are looking for introvert freaks I don't know?

Reply 9

jkyng1

10

the unis don't really pay much attention on marks to be honest..though 300 sounds fantastic.

Reply 10

Reblet

12

Ok, just a very quick thing: the 300/300 thing, a fair few people could claim that - me included - so don't assume that's so unique by itself. However, your other achievements are extremely commendable (especially county sport! well done!). It's your right to be pissed off, but English is ridiculously competitive. If UCL, Durham and Cambridge didn't go for you perhaps your PS didn't sound as passionate about English as you'd hoped? I'm sorry you've changed course :frown:

You're clearly really good at English, it's just a bit of a **** system so they have to go on a very subjective measure.
But the main thing to remember is that no two unis will be looking for exactly the same thing: People who get into Durham may get rejected from somewhere like Bristol or Edinburgh and vice versa. You do have an amazing CV so don't let the rejections get you down, you will clearly do well wherever you go so just prove your excellence there. Everyone ends up at the uni that's right for them. Maybe Durham would have been too small for you anyway? Well done on Nottingham.

Reply 11

made_of_fail

1

go post in the durham forum. they'll love it.

I appreciate my grades are nothing spectacular, but honestly do you know a lot of people with full marks in English? It's rare and I feel the hard work which I put into English was [has] not been sufficiently rewarded.

I got an offer from exeter, barely in the top 20 and combined with the fact that the place is a bit of a joke..And yes I HAVE valid reasoning and would quote an admissions tutor but I might get sued for liable[libel].

Maybe they are looking for introvert[ed] freaks I don't know?

Reply 12

zef99

15

can't have been your grades with ucl because I got ABCCD at AS, and my B was in english, and still got an AAA offer. Must have been personal statement. Good luck though.

Reply 13

vendettagirl

6

As far as I was aware, Cambridge are the only ones who find out your precise module scores, because they specifically request them. Unless Durham specifically asked as well, you would just look like another AAAA candidate. English seems to be a ridiculously oversubscribed course, so it's probably down to really trivial reasons whether they like you or not.

I know at least 5 other people in my class alone who got 300 UMS in AS lit, so it's not as uncommon as you may think. Still definitely an achievement though.

Sucks that it didn't work out with Durham.

Reply 14

Prudy

15

Andrew_2006

I appreciate my grades are nothing spectacular, but honestly do you know a lot of people with full marks in English? It's rare and I feel the hard work which I put into English was not been sufficiently rewarded.

I got an offer from exeter, barely in the top 20 and combined with the fact that the place is a bit of a joke..And yes I HAVE valid reasoning and would quote an admissions tutor but I might get sued for liable.

Maybe they are looking for introvert freaks I don't know?

I think you might just want to come to terms with being rejected tbh.

As everyone here seems to be saying, Durham are damn good for English, and as a consequence it is very competitive. Unfortunately you didn't make the cut this time round but it's not the end of the world.

I recommend that instead of moaning about how tragic the rejection is, you think constructively about how you're going to deal with it and move on. Go to Exeter (which is a good university, despite your rather closed minded comment), reapply, take a gap year. There are options open to you, think about which one is best for you,

Reply 15

jkyng1

10

zef99

can't have been your grades with ucl because I got ABCCD at AS, and my B was in english, and still got an AAA offer. Must have been personal statement. Good luck though.

your ps must be seriously amazing. good luck with getting the grades!

Reply 16

Reblet

12

Andrew_2006

Maybe they are looking for introvert freaks I don't know?

Reply 17

username102860

10

Andrew_2006

I got an offer from exeter, barely in the top 20 and combined with the fact that the place is a bit of a joke..And yes I HAVE valid reasoning and would quote an admissions tutor but I might get sued for liable.

If that's the standard of your English, then no wonder you get turned down! Who gave you reasoning and what about?

English is a creative subject, you're the first person I've heard to label applicants as possible 'introverted freaks'. :p:

I know people who have got full marks in English, at A2 not just AS. Someone in my year managed to achieve 297/300, not quite 300 admittedly, but pretty damn close. There were two things he was good at, structuring essays and bull****ting. He was actually pretty poor at analysing excerpts for himself and had no love for the subject. If you're applying just because you're good at it, then that will show. You do take a risk applying to top 10 unis though, and the only advice people can really give is to keep improving that PS and read more diversely.