How to get over a Cambridge rejection
I'm sort of scared about posting this in the Cambridge forum, where there are probably many current students and offer holders, but this is anonymous so 🫠
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Scroll to see replies
I’m so sorry you’re going through this, it sounds really hard. Im a Cambridge student and the application is gruelling, to say the least. Here are my general thoughts, but please remember that it’s ok just to let yourself be sad and to take some time to heal.
I hope you can take the time to heal and to think about your options. You’re no less intelligent and no less worthy of success because you didn’t get in this time.
1.
If you got an interview then you are oxbridge material. It means your grades and PS were good enough that they could see you here from those. I
2.
The interviews are designed partially to see if you would fit into the teaching style here, and partially so they can compare applicants more directly. You might have done really well and there could just have been loads of strong applicants this year. They might also have felt your discomfort and stress and felt like you wouldn’t enjoy it here, because of the amount of pressure, high expectations etc. It probably isn’t that you couldn’t do the academic work here, just that they had lots of good applicants to choose from or that they didn’t think you’d be happy in this environment. If you applied again in a year, with a bit more life experience and hopefully a bit less pressure from school, it is possible you’d get in. So many of my friends here got in second time around.
3.
I love it here, but I’ve also done study placements at other unis and I loved it there too. Remember that you will enjoy other courses and other places as well as Cambridge, and that going to a uni that suits your personal needs and your personality is way more important than going to a uni with a reputation largely built on its age and Money.
4.
Interviewers are just people and they do make mistakes sometimes. Also, you’re also only human and your performance in a 20 min interview cannot represent the full extent of your ability. Be kind to yourself - you got an interview at Cambridge. That is amazing in and of itself. You’re no less intelligent and no less worthy of success because of this. So many factors can be in the mix that you cannot know how it really went - I ended up pretending to be a mushroom very briefly in one interview when I couldn’t remember the French word for mushroom because of the stress and I didn’t want to go back to English. I felt it went terrible, but turns out I got quite a high score in that interview. There’s no way of knowing what they were thinking in that time, so if you can, try to make your peace with that. The interviewers know you’re not stupid, they know it’s stressful and they know that everyone they interview wants a place really badly. Everyone’s just doing their best with the limited time and resources available with which to differentiate between candidates.
I hope you can take the time to heal and to think about your options. You’re no less intelligent and no less worthy of success because you didn’t get in this time.
Original post by Anonymous #1
I'm sort of scared about posting this in the Cambridge forum, where there are probably many current students and offer holders, but this is anonymous so 🫠
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Your grades and UCAS Personal Statement was good enough for an invitation for interview. So you are what the admissions tutors were looking for; but you just did not 'perform' well enough in the interviews. That's why, I suggest you re-apply to St. Catherine's College or Girton College or Homerton College next year for HSPS. 🙂
Original post by Anonymous #2
I’m so sorry you’re going through this, it sounds really hard. Im a Cambridge student and the application is gruelling, to say the least. Here are my general thoughts, but please remember that it’s ok just to let yourself be sad and to take some time to heal.
I hope you can take the time to heal and to think about your options. You’re no less intelligent and no less worthy of success because you didn’t get in this time.
1.
If you got an interview then you are oxbridge material. It means your grades and PS were good enough that they could see you here from those. I
2.
The interviews are designed partially to see if you would fit into the teaching style here, and partially so they can compare applicants more directly. You might have done really well and there could just have been loads of strong applicants this year. They might also have felt your discomfort and stress and felt like you wouldn’t enjoy it here, because of the amount of pressure, high expectations etc. It probably isn’t that you couldn’t do the academic work here, just that they had lots of good applicants to choose from or that they didn’t think you’d be happy in this environment. If you applied again in a year, with a bit more life experience and hopefully a bit less pressure from school, it is possible you’d get in. So many of my friends here got in second time around.
3.
I love it here, but I’ve also done study placements at other unis and I loved it there too. Remember that you will enjoy other courses and other places as well as Cambridge, and that going to a uni that suits your personal needs and your personality is way more important than going to a uni with a reputation largely built on its age and Money.
4.
Interviewers are just people and they do make mistakes sometimes. Also, you’re also only human and your performance in a 20 min interview cannot represent the full extent of your ability. Be kind to yourself - you got an interview at Cambridge. That is amazing in and of itself. You’re no less intelligent and no less worthy of success because of this. So many factors can be in the mix that you cannot know how it really went - I ended up pretending to be a mushroom very briefly in one interview when I couldn’t remember the French word for mushroom because of the stress and I didn’t want to go back to English. I felt it went terrible, but turns out I got quite a high score in that interview. There’s no way of knowing what they were thinking in that time, so if you can, try to make your peace with that. The interviewers know you’re not stupid, they know it’s stressful and they know that everyone they interview wants a place really badly. Everyone’s just doing their best with the limited time and resources available with which to differentiate between candidates.
I hope you can take the time to heal and to think about your options. You’re no less intelligent and no less worthy of success because you didn’t get in this time.
Thanks for putting so much effort into this reply
Honestly, the pressure was a huge part. The relative at Oxbridge is my older sister, who I've been 'similar' to my entire life. It's a situation kind of like with my friend, where everyone expected me to get in because my sister did - since my sister was one of 2 people to get into Oxbridge from her cohort, everyone sort of knows too. I have a younger sister in year 12 planning to apply to Ox next year, and considering she's smarter than me and has a brilliant mind (plus the composure I lack🫡), I have a lot of faith in her. But that means I was so frantic to get in, because I didn't want to be the only sibling who failed at Oxbridge lol.
Of course, I don't know what my interviewers thought of my performance and what their reasons were for the scores they gave me, but I really do think my awkwardness and desperation in the moment is something that screwed me over. I am a bit quiet, but I would love to share my thoughts and hear those of others more, so supervisions were something I really like the idea of. Usually talking about my subject and trying to form opinions on something unfamiliar to me isn't terrifyingly difficult, but suddenly it was. School has always been passive and unengaging for me not because I hate learning, but because it's just how education is structured. I was hoping Oxbridge would give a little more room for the discussion and genuine interest that I wish I could experience.
Of course, I don't want to over-glamourise since I've never experienced the stress of Oxbridge either and I imagine I would have struggled as much as anyone else does there. Maybe the Cambridge teaching and learning style isn't all I've chalked it up to in my mind, and maybe it's just a ton of hard work with a LITTLE bit of interaction and connection. But naïve as I may sound as a reject, I was willing to put in the work. I don't attend school much anymore due to illness and have pulled the weight of my own learning without much support since year 11. I am absolutely certain Cambridge would have given me a VERY rude awakening that it's not that easy, but I'd like to think I would have tried very hard to take that in stride once it hit me😓
I thought long and hard about whether I was applying to Cam because of its reputation, or because I thought it would fit me - and I guess you don't know for sure if it does until you go there, but at least based on what I learned about Cambridge, my intention was not to apply just because it's Cambridge, but because of the course, the supervisions, the academic culture, and the dedication that you have to put in. And I love the place (although I only visited once). I probably would have been slapped in the face with how hard it is, but I really don't want to go through uni passively, and just juggle a massive workload whilst feeling like I'm not getting much enjoyment out of my subject beyond just reading through the material. I'm sure other unis provide a similar experience to Cam, and I'm very scared I sound too pretentious, ignorant or obnoxious by saying this, but I was also so sure I would have especially loved the way Cambridge does it.
Original post by thegeek888
Your grades and UCAS Personal Statement was good enough for an invitation for interview. So you are what the admissions tutors were looking for; but you just did not 'perform' well enough in the interviews. That's why, I suggest you re-apply to St. Catherine's College or Girton College or Homerton College next year for HSPS. 🙂
I hope it's okay that I ask, but why those specific colleges?
Original post by Anonymous #1
I hope it's okay that I ask, but why those specific colleges?
Because they're not as close to the most oversubscribed colleges.
Original post by thegeek888
Because they're not as close to the most oversubscribed colleges.
Err, you might want to check the location of Catz on a map.
Original post by Anonymous #1
I'm sort of scared about posting this in the Cambridge forum, where there are probably many current students and offer holders, but this is anonymous so 🫠
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Hi! I am in the exact same situation as you. I knew from the minute my interview was over I wouldn't get in, but I of course was still hoping, so my rejection really crushed me. It was made so much worse because everyone around me got in, and I just felt so embarrased and like a failure. I also feel like speaking about it to people has made it worse - I know everyone will say it doesn't matter and try and trash talk Cambridge to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, but when you put so much effort into something just for it to be for nothing it really is the worst feeling.
The way I am coping with my rejection is just reminding myself that the majority of Oxbridge applicants are in this position, as it is SO competitive, and watching Cambridge rejection videos on youtube has also helped me a lot lol. Ultimately all the hurt that you are feeling will ease day by day, and who knows, maybe one day we will see this as a blessing in disguise 🙂. Ultimately there are so many factors out of your control which shaped the interview process, and so many factors that were out of your control - it is pretty much impossible to determine someones suitability based off of one interview. All your application was was a snapshot of you at a specific point in time, which may not even reflect the true person you are. You sound to me like a hardworking, committed person, so I would say don't be afraid of reapplying if that is what you want, otherwise you may always think about the 'what if'.
Original post by Anonymous #3
Hi! I am in the exact same situation as you. I knew from the minute my interview was over I wouldn't get in, but I of course was still hoping, so my rejection really crushed me. It was made so much worse because everyone around me got in, and I just felt so embarrased and like a failure. I also feel like speaking about it to people has made it worse - I know everyone will say it doesn't matter and try and trash talk Cambridge to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, but when you put so much effort into something just for it to be for nothing it really is the worst feeling.
The way I am coping with my rejection is just reminding myself that the majority of Oxbridge applicants are in this position, as it is SO competitive, and watching Cambridge rejection videos on youtube has also helped me a lot lol. Ultimately all the hurt that you are feeling will ease day by day, and who knows, maybe one day we will see this as a blessing in disguise 🙂. Ultimately there are so many factors out of your control which shaped the interview process, and so many factors that were out of your control - it is pretty much impossible to determine someones suitability based off of one interview. All your application was was a snapshot of you at a specific point in time, which may not even reflect the true person you are. You sound to me like a hardworking, committed person, so I would say don't be afraid of reapplying if that is what you want, otherwise you may always think about the 'what if'.
The way I am coping with my rejection is just reminding myself that the majority of Oxbridge applicants are in this position, as it is SO competitive, and watching Cambridge rejection videos on youtube has also helped me a lot lol. Ultimately all the hurt that you are feeling will ease day by day, and who knows, maybe one day we will see this as a blessing in disguise 🙂. Ultimately there are so many factors out of your control which shaped the interview process, and so many factors that were out of your control - it is pretty much impossible to determine someones suitability based off of one interview. All your application was was a snapshot of you at a specific point in time, which may not even reflect the true person you are. You sound to me like a hardworking, committed person, so I would say don't be afraid of reapplying if that is what you want, otherwise you may always think about the 'what if'.
Aw no, it's probably pretty painful to have a lot of people around you getting offers 😓 . I think there were only 7 or 8 applicants in my year and of the 4 of us who got interviews, I only know for sure that one of us got an offer. However, as I mentioned in the OG post, that person is my close friend, and my older sister who has been my (very one-sided) academic 'rival' for as long as I can remember currently goes to Oxford - so to a lesser extent, I can understand the pressure and embarrassment.
I also didn't have much hope, but it still hurts to get rejected, especially if everyone else around you fully believed you'd get in. But I guess that just goes to show I possibly could have done it if the circumstances were better that day and I wasn't so nervous - so maybe I'll go for it again if I can pull myself together :')
Not sure if you're going to reapply, but good luck either way! I've thought on it a lot and realised interviews are sometimes a shaky way to determine suitability, just like you said. For some reason, everyone is so harsh in saying that if you're an Oxbridge reject, that simply means you weren't smart or good enough, but I don't necessarily believe that is the case. Interviewers aren't actually superhumans that can see through all the other factors like nerves, rushed answers, strangely-worded questions, etc, and be able to delve into your soul to figure out if you're a good fit for Oxbridge, all in the span of 15 minutes. I've not much enjoyed hearing from other people throughout the process that 'rejection is redirection', but I hope the semantics still stand for you and wherever you end up turns out great
There is always the possibility of re applying to Cambridge or try Oxford? Taking a gap year means you can rest your health and see what you can do differently to stand out on your next application without rushing. My son was rejected last week from Cambridge but he admitted he felt year 13 was rushed and he didn't really get to shine in his interview because of all the A level work. He is planning a gap year and re apply next year. All the best to you!
Maybe I'm being off-beam here but you said you 'never have confidence in anything academic'. You've applied to one of the most purely academic places.
Would Beckham say he has no confidence in being a footballer? No. Part of what you said suggests that being taught by Cambridge will discipline you. It won't. Cambridge requires the already, amongst the most, disciplined. They don't even necessarily require the cleverest people - many of those top scorers will go to the more buzzing civic universities, where there's more time and variety of locations to enjoy 'the university experience'.
Nobody is not potentially Oxbridge material. In fact, anyone who gets a top grade from a pretty well ranked university shows that they potentially were. But that's 'academic'. Cambridge is a smallish, semi-rural, kind of isolated, place. Lovely to visit but not necessarily to live or study there. Perhaps part of you / admissions think you'd best thrive to first class degree standard elsewhere whilst being able to enjoy yourself.
Would Beckham say he has no confidence in being a footballer? No. Part of what you said suggests that being taught by Cambridge will discipline you. It won't. Cambridge requires the already, amongst the most, disciplined. They don't even necessarily require the cleverest people - many of those top scorers will go to the more buzzing civic universities, where there's more time and variety of locations to enjoy 'the university experience'.
Nobody is not potentially Oxbridge material. In fact, anyone who gets a top grade from a pretty well ranked university shows that they potentially were. But that's 'academic'. Cambridge is a smallish, semi-rural, kind of isolated, place. Lovely to visit but not necessarily to live or study there. Perhaps part of you / admissions think you'd best thrive to first class degree standard elsewhere whilst being able to enjoy yourself.
(edited 2 months ago)
Well first time on tsr but I'm in same boat, I just got rejected for maths with physics at Cambridge last week. I left the interviews thinking that it wasn't terrible, but the more I thought about it the worse it got. I'd done so much revision but I panicked after one mistake and forgot everything I'd done.
Cambridge is indeed the dream but even considering it probably means you have the grades and ps to attract offers from other top universities. So in my opinion its just one decision, whether its worth risking it all for just another chance, that you have to make and that I'm currently considering myself, especially since apparently Cambridge is not fond of maths students taking gap years (if anyone has any idea about this for maths/natsci then I'd love feedback).
If you decide to reapply, just make sure to start figuring out how to spend your gap year right now. If you don't, then you will most likely still be at a fantastic university learning much of the same material. Best of luck whatever your decision.
Cambridge is indeed the dream but even considering it probably means you have the grades and ps to attract offers from other top universities. So in my opinion its just one decision, whether its worth risking it all for just another chance, that you have to make and that I'm currently considering myself, especially since apparently Cambridge is not fond of maths students taking gap years (if anyone has any idea about this for maths/natsci then I'd love feedback).
If you decide to reapply, just make sure to start figuring out how to spend your gap year right now. If you don't, then you will most likely still be at a fantastic university learning much of the same material. Best of luck whatever your decision.
Original post by Picnicl
Maybe I'm being off-beam here but you said you 'never have confidence in anything academic'. You've applied to one of the most purely academic places.
Would Beckham say he has no confidence in being a footballer? No. Part of what you said suggests that being taught by Cambridge will discipline you. It won't. Cambridge requires the already, amongst the most, disciplined. They don't even necessarily require the cleverest people - many of those top scorers will go to the more buzzing civic universities, where there's more time and variety of locations to enjoy 'the university experience'.
Nobody is not potentially Oxbridge material. In fact, anyone who gets a top grade from a pretty well ranked university shows that they potentially were. But that's 'academic'. Cambridge is a smallish, semi-rural, kind of isolated, place. Lovely to visit but not necessarily to live or study there. Perhaps part of you / admissions think you'd best thrive to first class degree standard elsewhere whilst being able to enjoy yourself.
Would Beckham say he has no confidence in being a footballer? No. Part of what you said suggests that being taught by Cambridge will discipline you. It won't. Cambridge requires the already, amongst the most, disciplined. They don't even necessarily require the cleverest people - many of those top scorers will go to the more buzzing civic universities, where there's more time and variety of locations to enjoy 'the university experience'.
Nobody is not potentially Oxbridge material. In fact, anyone who gets a top grade from a pretty well ranked university shows that they potentially were. But that's 'academic'. Cambridge is a smallish, semi-rural, kind of isolated, place. Lovely to visit but not necessarily to live or study there. Perhaps part of you / admissions think you'd best thrive to first class degree standard elsewhere whilst being able to enjoy yourself.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to word this in a way that makes sense, but me not having confidence in anything academic doesn't reflect my dislike for or lack of engagement in anything academic. I think I might have just worded this post weirdly and created a misunderstanding, but it really is just a matter of self-esteem and fearing that if I'm too complacent, I'll feel the blow more when I fail at something.
I just get worried about sounding arrogant lol, so I hope I don't sound arrogant now in saying that, as a person, 'academic' is a part of who I am. I intentionally aimed for Oxbridge because I was looking for a more academic culture and lifestyle, after going through the motions quite passively with GCSEs and A-levels and getting bored with how unengaging and limited the curriculum can be at times. I just really care about knowledge and education to put it simply, and although I'm sure the stress would hit me the same way it hits most Oxbridge students should I ever get in, I'm perfectly fine with spending the majority and energy of my time on work. That's something I already do. I don't really equate going to uni with the stereotypical, coming-of-age image having a good time, I guess?? I am so scared that sounds stuck-up and uptight, but the freedom of being away from home would satisfy me for the most part. I find fun in the little things like going on walks and sitting in cafes, as romanticised as that sounds, but getting to enjoy 'the university experience' isn't really a priority on my list, hence my applications to some quieter unis if they offer courses I like.
Wording this strange ramble in a shorter way: 'not having confidence in anything academic' is just my fear of complacency and not wanting to 'jinx' myself, get my hopes up too much, or appear arrogant to others
Original post by kettle573
Well first time on tsr but I'm in same boat, I just got rejected for maths with physics at Cambridge last week. I left the interviews thinking that it wasn't terrible, but the more I thought about it the worse it got. I'd done so much revision but I panicked after one mistake and forgot everything I'd done.
Cambridge is indeed the dream but even considering it probably means you have the grades and ps to attract offers from other top universities. So in my opinion its just one decision, whether its worth risking it all for just another chance, that you have to make and that I'm currently considering myself, especially since apparently Cambridge is not fond of maths students taking gap years (if anyone has any idea about this for maths/natsci then I'd love feedback).
If you decide to reapply, just make sure to start figuring out how to spend your gap year right now. If you don't, then you will most likely still be at a fantastic university learning much of the same material. Best of luck whatever your decision.
Cambridge is indeed the dream but even considering it probably means you have the grades and ps to attract offers from other top universities. So in my opinion its just one decision, whether its worth risking it all for just another chance, that you have to make and that I'm currently considering myself, especially since apparently Cambridge is not fond of maths students taking gap years (if anyone has any idea about this for maths/natsci then I'd love feedback).
If you decide to reapply, just make sure to start figuring out how to spend your gap year right now. If you don't, then you will most likely still be at a fantastic university learning much of the same material. Best of luck whatever your decision.
Sorry about your rejection 😪 I also panicked after a mishap and things went downhill from there, and since I was at least good enough to be pooled I can't stop thinking about the fact that I MIGHT have gotten an offer if I'd just kept my nerve a little bit and stuck to how I performed in my practices. I really feel like I did not at all reflect how I really am and I wish I could have just held it together lol.
That's probably why I'm considering re-applying too. I have other good offers, but I'm not sure I'll be able to handle the 'what-ifs' of knowing I could have had a shot at making it at Cambridge. It's also the fact that HSPS is a course only Cam does. Durham has a similar one (haven't heard back yet anyways) but my reason for aiming for Cambridge was actually more to do with the unique course than the uni, and I was completely enamoured with HSPS. My other offers only cover one or two aspects of HSPS, with a few optional modules in the other social sciences to some extent, so I guess it's harder to move on and accept an offer for something that's a little or a lot different to HSPS.
I've also heard through the grapevine about maths students and re-applications/gap years being 'disliked' at Oxbridge so maybe it does have some truth to it, but it might also be everyone echoing their concerns about a few cases until it got out of proportion. However, I have zero direct knowledge about it so it's worth asking around a bit more.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do!
I'm very sorry you got rejected, I know how crushing it can be. I was rejected from Oxford 12 years ago despite the fact I had never really wanted to go and had been pressured into applying just because I had always been a high achiever. And like you, I knew the minute my second interview ended that I wasn't getting an offer and even though Oxford wasn't my dream, it didn't make the rejection letter any less painful and having to tell everyone who had been invested in my application. From what you describe though it seems you applied for the right reasons, i.e. the course and not just some airy fairy romanticised view of it although maybe that was a part of it too. If the course means that much to you you could always reapply but this time you need to make sure you have a backup plan and look into other unis and courses which interest you so you don't have all your eggs in one basket again. In my case I realise now that going to Oxford would have been a curse, the incredibly intense 8 week terms, working 7 days a week (Oxbridge student don't really get weekends, you have to work so much during them and some courses even have lectures on Saturdays), getting tonnes of week in between the terms (my sister went to Cambridge and when her terms were over she was back at home working from dawn to dusk on what tutors had set her, I think the summer break is the only one where you don't get that much work). I will of course always wish I had had the college experience but I still went to a world top 10 uni though and had the time of my life there, and it had normal 12 week terms where I could deal with the work without drowning in it. And it's also worth remembering that when you get into the workplace no one's ever again going to ask what uni you went to or is going to care if it was Oxbridge or anywhere else. So of course, feel your feelings and assess whether you want to reapply but just know that you'll probably do great wherever you end up!
Receiving a rejection, especially from a prestigious institution like Cambridge, can be a difficult experience. It's important to acknowledge the disappointment and allow yourself to feel it. Here are some steps to deal with this situation. Allow yourself to feel: It's natural to feel a variety of emotions, including disappointment, sadness, and frustration. Seeking support: Seek emotional support from friends, family, and mentors. Share your feelings and ask others to offer encouragement and perspective.
When all's said and done, just because someone ticks certain minimum requirements doesn't add up to entry, nor should it in a world of 7 billion people. Minimum requirements are... minimal in whether you get accepted at competitive scenarios, whether it's university or dating. And it's not all about talent. It's about Cambridge's impression of whether you'd really benefit from their style of environment and teaching. For instance, I adore Cambridge's architecture and some of its famous alumni but the relative quietness of the environment means it's somewhere that I'd be foolhardy to think I could be happy for 3 years, even if I had the required grades. It is a lively environment that inspires me to work, not a meditative one, even if my work itself is meditative. Sometimes the best environment to grow something / someone is an environment quite dissimilar to the person. Just like a beautiful rose grows in manure.
(edited 2 months ago)
Here’s the thing: entry to Cambridge is super competitive across all degree programmes whether at undergraduate or postgraduate level as you would expect from one of the best universities in the world. With only a finite amount of spots and with hundreds of not thousands of applicants who even far exceed the entry requirements, inevitably some will miss out. This isn’t a reflection upon them or that they’re a bad candidate or person. Simply put it when they’re in this position, Cambridge can afford to pick and choose from the very best students in the world. When you’re used to succeeding and being the best it can be a huge blow to the ego and morale to be told you’ve fallen short or been defeated for perhaps the first time in your life. It’s not a reflection on you.
However this is also an experience: there will be many scenarios in life be it professionally or personally where you may have to endure rejection. But it’s how you handle that rejection and bounce back and improve etc. that’s the important thing.
I am a firm believer that whilst failure doesn’t always mean you did something wrong, but we can always better ourselves somehow whether it’s a stronger academic profile, stronger interview performance etc.
Life is about winning and losing but not accepting defeating and coming back stronger for whenever next time might occur.
However this is also an experience: there will be many scenarios in life be it professionally or personally where you may have to endure rejection. But it’s how you handle that rejection and bounce back and improve etc. that’s the important thing.
I am a firm believer that whilst failure doesn’t always mean you did something wrong, but we can always better ourselves somehow whether it’s a stronger academic profile, stronger interview performance etc.
Life is about winning and losing but not accepting defeating and coming back stronger for whenever next time might occur.
Original post by Anonymous #1
I'm sort of scared about posting this in the Cambridge forum, where there are probably many current students and offer holders, but this is anonymous so 🫠
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
Honestly, as soon as I stepped out the interviews I knew I was not getting in. I got super hyped up for my personal statement, and whilst I knew that the way I wrote it, the topics I chose and the fluency I managed to achieve were actually pretty good (which is shocking I'd say that because I never have confidence in anything academic), my lack of impressive extra- and supercurriculars already meant anyone with a PS just as well-written, but with the additional proof to show their commitment, already had a leg up on me. That's not to say you CAN'T get in without those experiences, but my entire PS was books and an essay competition - I knew I needed to do very well at the interview to get in.
The thing is that I actually practised super hard for the interviews. I had a mentor I practised with for more than a month before the interviews, I have a relative at Oxbridge who never hands out praise and is super harsh with me, but was happy with my performance when we practised the weekend before interview day, and I practised at school with an Oxford AND Cam alumni whose literal job it is to help people get in. She said she had confidence in me, and that she's never had a student who applied to my course and not get in (which put a lot of pressure on me). She also happened to go to the same college I applied to. I stress again that I NEVER have much faith or hope, but I walked into Cambridge that day with just a little bit of it, because even if everyone who hyped me up was just doing it to make me feel better, I still felt like their words were at least a little sincere.
But I just generally did terrible in the interviews. Their questions threw me off, which I expected, but they REALLY threw me off. I was asked one question about my PS in the first interview, and it was about the tiniest thing I mentioned in ONE line, which maybe they did on purpose to see if I'd read the book (I did lol, some chapters multiple times, but there was so much more in my PS that I was excited to talk about, that I just scrambled to say SOMETHING about that one book and came up with the barest answer, and they had nothing to say). They asked about my hometown and what it's like, and that's when I realised I really messed up because the defining factors of my hometown are 1) ethnically diverse, and 2) broke. I REALLY tried to tie it into the course I was applying for (HSPS) but halfway through my answer I felt like with the way I was saying it, I seemed like I was just trying to get a pity place for coming from a bit of a bad area. It was instinct - that's what we all say when someone asks about where we live here. I tried to backtrack, tried to lighten it up, but I saw their faces and was like 'well, I've ****ed that all up now, haven't I?'. I gave too many anecdotes, was probably too conversational, asked to clarify too many questions, and the second interview didn't go much better, especially since it was on the same day at 4pm. I felt like they were barely asking me questions, but that it was also my fault for not giving them anything interesting to go off of, and I KNOW I had so much to say. My interests linked to my subject all I talk about, very passionately despite being a quiet person, and the people in my life really believed that's why I would get in. I tried to tell them it was a lost cause after the interviews, but they seemed convinced it was my lack of self-esteem and didn't believe me. I appreciated the pep talks, but that meant I had to put up with almost 2 months of everyone assuring me they were confident I was going to get in, knowing I was going to let them down.
I have a friend who got into Oxford this Jan, and that just made it worse. In no way was I upset she got in, I was PRAYING she would (and I hardly ever pray lol). I was so happy for her, but the two of us are very similar in academic ability, interests, personality, passion, style of speaking... everyone started saying that if she got in, I would too. That hurt like a *****, and I tried to subtly ask for it to be dropped, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings for just trying to help me.
It's not like my life is over after being rejected, but I really wanted this, which everyone does of course. I realistically know that no one is going to ridicule me, but it's so embarrassing that I messed up after everyone seemed to be adamant I would get in, and I stupidly allowed my hopes to get up just a LITTLE bit with their encouragement. I suffer from chronic illnesses and my life has been at a total standstill for more than two years now, and I was hoping going to Cambridge would sort of be something of a new start, something positive after having my life go to hell for quite a while, and to prove that I'm not COMPLETELY useless and being ill won't hold me back more than I'm willing to let it. It wasn't that the place is Cambridge - the course was EXACTLY what I wanted to study, and I loved the look of it so much more than any other course I could find. If that course was at another good uni and Cam just did Sociology and Politics on its own or something, I would have ditched my application to Cam in a heartbeat. I don't really know what to do with myself now, I haven't even gone back to school since or spoken to anyone because I'm just so ashamed. It doesn't help that my application was publicised at school, against my wishes obviously (which I tried to talk to someone about but was shut down). I want to reapply, but I don't know if I'll be able to get back up if I fail again, because then I can't just blame it on the interview questions being weird (which even now is a shaky excuse to make myself feel better, because they're TRAINED interviewers), or that I was nervous, or that I was tired because I was there from morning till evening, or anything like that. It'll mean I'm ACTUALLY not Oxbridge material, and I know that's not the end of the world, but I really wanted to be and believed I could be, even though I never believe in myself about anything. If this gets any replies, I'm sure that there'll be people saying maybe I'm not fit for it or shouldn't apply if I'm so worked up and insecure over this, and I know that might be true. But at the same time I was so sure that if I performed how I had in practice, and if I said what I wanted to instead of letting my mouth run out of nerves, and if I put into practice everything I was helped with, I'd have at least had a better shot. I'm sure everyone who applies feels the same way, that EVERYONE is passionate about their subject and feel like they could have done better and that I'm not special in any way, but it still sucks. I did get pooled, but no other college wanted me. I'm completely aware this is an extremely dramatic post, but this meant a lot to me, and I can't really say this to anyone I know in real life, so the internet it is.
Thanks for reading for anyone who got to the end lol, and congratulations for anyone who got in!
To try and not replicate what other people have said
The sheer number of applications Oxbridge get is insane. Out of my sixthform year (180 of us) over 50 applied. Admittedly, from what I've hear from friends and a UCAS advisor, they do interview the majority of people, but still it's the majority (some don't get even that far) so well done.
Whilst personal statements are typically used more trying to shortlist applications, bear in mind that your qualifications and extracurriculars are still impressive. (Please bear in mind I have not applied to Oxbridge at all, I've applied for nursing) but both of my interviews so far have had no mention of my PS despite both universities making me send another copy to them (even though it was on my application).
Generally if you were being honest, that shouldn't be an issue. Whilst you're supposed to be 100% truthful in your PS, I know some people do jazz it up a bit. If you're brutally honest and nobody else is, you're likely to stand out. Just because you're controversial doesn't mean it's wrong (You could just be not fitting their standard mold). The same is true with your hometown. Just because youre from a certain place doesn't mean you won't be good candidate. ( I applied for nursing at York and I think everyone there thinks I sound like a chav because where I'm from (East of England)) As long as they can understand what you're saying and you're not being outright offensive, there shouldn't really be an issue. My village is awful as the local towns are worse, but I just say I'm from them because at least people have heard of them. Yeah, they're a sh**show, but if you actually believe I'm from there, maybe the staff think I'm more willing to work hard? (Does that make sense?)
Asking them to clarify things also doesn't mean you're stupid. It means that you're willing to ask for help and get things right (it's better than answering a question awfully because you thought it was something else, yknow?). Asking for help to resolve an issue or to get something to make sense shows you're resourceful and diligent. That is, in theory, what Oxbridge should what.
hsps is a random course in terms of selection tbh. They are also looking for loudmouths who like to argue lol. It's weird, a lot of ppl I know who do it aren't terribly smart but they're very energetic and opinionated or else rly good at memorising ******** readings and essay plans
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