[very_indecisive]

Ok, so heres the thing:

GCSEs : -10 A*s
AS Levels: - 4 As (Geography, English Literature, French, History)
Predicted A Levels : - 3 As (dropped Geography AS)

this year i applied for English Literature at the following places:

1) Oxford - high ELAT score, interview at 2 different colleges (magdalen and mansfield), then rejected
2) Durham - rejected
3) Bristol - rejected
4) Exeter - conditional offer AAA
5) Southampton - conditional offer AAB

All my teachers / friends seemed genuinely shocked that i didnt get any of my top 3 choices, and my head of 6th form said she was confident i was going to get into Oxford. (im not trying to sound arrogant here, im just stating the facts!)

I've accepted Exeter and Southampton as my firm and conditional choices for now, but am wondering whether to take a gap year and reapply next year, if i get my 3 As.

I dont feel overly thrilled about going to Exeter because:
- it was 4th on my list
- not as good a reputation academically
- not sure whether it is too 'party-ish' for me
- i have worked my socks off throughout school and wonder whether i should try for somewhere more ambitious.

If i were to reapply i would probably choose:
- Cambridge
- Durham
- Bristol
- Warwick
- York

any advice as to what i should do?

would i be in a much stronger position having already achieved my A Levels?

would a combined course be less competitive (e.g. english and history?) ?

would history be less competitive? (i have always been torn between english and history, and after getting 3 rejections im starting to wonder whether to do history - i have better module marks in history too)

any advice would be much appreciated

[victoria13]

i would definitely reapply because you have really good grades!!!! and the unis must have been mad to reject you.... you would almost definitely get into one of those and i think you would probably be happier if you did!!! (not that i would know... thats just the feeling i get from you post)... hope that helps xx

[AshleyRhos6]

Hi there, I suppose I am in a similar situation. I got 10A*'s in GCSES's, Head Boy, Duke of Ed Gold etc. without wanting to sound arrogant/ up myself.

I applied for History at:
Oxford
Bristol
LSE
Warwick
Cardiff

I had 4A's in AS in Economics, History, English Lit/Lang and Maths, and am predicted 4A's at A-level.
Perhaps slightly ambitious university choices, I only had an offer from Cardiff, which I didn't really want to go to and had just put down as a back-up.
I rejected this offer, and am now deciding whether it would be more beneficial to reapply next year having got the grades, or applying through UCAS extra. Reapplying seems more likely though.
x

[Shawn the Sheep]

If you do reapply you need to consider what you will do for your gap year - although you will be at an advantage having already achieved your A-Levels, universities will be looking at whether you are using your year constructively and how that year off will benefit you when your on the course. (Just something to consider as I like you took a gap year and reapplied(although my subject was Architecture rather than English Lit)

[Good bloke]

English literature is one of the most competitive courses there is. You could easily re-apply next year, with AAAa, and be rejected from all your choices. I would advise caution over giving up an offer from Exeter. Remember, getting or being predicted top grades is only the entry ticket for an application to Oxford or Cambridge - everyone else will be in the same situation and the huge majority of people are rejected.

[JCM89]

Personally I'd reapply but its entirely a matter for you.

[BJP]

Hmm. A tough decision.
As Good Bloke says: you need to think carefully as the same thing could happen again next year. I'd apply to Exeter again if you get your AAA just to make sure you will get one offer and then apply to all the top ones you want. Use the year well and do some travelling/volunteering as well as part-time work.

Good luck and congratulations on fantastic grades!!

[oxymoronic]

Originally Posted by BJP

I'd apply to Exeter again if you get your AAA just to make sure you will get one offer and then apply to all the top ones you want.

There is no guarentee that she will get an offer again next year just because she got one this year. For something as competitive as English Lit there are no guarentees that an offer will be made.

[peachmelba]

English literature is one of the most competitive courses there is. You could easily re-apply next year, with AAAa, and be rejected from all your choices. I would advise caution over giving up an offer from Exeter. Remember, getting or being predicted top grades is only the entry ticket for an application to Oxford or Cambridge - everyone else will be in the same situation and the huge majority of people are rejected

Ditto. Plenty of people on the English forum with straight A grades get rejected from the most competitive places (and the unis you are thinking of for next year certainly fall into that category).

there is nothing wrong with your grades. It probably comes down to your interview performance at Oxford (did you ask for feedback? - some colleges are more helpful than others, mind). For Durham/Bristol, I suspect your personal statement let you down. you may not have communicated why you wanted to study English as well as your competitors. Post it on the PS advice forum and see what they think.

If you do decide to reapply, you will be in a slightly stronger position with achieved grades. But you would need to fix your interview technique/PS. Even so, there are no guarantees and you should have a good plan of what you want to get out of a gap year. Future employers will want to see that you used the time constructively. Also ask yourself how you will feel if you get rejected again.

I would also recommend having at least one slightly "softer" choice that you would be happy to go to. Nottingham springs to mind and has a great English course/department. But you could also consider Cardiff or Leeds. Open day season is coming up, so visit and find one you like.

History is just as competitive as English. Joint courses with the two, probably more so.

Finally, I think you could do a lot worse than Exeter. My little brother is looking at it for English with year in North America (great colleges). The campus is beautiful and the city historic and not too big. I think it is a close substitute for Oxford/Durham and won't limit your future career opportunities very much.

Good luck

[very_indecisive]

thanks for the advice everyone - its really helpful!
sounds like you've had a really hard time too, AshleyRhos6 - for some reason so many strong candidates in my school just havent been successful this year, which is really tough.

thanks peachmelba; i havent written exeter off just yet as I know its a good uni, just not sure as to whether im really ready to spend 3 years living there!

any one else have a view as to the competitiveness of a joint degree?

xxx

[Minerva]

Originally Posted by very_indecisive

thanks for the advice everyone - its really helpful!
sounds like you've had a really hard time too, AshleyRhos6 - for some reason so many strong candidates in my school just havent been successful this year, which is really tough.

thanks peachmelba; i havent written exeter off just yet as I know its a good uni, just not sure as to whether im really ready to spend 3 years living there!

any one else have a view as to the competitiveness of a joint degree?

xxx

Some joint honours courses are even more competitive than their single honours equivalents. The only way to check is to hunt around for the admissions statistics which unis often have lurking somewhere on their websites -

[MeanMachine]

definitely reapply. you'd have an advantage (a full set of qualifications and gap year experience)
i don't think you should apply to Cambridge second time round, try Oxford again

[Good bloke]

Originally Posted by MeanMachine

definitely reapply. you'd have an advantage (a full set of qualifications and gap year experience)

Not really; re-applicants are only a tiny bit more likely to get a place than a first-timer with good predictions, which is far outweighed by the general odds against getting a place (about one candidate in five receives an offer for English at Oxford).