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Has anyone ever got into Oxford when they reapplied and took a gap year?

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Original post by Athena
If you took the English admissions test pre-interview, it's likely you were deselected due to poor performance in that.


I agree with this, definitely find out your mark when you can.

Also working for a newspaper probably wouldn't increase your chances of getting in, as Oxford are famous for (as in their admissions tutors say in newspapers, not it's a wild rumour) that they just care about your academics, not your extra-curriculars.

Yes you need to be passionate about your subject, but the academic subject (English Literature), not journalism as much. Obviously an interest in journalism won't hinder you and might give you interesting ideas about the context of literature that you'll study, but it's fundamentally about how good you are at your subject, and how good they think you'll be at it at university.
Reply 21
Original post by Ivanka
Wasn't it rather because of your LNAT? I don't think they would reject anyone on the basis of such subjects (traditional, respected, the combo containing English Literature). Or essays sent in?

I'd love to get my feedback as soon as possible, too, however, Merton said they would not send them earlier than in January. I tend to think, on the basis of my personal deduction, that it was because of my essays. My grades and predictions were stellar, the reference didn't contain any negative aspects...only PS could qualify as an interview-decision factor as well, but since we don't write any essays in Czechia (so i am not that skilled as British students), I think this was the reason.


Hmm yes I may have mucked up the ELAT, I will find out in January I guess, but that would be strange, because exams are my strong point, I got 100% in my AS english exam which no one else in my college got. So if it is the ELAT, then i'm glad it is something that can be redone, as the subjects cannot.

hmm are you reapplying? Is english your first language? maybe you should just do a LOT of essay writing practise, or maybe it was the writing of the ps? I guess its hard to tell. And did you ask merton for feedback already then?
Reply 22
Original post by angelmxxx
I agree with this, definitely find out your mark when you can.

Also working for a newspaper probably wouldn't increase your chances of getting in, as Oxford are famous for (as in their admissions tutors say in newspapers, not it's a wild rumour) that they just care about your academics, not your extra-curriculars.

Yes you need to be passionate about your subject, but the academic subject (English Literature), not journalism as much. Obviously an interest in journalism won't hinder you and might give you interesting ideas about the context of literature that you'll study, but it's fundamentally about how good you are at your subject, and how good they think you'll be at it at university.


Okay I will do, I mean my grades were strong enough I think, and I'm goign to work extremely hard this year, and If I get A*s I will almost definitely reapply, but what would you suggest is actually more suitable in a gap year then? On the oxford website they feature an English student who took a gap year teaching disabled people English, and I've heard that learning a foreign language during this time can be extremely helpful, and I am able to spend three months or so in spain improving my spanish with spanish relatives
Reply 23
Original post by Bounce7
Hmm yes I may have mucked up the ELAT, I will find out in January I guess, but that would be strange, because exams are my strong point, I got 100% in my AS english exam which no one else in my college got. So if it is the ELAT, then i'm glad it is something that can be redone, as the subjects cannot.

hmm are you reapplying? Is english your first language? maybe you should just do a LOT of essay writing practise, or maybe it was the writing of the ps? I guess its hard to tell. And did you ask merton for feedback already then?


Merton sends it automatically, there's no need to ask for that.

I will reapply only if all my choices reject me. My friends persuade me to reapply though, but I guess I won't allow them to make me change my decision. I just don't want to go on a gap year if a uni of my preference offers me a place - Oxford's not the be all and end all for me. And if I studied while refilling in my application for Oxford, I would have a dilemma - should I be given an offer - whether to leave my new friends and start all over again or turn down that offer.

No, English is not my first language (although I hold a C2-level certificate). I have tried some essay writing, but if you don't have a proper feedback, you will not learn it. Regarding the PS, I have no idea. Could be but I don't recall anything intrusive in it. On the other hand, it's not just about a quality of your writing, it's also about how you fit the profile of the department.
Reply 24
Original post by Ivanka
Merton sends it automatically, there's no need to ask for that.

I will reapply only if all my choices reject me. My friends persuade me to reapply though, but I guess I won't allow them to make me change my decision. I just don't want to go on a gap year if a uni of my preference offers me a place - Oxford's not the be all and end all for me. And if I studied while refilling in my application for Oxford, I would have a dilemma - should I be given an offer - whether to leave my new friends and start all over again or turn down that offer.

No, English is not my first language (although I hold a C2-level certificate). I have tried some essay writing, but if you don't have a proper feedback, you will not learn it. Regarding the PS, I have no idea. Could be but I don't recall anything intrusive in it. On the other hand, it's not just about a quality of your writing, it's also about how you fit the profile of the department.


Yes that is fair enough, and always go with your own heart about things, because it is your life, not your friend's. Oh okay, yes your english does seem very good, What course did you apply for again? Maybe you just didn't fit their profile but good luck with the other unis :smile:
Reply 25
Original post by Bounce7
Yes that is fair enough, and always go with your own heart about things, because it is your life, not your friend's. Oh okay, yes your english does seem very good, What course did you apply for again? Maybe you just didn't fit their profile but good luck with the other unis :smile:


EMEL (Spanish and Arabic) :smile:
Reply 26
Original post by Athena

At the risk of being rude... that's not very special. I got 100% at AS and about 98% at A2 English Lit, and I would have been a terrible Oxford English student. The ELAT is not about hitting the assessment objectives of an exam board, but showing how you think and analyse when freed from those constraints. There's not necessarily a correlation between the two.


I know that, and i'm not yet sure if it was the ELAT, but i've been told by numerous teachers throughout my life that I am talented at English, I wasn't trying to be arrogant, and I know Oxford is about thinking beyond the syllabus, i'm not saying I deserve a place, I'm just saying i'd love to have the chance to reapply next year because I regret not putting 100% effort into my application. thats all.
Reply 27
Original post by Bounce7
Hmm yes I may have mucked up the ELAT, I will find out in January I guess, but that would be strange, because exams are my strong point, I got 100% in my AS english exam which no one else in my college got. So if it is the ELAT, then i'm glad it is something that can be redone, as the subjects cannot.



Answers that would get 100% at A2, don't tend to score well on Oxford admission tests. Well according to tutors and so on... Mainly because A Level answers tend to be formulaic as you're trying to hit certain requirements, whereas ELAT/TSA etc essays are more about your interpretation and how you argue etc.

Anyway definitely reapply if you didn't think you did you best this year. People say to apply to a different college... You're always in a stronger position post A Level because you have proof of grades. Work really hard for your A Levels, as resits in gap years are barely regarded by Oxford.

As for gap year plans, Oxford don't care about your ECs. Some tutors say it's a waste of a paragraph or couple of sentences on your PS. My friends who successfully reapplied didn't spend time doing relevant work experience (except in the case of one who was applying for languages), but rather immersing themselves in their subjects. Without A Level worries you have so much more time to find the area that really interests you, allowing you to craft a far stronger personal statement. I mean personally the areas I said I was most interested in on my PS (for PPE) are not, in hindsight, where my interests truly lies. If I had to reapply this year, I'd have a totally different statement.

So don't stress about finding English related work experience. My Politics tutor said he'd rather meet someone whose travelled to far-flung countries, than spent 6 months working for a political think tank...

Good luck!

x
Reply 28
Original post by Poppyxx
Answers that would get 100% at A2, don't tend to score well on Oxford admission tests. Well according to tutors and so on... Mainly because A Level answers tend to be formulaic as you're trying to hit certain requirements, whereas ELAT/TSA etc essays are more about your interpretation and how you argue etc.

Anyway definitely reapply if you didn't think you did you best this year. People say to apply to a different college... You're always in a stronger position post A Level because you have proof of grades. Work really hard for your A Levels, as resits in gap years are barely regarded by Oxford.

As for gap year plans, Oxford don't care about your ECs. Some tutors say it's a waste of a paragraph or couple of sentences on your PS. My friends who successfully reapplied didn't spend time doing relevant work experience (except in the case of one who was applying for languages), but rather immersing themselves in their subjects. Without A Level worries you have so much more time to find the area that really interests you, allowing you to craft a far stronger personal statement. I mean personally the areas I said I was most interested in on my PS (for PPE) are not, in hindsight, where my interests truly lies. If I had to reapply this year, I'd have a totally different statement.

So don't stress about finding English related work experience. My Politics tutor said he'd rather meet someone whose travelled to far-flung countries, than spent 6 months working for a political think tank...

Good luck!

x


Mmm, i'm not even sure if it is the Elat test until I get the result, because I wrote very differently to how I wrote in my AS exam.
Is it possible it was my grades?
at AS I got:
A english lit
A english lang
A biology
B maths
B physics

and I carried on the three A's as well as taking up AS drama, and am predicted A*AA (A* for lit)

thank you for the gap year advice! That is actually really useful and I really can have the time to immerse myself in reading. Yes will definitely apply to a different college, are you currently in oxford studying PPE?

thank you so much for you advice

x
Reply 29
If you get offers from other universities that you like this year, I wouldn't reapply next year solely because of Oxford- bear in mind there's a very solid chance the fees will be higher for next years applicants.
Reply 30
Original post by riotgrrl
If you get offers from other universities that you like this year, I wouldn't reapply next year solely because of Oxford- bear in mind there's a very solid chance the fees will be higher for next years applicants.


This year I applied for:
Oxford
UCL
Durham
Bristol
Exeter

I would not reapply solely because of Oxford, but for the top three, and if I failed a second time round then i'd be entirely accepting. I havent yet heard back from Durham, but have been declined from UCL and Oxford
Reply 31
Original post by Bounce7
Mmm, i'm not even sure if it is the Elat test until I get the result, because I wrote very differently to how I wrote in my AS exam.
Is it possible it was my grades?
at AS I got:
A english lit
A english lang
A biology
B maths
B physics

and I carried on the three A's as well as taking up AS drama, and am predicted A*AA (A* for lit)



Does your school cash AS results in? I assume they do otherwise Oxford would not know what you got... Unless I suppose your teachers wrote it in the reference.

Well my friend got a place to read German at Oxford with BBCC at AS. But our school didn't cash AS grades in, and his teachers gave him high predictions. He made the grades... I know lots of people who get offers with a B at AS, but I don't think Oxford will have known that.

I am reading PPE at Oxford, in my first year!

x
Reply 32
Original post by Bounce7
This year I applied for:
Oxford
UCL
Durham
Bristol
Exeter

I would not reapply solely because of Oxford, but for the top three, and if I failed a second time round then i'd be entirely accepting. I havent yet heard back from Durham, but have been declined from UCL and Oxford


English lit, right? Wow, you haven't left yourself much wriggle room there, don't all five of them ask for three As? If you really don't like Bristol or Exeter then reapply, but bear in mind that they're both excellent universities and English is a REALLY competitive subject.
Reply 33
Original post by Poppyxx
Does your school cash AS results in? I assume they do otherwise Oxford would not know what you got... Unless I suppose your teachers wrote it in the reference.

Well my friend got a place to read German at Oxford with BBCC at AS. But our school didn't cash AS grades in, and his teachers gave him high predictions. He made the grades... I know lots of people who get offers with a B at AS, but I don't think Oxford will have known that.

I am reading PPE at Oxford, in my first year!

x


Yes, we have to put in all our AS's on our UCAS form which Oxford can see, and it is good if it is not the grades I dropped at AS that caused me to be rejected, because I can't change them, but I can change other things.
wow thats pretty lucky of your friend, and good for him to make that improvement in grades!
oh wow, do you like it there? which college did you go to?
x
Reply 34
Original post by riotgrrl
English lit, right? Wow, you haven't left yourself much wriggle room there, don't all five of them ask for three As? If you really don't like Bristol or Exeter then reapply, but bear in mind that they're both excellent universities and English is a REALLY competitive subject.


Yes Eng lit, I think I have set my standards really really high, because of parents and teachers telling me I should do, and then its a nasty shock when the rejections come in.
I know, however last year I achieved my grades with little work, and this year i'm working like crazy so I will hopefully make those grades!
I do appreciate that Bristol and Exeter are brilliant, and I have really thought this through, and I would be happy going to them if I get rejected from my top three a second time, its just I want to go to uni only once (not go on to do a postgraduate degree) and aim for the best I possibly can, and I would really like a second shot at things, just incase I really mucked up this year. I wasn't the most organised person in the world and rushed things a bit.

Are you at uni at the moment? Or applying?
x
Reply 35
Original post by Bounce7
Yes Eng lit, I think I have set my standards really really high, because of parents and teachers telling me I should do, and then its a nasty shock when the rejections come in.
I know, however last year I achieved my grades with little work, and this year i'm working like crazy so I will hopefully make those grades!
I do appreciate that Bristol and Exeter are brilliant, and I have really thought this through, and I would be happy going to them if I get rejected from my top three a second time, its just I want to go to uni only once (not go on to do a postgraduate degree) and aim for the best I possibly can, and I would really like a second shot at things, just incase I really mucked up this year. I wasn't the most organised person in the world and rushed things a bit.

Are you at uni at the moment? Or applying?
x


Sadly, I think you might be right. Good luck to you though!
I'm applying at the moment :smile:
Yeah, loads of people. I didn't apply to Oxford first time; applied to Cambridge first and applied to Oxford the next year and got in, whereas I didn't even get an interview at Cam.
Reply 37
yup - a lot of my friends now in first year re-applied and got in on their gap years. Of those who re-applied 2/3 got places. They all had straight As etc.
Reply 38
Original post by Owies
yup - a lot of my friends now in first year re-applied and got in on their gap years. Of those who re-applied 2/3 got places. They all had straight As etc.


ahh okay thats good to know!
does the AS which is dropped also had to be an a? because their entry requirements say 3 As and at AS I got 3 A's and 2B's
Reply 39
Whoever negged me for writing a sarcastic response to this infuriatingly stupid thread needs to get a grip.

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