reapplying!

hey, i just suffered a rejection from Oxford (St.Edmund Hall) for Geography. Feel as though i just missed out as i seemed to get a good response of the tutors in interview! However i feel my low A grade UMS marks, around the low 80 mark, coupled with only 2 A*'s at GCSE may have been my downfall?
I think I will have a stronger application after my A2's where I'm likely to get A*AA-A*A*A. I have an offer from Liverpool but dont really want to take it.
Any Advice?? Could i potentially improve my application with a Geography filled gap year and firm grades?

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Reply 1

Sophia14

Original post by morrisajm

hmm i wasn't under the impression Oxford saw your UMS marks, no-one i know who went for Oxford gave in their UMS marks :s-smilie:

I also don't know whether firm grades would improve your application, the offer is conditional for a reason :s-smilie:

These are the questions you need to ask yourself: what kind of things am I going to be doing in my gap year? How will this impact on my application? Is it worth the fee increase? What if I get rejected again?

I will probably be in a similar situation to you when i receive a probable rejection from Cambridge for Geography! I am personally going to take my next best offer which is Durham. Liverpool is a really good uni, and there is no shame in being rejected from Oxbridge :biggrin:

If I were you I would wait until your other decisions come through, go and visit Liverpool and then decide what to do. You have until May to decide so you don't have to rush into a decision :smile:

Reply 2

Derek_the_Sheep

You could write to the admissions office at SEH and ask for advice (wait until well into January as they will have a shed-load of stuff to deal with immediately after the New Year). Don't expect a yes/no answer, but you might get "you were quite close to the borderline, so next year might work out" or "you were quite a long way from the borderline, so you would have to improve a lot to stand a chance". Either could be helpful, one way or the other!

:sheep:

Reply 3

Realism

I reapplied but only because I felt like I made a complete mess of the application process last year. Yet to find out whether or not it has been a successful decision. (Well it has because I've already got an offer for a university I want to go to... but in terms of whether or not I get into Oxford).

Would only recommend it if you feel like you didn't do as well as you should. Because if you are going through the process again and you feel like you've done the best you can possibly do, it becomes a bit pointless unless you feel you will improve over the course of a year.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 4

passthelemon

this may be useful:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1226238

Reply 5

morrisajm

thanks for the advice guys :smile:

What have you done with your year out to strengthen your application?

Reply 6

passthelemon

Original post by morrisajm

thanks for the advice guys :smile:

What have you done with your year out to strengthen your application?

I suppose I've primarily made use of the extra time thus far to read more books and understand where my 'real' interests lie ... at least better than last year. Developing my clarity of thought in the past year has certainly strengthened my application, but planning actual 'gapping' activities such as a literature-related internship and travelling for next year has had a neutral influence my success, offer-wise.

Reply 7

Realism

Original post by morrisajm

thanks for the advice guys :smile:

What have you done with your year out to strengthen your application?

Just so you know, I was not successful reapplying. So don't think just because you will be post-A-level you will 100% get in.

Reply 8

Scourfield

Well, basic story is I got rejected this year from Oxford to study medicine. I wanted it soooo much!! I keep telling myself that if I got into my other choices it will be fine as I will still end up as a doctor etc. but no matter how much I try to be happy about other unis, I cant seem to get Oxford off my mind. I loved the college system, the tutorials, everything about the course, it was so perfect, and I felt I would fit right in!! But I dont know whether to reapply next year, and possibly face another rejection, or to carry on with my uni choices this year and potentially be unhappy studying elsewhere... any advice guys??

Reply 9

SamF1992

What are your other uni's, and do you have any other offers?

Reply 10

Scourfield

Original post by SamF1992

What are your other uni's, and do you have any other offers?

Other unis - edinburgh, imperial and cardiff. I have no offers or rejections from them. But I realise it is so hard to get an offer from ANYWHERE for medicine, so I dunno what to do...

Reply 11

SamF1992

I don't know a lot about Edinburgh or Cardiff but I've been told Imperial is brilliant for sciency-type subjects. If I were you I'd wait to see which other replies you get and possibly see if you can get feedback from the college you applied to before making your decision.

Reply 12

The Scholar

I applied last year to do English Lit. Didn't get into Oxford or my next two choices, so I decided to take a gap year, work a little and reapply. It's worked a treat: I've been accepted by Oxford this year and have a nice job which will hopefully ease financial pressures next year. However, I wasn't in the position you're in: taking a gap year would cost you something like £24 grand extra, and while the extra work I did leading up to my interviews this year was very useful, it may be different if you want to do medicine...

If you really, really can't bear the thought of not going to Oxford, take a year out and reapply. Otherwise, the other unis you've listed are excellent, excellent places and I'm sure you'd have the time of your life there too.

Reply 13

Scourfield

I was thinking maybe I could reapply for biochem and drop into graduate medicine, I have asked for feedback to see where it all went wrong. Its so deflating though :frown:

congrats on getting in this time around!!! I think, If I dont get into edinburgh or imperial I will reapply definately for biochem or something. Hmm...

Reply 14

whiplash

Most medics I know are worked pretty hard and so pretty stressed. Like any other subject, the dreaming spires and hall swaps novelty wears off pretty quick.

Reply 15

Lemons

I have three friends who reapplied after being rejected. They all felt that they had not done their best at interview. I think that if you felt that the interview didn't go badly then there's not much point in reapplying if you get an offer from one of your other unis. They are all good, and from what medics have told me Oxford isn't thought of as the 'best' place to study medicine anyway. If you got an offer from Imperial or UCL it would be silly to turn them down for a uni you may not get into the second time round.

Reply 16

alice44

I'd definitely wait and hear back from your other universities. And if you get another offer, having a second look round a place might help make your mind up. If you honestly think you would have a better chance of getting into Oxford next year and are really set on it, then by all means consider a gap year.

On the other hand I know a lot of people that got rejected from Oxford for Medicine and have gone somewhere else and are very happy. And there's a lot of similarity between medical course content. You're going to be a doctor wherever you go. And remember that even if you're set on Oxford now, actually studying there might not be what you expected.

Reply 17

BJack

If you get an offer (or offers) from you other universities, it would be rather foolhardy to reapply just for another chance at Oxford.

Reply 18

member398873

The fact that you would even consider doing biomed, then onto graduate medicine, shows you're more in love with the idea of Oxford than being a doctor. By all means, reapply if it goes tits up- but being an Imperial or UCL medic would be just as awesome as Oxford, even though they lack all of the Oxbridge pleasantries.

You get the same qualification from every uni as well, I could understand if you were doing an English degree and wanted to reapply just for the Oxford prestige and job prospects, but whether you go to Oxford or Cardiff- you will come out a doctor. I'd see how it all pans out, but don't feel hard done by at all if you get even one offer from another uni. Medicine is so competitive and you are very lucky to get in anywhere :smile:

Reply 19

plastercaster

Take any other offers you get. Medicine's too difficult to get in to, you could end up wasting years of your life reapplying to Unis all over the country and getting turned down.