Has anyone ever rejected an Oxbridge offer?

Original post by im so academic

Well it begs the question why did that person apply to Oxford in the first place?

Some people like the challenge, to see if they can get in.

Or maybe they decided at a later stage? :dontknow:

Reply 142

Dnator

12

A guy at my school a few years back rejected his offer for engineering to do it at Loughborough

Reply 143

jersey123

Original post by greebo-man

how would camb or ox feel if somebody actually insured them! haha. after all ox is only AAA.

I actually do have the feeling that Imperial only asks for higher conditions because they know that otherwise they will always end up being insurance after oxbridge...

Reply 144

Original post by greebo-man

how would camb or ox feel if somebody actually insured them! haha. after all ox is only AAA.

The fear of it probably keeps them awake at night.

Reply 145

im so academic

Original post by TheSownRose

Some people like the challenge, to see if they can get in.

Or maybe they decided at a later stage? :dontknow:

That's digusting, "for the challenge". You don't see people advising users to apply to Oxbridge for the challenge do you? He took up a potential space for another, more grateful, applicant.

"Decided at a later stage", sure... As if the Oxbridge offer wasn't worth considered due to family. :rolleyes:

The user said that he didn't go to Oxbridge due to accommodation costs. Ergo, he could've worked during the holidays and thus could have went. Don't be pedantic on me 'Rose.

Reply 146

Vek

1

I know of someone who rejected Oxbridge and Harvard for Yale.

Reply 147

Original post by im so academic

That's digusting, "for the challenge". You don't see people advising users to apply to Oxbridge for the challenge do you? He took up a potential space for another, more grateful, applicant.

"Decided at a later stage", sure... As if the Oxbridge offer wasn't worth considered due to family. :rolleyes:

The user said that he didn't go to Oxbridge due to accommodation costs. Ergo, he could've worked during the holidays and thus could have went. Don't be pedantic on me 'Rose.

I was tempted. But Cambridge didn't actually run the course I wanted to do (original one, not optometry) and Oxford is a bastard to get to from my house via public transport, so I decided against it due to the hassle.

He might have considered it, then rejected it?

So you want to make him spend his holidays, the few precious weeks he gets away from the dreariness of studying, working just to keep a roof over his head instead of spending some time with his loving family? He might have an adoring young nephew who is quickly forgetting him, or elderly grandparents who just wanted some shopping or...

Reply 148

yahyahyahs

Original post by kninja

Strange. I thought Ivy Leagues didn't give scholarships of any kind ... :confused:

Are you kidding? They practically throw money at you! Harvard has the best financial aid in the world - regardless of whether you are a home or international student, you get aid if you need it. I think that's why a lot of people who have rejected Oxbridge offers, because unless you have £15k, you will get very little help from the unis and our govt. However, having said that, Cambridge has the weirdest bursaries I have ever seen. The admissions tutor from Trinity said that there's a bursary for people with a Catholic and a Anglican parent and they get £500 if they can't choose which religion to follow.

Anyway, back to the question. I don't know anyone personally, but didn't Emma Watson turn down Trinity College, Cambridge for Brown University, US? Or was she just applying to Ivy League?

Reply 149

im so academic

Original post by TheSownRose

I was tempted. But Cambridge didn't actually run the course I wanted to do (original one, not optometry) and Oxford is a bastard to get to from my house via public transport, so I decided against it due to the hassle.

He might have considered it, then rejected it?

So you want to make him spend his holidays, the few precious weeks he gets away from the dreariness of studying, working just to keep a roof over his head instead of spending some time with his loving family? He might have an adoring young nephew who is quickly forgetting him, or elderly grandparents who just wanted some shopping or...

Should've considered those factors before applying to be honest.

Reply 150

Original post by im so academic

Should've considered those factors before applying to be honest.

Unless he applied just to see if he could be successful.

Reply 151

im so academic

Original post by TheSownRose

Unless he applied just to see if he could be successful.

Bull**** reason to apply for Oxbridge. You apply for the course structure, the tutorial/supervision system, the collegiate nature etc.

If I said that to a candidate on the Oxbridge forum, i.e. "apply to see you can be successful", do you think that is appropriate?

What about those kinds of parents who force their children to apply for Oxbridge to see if they could be successful, even if the child doesn't particularly want to go there?

Think twice before you speak. You don't apply "to see if you can be successful", you apply because you want to study there.

What's the point of applying for course "to see if you can be successful", only to reject it due to accommodation costs? (Should've done the necessary research beforehand).

Reply 152

ilickbatteries

I would.

LOL JK, I wouldn't dare. If I were clever enough to get an Oxbridge offer I'd be like FIRM FIRM FIRM.

Reply 153

Original post by im so academic

Bull**** reason to apply for Oxbridge. You apply for the course structure, the tutorial/supervision system, the collegiate nature etc.

If I said that to a candidate on the Oxbridge forum, i.e. "apply to see you can be successful", do you think that is appropriate?

What about those kinds of parents who force their children to apply for Oxbridge to see if they could be successful, even if the child doesn't particularly want to go there?

Think twice before you speak. You don't apply "to see if you can be successful", you apply because you want to study there.

What's the point of applying for course "to see if you can be successful", only to reject it due to accommodation costs? (Should've done the necessary research beforehand).

Very little of what you say is appropriate, so if you were to say to someone umming and ahhing over Oxbridge they may as well try it, that wouldn't particularly stand out.

'For a challenge' and 'because you can make the final decision later if it comes to it' seem to be as good a reasons as any other to apply for Oxbridge.

Reply 154

stac4321

10

Yes, Oxbridge isn't necessarily for everyone. They teach a lot differently from other universities and they have colleges (usually I guess these are positives but some like less structure and more freedom etc.)

My friend in the year above me turned down Cambridge for History of Art to go to the Courtauld Insitiute of Art. The courses are more or less equal and Oxbridge has the better reputation but in the world of Art History (so I have been told) Courtauld actually has the better reputation even though a lot of people haven't even heard of it....

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 155

felt_monkey

12

My friend rejected an offer to do law at Oxford to go to Southampton. Ended up with 3 A*s, but decided Oxford wasn't for them.

Reply 156

Laurah5498

18

Yep, my older cousin did. She had an offer from Oxford for Law but turned them down for Birmingham instead. My aunt was horrified xD

She hated it when she went for the interview. She has a really really thick Wolverhampton accent and she was picked on for it. Well, so she says. She's a bit overdramatic bless her.

Reply 157

callupjah

Original post by im so academic

Bull**** reason to apply for Oxbridge. You apply for the course structure, the tutorial/supervision system, the collegiate nature etc.

If I said that to a candidate on the Oxbridge forum, i.e. "apply to see you can be successful", do you think that is appropriate?

What about those kinds of parents who force their children to apply for Oxbridge to see if they could be successful, even if the child doesn't particularly want to go there?

Think twice before you speak. You don't apply "to see if you can be successful", you apply because you want to study there.

What's the point of applying for course "to see if you can be successful", only to reject it due to accommodation costs? (Should've done the necessary research beforehand).

From my understanding of your posts on these forums, you're like 14? Why are you lecturing people about university, you haven't even done your GCSEs!?

Reply 158

Scrubby

11

Original post by im so academic

That's digusting, "for the challenge". You don't see people advising users to apply to Oxbridge for the challenge do you? He took up a potential space for another, more grateful, applicant.

"Decided at a later stage", sure... As if the Oxbridge offer wasn't worth considered due to family. :rolleyes:

The user said that he didn't go to Oxbridge due to accommodation costs. Ergo, he could've worked during the holidays and thus could have went. Don't be pedantic on me 'Rose.

Shut up. You're really annoying. You have no idea about the person's situation yet you go mouthing off. And taking up space? How is it taking up space? When someone applies for London Met and gets an offer yet doesn't take it, is that taking up space? Shoudl that be frowned upon too and that person be abused?

Oxbridge is not special. It doesn't require some sort of special treatment where unless you're 100% convinced you want to go there, you shouldn't apply. If you want to apply then you apply. If you want to do it for fun or tests yourself then go ahead. If you're good enough you get an offer. Don't want an offer? Turn it down.

It's no different to any other university and shouldn't be treated as such. Even if somebody wanted to go there intially many things can change between applying and deciding on offers. And also if you didn't realise if one person doesn't take up a place somebody else who is also deemed good enough gets that place. So applying, getting an offer and then rejecting it harms nobody except maybe the admissions tutor's ego.

Reply 159

Retrospect