Withdrawing from UCAS and applying to Oxbridge

I'm in my last year of school, and last year I really wanted to apply to Oxbridge but at the last second I got scared and have regretted it ever since. I have an offer from Bristol (for modern languages) which I have firmed but am still wondering about whether, if I get very good A Level grades in the summer, I should withdraw from UCAS, take a gap year and apply to Oxbridge (along with other unis obv). Has anyone been in a similar situation and what do you think?

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Reply 1

Mask Of Sanity

Whatever you do, wait until after results day before withdrawing.

Reply 2

Doughnuts!!

Bristol is a brilliant university and Oxbridge isn't the be all and end all.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND, wouldn't you be so pissed if you withdrew, applied and then got rejected?

Reply 3

thrifty1992

Original post by landr2

Agree with Mask, no point withdrawing and ending up with grades that aren't good enough to get in, I assume you are not guaranteed AAA/A*AA otherwise it would be inexplicable that you did not apply. If you get the grades in August (and you can have already decided what you want to do beforehand) then you can withdraw, but remember there are NO guarantees for getting in to Oxbridge even with the grades in the bag.

Reply 4

ragman_wonder

Also consider that if you go for 2012 entry, no matter where you go, you will be subject to the higher fees.

Reply 5

rodcarter

Original post by ragman_wonder

Also consider that if you go for 2012 entry, no matter where you go, you will be subject to the higher fees.

But for Bristol and xbridge it'd be worth it.

Reply 6

innerhollow

Original post by landr2

THe most important thing is to remember the fee increase!

Secondly, a gap year is a HUGE decision, and you don't want to be one of those people who takes an unplanned gap year and is left to sit around bored to death, frittering away a year of their life. If you have a good plan for what you're going to do in your gap year that you think will benefit you, then it might be a sensible idea. That way if you reapply next year but don't get into Oxbridge, you'll have gained something from your year out.

The problem with re-applying solely for the sake of getting into Oxbridge is that these universities are very competitive and difficult to get into. Even with perfect grades you'd be taking a huge gamble.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 7

thrifty1992

Original post by rodcarter

But for Bristol and xbridge [sic] it'd be worth it.

Not necessarily...
a) Bristol is one of the best universities in the UK, though admittedly below Oxbridge not by a massive amount
b) Each person has an individual financial situation, to say it would be worth it for one person is not the case for another.

Reply 8

ragman_wonder

Original post by rodcarter

But for Bristol and xbridge it'd be worth it.

OP already has a (conditional) place at Bristol, a well respected uni. Would it really be worth turning that place down on the hope of getting a place at Oxbridge?

Chances are the OP might lose his place at Bristol, even if they get the same offer again they'll have to pay 3x as much.

Just go to Bristol.

Original post by landr2

i got rejected by cambridge and i've firmed Bristol, but yeah if my a2s go as planned, im going to reapply. Do it, worth the gamble, hopefully bris will accept us again anyway!

Reply 11

Innately_Hedonistic

Original post by Doughnuts!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND, wouldn't you be so pissed if you withdrew, applied and then got rejected?

No, at least OP won't have to wonder what might've been.

Reply 12

landr2

Original post by ragman_wonder

Also consider that if you go for 2012 entry, no matter where you go, you will be subject to the higher fees.

I'm lucky enough that fees aren't too much of an issue as my parents are helping me out and i do have a good idea of what i'd do in my gap yeah, but yeah I agree it's a massive gamble...i'm so torn!

Reply 13

oxymoronic

Original post by landr2

I'm lucky enough that fees aren't too much of an issue as my parents are helping me out and i do have a good idea of what i'd do in my gap yeah, but yeah I agree it's a massive gamble...i'm so torn!

What if you don't get into Oxbridge or Bristol next year and you're in a worse position than you're in now? There are many, many people on this forum who are in this position after reapplying and pinning all of their hopes on Oxbridge this year. If you're totally willing to accept that you may end up with "less" than what you have now and this idea is better than Bristol, then go for it.

You need to work out what it is that's putting you off Bristol. Are you just caught up in the Oxbridge dream, or do you actually dislike Bristol? As if its just the idea of Oxbridge, you need to work out what it is you'd actually gain from going there beyond being able to say "I go to Oxford/Cambridge" as Bristol is a very reputable university, particularly for languages and your employment prospects will be based on what you've done during your time at university rather than which university you went to for it. If you really are desperate to have a shot at Oxbridge, you could consider it for postgraduate level study, perhaps? However, if it is that you really dislike Bristol and don't want to go there, have you considered your options this year with Extra?

Reply 14

rodcarter

Original post by ragman_wonder

Firm Bristol, defer, reapply via ucas strictly to Oxbridge. If accepted firm choice if not go Bristol. B*gger off to Thailand for a month, come back tanned and ready for a life of Scrumpy Jacks and Bristolian night clubs :biggrin:

Reply 15

SparksInTheSky

Original post by rodcarter

Not possible. If OP defers Bristol s/he can't apply anywhere else - s/he'd have to withdraw completely to be able to apply to Oxbridge.

I'd say go for it, though obviously get your grades first. Have a gap year plan in mind 'cus Oxbridge don't like gap years (I'd say go to the foreign country of the lang you're studying for 6months/a yr - they'll be fine with that). Just make sure you have a back up plan - even if you can't defer ring other unis and ask what their attitude is to people who withdraw and reapply - will Bristol consider your offer again? What's your likelihood of being rejected from all other unis?

If the unis (non-Oxbridge) won't reject you for applying twice then I shouldn't think it'd be a problem though. If you got in once (spesh if it wasn't with an interview) and are now reapplying with your a-level grades, i cant see why they'd reject you. But best to check. If that's all gonna be ok though, and you're happy with the fee rise, and you want to go to Oxbridge, then go ahead and apply - might as well, and it'll set your mind at rest. Good luck :smile:

Reply 16

nigel123

Why not complete your 3/4 years at Bristol and apply oxbridge unis for postgraduate?

Reply 17

rodcarter

Original post by SparksInTheSky

Are you sure you can't do it? How are Bristol even going to know?

Reply 18

TheOFactor

Original post by rodcarter

Are you sure you can't do it? How are Bristol even going to know?

it's not about them knowing or not. You just can't, UCAS doesn't allow you.

Bear in mind that languages interviews for Oxbridge are bloody tough, you are expected to know a lot of ridiculously difficult grammar and loads of literature too. Also, in my opinion, you'd benefit more from languages at Bristol anyway, as their teaching method is great. They give you intense oral, listening and written practice, as well as teaching you about the history, politics, literature and culture of the country's language you are studying. Oxford's course is very literature-focused. My friend's in his final year of Spanish there, and feels like if it wasn't for his year abroad, he wouldn't know anything at all. Not sure about Cambridge though

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 19

piya21

Original post by landr2

Well, I rejected all my offers last year (which meant I was still eligible for clearing if I changed my mind, rather than withdrawing my UCAs altogether), took a gap year and applied during my gap year - got an offer from Oxford and had really good experiences in my year in the US, France, Denmark and Morocco (and hopefully more during the rest of the year). BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT WORKS OUT FOR EVERYONE!!! I spent a longggg time thinking about whether I wanted to withdraw or not - I got 3 offers last year from really good unis and I didn't withdraw because of the university, but because I changed my mind about the course I wanted to study (switched from History and Politics to French and Arabic, so you see the big jump involved). And if I had to choose between a gap year and added fees or going to a different uni for cheaper, I'm not certain I would have done the same thing as I did this time (even though it has ben great, you have to be wise about money matters too.)

What I can say to help your thought process is this: Oxbridge will want to know why you are taking a gap year and why you didn't just apply for deferred entry last year. They will want to know what you are doing in your gap year and saying 'I wanted to come here, to your university' is not an impressive answer. Work yourself as hard as you can now until after your exams, so you know you'll get the best results you can, then see how things turn out on results day. Then if you do decide to do it all again, set aside UCAS time in September and if you get an interview November/December to prepare yourself mentally and academically so you are at the top of your game - don't let yourself get rusty and don't put all your hopes on Oxbridge. Because believe it or not, it really isn't the end of the world if you don't get in. It is, however, twice as painful if you take a gap year just to get into Oxbridge and you still don't get it.

Good luck but make sure you make the right choice for you.