The Official 2017 Cambridge Applicants Thread [part 3]

Yes it is true that we could go to uni elsewhere and then hope to do a masters at Oxbridge. But when you have your heart set on doing a degree there it's hard to just tell yourself that it doesn't really matter and that you'll still have the same opportunities.

No they don't, a degree from Oxbridge almost guarantees you a good job. I think I might actually take a year out and reapply.

If you really love the course (not just the prestige), ace your exams, work on your speaking skills, fix the weaker elements of your app and basically work your ass off. Then you'll have a set of good results so you can choose whether to reapply and take a gap year or not. You can try again (and people have been successful trying again post-results) but once you've applied twice and find out the result of your app, it's probably best to just let it be.

BUT if you want to try again, knowing where you went wrong, you can only do that by getting great grades!!!

I do understand how you feel but a little time out may give you a little more perspective. Good unis such as Imperial, LSE, Surrey, Warwick ( the list goes on) have excellent reputations for a reason. Trust me, they are academically challenging and many of their graduates go on to postgrad at Oxbridge and vice versa.

In terms of job prospects, many factors are considered in the job market not least your interpersonal skills. By a good job I assume you mean salary? ( I understand good jobs mean different thing to different people). Last time I looked a linguistics graduate from Cambridge had an average starting salary of approximately £17,000 (from memory). Hardly earth shattering.

So don't rely on Oxbridge or any uni for that matter to be a golden ticket. They aren't, many other factors come into play in the job market. Your reasoning should be your love of the subject and the course on offer. Best wishes😀

Ahh well, looks like it's not going to be today. No post, and no email. Best get set for another day of waiting tomorrow.
Bit ridiculous really, it's only been 4 days, but it feels like forever 😥

I know they're good universities but not quite the same as Cambridge. It'll surely be harder to do a postgrad at Cambridge if you didn't do undergrad there.

I applied for economics, so by a good job I meant success and salary I guess, just being content that I've achieved what I can. I probably would have been fine if I hadn't applied in the first place, it's just knowing that you're not good enough, no matter how hard you try. I know that Oxbridge doesn't mean you're going to be successful in the future, but it's certainly a good starting point.

For those who started economics Oct 2016 there were 1,183 applicants and 189 offers made. Does that mean the 994 rejected weren't good enough? Seriously stop dwelling on this if you can. Maybe speak to a teacher at school who can advise you. It will have been just as competitive this year and will be next year, there are no guarantees if you reapply with A*A*A*. Bear this in mind.

Had a lovely little chat with a certain Admissions Tutor


A*A*A with an A* in History OFFER!

No they don't, a degree from Oxbridge almost guarantees you a good job. I think I might actually take a year out and reapply.

To reiterate this, my school had two economics applicants this year, one of my best friends and I. We are both equally qualified on paper (if anything he might be slightly more due to him not screwing up C4 and me having a bad day) and he felt his interview went better than mine. We've both broadly the same extra-curricular, I've done a bit more debating and public speaking but he's done public facing work with customers too. I can possibly show my passion for economics slightly more than he can, just due to differences in personality, but all these factors are so minor that they're essentially meaningless at this level.
I got in. He didn't. That doesn't mean I'm better than him. It means that in a field of hundreds of incredibly good applicants, you eventually reach a level where it's almost impossible to distinguish one good candidate from another on merit. They look at factors, and make a human decision. Of course, you can improve your chances by getting good grades, being confident and passionate about the subject, but no one is guaranteed a place. There's an element of luck, and I'm sorry you got the worse end of it, but anyone who is so hardworking to get the interview stage is of the same calibre, so onwards and upwards wherever you end up

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Yeah, nothing on my end, either... I'm slightly sad to be honest, was hoping I'd come out of my mock this evening and see the magic email, but alas, nothing.

I'm hoping it's a letter now; sent today to arrive tomorrow... I may die if I wait much longer

I know they're good universities but not quite the same as Cambridge. It'll surely be harder to do a postgrad at Cambridge if you didn't do undergrad there.

I applied for economics, so by a good job I meant success and salary I guess, just being content that I've achieved what I can. I probably would have been fine if I hadn't applied in the first place, it's just knowing that you're not good enough, no matter how hard you try. I know that Oxbridge doesn't mean you're going to be successful in the future, but it's certainly a good starting point.

Ahh this is so frustrating. But at least if both of us haven't received anything, we're not alone haha!

That's what I'm thinking now too. Makes sense really, if they made the decisions on Saturday then they will likely have posted this morning to arrive tomorrow. The scary thing about a letter is that you basically know from the seal on the front whether you've been rejected or not 🙈. Praying I never see Downing's seal again in my life lol.

Hopefully we'll be put out of our misery tomorrow 😂

For those who started economics Oct 2016 there were 1,183 applicants and 189 offers made. Does that mean the 994 rejected weren't good enough? Seriously stop dwelling on this if you can. Maybe speak to a teacher at school who can advise you. It will have been just as competitive this year and will be next year, there are no guarantees if you reapply with A*A*A*. Bear this in mind.

For econ, a university like LSE would pretty much give you the same guarantee of great salary and job prospects as oxbridge - if not more as it focuses a lot more heavily on preparing for the work place and commercialising their students.
oxbridge is NOT everything

But isn't it more depressing to think that you were good enough but just didn't get in? I will definitely think it over before deciding to take a year out a reapply, I know that it'll be just as hard to get in. I need to decide whether it's worth trying and facing rejection again.

Ahh this is so frustrating. But at least if both of us haven't received anything, we're not alone haha!

That's what I'm thinking now too. Makes sense really, if they made the decisions on Saturday then they will likely have posted this morning to arrive tomorrow. The scary thing about a letter is that you basically know from the seal on the front whether you've been rejected or not 🙈. Praying I never see Downing's seal again in my life lol.

Hopefully we'll be put out of our misery tomorrow 😂

Unfortunately that's life. They have to reject lots of strong candidates each year cos they purely do not have enough spaces. Take your time to decide whether it's worth reapplying or not. You don't even have to make such a decision until after results day when you know what grades you have.