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Oxbridge 2018 Reapplicants

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Original post by auburnstar
Probably for best though as one matter of discussion of the English applicants was that the tutor judged you for sitting on the couch or the chair. Probably apocryphal.


Lmao seems fair
Original post by wolfmoon88
You could, but you risk going into an endless cycle of reapplications and trying to get into Oxford.


I was just joking around from my pit of despair, I'm not actually that foolish... Although I do really dislike having to give up on such a huge dream :tongue: I wouldn't want to loose 2 years trying to get into Oxford :')

Original post by StationToStation
Oh no, you didn't get in either? I'm so sorry, I don't think we've talked but I remember you well and I was so rooting for you :frown:

I'm playing around with the idea of rereapplying too lol. Most likely I won't but I just hate the idea of giving Oxford up after all I've been through. How are you feeling about your other offers?

Maybe we should just all gang up, go to other unis and after three years all apply and become The TSR Squad Who Got Rejected But Then Ended Up Kicking Ass Postgrad.

A bit awkward though that the guy who's running the Master's course I'm looking at interviewed me this year. He just sat in the corner looking amused and didn't get up to shake my hand when I came and left.


I like to think of it, but I don't honestly think I will... I think I would have been capable of it, ultimately, but I don't want to chase after the one thing too much to the point of being stubborn. I'm trying to decide between KCL (or UCL if I get an offer) and Bristol, weighing up whether I'd enjoy living in London ^^ How about you?

YAAS I'm down for the Oxford postgrad experience :wink: although I still wish I could be there for undergrad level... Let's ace those undergrad degrees wherever you end up!
Original post by lewman99
Hi folks, I've already posted in the other 2018 thread, but I may as well post here too:

Course: Maths and Computer Science
College: St. John's
Interviewed? (yes/no): Yes
Feedback?: None yet
School type: State Comprehensive (Scottish)
National 5s: 7 As (Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, CompSci, History, Music)
Highers: 5 As (Maths, English, Physics, CompSci, History)
Adv. Higher predictions: 3 As (Maths, Physics, CompSci)
Other qualification (eg IB, AP, etc): n/a
Strengths: Can't say for sure w/o feedback, but I think the MAT went well, and my interviews at Balliol went well, good reference, solid grades (we don't have an A*, so the A is the highest grade possible).
Weaknesses: Can't say for sure w/o feedback, but I think the Maths interview at St. John's went very badly (didn't get very far, on a really bad topic and quite a bit of silence).
What you aim to work on: Mainly being more comfortable with talking about maths with people. I might also look over some STEP work for extra problem solving stuff, and brush up on some weaker areas (like geometry)
What your plans are: Mainly depends on the feedback. If the feedback's quite good, and my MAT score was solid (as in above the average for successful applicants), I'll probably start first year for Maths and CompSci (+ another subject, most likely Statistics) at Glasgow (Scottish universities are typically a year longer, so I'd still recieve funding, plus gap years for maths normally aren't a good idea), then reapply while I'm there (I'd be very happy to study in Glasgow, but I definitely prefer the Oxford course, particularly on the CompSci side, plus if I stayed at Glasgow I'd most likely be commuting, which I'm worried could be quite isolating).

On a similar note, does anyone have ideas as to which colleges they would be considering next time around? I quite liked Balliol while I was there (the place was nice and the tutors seemed friendly, though it's apparently not the best idea to choose a college you've already been interviewed at), and when I was deciding this year I also considered Merton and Univ (though compared to Balliol they're a bit out of the way, which is perhaps a good thing in some respects).

can i ask u some questions about your interivew
Reply 23
Hi everyone!

I didn't actually apply to Oxford this year, I applied to the other place.... and got rejected. I guess it might have been for better though, because I feel like the Oxford course/environment/setting/culture might be a better fit for me. Even though I technically won't be reapplying to Oxford I've filled out the form thing.

Course: English
College: I applied to Cambridge but next year I want to apply to Hertford
Interviewed? (yes/no):
Feedback?: not yet
School type: American Private school
Other qualification (eg IB, AP, etc): 5 AP's at grade 5 and three more at grade 5 predicted. 800 on SAT II. 32 ACT
Strengths: Wide reading, enthusiasm, I think my written work was good?
Weaknesses: My ACT is bare minimum, (I'll add more when I get feedback)
What you aim to work on: I want to gain more experience with the process of applying to Oxbridge. Hopefully my critical analysis will get even better within the next year and I'll be even more articulate in the interview setting.
What your plans are: Well I have offers from Durham, St Andrews, Edinburgh, and UCL so I'll probably do first year at one of them and just see what happens with Oxford next year.

Good luck to everyone and don't beat yourselves up too much! We are all great students in that we even seriously considered applying to such schools!
Original post by bigmansouf
can i ask u some questions about your interivew


Sure, go ahead. I probably won't answer any specific questions (relating to individual interview questions), but I'm happy to answer general stuff.
Original post by mazzaion

I like to think of it, but I don't honestly think I will... I think I would have been capable of it, ultimately, but I don't want to chase after the one thing too much to the point of being stubborn. I'm trying to decide between KCL (or UCL if I get an offer) and Bristol, weighing up whether I'd enjoy living in London ^^ How about you?

YAAS I'm down for the Oxford postgrad experience :wink: although I still wish I could be there for undergrad level... Let's ace those undergrad degrees wherever you end up!



Yeah same, I think I came really close this time but I'm beginning to feel it's time to move on and start thinking about other things and come up with new goals. It's a bit sad but in a weird way it feels kinda good.

Ah ok, those are some great unis and you'd probably love them both! Unfortunately I'm a medicine applicant so I'm still waiting to hear back from my other choices which are Edinburgh, KCL and Exeter lol.

Yesss that's the plan :biggrin: Best of luck whatever you end up doing!!
Reply 26
Course: Biological Sciences
College: St Hilda's
Interviewed? (yes/no): No :frown:
Feedback?: Not yet
School type: Failing State
GCSE: 1A* 8A's 2B's
AS: ABBB
A2 predictions: A*AAA (inc EPQ)
Strengths: Idk, my EPQ but obvs not much since I didn't even get an interview this time Weaknesses: My GCSEs
What you aim to work on: Just getting my predicted grades so I can reapply if I choose to
What your plans are: Revise, revise, revise! And decide whether to apply for Biomed (and thus take the BMAT)
I think for a fair amount of us it was AS results ? Because sometimes tutors might think "oh, is A*A*A really attainable for this person". So in those cases reapplying could work well assuming you meet or exceed predictions.

But that's strange that you weren't offered an interview and go to a failing state school. They're supposed to have a flagging system and those who get a flag for socioeconomic or school get auto-interviewed unless there's a really good reason . Weird.
Reply 28
Original post by zee35

College: I applied to Cambridge but next year I want to apply to Hertford


That's brave, if you get rejected they'll send your letter to someone else :laugh:
Seriously though, I found Hertford a lovely environment while I was there for interview. Best of luck!
Reply 30
I'm SO ready for this thread!
Course: Biological Sciences
College: Queen's
Interviewed? (yes/no): no (partly why I want to reapply, I want to show my potential in tutorials. If I don't perform well there, then the system might not be the best for me anyways and I can move on)
Feedback?: yes but VERY vague so I might ask for it again?
School type: Swedish Gymnasieskolan hahah
GCSE: -
AS: -
A2 predictions: -
Other qualification (eg IB, AP, etc): well I'll have a Gymnasieexamen in June
Strengths: my passion, which I'm not sure showed through. Also I'd say my grades are pretty good. I haven't read my reference but he (my mentor and chemistry teacher) was so supportive and nice about it.
Weaknesses: Personal Statement (I thought it was good when I applied but now I CRINGE when reading it), mayyybe that I have a B in chemistry but I'm taking a harder course now and it looks like I'll get an A this time
What you aim to work on: work hard and get A's in the rest of my courses this year! Then spend the summer writing personal statements, working to afford tuition fees and doing stuff related to biology (not sure what yet). And read. Loads.
What your plans are: Waiting for decisions from UCL, Imperial, Durham and St Andrews, but I'm not sure I'll go to any of them, even if I get in (Sweden is cheaper). I'll apply for medicine in Sweden so if I get in here I'll do that (but still maybe reapply to biosci in Oxford because that's still my first chocie). We get 20 choices here (compared to UCAS five!!) so I'll apply for anything I feel like would be fun and then we'll see! Otherwise I'll take a gap year and work, do voluntary work related to biology and take some bio courses online from swedish universities.
Original post by saes
I'm SO ready for this thread!
Course: Biological Sciences
College: Queen's
Interviewed? (yes/no): no (partly why I want to reapply, I want to show my potential in tutorials. If I don't perform well there, then the system might not be the best for me anyways and I can move on)
Feedback?: yes but VERY vague so I might ask for it again?
School type: Swedish Gymnasieskolan hahah
GCSE: -
AS: -
A2 predictions: -
Other qualification (eg IB, AP, etc): well I'll have a Gymnasieexamen in June
Strengths: my passion, which I'm not sure showed through. Also I'd say my grades are pretty good. I haven't read my reference but he (my mentor and chemistry teacher) was so supportive and nice about it.
Weaknesses: Personal Statement (I thought it was good when I applied but now I CRINGE when reading it), mayyybe that I have a B in chemistry but I'm taking a harder course now and it looks like I'll get an A this time
What you aim to work on: work hard and get A's in the rest of my courses this year! Then spend the summer writing personal statements, working to afford tuition fees and doing stuff related to biology (not sure what yet). And read. Loads.
What your plans are: Waiting for decisions from UCL, Imperial, Durham and St Andrews, but I'm not sure I'll go to any of them, even if I get in (Sweden is cheaper). I'll apply for medicine in Sweden so if I get in here I'll do that (but still maybe reapply to biosci in Oxford because that's still my first chocie). We get 20 choices here (compared to UCAS five!!) so I'll apply for anything I feel like would be fun and then we'll see! Otherwise I'll take a gap year and work, do voluntary work related to biology and take some bio courses online from swedish universities.


Karolinska Instituet? :tongue:
Reply 32
Original post by wolfmoon88
Karolinska Instituet? :tongue:

No, my mom started her medicine course there but hated it so much she flew (!!!) home every weekend and later switched to Lund University. So I've only heard horror stories :wink: Stockholm isn't a great city for students, many people studying there have lived there all their lives so they already have their group of friends - it's easy for newcomers to be left out. Also you need a score of 22.5 (max), and mine will be around 21.72 to 22.01 depending on how I do this term.
I'd rather go to Lund! I lived there when I was 5 and it's probably one of my favourite places in Sweden. Uppsala is also amazing. But Linköping/Gothenburg would be fine too.
Original post by saes
No, my mom started her medicine course there but hated it so much she flew (!!!) home every weekend and later switched to Lund University. So I've only heard horror stories :wink: Stockholm isn't a great city for students, many people studying there have lived there all their lives so they already have their group of friends - it's easy for newcomers to be left out. Also you need a score of 22.5 (max), and mine will be around 21.72 to 22.01 depending on how I do this term.
I'd rather go to Lund! I lived there when I was 5 and it's probably one of my favourite places in Sweden. Uppsala is also amazing. But Linköping/Gothenburg would be fine too.


Honestly, most of the things I've heard about Karolinska have been less than positive either :tongue: (was going to apply to BSc Biomedicine :rofl:) yeah Lund and Uppsala seem pretty amazing :biggrin:
Reply 34
Original post by wolfmoon88
Honestly, most of the things I've heard about Karolinska have been less than positive either :tongue: (was going to apply to BSc Biomedicine :rofl:) yeah Lund and Uppsala seem pretty amazing :biggrin:

You heard about the Macchiarini-scandal I assume?
Original post by saes
No, my mom started her medicine course there but hated it so much she flew (!!!) home every weekend and later switched to Lund University. So I've only heard horror stories :wink: Stockholm isn't a great city for students, many people studying there have lived there all their lives so they already have their group of friends - it's easy for newcomers to be left out. Also you need a score of 22.5 (max), and mine will be around 21.72 to 22.01 depending on how I do this term.
I'd rather go to Lund! I lived there when I was 5 and it's probably one of my favourite places in Sweden. Uppsala is also amazing. But Linköping/Gothenburg would be fine too.


Really?? I've always kinda assumed that Karolinska is amazing and Stockholm is a great place to study. I considered applying at some point but then decided that I prefer the UK. What made her dislike it so much?
Original post by saes
You heard about the Macchiarini-scandal I assume?


Unfortunately or fortunately, yes I have :tongue:
Reply 37
Original post by StationToStation
Really?? I've always kinda assumed that Karolinska is amazing and Stockholm is a great place to study. I considered applying at some point but then decided that I prefer the UK. What made her dislike it so much?

It's a really good university, it's just that if you're from "the outside" it can be a little overwhelming difficult to find a group of friends, which is why she switched.
And student life is not much compared to other cities.
I didn't really feel like it 'clicked' when I visited, the thing I was the most excited about was that most Nobel Prize winners go there and hold lectures around the time of the ceremony (but then I was told they go to other unis too so not that special anymore haha)
Course: bionatsci
College: Queens'
Interviewed: yes
Feedback: not yet but hopefully soon
School type: state grammar
GCSE: 9A* 2A
AS: AAAAB (no ums because all except the B were reformed)
A2 predictions: A*A*AA
Strengths: personal statement, GCSEs
Weaknesses: NSAA I think but hopefully they give me a better idea in the feedback, first interview, lack of maths a-level
Aim to work on: hopefully by next year I'd have the course content completely down after having revised to the death for a level exams, also practice talking about the subject more and controlling my nerves, maybe some more practice of NSAA style questions than before
Plans: I'm really not sure whether reapplying would be a good option tbh, one the one hand I would love to have a gap year and I have so many ideas but I also don't want to sign myself up for another round of torture!! If I did a gap year I'd probably self teach some as maths modules, do some online courses and look for some work experience while I carry on with my job and save to travel in the summer
Course: BA Human Sciences
College: Magdalen
Interviewed? (yes/no): Yes
Feedback?: Not yet, hoping to get it soon
IB Diploma Candidate
Strengths:
I honestly don't know why they interviewed me, I suppose it is because of my TSA grades because my predicted scores only just meet the entrance requirements.
Weaknesses:
IB predicted grades and most likely interviews but I'll see in the feedback
What you aim to work on: Getting my life back together and exceeding my predicted grades!
What your plans are: I honestly don't know, might reapply next year either to Cambridge or to Oxford, but it would be really dependent on if I exceed my predicted grades or not. I'll probably decide in the summer after a lot of deliberation and research.

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