Happy about rejection?

So I applied for Durham Edinburgh St Andrews Exeter and Cambridge.

I’ve gotten offers from Durham and Exeter (Durham was my top choice).

I just got a rejection from Cambridge and I feel sad but also really happy. I hated the college I applied for and the atmosphere was weird.

But how do I get over the sad part? Getting rejected from the best uni?

Reply 1

SandyGreen

I felt exactly the same, not just you. Everyone from my school applying for the mech eng course had really varied interviews depending on the college they went for. A couple of people said the interviewers were friendly, said hi and made conversation like you normally do. Those people were shocked by what the rest of us said, with interviewers who never even said 'good morning' because the second you walked in through the door they were glaring at you. The first bunch got offers, the second bunch didn't. I can't say I was upset.

Made the winter pool but really, if the teaching staff cba to exercise basic politeness.... The uni was generally disrespectful of prospective students I felt - with lots of people spending a lot of money to come to an open day, the mech eng department showed a video of some other speech a lecturer had made at an event and that was it. There was a lab tour that was so so, but that was it. I put Imperial for first choice instead without needing to see the Cambridge result.

Reply 2

Blookie

Original post by SandyGreen

Thank god im not the only one. The atmosphere at Cambridge was weird. I was the only Scottish applicant and the interviewers treated me like I was stupid! Made me so mad!

Where do you think you’ll go now?

Reply 3

SandyGreen

Original post by Blookie

Yeah, with me they didn't need to know anything about me except: girl in engineering. Wtf!

I'm actually in 2nd year already at Leeds. My family is from Hungary and we moved here when I was in y10. I did my GCSEs, A-levels, EPQ, you name it over here. English is my first language, I don't speak Hungarian half as well.

Maintenance loans. This was before brexit happened, it was just after the referendum. I applied like everyone else. The requirement for home student used to be residence in the UK for 3 years prior. In the two weeks as I was applying, they changed the law without any publicity: they now require 5 years.

I'd been here for 4 and a half. The two years we lived in the UK when I was younger didn't count.

My only option was to stay home and commute to uni because with a single mother and no extended family, there's no way to afford uni accommodation. I can count myself lucky that EU students get a tuition fee loan.

So yeah, plus side: I won't have a huge maintenance loan when I finish uni. Pure good luck I put my hometown uni down as my second choice, but at least Imperial let me drop the first choice offer on results day. Leeds is a good choice for my degree anyway. I couldn't have afforded uni otherwise. Every cloud I guess.

Reply 4

Muttley79

Original post by Blookie

Cambridge is not the best uni for some degrees. Who want to study at a place where common politeness isn't common?

Reply 5

Blookie

Original post by Muttley79

Cambridge is not the best uni for some degrees. Who want to study at a place where common politeness isn't common?

Durham is the best for English (which I applied for)

Reply 6

Muttley79

Original post by Blookie

Durham is the best for English (which I applied for)

So there is absolutely nothing to be sad about.

Reply 7

ageshallnot

Original post by Blookie

But how do I get over the sad part? Getting rejected from the best uni?

By thriving at Durham.

I knew someone who was in your shoes 10 years ago, having been rejected for Natural Sciences. As well as the normal disappointment, he had the added burden of two Cambridge graduates as parents, one of whom had studied the same course.

He went to Durham feeling slightly second rate but did extremely well - a prize for best student one year and a high First. That was followed by a PhD at UCL and he now works at the Max Planck Institute.

He thrived, so can you.

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