Can you accept, decline then re-accept Masters? (Surrey Uni)

I've already applied for Masters Degree at Surrey Uni and been accepted when I applied for my Bachelor's Degree, but now I might want to try applying to Oxbridge as have a chance with my grades.

However, if I don't get in I still want to go to Surrey uni for my Master's, so how do I go about doing this without shooting myself in the foot?

Do you need references from your professors when applying for a Master's?

And, if so, how can I ask them without letting them know that"you're uni is 2nd/3rd choice and I'm going to mess around with my place at your uni, a place that some other people are really hoping to get in to ".....without seeming ungrateful?

Additionally, I'd like to do a PhD at Surrey Uni eventually (provided I get the grades etc) so I don't want to decrease my chance and have a bad rapport with my professors.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your input


I've already said to Surrey uni that I'd be doing my Master's there but now I'm thinking I might want to apply to Oxbridge.

But if I don't get in to Oxbridge I'd like to go back to my original plan and go to Surrey.


It relieves me to here there won't be any issues with this.

I've already applied for Masters Degree at Surrey Uni and been accepted when I applied for my Bachelor's Degree, but now I might want to try applying to Oxbridge as have a chance with my grades.

However, if I don't get in I still want to go to Surrey uni for my Master's, so how do I go about doing this without shooting myself in the foot?

Do you need references from your professors when applying for a Master's?

And, if so, how can I ask them without letting them know that"you're uni is 2nd/3rd choice and I'm going to mess around with my place at your uni, a place that some other people are really hoping to get in to ".....without seeming ungrateful?

Additionally, I'd like to do a PhD at Surrey Uni eventually (provided I get the grades etc) so I don't want to decrease my chance and have a bad rapport with my professors.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

I am thoroughly confused... Are you currently doing a bachelor's degree? If so where?

Or are you talking about an integrated master's vs bachelor's... Eg MEng vs BEng or MSci vs BSc ??

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That's fine - you go ahead and apply to Oxbridge if that's what you want to do.

See what you get offered by Oxford/Cambridge first and then make a decision about whether you still want to go to Surrey or want to switch to a "better" offer. If you do change your mind about Surrey, you can simply email their Admissions to let them know you wish to decline their offer (you don't even need to give a reason).

Thank you for your reply. I've been accepted at Surrey University for a Bachelor's Degree (3 years) and for a Master's Degree (1 year).

I'll be starting university September 2019.

Bachelor's: Maths and Physics BSc
Master's: Physics MSc

I know it's a little far in advance but I'm a big planner and when I aim for the future it helps me work hard for the now. Hopefully it will be a smooth run up.

I've already applied for Masters Degree at Surrey Uni and been accepted when I applied for my Bachelor's Degree, but now I might want to try applying to Oxbridge as have a chance with my grades.

However, if I don't get in I still want to go to Surrey uni for my Master's, so how do I go about doing this without shooting myself in the foot?

Do you need references from your professors when applying for a Master's?

And, if so, how can I ask them without letting them know that"you're uni is 2nd/3rd choice and I'm going to mess around with my place at your uni, a place that some other people are really hoping to get in to ".....without seeming ungrateful?

Additionally, I'd like to do a PhD at Surrey Uni eventually (provided I get the grades etc) so I don't want to decrease my chance and have a bad rapport with my professors.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

So now I'm a bit clearer about what you're actually doing, I'll revisit your OP...

If you get the grades needed to be a realistic applicant for Oxbridge you can certainly withdraw from your place at Surrey and apply to Cambridge or Oxford in October. You can also reapply to Surrey and are almost certain to be reaccepted. This means that Surrey will still be available as a "plan B" if you don't get an offer from Oxbridge. Universities don't hold grudges...

Note, the Physics courses at Surrey are:
* BSc - a 3 year bachelor's undergraduate course
* MPhys - a 4 year undergraduate integrated masters course (this is the one you have an offer for). Sometimes known as an MSci <- the "i" indicates "integrated master's"
* MSc - a 12 months postgraduate course - you would apply for this after doing a BSc.
* PhD - a postgraduate course usually applied for after doing the MPhys OR BSc plus MSc.

You can do a BSc at one university, then MSc elsewhere, then PhD elsewhere again.

Edit: do you already have your grades? If so what are they?

Circumstances change, do what you want to do. No point in Surrey having an unhappy student for Masters, it's not good for either side. I'm glad you're thinking about your future I was still twiddling my thumbs at your age haha! If my understanding is correct you are either final year of A-level or First year BSc? At the end of the day Oxbridge is Oxbridge.... it's a perfectly understandable decision. There won't be any issues!

Thank you very much for your input, I really appreciate it.

I didn't actually realise that there was a difference between MSc, MSci and MPhys.

I'm taking A-Levels from home and I'm studying all the curriculum independently without teachers (they're very expensive). I was too unwell to attend secondary school and 6th form as I developed Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at around age 13, so all my knowledge of my A-Levels and the whole education system has been from my textbooks and the internet.

A-Levels:
Maths A*
Further Maths A*
Physics (from my current past paper results) predicted A*

I am aware that my plan and/or my grades could change during the future but planning helps keep me motivated for the now.

So you have an offer, not a confirmed place, for Surrey.

If you achieve A*A*A* on results day you could be a competitive applicant for Oxbridge. Oxford also has the PAT as an important part of its admissions process for Physics, or Cambridge has STEP (for Maths and also Maths with Physics) or the NSAA for Natural Sciences.

If you are in no particular rush to go to Surrey then a gap year application to Oxbridge is a reasonable path to take if you want to do that. You would definitely get an Unconditional Offer from Surrey in that situation.

Yes, that's correct, I'm hoping to go the Surrey this September. It's guaranteed provided I get at least a B, which I'm almost certain I will from my mock papers.

The thing is my health has only started to improve recently so I'm unsure I'll be able to keep up with the workload at Oxbridge at the moment. Plus at Surrey I get to live at home and drive into my lectures so I don't have the pressures of living on my own just yet.

I'm hoping that in 3-4 years time my health will improve again at an even better level so I can reopen the possibilities of applying to Oxbridge for Masters. Lots of things could change by then but I've always wanted to go there, and assuming I don't make it to PhD it'll be my only shot.

You seem like you're in the know - do you have any advice for improving a CV over the next few years (aside from good grades), like internships over each summer/ work experience? What could I do to increase my chances, not only for Oxbridge applications but also for any elite jobs out there?

Internships are certainly good for your CV, but aren't a factor for an MSc. Getting a good 2:1, and ideally s 1st is what is required.

Note, you can't realistically do a standalone MSc if you do the MPhys. It's only an option if you do a BSc.

From this advice, I think I'll spend each of the summer holidays (when I have free time) going over and reading through my future topics for the next academic year to ensure good grades, instead of spending that extra time on internships/work experience.

Thanks for your help

That's 100% not what I said. Internships/placements are better for a future career than a 1st vs a good 2:1.

I guess I misinterpreted. What about

(Master's no internships) vs (Bachelor's internships) ?

For a "proper" job (ie not academia) internships > master's. But many people have both.