Post-Oxbridge Arrogance

See below

(I'm new to the student room)

Anyway I was rejected by Oxford this year and I've become very arrogant unfortunately.
Worst of all, there were a group of people in school who I never really talked to also applying and they got in when they were expected to be rejected, and I was supposed to be in.

Reply 2

RogerOxon

Original post by Anonymous

Anyway I was rejected by Oxford this year and I've become very arrogant unfortunately.

That's an odd reaction.

Do you have a question?

Reply 3

Anonymous #1

How would one recommend dealing with it? It's like I have a chip on my shoulder.

Reply 4

username5428282

That doesn’t make sense.

Reply 5

paula10797

I think the best thing to do set is set yourself a new target - so that your still motivated to do well.
I, too, am an oxbridge reject but I've been telling myself that I'll apply for postgraduate degree and do my best this year. It may seem difficult to do it at first but it won't really help if you think about it.

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

Original post by paula10797

Yeah I've lost all motivation with A-levels now but I'm not going there for post-grad, it's just not Cambridge undergrad.

Reply 7

black tea

You became arrogant because you were rejected by Oxbridge?!

Reply 8

Anonymous #1

Yh, everyone else got in from school and since I've been thinking "they're rubbish, they won't do well"

Original post by black tea

You became arrogant because you were rejected by Oxbridge?!

Reply 9

RogerOxon

Original post by Anonymous

How would one recommend dealing with it? It's like I have a chip on my shoulder.

Do you really mean "arrogant"?

You need to accept that an Oxbridge rejection is the norm. It's a "roll of the dice" application, with admissions tests and interviews that always have some element of luck. There are other good universities - go to one and excel. Good luck.

Reply 10

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

Yh, everyone else got in from school and since I've been thinking "they're rubbish, they won't do well"

That's not really arrogance (since you're putting others down rather than raising yourself up) - if anything it sounds like jealousy and your brain's way of coping with it, I imagine it'll pass as you adjust to the rejection.

Reply 11

black tea

Original post by Anonymous

Yh, everyone else got in from school and since I've been thinking "they're rubbish, they won't do well"

that's not arrogance, that's bitterness

Reply 12

paula10797

Original post by Anonymous

Yeah I've lost all motivation with A-levels now but I'm not going there for post-grad, it's just not Cambridge undergrad.

Maybe reapply next year if that's what you want to do?
But I'm sure that if you got the interview stage, you can basically excel at any university.

Also what do you mean by 'it's not just Cambridge undergrad' ?

Reply 13

Sinnoh

Original post by Anonymous

Yh, everyone else got in from school and since I've been thinking "they're rubbish, they won't do well"

That's more bitter/sour grapes than arrogant.

You're probably well aware that where other people go to uni is none of your business and doesn't affect you in the slightest, but once you start uni that will most likely have actually sunk in by then.

Reply 14

0314Stuart

Original post by Anonymous

Yh, everyone else got in from school and since I've been thinking "they're rubbish, they won't do well"

I think you mean jealous or embittered. Get over it, they clearly did something right to have gotten a place. Try to be happy for them, you’ll gain nothing from being so resentful and ruin your mental health in the process. Onwards and upwards. A rejection from oxford is completely normal, and I’m sure there’s plenty of other excellent universities that’ll gladly take you. Not the end of the world, just accept it that it wasn’t mean to be, be happy for their success, and focus on yourself and other universities.

Good luck, hope you’re able to change your attitude around for your own sake

Reply 15

Anonymous #1

Thank you all for the replies

Reply 16

nexttime

So bitterness then.

Its super common, and you will see evidence of it on lots of TSR threads (things like other uni admissions threads). 'I never wanted to go to Oxford anyway', 'they're just full of posh people', from people who were super enthusiastic before being rejected.

Its just part of the grieving process I think. For many in this population it will be their first time getting rejected from anything important in their life, so its understandable. Almost everyone gets over it with time. It just takes some longer than others.