Suicide

I just had this random thought. Do some teenagers take their Oxbridge rejections a step further? I myself would be completely shattered if I was to be rejected. It would certainly not be something easy to forget or get over. Being a teenager is not a very pleasant experience for some people. A rejection like this could be the final straw. Thos who had hoped their life would change with admission into Oxbridge have now lost all hope whatsoever. It doesn't take much to make certain people think they are a complete failure and their whole lives are worthless. So many people, including me, dream to get into Oxbridge and prove to everybody that they are worthy of something. Once that dream is taken away from you, you may end up thinking that there is no point to live any more. I have read about many people who were rejected and said it was a great experience etc... and they didn't seem greatly affected by it. But I am certain there are people out there that will not be able to dismiss this so easily. That fateful letter that Oxbridge send you after your interview could indeed prove to be a death sentence for some. I think that is quite harsh. But what could they do about it?

Reply 1

Wild Thing

11

erm...its just a rejection. Oxford isnt the bible. Get over it.
Personally when I got my rejection after being pooled I laughed out loud and went partying. Big deal.

Reply 2

Death

OP

Yeah I was referring to other people. Not myself. True I did say I will not be very happy with a rejection but others would probably do something very stupid.

Reply 3

RichE

15

I think if someone was so obsessed with needing to be in Oxford they would resolve to reapply

I've never heard of a case like the one you describe, though it could well have happened - but then the final straw that you describe can be anything, even your cat dying :frown:

Reply 4

puppy

What kind of loser would kill themselves over a university rejection? Loads of people get rejected.

Reply 5

Gaz031

15

You don't have to go to Oxford or Cambridge to be worth something and make a difference in your chosen field. Arguably if you're so insecure then you lack self confidence and aren't brilliant enough to make a significant contribution to human knowledge anyway...

Reply 6

lessthanthree

1

hah, my rejection was a godsend. I'm on a better course than the cambridge one :p:

Reply 7

Dreama

13

Death

That fateful letter that Oxbridge send you after your interview could indeed prove to be a death sentence for some.

I should think it is a very good life lesson for most.

People's ambitions should not reside in Oxford and Cambridge. Their ambitions should be for themselves, not for where they achieve those ambitions.

Reply 8

khil

15

Death

I just had this random thought. Do some teenagers take their Oxbridge rejections a step further? I myself would be completely shattered if I was to be rejected. It would certainly not be something easy to forget or get over. Being a teenager is not a very pleasant experience for some people. A rejection like this could be the final straw. Thos who had hoped their life would change with admission into Oxbridge have now lost all hope whatsoever. It doesn't take much to make certain people think they are a complete failure and their whole lives are worthless. So many people, including me, dream to get into Oxbridge and prove to everybody that they are worthy of something. Once that dream is taken away from you, you may end up thinking that there is no point to live any more. I have read about many people who were rejected and said it was a great experience etc... and they didn't seem greatly affected by it. But I am certain there are people out there that will not be able to dismiss this so easily. That fateful letter that Oxbridge send you after your interview could indeed prove to be a death sentence for some. I think that is quite harsh. But what could they do about it?

Erm, just to say, just because you don't get into Cambridge does NOT mean you're not worth anything! I am personally very glad Cambridge rejected me - I'd love to live there, may even love to work at the university I love the place - but no way is it for me.

When I got my rejection - at the time it was devastating and it took me a few months to get over. When you're in love with a place full of memories :redface:

not so easy to get over. But I mean, seriously, being rejected was probably the best thing that's happened to me! And speaking of suicide - seriously that would probably be me if I did get in. I'll probably die because I got in, rather than die because I didn't. Indeed Emma College was wise in rejecting me and I'm sooo looking forward to Nottingham now!

And Cambridge isn't the best in everything. Going by just looking at the course structure, I personally think the Nottingham Medicine course is way better than Cambridge's - certainly suits me better if I ever applied for Medicine. While Cambridge is an excellent uni, a lot of it is also just talk and all down to reputation - it's the history - there's dozen of great unis catching up and Cam may be best for some things, but other unis are best for other things, and in any case not all unis suit everyone - Cambridge may be top in the UK but it's not necessarily the best uni for an individual.

All in all - Cambridge is not worth it - great if you get in, but suicide if you don't? No way.

Reply 9

puppy

irisng

Erm, just to say, just because you don't get into Cambridge does NOT mean you're not worth anything! I am personally very glad Cambridge rejected me - I'd love to live there, may even love to work at the university I love the place - but no way is it for me.

When I got my rejection - at the time it was devastating and it took me a few months to get over. When you're in love with a place full of memories :redface:

not so easy to get over. But I mean, seriously, being rejected was probably the best thing that's happened to me! And speaking of suicide - seriously that would probably be me if I did get in. I'll probably die because I got in, rather than die because I didn't. Indeed Emma College was wise in rejecting me and I'm sooo looking forward to Nottingham now!

And Cambridge isn't the best in everything. Going by just looking at the course structure, I personally think the Nottingham Medicine course is way better than Cambridge's - certainly suits me better if I ever applied for Medicine. While Cambridge is an excellent uni, a lot of it is also just talk and all down to reputation - it's the history - there's dozen of great unis catching up and Cam may be best for some things, but other unis are best for other things, and in any case not all unis suit everyone - Cambridge may be top in the UK but it's not necessarily the best uni for an individual.

All in all - Cambridge is not worth it - great if you get in, but suicide if you don't? No way.

All these people saying they're glad they didn't get in- why did you apply if that was the case? If there're better courses elsewhere then why apply to one you don't like?

Reply 10

RichE

15

Gaz031

You don't have to go to Oxford or Cambridge to be worth something and make a difference in your chosen field. Arguably if you're so insecure then you lack self confidence and aren't brilliant enough to make a significant contribution to human knowledge anyway...

I don't think anyone disputes that - not the poster either - but people can obsess to scary degrees for whatever reasons - it sadly does happen

the reasons for many suicides to the objective viewer make the act look almost whimsical

Reply 11

RichE

15

puppy

All these people saying they're glad they didn't get in- why did you apply if that was the case? If there're better courses elsewhere then why apply to one you don't like?

I'd rather be hearing that than despondency at not getting in

Reply 12

soulsussed

1

Getting a degree at Oxbridge isn't what I call making something of yourself. I think its more of a snob factor to be honest. Where ever you did your degree its what you do with your life afterwards that I would admire somebody for. Like getting up when you fall, for a start is a very admirable quality. As if Oxbridge is control of your success? Is it hell.

Reply 13

puppy

RichE

I'd rather be hearing that than despondency at not getting in

What?

Reply 14

RxB

1

Where do you stop? Do you kill yourself if you don't get a First? At each step, they're choosing the best - firstly who gets in, then who gets the best grades, then who gets the best grades for masters courses, then who gets the All Souls' fellowship...

Reply 15

freddie88

5

i don't like the way people who didn't get into oxbridge all of a sudden say it's great they didn't get in. fair enough, when you have a tough choice between two courses (engineering at imperial is an example i know of) and you get rejected then it makes the choice for you and it's better.

i also think it's unfair when people at oxbridge are accused of being snobby etc as soulsussed just said. we worked hard to get here! we have a right to be proud of our achievements.

on the politics board, there's a post going on about middle-class discrimination and someone basically patted me on the head and told me to be quiet because i'd obviously got in on a special access scheme and it was nothing to be ashamed about blah blah blah...i didn't get in on any special access scheme :mad:

people say oxbridge people are snobby but omg, how hostile are they simply because we got in and they didn't.

and i'm not generalising here, i'm talking about perhaps a minority of people. :frown:

Reply 16

freddie88

5

RxB

Where do you stop? Do you kill yourself if you don't get a First? At each step, they're choosing the best - firstly who gets in, then who gets the best grades, then who gets the best grades for masters courses, then who gets the All Souls' fellowship...

if you want a first that badly you'll work for it. *is going to be a keeeeeeeno in 3rd year*

Reply 17

RxB

1

Lozza

if you want a first that badly you'll work for it. *is going to be a keeeeeeeno in 3rd year*

do you see my point though? I was trying to convey the idea that getting rejected by Oxbridge tells you you're not the best. Similarly, not getting a first tells you you're not the best. I imagined that's probably what bothers people, having been told they're the best all through school.

Reply 18

kellywood_5

17

You'd have to be a seriously disturbed individual to kill yourself over a university rejection! As the original poster said though, it could happen as the final straw in a series of other incidents; death of a family member, depression, bullying, illness, things like that.

Reply 19

JustaGuy

1

I think, for the most lot of you guys here, taking the rejection in your stride is not a very hard thing to do. So you people are very lucky. But do remember that there are people who fell to depression. Sometimes, they simply can't help it. To them, saying "rejection is not everything" is pure tallk and theory, and we cannot advise them like we would advise someone in normal mental health.

I remember reading an article that says that in the 1990s, Oxford had the highest suicide rate in the country? Oxonians were apparently so caught up with their less than ideal exam results that they thought life was not worth living afterall. :eek:

I don't know how true or accurate that article is, but I'm sure the amount of workload at Oxbridge plus the desire to do well in everything does put quite an insurmontable amount of pressure on the students.

Suicide

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