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7 A*s at A-Level BUT rejected by Oxford

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but if they don't respond well to one-on-one education then they won't gain as much from the degree as others.

I agree. If he did not come across as being able to pose and answer simple questions, he was most likely rejected on the basis that he would not flourish within the education system used by Oxford. I.E. One on one sessions, lectures (too shy to ask questions), etc

Original post by Emma:-)

Maybe other candidates had done things like work experience, voluntary work etc and he hadnt.
Universities look for things other than good grades (to prove you are a well rounded person).

I thought so too. But the majority of people on TSR agree that extra curricular activities such as, voluntary work only come into play when applying for medicine

Reply 81

Agata

Original post by extons

it needs to be appreciated that there is more to a successful university application than a string of a* grades

You've posted that on Twitter and Facebook! We get it Exton :-) :-P

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 82

User1214833

Those pictures are very unfortunate. He looks like a very awkward character - probably why he was rejected.

Reply 83

ArtisticFlair

I wonder if he's on TSR?

Reply 84

Passion-fruit

I think people forget that grades aren't everything when it comes to a university application, even for Oxford. Maybe he lacked the passion and aptitude for the subject he was applying for. Perhaps he was simply good at studying and revising for exams, we don't know. Universities don't tend to accept candidates who are simply robots.

Reply 85

John Stuart Mill

So let me get this straight; a guy takes 7 advanced levels despite the fact you only need three to enter and then is rejected from Oxford prior to getting his results; would you really blame them for thinking that he wouldn't achieve 7 A* grades at A2 level; this isn't elitism it's common sense, he obviously didn't come off very well in the interview and they wanted to give an offer to someone more realistic. Nevertheless even if they had gotten 7 A* grades, the interviewers aren't stupid and know that there is more to studying at Oxford than grades.

Reply 86

BrainDrain

Wish I had 7 A*'s , wouldn't mind being called a geek

Reply 87

Lumos

Sweet Jesus, will there ever be a year when the daily mail doesn't run this article? (On a side note, the son of the newspaper magnate that owns the DM didn't get into oxford this year, so that may be why, but when I met him he was a total nob anyway)

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 88

lilyobz

7 A*'s, jesus... his social life must have been on a 2 year break..

wow taht sucks

Original post by lilyobz

7 A*'s, jesus... his social life must have been on a 2 year break..

Maybe Oxford didn't think his social skills were good enough for group research.

Reply 91

navyspaces

He could have been predicted AABBBBB for all we know, which clearly looks like something Oxford would reject. These stories live and breath on withheld information... and they always single out Oxford or Cambridge. What am I supposed to feel? Sympathy? :tongue:

Reply 92

rickfloss

Original post by WhatDoIWrite

Can't tell if sarcasm. If it is not. You're a ****ing idiot.

oh lord, do you have aspergers?

Wonder if you would say that to my face, coward

Reply 93

rickfloss

Original post by Table dust

should have picked Harvard over Stanford

no he should have picked Thames valley university

Reply 94

WhatDoIWrite

Original post by rickfloss

oh lord, do you have aspergers?

Wonder if you would say that to my face, coward

Reply 95

qwertyuiop1993

This guy is obviously very intelligent, but because the UK is so specialised at university level he would have only been judged on his ability in subjects relevant to his chosen course (he applied to Oxford for Maths). The tutors want the people who will be the best at their chosen subject, not necessarily those who can get A*s in loads of subjects but not truly excel at one. It is quite conceivable that he did not do too well on the MAT/interview and was edged out by better candidates for maths specifically. Indeed, the fact that he is leaning towards Chemistry now as his major for Stanford perhaps puts some doubt on his commitment to Mathematics as a degree subject.

It's not surprising that the top US unis snapped him up though, given that you don't apply for a specific subject and their focus is much more broad: his impressive subject mix and high attainment across the board is probably what attracted them.

At any rate, I'm sure he'll do well at Stanford and wish him all the best.