Should I withdraw my application?

I can't decide whether to withdraw my Oxford application. So far, my application has been average (OK grades but poor admissions test ...sorry if not all right to post about that yet...won't go into any detail about which subject etc.)

I do not have a suitable essay to send in for written work. I was entirely self-taught at AS and I never had the opportunity to write an essay and have it marked. I just don't know what to do. I feel so horribly unprepared and I don't even like my subject that I've chosen to do. I don't like any of the other universities I've chosen. I feel completely confused.

Basically, if I withdrew now and applied next year, would it be frowned upon? Would they remember? I don't know what to do. I feel so stressed. The deadlines in a couple of days for the written work and I have nothing!

I can't decide whether to withdraw my Oxford application. So far, my application has been average (OK grades but poor admissions test ...sorry if not all right to post about that yet...won't go into any detail about which subject etc.)

I do not have a suitable essay to send in for written work. I was entirely self-taught at AS and I never had the opportunity to write an essay and have it marked. I just don't know what to do. I feel so horribly unprepared and I don't even like my subject that I've chosen to do. I don't like any of the other universities I've chosen. I feel completely confused.

Basically, if I withdrew now and applied next year, would it be frowned upon? Would they remember? I don't know what to do. I feel so stressed. The deadlines in a couple of days for the written work and I have nothing!

You've already applied, you've already done the admissions test, if I were you I'd work with my teachers very closely in the next few days to come up with a good essay for a suitable title.

I really wouldn't withdraw, it seems such a waste. If worst comes to worst and you don't get an offer, you can still re-apply next year. I heard of someone who did the same thing with Cambridge and got in when he reapplied, so I really wouldn't mind. But it'd be best to call Oxford admissions office and ask for honest, truthful advice.


All the best.

Phone them ASAP - they may be able to advise you on what work you could send. If you are applying for an essay based subject (which I guess you are...) then surely you should have written a few essays at A level! Does it have to be marked? If you explain to them that you are self-taught and don't have a teacher/ tutor to mark any of your essays, they may be fairly understanding and let you submit one that hasn't been marked... it's worth asking at least...
Don't withdraw your application, then you would have no chance of getting in this year! Phone them up and discuss your options.
You probably won't be disadvantaged by reapplying during a gap year, I can't really think of a good reason why that would be an issue - if anything it shows that you are really keen to go to Oxford!

Just give it a try. The worst they can do is reject you. If you really don't like your chosen course then you can withdraw your university choices and go through UCAS Extra sometime after christmas. If you get offers from your current choice of universities you can ask them if you could switch to other courses.

If you're really stressed and don't like any of your other choices, I think you should take a gap year. There's nothing wrong about that, and it will allow you to broaden your horizons. You could do volunteerism, travel, get a job... or even just study around your subject in peace without exams etc to worry about. From what I've heard gap years do not disadvantage you in any way, although doing something meaningful (even studying- just don't laze around!) will help your case. It's only difficult if you apply for deferred entry.

I would ring the college you applied to ASAP in the morning. The admissions teams are normally so friendly and helpful.

Really really I urge you to do this if any part of you wants to keep going with the Oxford process. At least then you will know where the ground lies - either you can submit something unmarked, they give you a bit longer to get something marked, or they say tough.

At least you won't be wondering 'what if'.

Forget about your other choices for now - there's not a deadline looming for those in the same way. Just decide what to do about Oxford.

I can't believe this is a situation that hasn't come up before - presumably it could be the case for some home school students.

I don't want to make assumptions, but the fact that you haven't rung them earlier or tried to contact them about this makes it seem like your heart really isn't in it.

If you withdraw, they won't know/remember next year (standard advice is to apply to a different college just to avoid the minuscule chance of recognition, though this applies more to people who are rejected).

So don't let that put you off - just see this as a trial run, and at least you got to sit your admissions test for practice!

First, take a deep breath, and calm down. Don't panic. Like what many posters have suggested, ring up your college ASAP and ask them for advice.

I think the written work part is probably solvable given that you still have a few days - you just need to sit down, think about what you want to write, write something and push through (and assuming that you're applying for an essay-based subject, that's pretty much what you'll be doing for the next 3 or 4 years anyway, churning out an essay every few days/ week). I'm slightly confused as to how you self-taught AS but never wrote an essay - are you doing non-essay based subjects at AS but applying for an essay-based subject in university? (Nothing wrong with that if you are though!) Or do you mean that you've written essays but never had a chance to get it marked because you self-taught? If the latter, I'm pretty sure Oxford will be happy to make a concession given the circumstances.

I'm more concerned about the fact that you don't like your subject (assuming you really meant it). Oxford is intense and if you dislike your subject, you might find yourself in a bit of a pickle once you come up - I have a friend who doesn't like his subject and it's quite a struggle for him. It might be worth just sitting down and thinking through what you want to do in university.

If you withdrew, it won't be frowned upon, although if you do decide to reapply for the same subject, it's generally recommended to apply to a different college and get considered by fresh pairs of eyes.

Bottomline is, have a good think about the course you've chosen. If given an offer, do you think you'd enjoy the course? If you think there's a good chance that you will, I'd recommend not withdrawing just yet. The worst that happens is Oxford rejects you before interview. If you really don't want to go to the other universities you've applied to, you could still withdraw from UCAS thereafter.