Gap Year Oxbridge Entry

OP

Katie Heskins

LoL course its legal!

It just seems too good... 2 stabs at it!

Are they more likely to have prejudice against you, if you've already been rejected? Does anybody have a rough figure of the percentage of people accepted, after having been rejected?

Reply 3

Elles

17

of course you can do it..though i read somewhere that statistically fewer reapplicants get in than first time applicants..

& i know someone who took a gap year purely because of an Oxbridge applicantion, reapplied & was rejected again (& so was somewhat crushed), so i wouldn't want to put all my eggs into the oxbridge basket! :tongue:

Reply 4

OP

Elles

of course you can do it..though i read somewhere that statistically fewer reapplicants get in than first time applicants..

& i know someone who took a gap year purely because of an Oxbridge applicantion, reapplied & was rejected again (& so was somewhat crushed), so i wouldn't want to put all my eggs into the oxbridge basket! :tongue:

That's exactly what I'm not doing.

I am taking a gap year anyway, simply because I want to have some time out, and to do something different for a 6 months or so... I'm gonna do the whole 'teaching kids in India thing', as well as perhaps try to get some kind of placement with a big firm, like PWC, GS or ML.

The fact that I'm going to be able to reapply is merely a bonus that comes with taking a gap year. But it makes me feel more confident!

Reply 5

chud

I dont think you should be thinking like that!

You havent even applied yet!! Try it first time...u might like 7,000 others be successful!

GL

Chud

Reply 6

OP

chud

I dont think you should be thinking like that!

You havent even applied yet!! Try it first time...u might like 7,000 others be successful!

GL

Chud

Hopefully. But 7,000?!

Reply 7

H&E

3

adk

Hopefully. But 7,000?!

Between 'em, Oxbridge do give out almost 7,000 undergraduate offers.

Reply 8

It's legal and adviseable yes. Three things:

If you get rejected from say Oxford first time around, try Cambridge, or at least another Oxford college. Don't reapply for the same subject at the same colleges.

If you get rejected from Oxbridge first time around, then when you reapply you'll have to write on your form that you've already been through UCAS once. They won't find out that you applied for deferred entry. So it will just look like you've been rejected in the past and are reapplying. Think about this in the eyes of a Cambridge admissions tutor. "Maybe they got rejected from Oxford last year, and they just want to goto Oxbridge for the wrong reasons. Do we really want Oxford rejects?"

If you get accepted to somewhere else first time around (likely) ... say Imperial, then in order to reapply to Oxbridge, you will have to actually turn down Imperial's offer. Now when you want to reapply, you will have to explain to Imperial why you turned down their offer yet are reapplying to them. If they get wind that you consider them below Oxbridge they'll doubt your commitment, and be hesitant to offer you another place. So you would be risking offers at other universities by doing this.

A few things which are important to note, the second one is probably debateable. However, I wouldn't let it put me off. Go for it! :smile:

Best of luck.

Lex

Reply 9

OP

fishpaste

It's legal and adviseable yes. Three things:

If you get rejected from say Oxford first time around, try Cambridge, or at least another Oxford college. Don't reapply for the same subject at the same colleges.

If you get rejected from Oxbridge first time around, then when you reapply you'll have to write on your form that you've already been through UCAS once. They won't find out that you applied for deferred entry. So it will just look like you've been rejected in the past and are reapplying. Think about this in the eyes of a Cambridge admissions tutor. "Maybe they got rejected from Oxford last year, and they just want to goto Oxbridge for the wrong reasons. Do we really want Oxford rejects?"

If you get accepted to somewhere else first time around (likely) ... say Imperial, then in order to reapply to Oxbridge, you will have to actually turn down Imperial's offer. Now when you want to reapply, you will have to explain to Imperial why you turned down their offer yet are reapplying to them. If they get wind that you consider them below Oxbridge they'll doubt your commitment, and be hesitant to offer you another place. So you would be risking offers at other universities by doing this.

A few things which are important to note, the second one is probably debateable. However, I wouldn't let it put me off. Go for it! :smile:

Best of luck.

Lex

Thanks very much, that was extremely helpful.

So you recommend applying to another Oxford college (if I applied to Oxford the first time around)? ...Because the Cambridge admissions tutors wouldn't like having 'Oxford rejects'?

Also, am I really risking all other offers from other Uni's in reapplying? And could I end up with nothing?!

Personally, I would *really* like to go to either Ox or Cam, but I'm not obsessed with it like some people, and I don't think that it's the 'be all and end all'.

Reply 10

fishpaste

It's legal and adviseable yes. Three things:

If you get rejected from say Oxford first time around, try Cambridge, or at least another Oxford college. Don't reapply for the same subject at the same colleges.

If you get rejected from Oxbridge first time around, then when you reapply you'll have to write on your form that you've already been through UCAS once. They won't find out that you applied for deferred entry. So it will just look like you've been rejected in the past and are reapplying. Think about this in the eyes of a Cambridge admissions tutor. "Maybe they got rejected from Oxford last year, and they just want to goto Oxbridge for the wrong reasons. Do we really want Oxford rejects?"

If you get accepted to somewhere else first time around (likely) ... say Imperial, then in order to reapply to Oxbridge, you will have to actually turn down Imperial's offer. Now when you want to reapply, you will have to explain to Imperial why you turned down their offer yet are reapplying to them. If they get wind that you consider them below Oxbridge they'll doubt your commitment, and be hesitant to offer you another place. So you would be risking offers at other universities by doing this.

A few things which are important to note, the second one is probably debateable. However, I wouldn't let it put me off. Go for it! :smile:

Best of luck.

Lex

If he's definitely taking a gap year then he should only apply to Oxford. Then he won't risk that Imperial situation.

Reply 11

Veedy

If he's definitely taking a gap year then he should only apply to Oxford. Then he won't risk that Imperial situation.

Yep good thinking.

Reply 12

OP

Veedy

If he's definitely taking a gap year then he should only apply to Oxford. Then he won't risk that Imperial situation.

Ooh that sounds pretty mad to me. What do others think?!

Reply 13

adk

Ooh that sounds pretty mad to me. What do others think?!

I guess so but if the only university you are willing to skip a gap year for is Oxford then what's the point. If there is another university that you wouldn't mind going to then apply to that. Maybe applying to one or two other universities will be a good idea just in case you change your mind about a gap year.

Reply 14

adk

Thanks very much, that was extremely helpful.

So you recommend applying to another Oxford college (if I applied to Oxford the first time around)? ...Because the Cambridge admissions tutors wouldn't like having 'Oxford rejects'?

Also, am I really risking all other offers from other Uni's in reapplying? And could I end up with nothing?!

Personally, I would *really* like to go to either Ox or Cam, but I'm not obsessed with it like some people, and I don't think that it's the 'be all and end all'.

No, it doesn't matter which you apply to second time (ox or cam), if it appears you're reapplying because you didn't get in the first time, they're going to question whether your motivation is in the right place. Don't worry though, as I said I don't think it's that risky. It's dangerous for them to make those kind of assumptions.

Yes you really are risking them, imaigne you're an Imperial tutor, somebody has the audacity to turn your offer down, then applies to you again. Are you going to give a precious offer to them? Of course, they might not notice, but you don't know. As Veedy said, if you're deadly serious about a gap year, just apply to Oxford the first time round. (That has an added benefit, you can talk about how much you LOVE Oxford on your UCAS form).

Again, best of luck! :smile:

Lex.

Reply 15

fishpaste

(That has an added benefit, you can talk about how much you LOVE Oxford on your UCAS form).

Which will be good for you if you were going to apply for straight economics elsewhere.

Reply 16

OP

fishpaste

No, it doesn't matter which you apply to second time (ox or cam), if it appears you're reapplying because you didn't get in the first time, they're going to question whether your motivation is in the right place.

How do you mean?

Would they not think that you must be extremely determined and motivated, to bother applying to them again? You must be really serious about wanting to study there... Or not?!

Reply 17

adk

How do you mean?

Would they not think that you must be extremely determined and motivated, to bother applying to them again? You must be really serious about wanting to study there... Or not?!

That's right. However, with Oxbridge, the tutors want people who want to study the course, they're not too bothered if you say you love oxford because of ...... If they see that you reapplied then they may think that you are desperate just to get into Oxford by any means, rather than study your subject, in which case they will question your comittment (though I'm not saying that is the case with you)

Reply 18

OP

Veedy

That's right. However, with Oxbridge, the tutors want people who want to study the course, they're not too bothered if you say you love oxford because of ...... If they see that you reapplied then they may think that you are desperate just to get into Oxford by any means, rather than study your subject, in which case they will question your comittment (though I'm not saying that is the case with you)

Thanks again. I *DO* wanna study the course! Lol.

So if they see I've reapplied, how do I get them to not think I'm desperate, and hence make them "question my commitment"?

Reply 19