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Anticipating Rejection Post-Interviews

I guess this thread is for anyone with the same feelings.

I'm two-thirds through my PPE interviews, the first two went awfully.

The first I completely failed to answer a simple game theory question which should have been easy even though I haven't studied game theory.

The second ended with the interviewer saying "enjoy your time while you're here", which I think is fairly self-explanatory. To be honest, I thought it went well in comparison to the first but there's no way I'm in the top 30% of candidates who will get in.

Seriously considering packing up and going right now to avoid wasting everyone's time, but then I'd rather postpone the disappointment of my parents until January.

If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all, and I don't know what I'm going to do instead. There'll be no chance for me without redoing A-levels for science subjects.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth reapplying next year?
Original post by Zarp
I guess this thread is for anyone with the same feelings.

I'm two-thirds through my PPE interviews, the first two went awfully.

The first I completely failed to answer a simple game theory question which should have been easy even though I haven't studied game theory.

The second ended with the interviewer saying "enjoy your time while you're here", which I think is fairly self-explanatory. To be honest, I thought it went well in comparison to the first but there's no way I'm in the top 30% of candidates who will get in.

Seriously considering packing up and going right now to avoid wasting everyone's time, but then I'd rather postpone the disappointment of my parents until January.

If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all, and I don't know what I'm going to do instead. There'll be no chance for me without redoing A-levels for science subjects.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth reapplying next year?


Don't be so negative! You still have one more interview to go, so it's important that you go for broke and nail it the best you can.

For all you know, the interviews may not have gone as badly as they did, and there's still a chance that you might get further interviews. I did alright on one interview, but pretty much bombed the second one because I just didn't understand what my tutor was trying to get at, and ended up getting called back for a third interview.

As to whether it's worth reapplying next year, I would say don't worry about it at the moment. It might be better to wait for the feedback, if you even have to reapply at all.
Reply 2
Original post by Zarp
I guess this thread is for anyone with the same feelings.

I'm two-thirds through my PPE interviews, the first two went awfully.

The first I completely failed to answer a simple game theory question which should have been easy even though I haven't studied game theory.

The second ended with the interviewer saying "enjoy your time while you're here", which I think is fairly self-explanatory. To be honest, I thought it went well in comparison to the first but there's no way I'm in the top 30% of candidates who will get in.

Seriously considering packing up and going right now to avoid wasting everyone's time, but then I'd rather postpone the disappointment of my parents until January.

If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all, and I don't know what I'm going to do instead. There'll be no chance for me without redoing A-levels for science subjects.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth reapplying next year?


I agree with what mishieru says. It is very hard to judge your own interview performance and you certainly can't tell how you performed compared with anyone else. With regards to the enjoy your time comment, some tutors say this to all candidates as a matter of course because they want to encourage them to enjoy Oxford between the interview stress!
Reply 3
Original post by Zarp
I guess this thread is for anyone with the same feelings.

I'm two-thirds through my PPE interviews, the first two went awfully.

The first I completely failed to answer a simple game theory question which should have been easy even though I haven't studied game theory.

The second ended with the interviewer saying "enjoy your time while you're here", which I think is fairly self-explanatory. To be honest, I thought it went well in comparison to the first but there's no way I'm in the top 30% of candidates who will get in.

Seriously considering packing up and going right now to avoid wasting everyone's time, but then I'd rather postpone the disappointment of my parents until January.

If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all, and I don't know what I'm going to do instead. There'll be no chance for me without redoing A-levels for science subjects.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth reapplying next year?


Firstly, it would be pointless to leave early so I really hope you didn't do that - you have absolutely nothing to lose by giving your remaining interview a go, even if your self-assessment of the first two is accurate. There's also the possibility that they weren't as bad as you thought. You wouldn't be the first applicant in the history of the university to think you'd done badly when the interviewers felt differently.

Secondly, I would challenge the assertion that if you can't do PPE at Oxford there's no point doing it at all. The subjects aren't different at other universities that offer that combination so if you want to study it here then there is no obvious reason to choose a different combination of subjects elsewhere. It's still a fascinating and valuable mix.

Good luck, whatever happens.
Reply 4
Also, Oxford is good and all, but it really is not the be all and end all of universities.
Original post by Zarp
I guess this thread is for anyone with the same feelings.

I'm two-thirds through my PPE interviews, the first two went awfully.

The first I completely failed to answer a simple game theory question which should have been easy even though I haven't studied game theory.

The second ended with the interviewer saying "enjoy your time while you're here", which I think is fairly self-explanatory. To be honest, I thought it went well in comparison to the first but there's no way I'm in the top 30% of candidates who will get in.

Seriously considering packing up and going right now to avoid wasting everyone's time, but then I'd rather postpone the disappointment of my parents until January.

If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all, and I don't know what I'm going to do instead. There'll be no chance for me without redoing A-levels for science subjects.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth reapplying next year?

Everyone thinks they did badly at interview. My first interview (Cambridge) was truly atrocious, the second one reasonable, and I still got in.

"Enjoy your time while you're here" isn't self-explanatory at all: remember, everyone slips up in their phrasing once in a while, and you're in a position where you'll read as much as you can into essentially everything the interviewer says. It's entirely possible that they said that thinking you'd take it as "you're in a lovely place for a couple of days, enjoy it".
I feel pretty similar right now. Had my heart set on Maths at Cambridge (which in itself was a mistake), got into the interview and just did horrendously, making a mess of questions I would have been able to do comfortably had I been doing them in my own time and such. I totally underperformed and my UMS are not enough to compensate for this, so I'm gutted but trying to start getting excited for a potential 3 years in Warwick or Bristol, or perhaps reapplying. I regret not applying for a college which has a test as I feel I could have shown more of my ability there. Sorry for posting this in the Oxford forum!
Original post by Zarp
I guess this thread is for anyone with the same feelings.

I'm two-thirds through my PPE interviews, the first two went awfully.

The first I completely failed to answer a simple game theory question which should have been easy even though I haven't studied game theory.

The second ended with the interviewer saying "enjoy your time while you're here", which I think is fairly self-explanatory. To be honest, I thought it went well in comparison to the first but there's no way I'm in the top 30% of candidates who will get in.

Seriously considering packing up and going right now to avoid wasting everyone's time, but then I'd rather postpone the disappointment of my parents until January.

If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all, and I don't know what I'm going to do instead. There'll be no chance for me without redoing A-levels for science subjects.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether it's worth reapplying next year?


I'm sorry but I find your post rather ignorant and frustrating.

"If I can't do PPE at Oxford there's no real point in doing it at all" - this sentence itself makes me feel like you have just been swept away by the sensational view of Oxford PPE without actually thinking about the merits of the course compared to other PPE courses. I am a current Oxford PPEist but there are plenty of reasons one might choose PPE at another university instead, and why it might be better. Warwick's PPE course for example, offers a year abroad as part of the degree or a year in industry, which Oxford doesn't. Those could be really enjoyable/useful life experiences. Don't choose Oxford because it's Oxford. Choose it only after weighing up the pros and cons of studying PPE there compared to other unis.

It doesn't sound like you've applied to PPE because you're interested in the subjects, and if that's the case, your chances of getting in at Oxford (or anywhere else) are severely diminished. And then if you do, you're going to hate the next 3 years, especially if you go to Oxford, where you will have to live an breathe PPE. I really think that people should do whatever they enjoy academically, not what they think will be prestigious.

If you do any academic discipline, be it English, Chemistry, PPE, or Music at a top university (not necessarily Oxbridge; Warwick, UCL, and the other Russell Groups unis too), you can definitely still get a decent paying job at top firms in many fields like Consulting, the Civil Service, Professional services, Law, Business, etc etc). Employers look for so much more than university prestige, trust me. They're more interested in your skills. It's a really snobbish and arrogant view to think anyone doing social sciences at any course that isn't PPE at Oxford is doing something totally useless. I know plenty of PPEists at other universities who have been very successful.
(edited 9 years ago)

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