Durham University
Durham
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A way for Oxbridge applicants to avoid a Durham rejection...?
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Maybe there is a huge conspiracy and Oxbridge and Durham are actually working in cahoots and divide up the applicants between them, a bit like when we did junior schools sports and you had to pick a team, but no-one ever wanted the real geeky one who ran with his knees together??
Or maybe Durham are trying to keep to their state school/sink school quota and so reject more independently educated students than Oxbridge who don't really care because they have such huge endowments that the threat of funding withdrawal doesn't bother them.
Or perhaps the Durham admissions tutors arrange all the applications in descending A********* order and then just keep every 3rd one.
or maybe........ need I go on?
Or maybe Durham are trying to keep to their state school/sink school quota and so reject more independently educated students than Oxbridge who don't really care because they have such huge endowments that the threat of funding withdrawal doesn't bother them.
Or perhaps the Durham admissions tutors arrange all the applications in descending A********* order and then just keep every 3rd one.
or maybe........ need I go on?
Durham University
Durham
Jelkin
1.) Dobbs, I love you.
2.) People who believe that stupid theory are morons and should be shot in the face.
3.) I got a bucket of A*s and 6 As at AS and was predicted all As at A level and did 'academic' subjects and am well rounded and have grade 8 piano and a black belt at taekwon-do and a load of RYA sailing qualifications and used to do trampolining and synchronised swimming and guides and have my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award and read a load of books and wrote about Machiavelli and Othello and Jane Austen and George Orwell and Stalin on my personal statement and wrote a play that had a six-week run and went on writing courses and am genuinely passionate about English literature and everyone at my school assumed I would get into Oxbridge because I was a dead cert and my teachers were outraged when I didn't blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah. Blah. Durham accepted me. Oxbridge didn't. Obviously there was something hidden in my application that said, "It's okay, I will get rejected. You may accept me." Perhaps the Durham admissions tutors are psychic. Or perhaps all of this is totally irrelevant. GOD.
2.) People who believe that stupid theory are morons and should be shot in the face.
3.) I got a bucket of A*s and 6 As at AS and was predicted all As at A level and did 'academic' subjects and am well rounded and have grade 8 piano and a black belt at taekwon-do and a load of RYA sailing qualifications and used to do trampolining and synchronised swimming and guides and have my Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award and read a load of books and wrote about Machiavelli and Othello and Jane Austen and George Orwell and Stalin on my personal statement and wrote a play that had a six-week run and went on writing courses and am genuinely passionate about English literature and everyone at my school assumed I would get into Oxbridge because I was a dead cert and my teachers were outraged when I didn't blah blah blah blah blah. Blah blah. Blah. Durham accepted me. Oxbridge didn't. Obviously there was something hidden in my application that said, "It's okay, I will get rejected. You may accept me." Perhaps the Durham admissions tutors are psychic. Or perhaps all of this is totally irrelevant. GOD.
I want to rep you very much for this but it won't let me yet. Sorry.
One of my best friends applied to Durham and not oxbridge shes got all A*s and As at GCSE and straight As at AS wanted to study Religious Studies(i dont know the exact course) and has some excellent experience on her PS with good reference etc, becasue shes organised she sent her application in early and this happened to be before October 15th - she was rejected 2 weeks after her application was sent!
Shame really that she didnt try for Oxbridge but there was no part of her application that would warrant an automatic rejection.
Shame really that she didnt try for Oxbridge but there was no part of her application that would warrant an automatic rejection.
Just an example from personal experience:
From my school, there were three of us in my year applying for Classics. We were all applying to both Oxbridge and Durham. All three of us got rejected by Durham despite the fact that on paper our applications were very strong (perfect grades profiles, very good references and PS's) and Classics isn't exactly the most competitive course at Durham (BBB standard offer).
This experience does incline me to think that Durham might have some bias against strong Oxbridge applicants. Incidentally, all three of us did receive offers from Oxford/Cambridge.
From my school, there were three of us in my year applying for Classics. We were all applying to both Oxbridge and Durham. All three of us got rejected by Durham despite the fact that on paper our applications were very strong (perfect grades profiles, very good references and PS's) and Classics isn't exactly the most competitive course at Durham (BBB standard offer).
This experience does incline me to think that Durham might have some bias against strong Oxbridge applicants. Incidentally, all three of us did receive offers from Oxford/Cambridge.
Jelkin
1.) Dobbs, I love you.
Jess, I love you too - for what came after point number 1 of that post! I'm glad that someone with a "perfect UCAS application" managed to be accepted by Durham.
Look - all you Oxbridge applicants (may I quickly point out 2 things....1...I'm rather tipsy.....2...if i had got an offer from Cambridge I would have gone there, so I don't have anything at all against the place!)......right, what was I going to say? Hmmm...oh yes! I'm really really REALLY sorry, it's SO patronising but being in Sixth Form/College you really can't understand what a "perfect UCAS application" is!! Just because someone was Senior Prefect it doesn't make them amazing!! There is so much beyond that! And although I don't want to make it out like Durham is so much more, erm, "ethical" may be the word - but they DO seem to base your application so much more on extra-curricular PS than Oxbridge who seem to look more at academic PS. Come on, I got into Durham and I did pi$$ all when it came to academic stuff during my A-levels. However I did do DofE, Higher Sports Leader Award, had been in some sort of employment since the age of 13 (paper round woo!), did sports, etc. (I actually cant remember now, it's so long ago lol!)....I applied to Durham twice and both times they accepted me, so there must be something going for me!
Stop assuming that you know what a perfect UCAS application is, because EVEN if someone does have amazing qualities, even if they don't express it correctly it will look crap. E.g. "I work in a charity shop" compared to "Once a week I give up 4 hours to spend some time helping out in my local Oxfam where I serve customers at the till as well as help with re-stocking. This has taught me some essential skills in life such as team-work, working with people, and how to be independent. I have loved doing it and made some great friends during my time there"....different! Whilst you may think a PS sounds amazing, to an application tutor person it could sound crap!
durhamdosser
I want to rep you very much for this but it won't let me yet. Sorry.
Ditto!! Sorry Jess....I would but apparantly I have to "spread it around" a bit....shows how much I rep lol 'cos I don't ever remember repping you before!
Wow! I thought I'd get flamed for my typing diarrhoea because I was in a kind of irritable mood when I wrote that. Thanks guys! It's the most pathetic, llogical argument ever to suggest that Durham rejects Oxbridge "certs" (which don't exist). Sometimes I get the feeling it's because people who get into Oxbridge are too far up their own arses to even consider the idea they could be rejected by anywhere "sub-standard". I mean, OBVIOUSLY applications processes are infallible and Oxbridge takes the best whilst Durham gets the second-rate students, right? Obviously this means that Durham should be gagging to give offers to people good enough for Oxbridge, because they are better than all other applicants full stop. Since this is not the case, Durham must bias itself against people who would get into Oxbridge. Despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Sometimes I can't believe how stupid people are.
Sometimes I can't believe how stupid people are.
dobbs
Just because someone was Senior Prefect it doesn't make them amazing!! There is so much beyond that!
I agree. My school refused to make me one.
Remember though that with the word limit saying something like:
dobbs
Once a week I give up 4 hours to spend some time helping out in my local Oxfam where I serve customers at the till as well as help with re-stocking. This has taught me some essential skills in life such as team-work, working with people, and how to be independent. I have loved doing it and made some great friends during my time there
may just not be possible. I remember that My first draft of PS was around twice as long as it should have been, I had to cut out an awful lot of stuff. By the time I finished, it was just "I do this, I do that...", so I decided to take off some of the less important things that I do. Even then it was difficult.
ukebert
I agree. My school refused to make me one.
Remember though that with the word limit saying something like:
may just not be possible. I remember that My first draft of PS was around twice as long as it should have been, I had to cut out an awful lot of stuff. By the time I finished, it was just "I do this, I do that...", so I decided to take off some of the less important things that I do. Even then it was difficult.
Remember though that with the word limit saying something like:
may just not be possible. I remember that My first draft of PS was around twice as long as it should have been, I had to cut out an awful lot of stuff. By the time I finished, it was just "I do this, I do that...", so I decided to take off some of the less important things that I do. Even then it was difficult.
Yes I do remember the word limit, and this is where you see the difference. Someone having a billion things on their PS doesn't make them amazing.
I could work in Oxfam once a week, but if I turn up, sit around, serve customers, and go home...there's not much there. If I don't LEARN anything from my experiences then there's no point in doing them.
Hence, you get the idiots who spend all their time doing a mass of activities but not learning anything at all. So they put in their PS "I do this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this"....so bloody WHAT?!
If you can't express what you've learnt from doing particular activites, there is no point in putting them in. So, as you had to do, you need to take out the activities that maybe you didn't learn so much from, and concentrate on the ones which have taught you things and "shaped you as a person"
So maybe (just to add conflict:
Oxbridge people: "I do this and this and this and this and this and this"
Durham people: "I do this, this has taught me that, I enjoyed my experience and would like to further it whilst at University"
I think this must be the reason. Definitely. No doubt about it. FACT
Eeek, why did it post so many times
Edit - Gr, posted a message, just looked and it had posted it about 5 times, deleted one of them and now I've all gone.
Basically, my Sociology teacher seems to think if you're rejected from Oxbridge and Durham, if you reapply, then it is guaranteed to get an offer. Grr!
Edit - Gr, posted a message, just looked and it had posted it about 5 times, deleted one of them and now I've all gone.
Basically, my Sociology teacher seems to think if you're rejected from Oxbridge and Durham, if you reapply, then it is guaranteed to get an offer. Grr!
dobbs
If you can't express what you've learnt from doing particular activites, there is no point in putting them in. So, as you had to do, you need to take out the activities that maybe you didn't learn so much from, and concentrate on the ones which have taught you things and "shaped you as a person"
That's what I did, but it irritated me immensely.
Or perhaps it's because when you're an admissions tutor with a thousand or so applications to read (on top of your normal academic duties) you might be tempted to skip over a few. It wouldn't surprise me if most places chucked away half the applications unread due to sheer volume. I know that if I had 50 offers to give out and 1000 applications to read I sure wouldn't sit and read through all of them and filter them down - I'd read through ones that caught my eye and after I'd got my 50 good candidates, stop working. It may not be pleasant, but it's as fair as any other (practical) system.
dobbs
OH
MY
GOD
What a bunch of numpties there are in this thread!!! Seriously - when the rest of you usual Durham lot read the last half of this page you should be laughing or crying....or both! I'm astonished at what is being said!!
Firstly, can people stop writing "I know one person who this has DEFINITELY (or "definately" for some of you younguns/scientists) happened to!!!"....no, you don't. You do NOT know someone who has DEFINITELY been rejected "because they also applied to Oxbridge". OK so the situation may be true, but you cannot say, unless interrogating the admissions tutor of Durham (or in the later case, Bristol) to tell you the reason.
PLEASE don't say "Oh well he's just perfect, so many good grades, interested in the subject....can you tell me any other reason why they would reject him?!"....hmmm, because on the day that the admissions tutor was looking at his UCAS form a herd of wild cattle rampaged the department, knocking over his cup of tea. This annoyed him so he immediately rejected the person who's form he was looking at.
....does this sound crazy? Yes...it does. But so does "Oh because they also applied to Oxbridge". Just because you come up with some unfounded STUPID theory and say "Well what other reason could there be?" it doesn't mean your foolish theory is true
Admissions tutors look at TSR.......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! etc.
I think some of you need to think this through. I'm a lecturer. I get paid (a teeeny bit) extra to be an admissions tutor. However I'm underpaid as it is. I have to lecture, teach classes, and do research to keep my job. I'm going to EXTEND my duties to searching a Students message board to see about my applicants WHO MAY NOT EVEN BE ON TSR.
So basically, I could now find someone who's applied to University, register in TSR with their name and location, oh yeah and don't forget hobbies because they'll check my hobbies with my PS ( )....and then write a load of crap about my interview. Then they'll reject the guy who I've impersonated.
NO NO NO NO NO!!!! it's not EVER going to happen, so just stop thinking it! And although I'm not willing to say that the interview thing isn't true because you'll probably point me to the actual post (which I'd like to see if you have the link)....but when I had my interview there was NO mention of "not being allowed to tell anyone about the questions"....I told my parents when I got home, are the Oxbridge police after me now? Oh no! Shut up...they ask everyone different questions based on their experience (for example they asked me about specific urban developments in Newcastle since I live there....I'm sure that wouldn't help ANYONE who was going for an interview who didn't live in Newcastle...unless the tutor was mean and decided to ask them the same question!)
Get serious guys.
1. If a University rejects you, they have a reason. And it's not stupid things like "Oh they also applied to that other university, boo hoo we don't want them". Just because YOU don't see a reason, doesn't mean they didn't.
2. Tutors don't come on TSR to check people out. It's just not possible.
3. If you believe any of the stupid rumours mentioned in this thread, you are a moron, and deserved to be rejected from all Universities. Ever.
MY
GOD
What a bunch of numpties there are in this thread!!! Seriously - when the rest of you usual Durham lot read the last half of this page you should be laughing or crying....or both! I'm astonished at what is being said!!
Firstly, can people stop writing "I know one person who this has DEFINITELY (or "definately" for some of you younguns/scientists) happened to!!!"....no, you don't. You do NOT know someone who has DEFINITELY been rejected "because they also applied to Oxbridge". OK so the situation may be true, but you cannot say, unless interrogating the admissions tutor of Durham (or in the later case, Bristol) to tell you the reason.
PLEASE don't say "Oh well he's just perfect, so many good grades, interested in the subject....can you tell me any other reason why they would reject him?!"....hmmm, because on the day that the admissions tutor was looking at his UCAS form a herd of wild cattle rampaged the department, knocking over his cup of tea. This annoyed him so he immediately rejected the person who's form he was looking at.
....does this sound crazy? Yes...it does. But so does "Oh because they also applied to Oxbridge". Just because you come up with some unfounded STUPID theory and say "Well what other reason could there be?" it doesn't mean your foolish theory is true
Admissions tutors look at TSR.......HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! etc.
I think some of you need to think this through. I'm a lecturer. I get paid (a teeeny bit) extra to be an admissions tutor. However I'm underpaid as it is. I have to lecture, teach classes, and do research to keep my job. I'm going to EXTEND my duties to searching a Students message board to see about my applicants WHO MAY NOT EVEN BE ON TSR.
So basically, I could now find someone who's applied to University, register in TSR with their name and location, oh yeah and don't forget hobbies because they'll check my hobbies with my PS (
)....and then write a load of crap about my interview. Then they'll reject the guy who I've impersonated. NO NO NO NO NO!!!! it's not EVER going to happen, so just stop thinking it! And although I'm not willing to say that the interview thing isn't true because you'll probably point me to the actual post (which I'd like to see if you have the link)....but when I had my interview there was NO mention of "not being allowed to tell anyone about the questions"....I told my parents when I got home, are the Oxbridge police after me now? Oh no! Shut up...they ask everyone different questions based on their experience (for example they asked me about specific urban developments in Newcastle since I live there....I'm sure that wouldn't help ANYONE who was going for an interview who didn't live in Newcastle...unless the tutor was mean and decided to ask them the same question!)
Get serious guys.
1. If a University rejects you, they have a reason. And it's not stupid things like "Oh they also applied to that other university, boo hoo we don't want them". Just because YOU don't see a reason, doesn't mean they didn't.
2. Tutors don't come on TSR to check people out. It's just not possible.
3. If you believe any of the stupid rumours mentioned in this thread, you are a moron, and deserved to be rejected from all Universities. Ever.
Quite right...
Just for a minute put yourself in their shoes - not the student's. You've got hundreds of applicants to assess. You just get on with the assessment and make a bloody decison - accept or reject and move on. You don't have the time nor the inclination to check where else this student may or may not have applied and you really don't give a s***.
So if you got an offer from X and not Y, that's the way the cookie crumbles no point in getting paranoid and thinking that the rejection from Y has something to do with X - not a chance.
Just an observation:
All the people who said "AYE!" are those who got rejected from Oxbridge. Even more interesting, the ones who don't say "AYE!" are the ones who got into Oxbridge.
- Jeff
(I'm sorry, yes... I'm being an utter knob... But I would be wouldn't I? After all... I'm so bitter lol)
All the people who said "AYE!" are those who got rejected from Oxbridge. Even more interesting, the ones who don't say "AYE!" are the ones who got into Oxbridge.
- Jeff
(I'm sorry, yes... I'm being an utter knob... But I would be wouldn't I? After all... I'm so bitter lol
)No they're not, I know several people who applied to Oxford or Cambridge and got offers but turned them down for Durham.
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