Running to the press

I do find it a bit sad that people like me can be made a conditional offer by Oxford based on personal, statement, predicted grades, interview and written work, but then get turned down becuase I am one grade short of 3 A's.

I am trying not to moan about it too much, but maybeif there wasn't all this fuss about people with 5 or 6 A's not getting in, people like me who were orignally made an offer on the bases of my personalality and ability as a whole would be able to get in when I slightly miss my grades.

Reply 3

Pencil

16

Everyone moans when they don't get a place, it's part of the grieving process. People see the university as a 'person' who has a hated for the candidate - strange but true.

Reply 4

shut up, i know candice personally and trust me that girl DESERVED to go to cambridge

she is definitely working class and has worked hard in her life to get where she is, im proud of her and im glad shes gettin some sort of acknowledgement

Reply 5

Pencil

Everyone moans when they don't get a place, it's part of the grieving process. People see the university as a 'person' who has a hated for the candidate - strange but true.

No don't worry i'm not moaning - just trying to present another side of the argument. Before I was offered a place I was expecting to get rejected after the interview just becuase I don't consider myself a very high achiveing student or "Oxbridge material".

It just seems a bit strange that even after making me a conditional offer the didn't let me in when I just missed it. If the had rejected me after the interview I woul'dnt have given it a second thought :smile:

Reply 6

Unregistered

shut up, i know candice personally and trust me that girl DESERVED to go to cambridge

she is definitely working class and has worked hard in her life to get where she is, im proud of her and im glad shes gettin some sort of acknowledgement

Just wondered what you meant by "DESERVED" to go to Cambridge. In my opinion no one deserves to go anywhere. Universites look for candiates they think are likley to do well there, and cadidates look for universities they are likley to do well at. By getting a place both university and candidate have come to a mutual agreement - someone deserving someone else dosn't come into it, so can you explain what you mean.

BTW i'm not saying this it how it works, thats just my opinion and if you disagree just post here and say why.

Reply 7

Koloth

Tek

Don't you just hate it when people (CANDICE CLARKE) run crying to the press because they get 4 or 5 As (5 in her case) at A2 level but are rejected by Oxbridge? If you don't get in then bad luck. Oxbridge gets thousands of applicants and almost all of them are predicted straight As at A2; it is impossible for them to accept everyone.

People like Miss Clarke need to grow up and realise that almost all decisions for places are based on interviews. Look at the Laura Spence case: Oxford rejected her because they thought that she was not terribly enthusiastic about studying Medicine (a fact confirmed when she went to Harvard to read biochemistry).

Why then, must people like Miss Clarke and Miss Spence run to the press crying come results day? Don't they realise that in order to read oversubscribed courses such as Medicine at Oxbridge they need a little more than straight As? If you ever read this, Miss Clarke, then please heed my advice and grow up! She claims that she 'worked hard' and 'deserved a place'. Well so what? Everyone who applies to Oxbridge works hard and everyone thinks they are entitled to a place. You don't always get your own way in life: so deal with it and don't run off to the press to complain!

</rant>

My friend was rejected my Cambridge earlier this year too. He managed to get straight A's in the end. He was disapointed like most people who got rejected. I think you have to remember Miss Clark and Miss Spence were interviewed by the press. My friend was interviewed by many papers, natioonal and local on results day (they phoned his house and turned up at the college). A lot of the questions he were asked were done in a biased and spinful way. He didn't say anything negative about Cambridge except that he was disapointed by looking forward to his firm university. Its funny he wasn't the main story for these newspapers in the end but just a small paragraph in these articles.

Reply 8

shut up, i know candice personally and trust me that girl DESERVED to go to cambridge

she is definitely working class and has worked hard in her life to get where she is, im proud of her and im glad shes gettin some sort of acknowledgement

Hmmm, I read your friend's article in the Times and it seemed very clear why she would have been rejected! It takes more than good A' levels to get into Oxbridge and anyone with the disposition to stamp her foot and say 'I deserved to get in' rather than making a reasoned argument wouldn't stand a chance at interview.

She has only succeeded in embarrassing herself publicly and has made people who did get into Cambridge (like me) thankful that we won't have to work with her!

Reply 9

loftx

No don't worry i'm not moaning - just trying to present another side of the argument. Before I was offered a place I was expecting to get rejected after the interview just becuase I don't consider myself a very high achiveing student or "Oxbridge material".

It just seems a bit strange that even after making me a conditional offer the didn't let me in when I just missed it. If the had rejected me after the interview I woul'dnt have given it a second thought :smile:

I think the only reason they didn't let you in after you slipped a grade was because so many public school students got 5 or 6 As this year - more than they would have planned for. I believe these results are artificially high and this awful exam system is putting good students like you at a disadvantage. There's more to getting into Oxbridge than grades and you obviously had it to have received an offer. Oxford's loss is another uni's gain.

Reply 10

Rich

2

Tek

Don't you just hate it when people (CANDICE CLARKE) run crying to the press because they get 4 or 5 As (5 in her case) at A2 level but are rejected by Oxbridge? If you don't get in then bad luck. Oxbridge gets thousands of applicants and almost all of them are predicted straight As at A2; it is impossible for them to accept everyone.

People like Miss Clarke need to grow up and realise that almost all decisions for places are based on interviews. Look at the Laura Spence case: Oxford rejected her because they thought that she was not terribly enthusiastic about studying Medicine (a fact confirmed when she went to Harvard to read biochemistry).

Why then, must people like Miss Clarke and Miss Spence run to the press crying come results day? Don't they realise that in order to read oversubscribed courses such as Medicine at Oxbridge they need a little more than straight As? If you ever read this, Miss Clarke, then please heed my advice and grow up! She claims that she 'worked hard' and 'deserved a place'. Well so what? Everyone who applies to Oxbridge works hard and everyone thinks they are entitled to a place. You don't always get your own way in life: so deal with it and don't run off to the press to complain!

</rant>

That article in the paper is in my opinion justification for her rejection from Oxford. It happens every year, you get someone who got 5/6 A's and got rejected and believes they deserved to get in, and they all come across as stuck-up little children, who all think far too much of themselves.

The fact is that if you are really going to succeed, you'll succeed pretty much anywhere you go, whether that be Oxford, Cambridge or another, less prestigious university. A degree from Oxford or Cambridge is no longer a passport to guaranteed success; the passport to success comes much more nowadays from the individual than the university. The fact that people like Candice don't have the common sense to recognise this again provides justification for their rejection.

Regards,

Reply 11

rahaydenuk

That article in the paper is in my opinion justification for her rejection from Oxford. It happens every year, you get someone who got 5/6 A's and got rejected and believes they deserved to get in, and they all come across as stuck-up little children, who all think far too much of themselves.

Well said! Also, the above accusation of snobbery made by 'unregistered' is I think unfair - surely Candice and her indignant pals are the snobs for believing Oxbridge is the only way to go. As rahaydenuk points out, a good student will succeed at any good university.

Reply 12

AllergicToFairydust

If I had been rejected, I wouldn't be running to the press bad mouthing the university...it is very time wasting....what are does she think? They'll take her just to shut her up....not likely.

I'd be more concered about where I was going and if I didn't have a place be phoning around to find somewhere.

CANDICE CLARKE REALLY NEEDS GROW UP AND STOP HAVING A BABY'S TANTRUM!

Reply 13

Everyone knows that getting in to oxbridge is not only based on grades. I have a friend who applied there to do physics and was later rejected after an interview. He got 5 A's at AS and 4 at A2. He got 294/300 at AS physics. No-one worked harder than him and he fully deserved the grades because of the endless hours of study he went through.

So obviously it's all interview based and his I can only presume went badly as did the interviews of these 2 people who have ran away complaining. If they can't understand that maybe they aren't clever enough to go to oxbridge. :wink:

Reply 14

sas104

Candice's claim that she was rejected because she was from a working class background comes across as very strange. Just because a person comes from a middle class background or has attended a private school doesn't mean that they get preferential treatment when they apply to Oxbridge! I know people who attended private school, got straight A grades at A2 level, were passionate about their subject and still didn't get an offer of a place at Oxford or Cambridge. It all depends on how the candidate comes across during interviews and if they have a bad day then they won't get a place. There is no such thing as 'deserving' a place at Oxbridge.

Reply 15

a_musical_gal

If I had been rejected, I wouldn't be running to the press bad mouthing the university...it is very time wasting....what are does she think? They'll take her just to shut her up....not likely.

I'd be more concered about where I was going and if I didn't have a place be phoning around to find somewhere.

CANDICE CLARKE REALLY NEEDS GROW UP AND STOP HAVING A BABY'S TANTRUM!

I couldn't agree more and I hope Candice is reading this. If her parents/teachers aren't sensible enough to tell her to stop complaining and sort out her options then someone has to!

Reply 16

Koloth

Everyone keeps accusing Candice of "running to the press". As I pointed out before its the press that runs to these students. Candice obviously said what she thought and probably had her words used out of context. I doubt they were willing for her to make a full page article with her arguments and were more likely looking for someone that can bring them a news headline.

Reply 17

Koloth

Everyone keeps accusing Candice of "running to the press". As I pointed out before its the press that runs to these students. Candice obviously said what she thought and probably had her words used out of context. I doubt they were willing for her to make a full page article with her arguments and were more likely looking for someone that can bring them a news headline.

I agree. I haven't actually read the Candice story but I expect what was in the papers was not totally what she wanted to say. The media proberbly started with a story like "people from working class backgrounds are less likly to get into Oxbridge" and went to find people who fit this sterotype, and the selectively reported things from Candice which back this up.

Reply 18

AllergicToFairydust

Koloth

Everyone keeps accusing Candice of "running to the press". As I pointed out before its the press that runs to these students. Candice obviously said what she thought and probably had her words used out of context. I doubt they were willing for her to make a full page article with her arguments and were more likely looking for someone that can bring them a news headline.

Couldn't she have given a good old fashioned "No Comment"?

Reply 19

Koloth