Watching people convince themselves that Oxford is not all that after rejection...
What are your thoughts on this? It's just interesting to see the kind of things people say without any basis, like "i'll be happier elsewhere" "workload is too much anyways" "better social life at other uni" etc. and use that to justify going to Leeds or w/e rather than say reapplying and going for what they truly wanted. Obviously it partially comes from a place of sadness at the time of finding out the news, but once the red mist settles I wonder why so many opt to go to "second best".
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by Azeee
What are your thoughts on this? It's just interesting to see the kind of things people say without any basis, like "i'll be happier elsewhere" "workload is too much anyways" "better social life at other uni" etc. and use that to justify going to Leeds or w/e rather than say reapplying and going for what they truly wanted. Obviously it partially comes from a place of sadness at the time of finding out the news, but once the red mist settles I wonder why so many opt to go to "second best".
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
A) There aren’t enough Oxbridge places available for everyone. Not everyone who has good grades and would like to go can go.
B) What if they apply again next year and still don’t get in? What then? Should they just keep applying until they either get in or give up on university altogether? For a lot of people, it’s far better just to move on and get started with their degree.
C) Not every Oxbridge applicant has their heart completely set on going there. It’s not the be all and end all. A fair number apply with the attitude of ‘If I get in, great, if not, never mind, but I might as well give it a go.’
Original post by Azeee
What are your thoughts on this? It's just interesting to see the kind of things people say without any basis, like "i'll be happier elsewhere" "workload is too much anyways" "better social life at other uni" etc. and use that to justify going to Leeds or w/e rather than say reapplying and going for what they truly wanted. Obviously it partially comes from a place of sadness at the time of finding out the news, but once the red mist settles I wonder why so many opt to go to "second best".
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
As Oxford themselves state, there simply aren't enough places to take in every promising student in the UK and internationally. This means they are forced to turn away well-qualified candidates with great potential every year. It isn't necessarily about 'putting a stronger application next time around' - sometimes a hidden gem does slip through the net which another university can pick up.
Sometimes, it just isn't meant to be. Oxford and Cambridge, outstanding as they are, are by no means the 'be-all and end-all' in life. There are other universities in this country which can still provide an excellent university education. Furthermore, some applicants may even have realised, having spent a few days there for interview, that Oxford just isn't the right institution for them. It is a bubble, which isn't going to appeal to everyone.
The reasons you cite are all valid reasons for not wanting to go to Oxford. Yes, it is certainly one of the best universities in the world, but this also means the academic pressure there is immense. Given the dismal state of student mental health, this again may not be suited to all students.
(edited 5 years ago)
In my case, I chose not to reapply after my Oxford rejection because:
- I had an offer from LSE, which I couldn’t guarantee getting if I applied again. I didn’t want to risk turning LSE down to reapply to Oxford, but end up getting rejected from both Oxford and LSE. A definite LSE offer was worth more to me than a potential Oxford offer.
- I genuinely preferred the course at LSE anyway. I study History - I am interested in modern, international history, which is what the LSE specialises in. My friends at Oxford had to do medieval English history in their first year - I haven’t taken a single module predating 1900 and my modules have been global from the start.
- I had an offer from LSE, which I couldn’t guarantee getting if I applied again. I didn’t want to risk turning LSE down to reapply to Oxford, but end up getting rejected from both Oxford and LSE. A definite LSE offer was worth more to me than a potential Oxford offer.
- I genuinely preferred the course at LSE anyway. I study History - I am interested in modern, international history, which is what the LSE specialises in. My friends at Oxford had to do medieval English history in their first year - I haven’t taken a single module predating 1900 and my modules have been global from the start.
Original post by Azeee
................
What are you going to say if you ding your A levels and don't get accepted? Are you going to view your insurance as 'second best' or are you going to take a pragmatic view about its positives versus the negatives of Oxford which you didn't get in to? Or are you going to be one of those obsessives that tries year, after year after year to get into Oxbridge because it's all about the challenge and setting yourself goals?
Original post by threeportdrift
What are you going to say if you ding your A levels and don't get accepted? Are you going to view your insurance as 'second best' or are you going to take a pragmatic view about its positives versus the negatives of Oxford which you didn't get in to? Or are you going to be one of those obsessives that tries year, after year after year to get into Oxbridge because it's all about the challenge and setting yourself goals?
Good question, dunno the answer. Something to think about I guess.
Original post by LeapingLucy
In my case, I chose not to reapply after my Oxford rejection because:
- I had an offer from LSE, which I couldn’t guarantee getting if I applied again. I didn’t want to risk turning LSE down to reapply to Oxford, but end up getting rejected from both Oxford and LSE. A definite LSE offer was worth more to me than a potential Oxford offer.
- I genuinely preferred the course at LSE anyway. I study History - I am interested in modern, international history, which is what the LSE specialises in. My friends at Oxford had to do medieval English history in their first year - I haven’t taken a single module predating 1900 and my modules have been global from the start.
- I had an offer from LSE, which I couldn’t guarantee getting if I applied again. I didn’t want to risk turning LSE down to reapply to Oxford, but end up getting rejected from both Oxford and LSE. A definite LSE offer was worth more to me than a potential Oxford offer.
- I genuinely preferred the course at LSE anyway. I study History - I am interested in modern, international history, which is what the LSE specialises in. My friends at Oxford had to do medieval English history in their first year - I haven’t taken a single module predating 1900 and my modules have been global from the start.
I can follow your reasoning, and LSE is a fantastic institution so yeah makes sense. I just wonder if most people weigh up the pros and cons as you did, or if they take a rejection to mean they just aren't good enough (which as people have pointed out, isn't the case).
Original post by Azeee
What are your thoughts on this? It's just interesting to see the kind of things people say without any basis, like "i'll be happier elsewhere" "workload is too much anyways" "better social life at other uni" etc. and use that to justify going to Leeds or w/e rather than say reapplying and going for what they truly wanted. Obviously it partially comes from a place of sadness at the time of finding out the news, but once the red mist settles I wonder why so many opt to go to "second best".
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
Fml this is idiotic to the extreme. Such a silly and demeaning view from someone who just got an offer. Yes you are fortunate and must hold some talent but (newsflash!) you probably aren't the next great thinker of our time. Wasting a year of your life reapplying is unfathomable in my opinion. The "second best" mentality is just academic snobbery and perpetuates the Oxbridge-tinted vision of British Higher Education. Is Imperial really "second best" for a subject like engineering?!!
My school has shown even in the past two years that there have been some dubious admissions by Oxbridge. One person got into Oxford with A*AA (and the A* not even in the subject they are studying!) and another person got into Durham for the same subject after getting A*A*A* after an Oxford rejection. Don't give me the bullocks about academics spotting potential here; if you can't get an A* in the subject you want to study at Oxford then how the **** are you going to survive the course? There have been other similar examples. Some people from my school have dropped out of Oxbridge to what some would class as not a "proper uni" while some of the "dumb" Oxbridge rejects are getting in the top 5 students in their year at well-respected unis.
Yes, Oxbridge take in a talented cohort each year but some of those rejects who go to a "second best" may well be just as talented but have just got to accept that they are not going to Oxbridge. However, university has taught me that the books on courses teach everything and more than an Oxbridge course would so in reality if you love the subject then just read the bloody books. Sometimes lectures and tutorials are just bleeding useless.
Seriously, congratulations on the offer. But just don't be a **** about it.
Original post by threeportdrift
What are you going to say if you ding your A levels and don't get accepted? Are you going to view your insurance as 'second best' or are you going to take a pragmatic view about its positives versus the negatives of Oxford which you didn't get in to? Or are you going to be one of those obsessives that tries year, after year after year to get into Oxbridge because it's all about the challenge and setting yourself goals?
Check mate!
Is this just a way to have a humble brag about getting an offer, be a bit more sensitive
Original post by Azeee
What are your thoughts on this? It's just interesting to see the kind of things people say without any basis, like "i'll be happier elsewhere" "workload is too much anyways" "better social life at other uni" ...
These things aren't entirely "without any basis" though, are they?
I personally feel it's important for all applicants - successful or not - to keep perspective on what Oxford can be like for some people. Which is why in my pre-offer notification day and pre-results day messages to applicants, I have a section for those who end up being unsuccessful, saying things like what you've listed above
What confuses me is why you seem to want to kick people when they're down by posting a thread like this, tbh
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
These things aren't entirely "without any basis" though, are they?
I personally feel it's important for all applicants - successful or not - to keep perspective on what Oxford can be like for some people. Which is why in my pre-offer notification day and pre-results day messages to applicants, I have a section for those who end up being unsuccessful, saying things like what you've listed above
What confuses me is why you seem to want to kick people when they're down by posting a thread like this, tbh
I personally feel it's important for all applicants - successful or not - to keep perspective on what Oxford can be like for some people. Which is why in my pre-offer notification day and pre-results day messages to applicants, I have a section for those who end up being unsuccessful, saying things like what you've listed above
What confuses me is why you seem to want to kick people when they're down by posting a thread like this, tbh
On the contrary, I think people thinking about why they justify their rejection the way they do is important. There are valid reasons (as stated above by the guy who went to LSE) and there are the ones I mentioned which I feel are less clear. Not trying to kick anyone.
I got an offer from St. Peter’s college, but there’s no use beating yourself up over not getting one. The reality is not everyone is suited to Oxbridge’s style of teaching, and some may even flourish more at another university. I guess it’s easier to move on rather than getting caught up on what “could’ve been”
Original post by Azeee
What are your thoughts on this? It's just interesting to see the kind of things people say without any basis, like "i'll be happier elsewhere" "workload is too much anyways" "better social life at other uni" etc. and use that to justify going to Leeds or w/e rather than say reapplying and going for what they truly wanted. Obviously it partially comes from a place of sadness at the time of finding out the news, but once the red mist settles I wonder why so many opt to go to "second best".
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
Personally I have a little more empathy for those interviewees who question why they were rejected, what they can do to improve, and ultimately strive to get the best grades they can in order to put in a stronger application next time around, but that's just me.
(I'm an offer holder so I don't have to go through it fortunately)
I understand that your intention may have not been this, but it seems a little arrogant to be posting this, considering that many decisions are very arbitrary or on a knife edge.
r/notveryhumblebrag
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