The Student Room Logo
Applying to Uni for 2024? Find your Uni here and chat with others! >>
Applying to Uni for 2024? Find your Uni here and chat with others! >>
Applying to Uni for 2024? Find your Uni here and chat with others! >>
This thread is closed

regret applying to Oxford.

Scroll to see replies

Which course did you apply for OP? We're all curious
peanutbutternjelly
Which course did you apply for OP? We're all curious


The same as mine.
In answer as to why I applied, I guess it was just a matter of curiosity coupled with the fact I only actually wanted to apply to two universities and I wanted to use all five choices (and yes, I know you can apply to more than one course at most unis).

And, in answer to what I applied to, I applied for Histoy, a subject I absolutely adore, but I have a stupid Aptitude exam on Guy Fawkes night.
Reply 23
Avatar for Rav.
Rav.
You'll regret it more if you don't try than if you did try and failed
im so academic
what course did you apply for?

and also what factors make you not want to go to Oxford?

but the fact is, what made you apply to oxford in the first place? because something must of made you apply to oxford?

tbh, I wouldn't withdraw your application just yet, what if you get an offer? you could regret this decision.


Yeah.

I'm going to apply at Oxford :biggrin:.
Despite what a lot of people seem to be saying, sweetheart, I'd keep going for it if I were you... it's perfectly normal to be having doubts at a time like this: hell, I know I am! I think you should go for it so you'll have no regrets. And plenty of time to decide whether you actually want to go there or not then. xx
FlowerFaerie087
Despite what a lot of people seem to be saying, sweetheart, I'd keep going for it if I were you... it's perfectly normal to be having doubts at a time like this: hell, I know I am! I think you should go for it so you'll have no regrets. And plenty of time to decide whether you actually want to go there or not then. xx


Good advice, sweetheart.
OP: I felt certain that I didn't stand a chance right from the time I sent my application to the time I got the letter... and then I got in. Don't assume you don't stand a chance! :smile:

If it really is the case that you simply don't want to go, that's fair enough.. but if (like me) you're the sort of person who would almost rather not attempt something than attempt it and fail it, then keep going. It's really not that much extra work, and I think most people would probably end up thinking "what if?", if they cancelled their applications. You don't want to feel like that, do you?
*pitseleh*
OP: I felt certain that I didn't stand a chance right from the time I sent my application to the time I got the letter... and then I got in. Don't assume you don't stand a chance! :smile:

If it really is the case that you simply don't want to go, that's fair enough.. but if (like me) you're the sort of person who would almost rather not attempt something than attempt it and fail it, then keep going. It's really not that much extra work, and I think most people would probably end up thinking "what if?", if they cancelled their applications. You don't want to feel like that, do you?


That's what has made me apply despite seemingly having little chance.
SofinaaBabess
Good advice, sweetheart.

Oh, darling...
oh my god, I'm so in the same boat. I have my interview next friday and I'm getting nervous and I don't think it's worth the money, time and effort to fly all the way to New York from Canada just for a rejection. Really worried and I am still deciding whether I want to go or not.
jismith1989
Oh, darling...


I am NOT a fluffy mammal!
You've already sent it in, which is around 1/2 the work already done. As much as Oxford is intimidating, give yourself a chance, you never know! For me, I applied to Cambridge and I know it's a long shot, but I feel that if I don't give it a try, I'll probably regret it in the future. I'm definitely feeling nervous too about it all, so don't worry, there's plenty of people in the same boat. :smile:
OP, i wouldn't withdraw your application if i were you. the whole sending written work in process is a bit laborious and stressful, so that's probably what's made you feel like this in the first place. i personally feel really stressed at the moment because of it (what i'm supposed to be sending is nowhere near done, let alone sent...) i'd just send the written work, and if they give you an interview then go and try your best, but if they don't, then c'est la vie. at least you tried. :smile:
When I was in the middle of applying to Oxford I felt the same sort of thing, I wasn't sure I wanted to go, the idea of interviews and finding good quality essays and writing the subject statement for my course all looked on the face of it like too much effort. I spent a while after sending off my essays hoping that they'd got lost in the post so that my application would be voided. But in the end it's not actually too much effort to update a couple of essays, or to sit an exam that's about aptitude so doesn't require knowledge, or to write about your background in a subject you've never studied, or jump through whatever the hoops that your course sets are.

The best part was the interview: I met lovely people and had a couple of relaxing nights; I got away from the endless stress that teachers at A level is conducive to good results for a couple of days; I got to talk to experts in a field in which I was interested. In the end it doesn't matter that I didn't get an offer, or that it required a couple of hours of extra work, because it was worth it for the relaxing, interesting break that it provided.
Don't withdraw, OP.

I applied to Cambridge last year and didn't get in, but I had such a good time at the interviews that I don't regret it at all. I'm applying to Oxford in my gap year, and while I genuinely don't think I'll get an offer, I feel I might as well give it a go as I'm applying through UCAS anyway.

If you get an offer you can think about whether you actually want to go. In the meantime, enjoy the interviews and focus on your other choices.
Reply 36
Avatar for pf1
pf1
4
It's perfectly natural for any student to feel apprehensive about their application - to any university, but particularly to Oxford because of the reputation and because the application procedure is a bit more demanding than for other universities. Oxford has ~3200 places each year - but on top of the people who get offers, a further ~4500 students go on to get AAA+ at A-level and are very successful in the courses they follow elsewhere.

My advice to anyone in this situation would be to think very carefully about withdrawing an application. For a subject like History, the majority of applicants will be selected for interview - it's not like Medicine where you only get four choices on UCAS and the competition for interview short-listing is really tough. You'll have the History Aptitude Test in a few weeks' time - have a read through some of the past papers and maybe you'll remember why you wanted to apply to the course in the first place. If you withdraw at this stage you won't have experienced the full process, so you probably won't know if you've made the right decision or not.

If your application ultimately isn't successful, you'll still have plenty of other options available to you - I'm sure you'll have other offers from other institutions, and even if you don't you've got the option to go through UCAS Extra or Clearing. It's a little early in the process to make an irreversible decision. Keep your options open - in two months' time, you might have been to Oxford, loved the interview experience, and come away with an offer. And even then you don't have to accept it if you're still unsure. :smile:
Reply 37
Avatar for spursj911
spursj911
u should b happy your goin to such as prestigious uni :smile:
Well, I've applied to study Chemistry at Oxford, and I have the same problem as yourself. The things which worry me is the actual Oxford students - very intelligent, privileged, and I'm sure most of them live in a completely different social sphere from mine - a working-class village in rural North Wales; something's telling me there aren't many of us studying in the City of Dreaming Spires.

Also, the alleged difficulty of the work is also off-putting - I savour a challenge, and crave an intellectual course which will stretch my mental capacities to their utmost zenith. BUT - if the course is insurmountably difficult, and I spend four solid years in absolute toil with only the foggiest comprehension of the work - my whole 'university' experience could be ruined. So that's why I'm pulling out pre-interview.
LurkerintheDark
Well, I've applied to study Chemistry at Oxford, and I have the same problem as yourself. The things which worry me is the actual Oxford students - very intelligent, privileged, and I'm sure most of them live in a completely different social sphere from mine - a working-class village in rural North Wales; something's telling me there aren't many of us studying in the City of Dreaming Spires.


When I went to the open day at St. John's I was surprised by the number of, er, normal-ish people there were. They were just like me (and I don't go to an arserape school).

Related discussions

Trending

Latest

Latest