London School of Economics
London
Should I turn down LSE to reapply for Oxford?
Hi, this year I applied to Oxford for PPE and got rejected after interview. While I performed well on the TSA (67.2 Section 1, 68 in section 2), I didn't do well on the interview, coming in the bottom third of applicants :/
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
Go to LSE. There's no guarantee you will get into Oxford next year either.
London School of Economics
London
You could accept the LSE offer, and reapply next year whilst in your first year of LSE. It'll hurt your finances really badly, but if you've got financial support from parents than it's probably worth it since you're not risking as much
Original post by AlexStricklin12
You could accept the LSE offer, and reapply next year whilst in your first year of LSE. It'll hurt your finances really badly, but if you've got financial support from parents than it's probably worth it since you're not risking as much
And waste 9k?
Original post by jlocordner332
Hi, this year I applied to Oxford for PPE and got rejected after interview. While I performed well on the TSA (67.2 Section 1, 68 in section 2), I didn't do well on the interview, coming in the bottom third of applicants :/
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
there's SO MANY lse alumni in the public sector - PMs from all around the world, people in leading roles (world bank, IMF), even the house of commons. if you enjoy quantitative economics, lse's perfect for you. employability isn't going to change - it might even be better because you'd be in london!! imho, just go to lse
Go to lse.
You may not get an offer from Oxbridge.
Oxbridge is built up to be much more incredible than it actually is - lse is also very good.
You said yourself you don't really like the Oxford teaching style.
Both have good job prospects
You may not get an offer from Oxbridge.
Oxbridge is built up to be much more incredible than it actually is - lse is also very good.
You said yourself you don't really like the Oxford teaching style.
Both have good job prospects
(edited 12 months ago)
I suspect these days the civil service may well blind recruiters from the applicant's uni to ensure there isn't any bias. In general though the way to succeed in applying to the civil service is to ensure you do well in their assessment process, by answering interview questions in the right format, ensuring you meet the specific criteria they are looking for etc.
For the public sector more generally outside of the civil service I think LSE will be seen largely the same as Oxbridge grads - the reason there may be fewer in the public sector is more likely due to be self selection out of applying to those roles (i.e. LSE grads may well preferentially apply to the private sector seeking higher remuneration etc).
Likewise for academia, this is more likely to be a case of LSE grads choosing to enter the workforce rather than academia, rather than not being able to successfully apply to academic programmes. I'm pretty sure LSE grads wouldn't have any issues with academic preparation, so the bottleneck will be assuming you can get a 1st and put together a compelling research proposal.
For the public sector more generally outside of the civil service I think LSE will be seen largely the same as Oxbridge grads - the reason there may be fewer in the public sector is more likely due to be self selection out of applying to those roles (i.e. LSE grads may well preferentially apply to the private sector seeking higher remuneration etc).
Likewise for academia, this is more likely to be a case of LSE grads choosing to enter the workforce rather than academia, rather than not being able to successfully apply to academic programmes. I'm pretty sure LSE grads wouldn't have any issues with academic preparation, so the bottleneck will be assuming you can get a 1st and put together a compelling research proposal.
Original post by jlocordner332
Hi, this year I applied to Oxford for PPE and got rejected after interview. While I performed well on the TSA (67.2 Section 1, 68 in section 2), I didn't do well on the interview, coming in the bottom third of applicants :/
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
Which college did you apply to? Perhaps applying to St. Peter's College or St. Hugh's College next year, whilst at LSE would be a great idea.
But you will need to find £9,000 from somewhere?! 
Original post by thegeek888
Which college did you apply to? Perhaps applying to St. Peter's College or St. Hugh's College next year, whilst at LSE would be a great idea. But you will need to find £9,000 from somewhere?!
But you will need to find £9,000 from somewhere?! I was randomly assigned Mansfield. I didn’t like their interview process as their questions were quite abstract and nothing you could prepare for (although I must admit that may be what all colleges are looking for and I simply didn’t make the cut). The only issue of reapplying next year at LSE other than the financial elephant in the room is that it may take up a large proportion of time otherwise spent on studying or socialising in your first year.
DO NOT TURN DOWN THE OFFER
I and I'm sure many others would do anything to receive an offer from LSE. It's not even remotely close to being worthwhile rejecting the offer just for a chance to get into Oxbridge. The vast majority of people would consider LSE to be on par with Oxbridge ( if not better in some departments), so i'd think that every opportunity available for Oxbridge graduates would also be available to LSE graduates.
Last year, I decided to withdraw from a course that I lost interest in at UCL. I think it has to be one of the worst decisions of my life. I thought I had a decent chance at getting a place this year (LSE,UCL) but I was rejected from every single uni I applied to, now I'm having to cut my losses and find something through UCAS extra - having wasted the year as well.
Like others have said, you can always apply to Oxbridge whilst studying at LSE in year 1. Also, If you are home applicant, I'm pretty sure you'd still be able to finance the first year at Oxbridge (if you get in) - as you're entitled to 4 years of student finance.
At the time, I wasn't aware that this was an option and now its pretty much screwed up everything I've worked for.
I and I'm sure many others would do anything to receive an offer from LSE. It's not even remotely close to being worthwhile rejecting the offer just for a chance to get into Oxbridge. The vast majority of people would consider LSE to be on par with Oxbridge ( if not better in some departments), so i'd think that every opportunity available for Oxbridge graduates would also be available to LSE graduates.
Last year, I decided to withdraw from a course that I lost interest in at UCL. I think it has to be one of the worst decisions of my life. I thought I had a decent chance at getting a place this year (LSE,UCL) but I was rejected from every single uni I applied to, now I'm having to cut my losses and find something through UCAS extra - having wasted the year as well.
Like others have said, you can always apply to Oxbridge whilst studying at LSE in year 1. Also, If you are home applicant, I'm pretty sure you'd still be able to finance the first year at Oxbridge (if you get in) - as you're entitled to 4 years of student finance.
At the time, I wasn't aware that this was an option and now its pretty much screwed up everything I've worked for.
Original post by jlocordner332
Hi, this year I applied to Oxford for PPE and got rejected after interview. While I performed well on the TSA (67.2 Section 1, 68 in section 2), I didn't do well on the interview, coming in the bottom third of applicants :/
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
Although, I did get an offer for Politics and Economics at the LSE, and I am heavily leaning towards going there.
Although I am worried about how not going to Oxbridge may affect my employability, especially considering I am currently looking at career markets that the LSE doesn't thrive in (Public sector/civil service within the UK). I am also concerned how an UG degree from LSE may not be the best path into academia, as the university is very heavy towards the job market rather than education. (usually people go to study PG at LSE and not the other way round)
I do appreciate how failing the interview may mean I am not suited to learning/teaching environment at Oxbridge (indeed, I do prefer the more quantitative Economics course at LSE/Warwick), however I feel like I just wasn't up to it on the day and didn't perform as well as I could've.
But is it worth taking a gap year and turning down LSE? The main concern for me is employability, and outside of the financial sector I'm worried Oxbridge may have the edge on LSE, to the extent that I was considering even applying to HSPS at Cambridge instead. A lot of this mindset was based of my assumption that I wouldn't get into the LSE, and getting an offer from there has changed the conundrum quite a bit, am I mad for even considering turning down certainty for uncertainty?
LSE doesn't thrive in the public sector? We're all over the place in the UN and NGOs both in the UK. I'm a consultant at the UN and was a consultant in the World Bank before. You're still very young, just only doing undergrad now. The career routes will turn in ways that you wouldn't expect. Nothing's fixed or written in black and white.
Do not turn down the offer from LSE. There is no guarantee that you can get an offer from LSE the next year when you reapply so there is a chance that you will be rejected by both LSE and Oxford. I also hold an offer from LSE PPE and scored 68.4 in my TSA before got rejected by Oxford PPE. Even if I wish to reapply Oxford I will reapply as an undergraduate student in LSE. Do be aware that applying as an undergraduate student to Oxford will only be considered in "exceptional circumstances." You can find more details here https://uni-of-oxford.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/547/~/can-i-apply-for-an-undergraduate-degree-course-if-i-am-already-studying-at
Highly recommend you to go to LSE, because as many others have said, there is no guarantee that Oxford will accept you next time. Maybe you can reapply to Oxford WHILE studying at LSE. This would not only provide you with an excellent CV with top Russel Group Unis but also would ensure that there will not be a significant gap in your educational career.
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