Missed my Oxbridge/Russell Group offer

I missed my offer for Cambridge undergrad and it has been heartbreaking. How is everyone feeling about missing their Oxbridge/Russell Group offer? Use this as a place of refuge lol. :smile:

Reply 1

aarynmb

I just missed my Cambridge offer and honestly it was really hard when I first found out, but I'm actually feeling a lot better now. My insurance choice was still a really good uni and some of my teachers joked to me that I'll probably have a much happier, less stressful life, while still being able to do just as well, so I hope it starts feeling easier for you as well <3

Reply 2

username5900885

Original post by aarynmb

Yh for me it was the same. It took me a while to process what had happened. But I think I'm getting better now. I hope it all goes well for you as well.

Reply 3

JVorJrose

Don't worry people, in a few years time when you both graduate with firsts :wink:

you won't even look back. I know it's cliché, but, everything truly, does happen for a reason, you know. It is hard though for real; that prestige of saying that "I go to Cambridge" may prop up for a while but, in the grand scheme of things; it won't matter. Life's too short to be so overworked in your younger years aha. Me personally I was actually rejected by all 5 universities that I applied to, for economics. But there's always an alternative, trust you'll be happier in the institution that you go to💫💯

Reply 4

emi2021

Original post by Absalom_Heller

I missed my offer for Cambridge undergrad and it has been heartbreaking. How is everyone feeling about missing their Oxbridge/Russell Group offer? Use this as a place of refuge lol. :smile:

Im glad to have found this group after all of this. Honestly im still in denial and i dont know if i want to settle for my insurance uni or retake my a levels and try again. I know i could have done so much better but i feel as if my circumstances stifled me. I know we were capable of doing much better and have potential to thrive academically, i mean they gave us offers after all. I’m just so lost. I probably have adhd and well the only way i was accommodated was by getting extra time yet because i dont have an official diagnosis I couldn’t get access to meds or therapy i probably needed. I’ll always wonder what if i had the right help, could I have met my offer for hsps at gotten into cambridge 😭.

Reply 5

stxrlipika

Original post by username5900885

I missed my offer for Cambridge undergrad and it has been heartbreaking. How is everyone feeling about missing their Oxbridge/Russell Group offer? Use this as a place of refuge lol. :smile:

Oh gosh I thought I was the only one and its oddly comforting that it happened to other people too. I achieved grades below what I was consistently getting during the whole 2 years so it was so heartbreaking to have missed that offer. Eventhough I go to a really good uni now I'd be lying if I said it didnt still impact me a lot

Reply 6

Anonymous #1

A year later and I’ve missed my Oxford offer - my a level grades were the lowest they’ve ever been and I’m still processing the missed opportunity. Honestly, it’s a lot - especially since I didnt pick an insurance with my ‘firm or nothing’ mentality and am now forced to take a gap year! But university was never the plan for me, I’d always wanted to take a gap year and do an apprenticeship so I’m technically back on track with my initial plan, but it just feels like I got a glimpse into a life another life I could’ve had - it’s cruel and I feel like I would’ve rather been rejected in the first place, at least then I wouldn’t feel so disappointed in myself for burning out when it mattered and flopping my a levels when I’ve worked so hard in the past 2 years. I want to believe that this gap year will be an amazing experience where I get to try great new things and step out of my comfort zone, but I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out and that I’ve fumbled the opportunity of a life time. This is the first time I won’t be returning to education, and I feel lost and empty - i tell myself I’ve got a lot to accomplish this year and I know that once I get an apprenticeship offer none of this will matter, so really I’m not upset about the fomo, but the being in a position of uncertainty - if I don’t get into an apprenticeship, I’m really done for. Idk, it’s a lot to handle, and at times I feel university would’ve been the easier option for me, even if it was a **** one and even when I don’t want to go uni - but I know this feeling is arising from my sense of desperation, and it would be an impulsive and dumb decision to go to uni for the sake of staying in my comfort zone - so really, rather than feeling disappointed, which I certainly am though to a lesser extent than I think, I would say I’m just scared of the uncertainty - but I know as the year unfolds it’ll pass, especially as I make myself busy with apprentice applications, work, and achieving personal goals. Honestly, I was more upset about Oxford because of its reputation rather than not going to university, so I guess my motivation to go wasn’t really sincere in the first place - if I do get an apprenticeship, I’ll be in a much better position than I would’ve been with the uni anyway. I just wanted to get this off my chest so that I could better understand my emotions - to anyone who was in a similar position in the past, where are you now and how do you feel? To anyone who’s in this position now, feel free to rant - I do feel a lot better after articulating my emotions!

Reply 7

Physician

Original post by username5900885

I missed my offer for Cambridge undergrad and it has been heartbreaking. How is everyone feeling about missing their Oxbridge/Russell Group offer? Use this as a place of refuge lol. :smile:

Why didn't you have Edinburgh as a back up, assuming that it did a course you were interested in? There isn't much difference between Oxbridge and Edinburgh. The former have a better reputation domestically and globally, but Edinburgh is the only other UK university which looks and feels just like Oxbridge, and still enjoys a World class academic reputation.