Oxford didn’t shortlist me

Your post, like many by anonymous posters, doesn't make complete logical sense if you think about it. Right down to even your childish vocabulary about Oxford. ('the castles').What? Places don't tend to have more than one castle. You must be thinking of the 'colleges'.
Not so long ago you were getting Ds yet you suddenly now think it's Oxford or nothing essentially. What about other well regarded universities? For some subjects, Oxford or Cambridge aren't in the top 5 for research in the UK.
Unfortunately for you, Oxford care about GCSE results more than Cambridge do. But even if you'd apply to Cambridge you wouldn't necessarily have got in. It's just a bit odd that someone who was getting Ds doesn't have a backup plan in mind and that kind of disorganised thinking alone would be part of why you didn't get in.

It's not any easier/harder for ethnic minorities. Depending on the course, it might be harder for international students, if that is what you mean.

I am not the Anonymous poster who got Ds that is the main person who started the thread. I have never once romanticised Oxford in whatever way you have described. Even though I am not the student who got a D that is not nice at all to use someone else’s weakness who pushed themselves to even have the chance to apply.

I know it sounds so dramatic but I feel empty like okay so I have depression and i have this emptiness, a sense of hopelessness 24/7, however it has been my to study at Oxford since year 5 when I discovered the university. I have always been academically tuned and I try my hardest, in the holiday I locked myself in my room and only did maths and managed to bring my grades up from a D to an A, I applied with A*A*A and A in epq , I read 6 books in 15 days during the holiday for my personal statement (I didn’t include them al) and I tried so so hard, I then applied to oxford and it gave me something to look forward to, even though it was like impending, I tried for the first time to harbour a positive mindset, the castles are so beautiful and it’s like the embodiment of academic success , I knew my gcses (999777765) may be a bit low but I really really put effort, I prayed, I’d have a flutter in my chest just thinking about it, it was so perfect, like the little reminant of my childhood as it was my dream and they rejected me, didn’t even call me to the interview, I really did try to believe they’d call me, now I have nothing to look forward to, to motivate me to try because it’s already hard enough with depression and ik it’s silly but the idea of studying at Oxford in a year allowed me to assign some purpose to carrying on and trying. I have 0 friends in school and I just sit in the library break and lunch either catching up on work or revising and I thought just maybe they’d call me so it would make these past 2 years worth it, but now it’s the end of a dream, purposelessness and the feeling of rejection. And they always say rejection is redirection, however, post Oxford, I saw rejection after rejection, I failed my driving test, slaughter and may didn’t accept my application to their law scheme, I don’t understand why I am never enough even though I pour blood sweat and tears into these things, I go above and beyond academically and then I am stuck in the position below those who don’t try as hard , and are happy with friends, while I’m alone always just out of reach of my aspirations. I am fully aware I could just study at Oxford for masters and I understand this is overly dramatic but it’s a bad feeling and I have revision to do today but I feel so demotivated , I have had my Oxford sticker from open evening stuck on my desk as a motivator but idk it just sucks like I don’t get it but it is what it is

I read your post and this could almost have been me 30 years ago, except substitute UCL for Oxford
I was gutted when I was rejected from UCL and lost all interest in my A Levels after that. I got the grades to get into my second choice Uni but my unhappiness and sense of failure was so extreme that I took a year out to reset. It was the best thing I did! I learnt about life, and about myself. I went back to my second choice uni and got my BA
I then applied to UCL for my post grad. Despite many telling me I wasn't intelligent enough for UCL I aced the interview. I proved to myself I was good enough. Looking back I even know what things I said which caused the initial rejection. Sometimes it is nothing personal but just a strong cohort you're against. Time is a great educator.
I am now qualified and top in my field. The rejection did not stop me.
Please do not be discouraged by this rejection. Dreams are fulfilled in many different ways and sometimes not in the way you imagine.
This is not the end. It's only just the beginning x

I know but i am saying Oxford is already tough enough University to get into so I am saying the statistics they have posted on their website shows it is even harder for ethnic minorities

Yes!! this is what I meant

I know it sounds so dramatic but I feel empty like okay so I have depression and i have this emptiness, a sense of hopelessness 24/7, however it has been my to study at Oxford since year 5 when I discovered the university. I have always been academically tuned and I try my hardest, in the holiday I locked myself in my room and only did maths and managed to bring my grades up from a D to an A, I applied with A*A*A and A in epq , I read 6 books in 15 days during the holiday for my personal statement (I didn’t include them al) and I tried so so hard, I then applied to oxford and it gave me something to look forward to, even though it was like impending, I tried for the first time to harbour a positive mindset, the castles are so beautiful and it’s like the embodiment of academic success , I knew my gcses (999777765) may be a bit low but I really really put effort, I prayed, I’d have a flutter in my chest just thinking about it, it was so perfect, like the little reminant of my childhood as it was my dream and they rejected me, didn’t even call me to the interview, I really did try to believe they’d call me, now I have nothing to look forward to, to motivate me to try because it’s already hard enough with depression and ik it’s silly but the idea of studying at Oxford in a year allowed me to assign some purpose to carrying on and trying. I have 0 friends in school and I just sit in the library break and lunch either catching up on work or revising and I thought just maybe they’d call me so it would make these past 2 years worth it, but now it’s the end of a dream, purposelessness and the feeling of rejection. And they always say rejection is redirection, however, post Oxford, I saw rejection after rejection, I failed my driving test, slaughter and may didn’t accept my application to their law scheme, I don’t understand why I am never enough even though I pour blood sweat and tears into these things, I go above and beyond academically and then I am stuck in the position below those who don’t try as hard , and are happy with friends, while I’m alone always just out of reach of my aspirations. I am fully aware I could just study at Oxford for masters and I understand this is overly dramatic but it’s a bad feeling and I have revision to do today but I feel so demotivated , I have had my Oxford sticker from open evening stuck on my desk as a motivator but idk it just sucks like I don’t get it but it is what it is

Your post, like many by anonymous posters, doesn't make complete logical sense if you think about it. Right down to even your childish vocabulary about Oxford. ('the castles').What? Places don't tend to have more than one castle. You must be thinking of the 'colleges'.
Not so long ago you were getting Ds yet you suddenly now think it's Oxford or nothing essentially. What about other well regarded universities? For some subjects, Oxford or Cambridge aren't in the top 5 for research in the UK.
Unfortunately for you, Oxford care about GCSE results more than Cambridge do. But even if you'd applied to Cambridge you wouldn't necessarily have got in. It's just a bit odd that someone who was getting Ds doesn't have a backup plan in mind and that kind of disorganised thinking alone would be part of why you didn't get in.

This is not helpful for the OP, or any other anonymous poster in the comments who have been rejected. Different people have different exposures to Oxford and Cambridge. It can be somewhat of an academic dream, perhaps even a fantasy, to many people, especially from schools that don't send many people to Oxford or Cambridge. Chiding someone for thinking of them as 'castles' is harsh and unncessary, and has no bearing on someone's academic merit.
You are, of course, 100% right about there being more to academic success than Oxford and Cambridge, namely the plethora of better universities in this country. However, not everyone's schools give these universities the same amount of weight or acknowledgement (once again, especially schools that don't send many people to Oxford/Cambridge and hence get very excited when they have a potential applicant to either of those universities).
Many people also just don't realise how difficult it is to get into Oxford/Cambridge. Most of my classmates believe that if you get a couple of A*s, you're set, because not many people in the class may be getting A*s. The whole class and school is sort of 'rooting' for those of us who have interviews, and it places a high degree of pressure and gets everyone's hopes up - so it is quite natural to be devastated at rejection, especially pre-interview.
In summary, OP would much more benefit from sympathy and comfort in this situation, not chiding comments about their D grade (which they brought up to an A*, if I remember correctly). I also hope this gives you an insight into why people are feeling this way.

I totally disagree. It is the equivalent of sympathising with someone because some supermodel turned them down when they asked for a date. Fantasies need no sympathy. Being unfairly treated needs sympathy but they were not unfairly treated. We can't keep responding to pity posts as if all are equal.

Yes I applied to BA and Christ Church which is over subscribed
Literature (A*) History (A*) Maths (A) and yes I applied to UCL, Warwick, Bristol and Nottingham and have gotten an offer from Nottingham

Yes I applied to Law which is really oversubscribed. I did do an open application and was assigned to St Annes my predicted grades are A*=politics A=religious studies A=sociology (and A*EPQ). I am an ethnic minority and did have look at their stats on their website were it definitely wasn’t in my favour with only 34 admitted to law and 13 in St Annes despited the vast amount of people my colour applying. Then I also applied York,Exeter where i already have an offer and then LSE and Warwick now waiting.

Ah, got you! Best of luck for the rest of your uni applications.

What do you mean by: "34 admitted to Law?" 😧 and "13 in St. Anne's?" 😧 Most colleges have 8 to 10 places each for Law undergraduates.
Perhaps your A-Level subject combination was not as good as other candidates? 😧 Especially since you did not offer Maths, Sciences, Languages or even History or English Literature perhaps?
Many congratulations on offers from York and Exeter. They're both top Law departments.
If you manage A*A*A* next year then re-apply to Oxford University. 😉
LSE is a true lottery with 16 applicants per place. Also, the LSE regards a 'stellar' UCAS Personal Statement as vital in being made an offer.
Warwick has a nice campus but it can be depressing, so I would choose Exeter and study on the beach. 😀 lol

I know it sounds so dramatic but I feel empty like okay so I have depression and i have this emptiness, a sense of hopelessness 24/7, however it has been my to study at Oxford since year 5 when I discovered the university. I have always been academically tuned and I try my hardest, in the holiday I locked myself in my room and only did maths and managed to bring my grades up from a D to an A, I applied with A*A*A and A in epq , I read 6 books in 15 days during the holiday for my personal statement (I didn’t include them al) and I tried so so hard, I then applied to oxford and it gave me something to look forward to, even though it was like impending, I tried for the first time to harbour a positive mindset, the castles are so beautiful and it’s like the embodiment of academic success , I knew my gcses (999777765) may be a bit low but I really really put effort, I prayed, I’d have a flutter in my chest just thinking about it, it was so perfect, like the little reminant of my childhood as it was my dream and they rejected me, didn’t even call me to the interview, I really did try to believe they’d call me, now I have nothing to look forward to, to motivate me to try because it’s already hard enough with depression and ik it’s silly but the idea of studying at Oxford in a year allowed me to assign some purpose to carrying on and trying. I have 0 friends in school and I just sit in the library break and lunch either catching up on work or revising and I thought just maybe they’d call me so it would make these past 2 years worth it, but now it’s the end of a dream, purposelessness and the feeling of rejection. And they always say rejection is redirection, however, post Oxford, I saw rejection after rejection, I failed my driving test, slaughter and may didn’t accept my application to their law scheme, I don’t understand why I am never enough even though I pour blood sweat and tears into these things, I go above and beyond academically and then I am stuck in the position below those who don’t try as hard , and are happy with friends, while I’m alone always just out of reach of my aspirations. I am fully aware I could just study at Oxford for masters and I understand this is overly dramatic but it’s a bad feeling and I have revision to do today but I feel so demotivated , I have had my Oxford sticker from open evening stuck on my desk as a motivator but idk it just sucks like I don’t get it but it is what it is

Being an ethnic minority has nothing to do with whether they shortlist you or not

I know but i am saying Oxford is already tough enough University to get into so I am saying the statistics they have posted on their website shows it is even harder for ethnic minorities

No wonder you got rejected. Because Christ Church College, Oxford is heavily oversubscribed. They would have taken the A*A*A* and A*A*A*A or more candidates. Especially if they had predominately 9s, 8s and the odd 7.
I wonder which subjects you did for GCSEs? How many 9s? 8s? 7s? What about the odd 6 or 5 or 4?
Nottingham has an excellent reputation in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the UK. Also, I saw some profiles of Nottingham Law graduates who got accepted to the BCL Masters degree course at Oxford University. Furthermore, I saw some profiles of top barrister firms chambers with Nottingham LLB law graduates as well. Although, the vast majority were from Oxford, Cambridge and London: LSE, UCL, KCL, SOAS, QMUL, CityUL and RHUL.
Now, you can focus on re-applying next year to a less competitive college such as St. Hilda’s or Somerville perhaps?
It is also worth noting the following facts:
• 53.0% of applicants and 84.1% of admitted students were awarded A*AA or better at A-level.
• 47.0% of admitted students achieved three A* grades or better at A-level.
LSE gets 16 applicants per place for Law and is a true lottery in gaining a place.
UCL gets 20 applicants per place for Law and is even more of a lottery in gaining a place, especially since the admissions tutors look at your LNAT essay.
Bristol is competitive but they do give offers out to great UCAS Personal Statements.
Warwick is quite okay for offers but you must have a decent UCAS Personal Statement.
If you achieve A*A*A or especially A*A*A* in August 2025, then re-apply to Oxford, LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS or Warwick or even Bristol or Nottingham.

I know it sounds so dramatic but I feel empty like okay so I have depression and i have this emptiness, a sense of hopelessness 24/7, however it has been my to study at Oxford since year 5 when I discovered the university. I have always been academically tuned and I try my hardest, in the holiday I locked myself in my room and only did maths and managed to bring my grades up from a D to an A, I applied with A*A*A and A in epq , I read 6 books in 15 days during the holiday for my personal statement (I didn’t include them al) and I tried so so hard, I then applied to oxford and it gave me something to look forward to, even though it was like impending, I tried for the first time to harbour a positive mindset, the castles are so beautiful and it’s like the embodiment of academic success , I knew my gcses (999777765) may be a bit low but I really really put effort, I prayed, I’d have a flutter in my chest just thinking about it, it was so perfect, like the little reminant of my childhood as it was my dream and they rejected me, didn’t even call me to the interview, I really did try to believe they’d call me, now I have nothing to look forward to, to motivate me to try because it’s already hard enough with depression and ik it’s silly but the idea of studying at Oxford in a year allowed me to assign some purpose to carrying on and trying. I have 0 friends in school and I just sit in the library break and lunch either catching up on work or revising and I thought just maybe they’d call me so it would make these past 2 years worth it, but now it’s the end of a dream, purposelessness and the feeling of rejection. And they always say rejection is redirection, however, post Oxford, I saw rejection after rejection, I failed my driving test, slaughter and may didn’t accept my application to their law scheme, I don’t understand why I am never enough even though I pour blood sweat and tears into these things, I go above and beyond academically and then I am stuck in the position below those who don’t try as hard , and are happy with friends, while I’m alone always just out of reach of my aspirations. I am fully aware I could just study at Oxford for masters and I understand this is overly dramatic but it’s a bad feeling and I have revision to do today but I feel so demotivated , I have had my Oxford sticker from open evening stuck on my desk as a motivator but idk it just sucks like I don’t get it but it is what it is