Oxford reapply? I am a reject
This autumn i was interviewed by New College Ox for English - the grade req is AAA and I was interviewed with A*AB predicted (at a selective sixth form) with GCSE’s of 888877655 (coming from a school that was close to being shut down/the worst in the borough where I over performed a lot). I am thinking about reapplying in Sep, but if i get A*AB in my alevels will i be automatically rejected? will they need AAA? I don’t have contextual offer - what should i do?
Reply 1
Please don't see yourself as a reject. All that has happened is that you didn't receive an offer at one of the most competitive universities in the UK.
Reapplying is perhaps a head vs heart thing. Hard headed reasoning suggests don't reapply. Take up an offer from another good university.
But if you get AAA or better, and can bear the risk of a second rejection, heart may suggest another go.
I think that if you do not get AAA it would be unwise to reapply.
Reapplying is perhaps a head vs heart thing. Hard headed reasoning suggests don't reapply. Take up an offer from another good university.
But if you get AAA or better, and can bear the risk of a second rejection, heart may suggest another go.
I think that if you do not get AAA it would be unwise to reapply.
Reply 2
PS: Only reapply if you have a positive plan for a gap year. I think that gap years are a good idea if well used.
Reply 3
I’m afraid it’s unlikely they’ll give you an offer without AAA achieved. You did very well to get an interview this year with those predictions, but if they had offered it would have been an AAA offer and they would have been hoping you would outperform the prediction.
You don’t need to decide now. It is still quite raw, and it is best to take time and let things settle. My advice would be to work really hard and see if you can turn that B into an A. In the meantime there is no harm accepting another offer, and if you research and visit other universities you may find that you fall in love with one of them and start to feel excited about going there.
If in August you do get your 3 As and you really feel you have to give Oxford another go, then you can withdraw from your offers and try again. But do bear in mind that reapplying adds a lot of pressure and can make a second rejection harder, especially if all your friends are settling into uni and you are stuck on a gap year you didn’t intend to take. (Obviously if you are excited about a gap year and have great plans for it, then that may be different, but there’s a big difference between a hoped for and anticipated gap year and one that someone takes as the price of reapplying.)
You don’t need to decide now. It is still quite raw, and it is best to take time and let things settle. My advice would be to work really hard and see if you can turn that B into an A. In the meantime there is no harm accepting another offer, and if you research and visit other universities you may find that you fall in love with one of them and start to feel excited about going there.
If in August you do get your 3 As and you really feel you have to give Oxford another go, then you can withdraw from your offers and try again. But do bear in mind that reapplying adds a lot of pressure and can make a second rejection harder, especially if all your friends are settling into uni and you are stuck on a gap year you didn’t intend to take. (Obviously if you are excited about a gap year and have great plans for it, then that may be different, but there’s a big difference between a hoped for and anticipated gap year and one that someone takes as the price of reapplying.)
Reply 4
Original post
by AnonymousThis autumn i was interviewed by New College Ox for English - the grade req is AAA and I was interviewed with A*AB predicted (at a selective sixth form) with GCSE’s of 888877655 (coming from a school that was close to being shut down/the worst in the borough where I over performed a lot). I am thinking about reapplying in Sep, but if i get A*AB in my alevels will i be automatically rejected? will they need AAA? I don’t have contextual offer - what should i do?
Because you could take another A-Level during your gap year and achieve at least an A grade or even an A* grade perhaps?
So, you could end up with A*A*AB or A*AAB next year. But you would require a tutor to give you a predicted grade if your Sixth Form does not give you a predicted grade.
Reply 5
Original post
by thegeek888I wonder which A-Level subjects you're studying? 😧
Because you could take another A-Level during your gap year and achieve at least an A grade or even an A* grade perhaps?
So, you could end up with A*A*AB or A*AAB next year. But you would require a tutor to give you a predicted grade if your Sixth Form does not give you a predicted grade.
Because you could take another A-Level during your gap year and achieve at least an A grade or even an A* grade perhaps?
So, you could end up with A*A*AB or A*AAB next year. But you would require a tutor to give you a predicted grade if your Sixth Form does not give you a predicted grade.
That is unhelpful advice. The OP should focus on doing as well as possible in the three A levels currently studied. If the OP gets AAA or above, he or she may consider reapplying to Oxford, or taking up an offer from another university. Taking an additional A level during a gap year is not likely to improve things. Just because you plan to take multiple A levels (but appear no nearer than ever to taking any), that does not mean that everyone should.
Reply 6
Original post
by Stiffy ByngThat is unhelpful advice. The OP should focus on doing as well as possible in the three A levels currently studied. If the OP gets AAA or above, he or she may consider reapplying to Oxford, or taking up an offer from another university. Taking an additional A level during a gap year is not likely to improve things. Just because you plan to take multiple A levels (but appear no nearer than ever to taking any), that does not mean that everyone should.
PS: I have the Woody A-Level Maths course and he is so great that he assures students A* and A grades with effort. 😉 lol
Mathematics With Woody
Reply 7
Oxford wants 3 A levels sat at the same time. Taking additional A levels in a gap year is not going to help an application.
Reply 8
Original post
by thegeek888I wonder which A-Level subjects you're studying? 😧
Because you could take another A-Level during your gap year and achieve at least an A grade or even an A* grade perhaps?
So, you could end up with A*A*AB or A*AAB next year. But you would require a tutor to give you a predicted grade if your Sixth Form does not give you a predicted grade.
Because you could take another A-Level during your gap year and achieve at least an A grade or even an A* grade perhaps?
So, you could end up with A*A*AB or A*AAB next year. But you would require a tutor to give you a predicted grade if your Sixth Form does not give you a predicted grade.
Studying one extra A level in a gap year is perhaps not a horrendous idea, but it probably isn’t the best use of a gap year imo (despite the fact I myself did an extra A level + an AS in my gap year - though in my case specifically it seemed to be the best option at the time and that judgement appears to be correct given my subject choice).
I agree that if the OP does take a gap year, they do need to keep their academic skills alive - especially in the period leading up
to, and including the interviews (should they be shortlisted), but perhaps an extra A level is not the way to do this - especially if taking one up necessitates spending time focusing on something completely unrelated to the subject they are applying for.
However, I think for now the OP needs to focus on completing the A levels they are currently taking before even considering taking another - if they make the grades for a reapplication, the extra A level will offer no real benefit. They should also be open to the possibility that one of their other offers might actually be a better option and so ideally I’d suggest they attend open days at a range of universities if they can.
Reply 9
Thank you everyone! OP here- I have an offer from KCL which was really my dream university - I had wanted to go since year 11 and then was quite rushed into an Oxford application by my new sixth form school. I didn’t expect to get anywhere with it, and so when I got my interview my expectations skyrocketed and I was overjoyed and now compared to that, KCL and my other offers seem lower? or it’s just disappointing. I think I will try and get A*AA anyway, I am applying for English and i usually get A*s in it, so A*AA would be a good and (from my own judgment) achievable set of grades. I will see how I feel at the time on whether I will take a gap year but I am not really considering an alevel during gap year… I have heard Oxford don’t care for them, if I did it would be Classics (I do EngLit, Politics, French (french is the B) If after attending KCL offer holder day (April 12th) I am really not convinced, I will consider reapplying in a gap year. I do have other plans, e.g there is an internship I really want, some work experience placements and I want to get a job to save some money! And it would be a great time to do extra reading as that’s an area I feel I could expand in relation to Oxford suitability. Thank you so much for all the replies!!!
Reply 10
Original post
by AnonymousThank you everyone! OP here- I have an offer from KCL which was really my dream university - I had wanted to go since year 11 and then was quite rushed into an Oxford application by my new sixth form school. I didn’t expect to get anywhere with it, and so when I got my interview my expectations skyrocketed and I was overjoyed and now compared to that, KCL and my other offers seem lower? or it’s just disappointing. I think I will try and get A*AA anyway, I am applying for English and i usually get A*s in it, so A*AA would be a good and (from my own judgment) achievable set of grades. I will see how I feel at the time on whether I will take a gap year but I am not really considering an alevel during gap year… I have heard Oxford don’t care for them, if I did it would be Classics (I do EngLit, Politics, French (french is the B) If after attending KCL offer holder day (April 12th) I am really not convinced, I will consider reapplying in a gap year. I do have other plans, e.g there is an internship I really want, some work experience placements and I want to get a job to save some money! And it would be a great time to do extra reading as that’s an area I feel I could expand in relation to Oxford suitability. Thank you so much for all the replies!!!
I wonder what you did your IRP topic on?
Are you studying "La Haine" and "No et Moi?" as your film and novel?
Reply 11
Original post
by thegeek888For French I recommend ZigZag Education, ask your parents or French teacher to buy the resources. Because ZigZag Education Languages resources are 'tailored' towards the AQA, Edexcel and WJEC specifications. It willl boost your grade in A-Level French to an A or maybe an A*.
I wonder what you did your IRP topic on?
Are you studying "La Haine" and "No et Moi?" as your film and novel?
I wonder what you did your IRP topic on?
Are you studying "La Haine" and "No et Moi?" as your film and novel?
yes! La Haine et No et Moi. My IRP is on les elections législatives 2024 but tbh i am struggling!!
Reply 12
Original post
by Anonymousyes! La Haine et No et Moi. My IRP is on les elections législatives 2024 but tbh i am struggling!!
There is so much content for both options on TES.
La Haine:
https://www.tes.com/resources/search/?&q=LA%20HAINE
No et Moi:
https://www.tes.com/resources/search/?q=NO%20ET%20MOI
But ZigZagEducation has the superior resources but not cheap.
(edited 9 months ago)
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