Gap Year to reapply to Oxford
Hi , I've been thinking about reapplying to Oxford after getting rejected for history and economics. At first I was fine with the rejection I currenly have 4 offers from York, LSE UCL & SOAS.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Reply 1
1. Which university would appreciate the email (I’m rejecting this offer to apply to another uni but please offer me again in case I don’t get in)
2. LSE is on par with Oxford, Oxford is just a name and it doesn’t sound like the smartest thing to decline LSE because you find Oxford aesthetically pleasing, what if you don’t like the teaching style, culture, and really it’s not guaranteed
I think the smartest thing to do is to accept the LSE offer and on results day, if you have the entry requirements then reject it and reapply. This way gives you time from now to think if it’s something you really want to do
For someone with an offer from these target universities, oxbridge isn’t the be all end all, LSE occasionally ranks higher than Oxford but I do understand the want to go there
2. LSE is on par with Oxford, Oxford is just a name and it doesn’t sound like the smartest thing to decline LSE because you find Oxford aesthetically pleasing, what if you don’t like the teaching style, culture, and really it’s not guaranteed
I think the smartest thing to do is to accept the LSE offer and on results day, if you have the entry requirements then reject it and reapply. This way gives you time from now to think if it’s something you really want to do
For someone with an offer from these target universities, oxbridge isn’t the be all end all, LSE occasionally ranks higher than Oxford but I do understand the want to go there
Reply 2
If you wish to study outside London, and to leave home, taking a gap year sounds like a bad idea. Why not go to York?
Original post by Stiffy Byng
If you wish to study outside London, and to leave home, taking a gap year sounds like a bad idea. Why not go to York?
Im debating this right now. Since the york offer is for maths and econ whereas lse is for economics and Economic History. I'll wait on results day and see how I feel. But york is on the verge of shutting down / lacks funds. And I've been to LSE before so I don't mind staying in London for lse.
I think I'll just wait for now, see how I do on results day. I'll probably go LSE cus I'm just deeping how much work applying to oxford is (redoing all the admission tests etc) alongside 2026 has a new PS structure.
This summer I'll go on holiday outside of London because to be quite frank, It's not Oxford that I'm dying for but the scenery aesthetic cus I've been rotting in London for 17 years. Maybe a holiday to Canterbury might solve this short term need and I'll realise it wasn't actually studying at Oxford i was dying for.
If I'm still wanting it, I'll consider a one year masters. But thanks to the two people who responded, humbled me there
Reply 4
Original post by Fxrzana
Hi , I've been thinking about reapplying to Oxford after getting rejected for history and economics. At first I was fine with the rejection I currenly have 4 offers from York, LSE UCL & SOAS.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
I got rejected from LSE yesterday and Oxford PPE earlier this year. I also considered applying for HECON in Y12 and even early Y13. My advice would be to take LSE unless you are pretty confident you’ll get into Oxford next year and would not be able to enjoy LSE if you didn’t go. If I got LSE, I would have 100% taken it, it was the only uni I would have settled on happily that was not Oxford. When I weighed it up at the time, Oxford and LSE were on par even though they have completely different strengths.
Reply 5
Original post by Fxrzana
Hi , I've been thinking about reapplying to Oxford after getting rejected for history and economics. At first I was fine with the rejection I currenly have 4 offers from York, LSE UCL & SOAS.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
I know a girl on TSR who was rejected for BA Economics at Cambridge University for not having an A-Level in Further Maths but accepted by LSE for Economics and Politics. She did a Masters in Economics at Cambridge 3 years later and then entered Investment Banking at Goldman Sachs. So, accept the LSE offer. 🙂
(edited 1 month ago)
Original post by Fxrzana
Im debating this right now. Since the york offer is for maths and econ whereas lse is for economics and Economic History. I'll wait on results day and see how I feel. But york is on the verge of shutting down / lacks funds. And I've been to LSE before so I don't mind staying in London for lse.
I think I'll just wait for now, see how I do on results day. I'll probably go LSE cus I'm just deeping how much work applying to oxford is (redoing all the admission tests etc) alongside 2026 has a new PS structure.
This summer I'll go on holiday outside of London because to be quite frank, It's not Oxford that I'm dying for but the scenery aesthetic cus I've been rotting in London for 17 years. Maybe a holiday to Canterbury might solve this short term need and I'll realise it wasn't actually studying at Oxford i was dying for.
If I'm still wanting it, I'll consider a one year masters. But thanks to the two people who responded, humbled me there
I think I'll just wait for now, see how I do on results day. I'll probably go LSE cus I'm just deeping how much work applying to oxford is (redoing all the admission tests etc) alongside 2026 has a new PS structure.
This summer I'll go on holiday outside of London because to be quite frank, It's not Oxford that I'm dying for but the scenery aesthetic cus I've been rotting in London for 17 years. Maybe a holiday to Canterbury might solve this short term need and I'll realise it wasn't actually studying at Oxford i was dying for.
If I'm still wanting it, I'll consider a one year masters. But thanks to the two people who responded, humbled me there
Where have you read that York is shutting down ?
Original post by Tommy_123
Where have you read that York is shutting down ?
This Instagram post but obviously it's not reliable lmao. But recently I've been hearing so many bad things about a lack of funding etc. But I'm sure it's not all bad. York is still a very highly respected uni. But for economics Lse is the better option.
Original post by twinkleberryrose
I got rejected from LSE yesterday and Oxford PPE earlier this year. I also considered applying for HECON in Y12 and even early Y13. My advice would be to take LSE unless you are pretty confident you’ll get into Oxford next year and would not be able to enjoy LSE if you didn’t go. If I got LSE, I would have 100% taken it, it was the only uni I would have settled on happily that was not Oxford. When I weighed it up at the time, Oxford and LSE were on par even though they have completely different strengths.
Ouch, sorry to hear that. Have you heard from any other unis? And may I ask how you measured LSE. I feel as if I'm undermining the greatness of LSE, cus in my school they don't mention LSE at all they just keep talking about Oxbridge and UCL as the top unis.
Reply 10
Original post by Fxrzana
Hi , I've been thinking about reapplying to Oxford after getting rejected for history and economics. At first I was fine with the rejection I currenly have 4 offers from York, LSE UCL & SOAS.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Hi there,
One thing you could do is defer your firm choice so that you can start in the 2026/27 academic year, rather than the 2025/26 academic year. I did this for York back in 2017 (so I started in 2018 instead). If you do exceed your grade expectations and decide to reapply to Oxford, you might then be able to turn down your deferred firm choice.
However, before doing this, I'd recommend that you check-in with the admissions team of the University which you firm. The University of York's admissions team contact details are:
•
Email: [email protected]
•
Telephone: +44 (0)1904 324000
I hope this helps! - Hannah 😀
Reply 11
Original post by Fxrzana
Hi , I've been thinking about reapplying to Oxford after getting rejected for history and economics. At first I was fine with the rejection I currenly have 4 offers from York, LSE UCL & SOAS.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Definitely rejecting UCL and SOAS
York is for mathematics and economics.
I have this urge to reapply to Oxford because it's been my dream to move out of London for Uni to an area that looks aesthetically pleasing like Oxford or Glasgow (but i can't leave England so it's Oxford). York is great but LSE is obviously better. Alongside personal reasons due to home situation I want to leave London for my own space and personal growth. So now I'm feeling the backlash I should have in January when I got rejected from Oxford.
In the gap year I'm considering working, spending more time on the admission process (considering now you only do the TSA and not the HAT) and potentially AS further maths for fun. But i know this means I have to give up current offers.
Is it worth it? What if I just get rejected again and then lose my offers elsewhere. I'm hoping I retain the LSE offer considering I'm on their pathways programme or they accept me again. I may email them asking about it, considering I'll be reapplying for the same thing with a similar PS. I feel like york will accept me again.
Can't you just do LSE for a year and apply to Oxford whilst at LSE?
Reply 12
Original post by Anonymous
Can't you just do LSE for a year and apply to Oxford whilst at LSE?
"Applying to start the first year of an Oxford undergraduate course if you will not be completing your first undergraduate degree
If you are currently studying at a university (either in the UK or internationally) and are thinking of applying to Oxford to start the first year of an undergraduate course (and you are not planning on completing your first undergraduate degree), please note that normally we will only consider such applications in exceptional circumstances. You should also make very clear in your application why you do not wish to continue on your current course.
If you do decide to apply whilst at another university and you do not have Level 3 qualifications (A-Level or equivalent) at the grades required for the standard offer for the course you are interested in applying for, you will need to demonstrate how your subsequent study has prepared you for studying at Oxford, including any evidence of your performance on your current course, as well as a reference from your current tutor or equivalent.
Please note that you must declare on your UCAS form whether you are currently studying at another higher education institution, and that failure to do so could incur penalties."
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/second-undergraduate-degree
Original post by bumba123
@Fxrzana What stats and supercurriculars did you have to apply for History and economics/economic history at these unis? I was thinking of applying to similar courses tbh so any advice would be really helpful 
I was predicted As and above. If you're applying for Oxbridge do prepare for any admission tests or interviews. For personal statement, the bulk of it is going to be reading / researching a topic. You essentially wanna be answering a question but don't make it an essay. It needs a theme you can't just say I read this and this if they're not linked and you don't comment on it. Remember to include your opinion on it too. I was on the LSE pathways to banking and finance programme and did mentoring at the BOE which I mentioned very briefly. I just had my graduation ceremony today actually which made me realise LSE is just much better for my course and the career path I want to go into and they have a lot of links. And LSE is quite close to those finance firms so it just all makes sense.
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