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[MirandaWest]

Thought I’d start this thread in case anyone else with a DC who didn’t get an offer from Oxford (or Cambridge in a couple of weeks time) wants to say anything - I feel a bit out of place in the Oxbridge thread now but could be good to have somewhere to talk about how they are and what their plans are now.

I'm not sure if DS is over being rejected or not

He keeps things close to his chest but it's always going to be annoying but I don't think it will make much if any difference re his particular course or future job prospects and neither does he now either

DD is fine with the outcome - hasn’t had feedback yet. However not getting an offer made her v doubtful about her course choice - I think being on the O track from yr 12 made it hard to really spend the time looking at other options; she has been picking through changing her offers/applications with her other 4 choices. quite a big change of subject with higher grade reqs, and its v late to be asking, Got to love the uni who simply said yes and changed her offer, no questions asked.

I think DD is ok - it helped a lot that she got an offer from UCL at the weekend. She looked up the stats on DiscoverUni and was tickled to see that the average UCAS points score for the UCL students was much higher than Oxford 😂

I'm sure that she wouldn't consider reapplying but she was always a bit ambivalent about Oxford and while the rejection stung, she felt a bit of relief too. She hasn't bothered to ask for feedback.

My DD says she has moved on, but like yours @mushroom3 she thinks Durham is just 'Oxbridge lite' with all the comparisons ('colleges just like Oxbridge' 'old historic city just like Oxbridge') except of course it isn't. She feels there's a yawning gap between Cambridge and everywhere else. She's busy abroad in her work experience currently so that may have further helped, but before she went she was thinking that her roommate has a place at Cambridge and is not that enthusiastic about it (the roommate that is)! Plus, STILL waiting on Bath! LSE too but that was last minute addition and not so invested.

I haven't read the full thread but sorry to read that some of your teens are still a bit up in the air after an Oxbridge rejection.

A few years ago, DS was in a similar mindset. He was feeling a bit 'meh' about his other offers - LSE and UCL have great reputations but he wanted to get out of London. Durham, as mondaytosunday says, has this reputation of 'posh' and 'Oxbridge-lite.' I think this is really unfair actually, because it's not as if there aren't just as many so-called 'Oxbridge rejects' at other top unis. Bath had made him an offer but it was something like AAB and I think he just felt there was no point in working hard for all A stars and then taking that offer.

So he did reapply and was successful second time round. He also knew about 5 others who reapplied and were also successful and, once in the uni, realised loads had had gap years and / or reapplied. It's actually very common indeed.

My only advice would be - don't reapply with the same application! It's important to do something relevant to the degree in the gap year - they will want to know what you're doing and why. And really, given how competitive it is these days, it's only really worth applying if they have very high / perfect grades. Also, anything they can do to boost their application like essay competitions, articles for magazines, activism, online courses - anything. They will expect more from a post- AL applicant than one who is still halfway through A-levels. If possible (it's not for all subjects), go for a college that has a 'general interview' as well as an academic interview, because then they can talk about their voluntary work (or paid), extra essays or research pieces they might have done etc etc.

To be honest, by the time August comes, January doesn't seem far off. And it's an unconditional place then, if successful.

Secind time around you could also broaden the search -eg. look at options abroad, so that it's not all about Oxbridge. And make the gap year worth it in itself, whatever the outcome. Have a clear plan would be my advice because it can be hard for them when all their friends are posting about uni in social media.

Having said this, everyone we know who has gone to Edinburgh, Durham, Bath, St Andrews etc absolutely loves it. Once they are there, they never look back and their lives take off. I think LSE and Imperial are different uni experiences, especially for those who live in London anyway. But, let's face it, one is in South Kensington, one just off Covent Garden. There are far far worse places to be a student! They are very lucky indeed and they will make friends wherever and what will be will be.

Best of luck to them for any outstanding offers. Hope this is not too waffling.

@drxyz you should really RTFT before giving unsolicited advice that pulls d Euronext backwards

So thanks for that

DC have come to terms with it and so have we and are all moving on

*everyone

Thanks @drxyz I really appreciated your post. I think if it weren't for the fact that it is frowned upon for taking a gap year for maths, DS would be reapplying as he knows the rejection was down to one of his interviews. It's good to know about those at the other universities you list. For those who reapplied, were any of them for maths? @EverlastingStar I think your comments are uncalled for. Your DC may be fine and moved on but others are not fine, particularly if they were near misses and close friends got in. This is borne out in some of the recent posts on this thread.

Interesting @drxyz! My dd has three A stars in hand and not sure what else she can do - she thinks perhaps her essay assessment could have been better, but that depends on the question on the day, and she can't change her 6 in GCSE Math, but has 8s and 9s in everything else. Her interviews were not at all what she expected and feels they had already decided not to make her an offer (they had to interview her as she had 3 x A stars). That she wasn't taken from the pool was a double blow.
Her Bath course (assuming she gets an offer) is AAB, but so is the Durham one and I think even LSE (though we know applicants are likely to have well above that), so that doesn't detract from those courses and she's the type that does her very best at everything no matter what the requirement is. I wanted her to look at Surrey which has a very good reputation for her subject and good graduate prospects, but at BBB that was a bit too far down the pecking order for her.
I think she feels that she worked unbelievably hard to get her grades and could not have got better results, overcoming her devastating MS diagnosis weeks before her exams, therefore she wants to go to the very best. That the very best doesn't want her hurts.
She knows many applicants were rejected with four A stars and stellar exam results and an amazing PS, but the issue is they want a definite reason why that student got in and they did not and I don't think even the university itself can answer that.
It's not my decision but I hope she doesn't reapply. I think the better idea is to get her degree (she is now determined to get a First) and if she does a masters apply to Cambridge for that.

I thought drxyz post was helpful. I think dd will see when grades come in. Might be worth another go as it was bad luck lots of others applied from her school for her course when usually they don’t. I feel sure that was a factor as the feedback was a bit vague.

Maths. That does seem to be incredibly hard to get in on top of taking a year out. I’ve never heard of anyone getting in second time but maybe others have? Seems to me it’s things like MFL and classics they get in second time as have been able to put that year to great use

I suppose a number do re-apply and get in. In some schools, 6th form and uni appplications are seen as a 3 year thing and the expectation is to apply and possibly to expect to apply again if you were pretty close and really really want it. When that’s the expectation and understanding, those rejected don’t necessarily feel it’s the end of the process as others too will re-apply.

I think you do learn something from applying once and the feedback. You might realise an other college might look on your application more favourably or focuses it’s I terriers in a slightly different way. You realise the admissions test score is really important, not just in getting an interview, but also in determining who will get the offers. A higher score is so much more likely to get an offer. If your score want quite top notch but could be improved, those on a year out can work hard on that and might well boost their score and chances. Work can be done on prepping for interview, but some people will get turned down even with excellent admissions tests scores, as seen as not quite so teachable or not doing quite so well in response to that particular interviewer - some people do get luckier than others in terms of the focus of the interview suiting them, as especially for some subjects, not all colleges will be doing it the same. All the prep in the world can’t guarantee it will go really well, nor how others will perform…and at the end of the day, it’s not just about you being excellent, but the fact so many others are brilliant too and they can’t take everyone.

I suppose if you’ve entered it as a 3 year process with a plan already for a year off which is worthwhile and beneficial to your application, if you get rejected, you just plough head with your studies to get the best grades and your year off and the reapplication - as that what you’d expected to do. But most students don’t start from that point. Most see it as a 2 year thing and hope to go to uni at the end of yr13 and have no real plan apart from that. Finding in Jan it hasn’t come off and then especially if other uni offers they want don’t appear, it can all feel disappo8nting and as if there isn’t time to make a good alternative plan. Re-applying with the risks of a further rejection feels too high stake for most, with the time then slipping away, especially if they do have some other good offers.

So I think the re-applicant rate is much much higher from a smallish number if schools which specialise in this and who actually get a decent percentage of their offers from re-applicants. It’s been one way that these kind of schools have addressed the falling likelihood of them getting offers first time round, but ensuring that overall they still do well. They are pushing a 3-year mindset for medicine, Oxbridge, some overseas unis. And some of these candidates get stronger and better and then do get offers. But of course, a number don’t. But if they had a good plan for that 3rd year and get good offers second time round, they don’t really feel worse off and know they had another go. But it’s a different mindset from that which most 6th formers are set up for. It’s a luxury to be able to take 3 years and almost to be factoring in an 8 year secondary education or period before uni. Most schools do t have lots of reapplications. There might be some first time post-offer applicants and one or two who reapply…but it’s not a ‘thing’ and something planned for and expected ahead of time.

Thanks @drxyz for a useful, balanced post. My DS will wait and see how his results go before he thinks about reapplying. He's got his school to request his feedback but not give it to him, unless he gets top marks in August - then he'll consider the feedback and see if he wants to have another go - he was planning a year out originally - he applied this year as a practice run, but has now got into the idea of going this year. I think a second rejection would be really hard to deal with, and I am not convinced it is the right place for him, but it's not my decision (thankfully).

Right now I think he's not likely to reapply - he really liked Durham, especially that they have 24h home exams - he hates exams so that is a very strong selling point. He was also impressed with the extracurricular stuff, and the slightly longer term times to make the most of it. He's still got offer holder day at LSE to go in April, so no decisions til then.

Hi anyone else still waiting for feedback? DD requested it the day after results, but heard nothing as yet

@EverlastingStar - I'm very sorry if my post was insensitive or out of context. It was just in response to some people with DC thinking about reapplying and I remember how hard it was to know what to think and how to advise when you're in the midst of it all (not that they take much notice anyway). They read things online about this uni or that uni and even though we, as adults, know there is no significant difference between say Durham and Oxford, they have their own ideas.

When DS decided to reapply, the things I mentioned were how someone advised us to approach it, so I just wanted to share that really in case any DC are heading that way because there are always some who will reapply for their own reasons.

@mushroom3 - I think maths is a tricky one. I've heard some colleges are more accepting of maths reapplicants than others though, so this may be worth checking out. But if your DS has an offer at Imperial anyway, I don't think he can do better than that! Not all the halls are in Acton, some are in S Ken and look amazing (expensive though)!

Agree with @WombatChocolate on all points. Yes, it's easier to reapply for humanities and social sciences. For instance, language students can spend time in the relevant country and really get a head start; people applying for Politics, or HSPS or Geography etc can do relevant voluntary work and they would expect this for these kind of subjects. I know one girl who managed to shadow her MP for a few months and got in for HSPS. Or they apply to their local Youth Parliament, something like that. Historians can sometimes get work in local museums. Geographers can do environmental volunteering or voluntary aid work somewhere near or far.

If anyone is thinking about reapplying, it's worth looking at any essay competitions or STEM- related things now because the deadlines may well be in the summer.

Having said all this, its probably only worth reapplying if they are semi-thinking of a gap year regardless. Also, it depends on offer rates eg. MML or Classics where it's about 40% could be worth another shot, but CS where it's about 6% offer rate, maybe not.

Given the discussion on LSE and Oxbridge rejections

My own son didn't get into Cambridge for economics. We were already from London so he was a bit hesitant about firming it. After some gentle encouragement from us about the prestige and the career advantages, he went to LSE. He made friends and enjoyed his degree.

He's glad he didn't have to deal with the 8 week term Lengths and has remarked to me how common it is at LSE to skip class, whilst you simply can't skip a supervision/tutorial at Oxbridge.

LSE had lots of things to develop his economics interests and he loved London as a city. He is now very involved with alumni outreach.

Dd has now firmed Bath and Exeter and given her current health issues the intensity of Cambridge would have have made it impossible to manage the workload.
She is managing to attend school part time and has (at long last) a cardiology appointment for next month and a letter from her consultant stating that in her opinion dd needs extra time. School is now sending letter to the exam board.
It’s been a painful couple of months since she was discharged from hospital, but some positives this week

@drxyz my DS didn’t apply for any London ones as that’s where we are. Edinburgh with 2nd year entry looks his most likely choice.

Edinburgh is fantastic with a strong international reputation and every student we know there is having the time of their life, by the sounds of it.

DD decided not to re-apply to Oxford, got her 3xA* and went to Exeter. Now in Year 3 she has just received an offer for a Masters at Oxford. Her boyfriend received one for Cambridge having never applied previously. Good things can come to those who wait!

She knows many applicants were rejected with four A stars and stellar exam results and an amazing PS, but the issue is they want a definite reason why that student got in and they did not and I don't think even the university itself can answer that

I think this is the issue. I don't think lottery is the correct term because there is selection however there isn't as much standardisation between colleges as I thought and this can lead to the "luck" element.

This year I know of 2 applicants who applied for the exact same course at different Cambridge colleges. Boy1, top grades at GCSEs, 4A* predictions and a good score on pre test, interview went well. Boy2 dropped a few grades at GCSEs, 2Astar, 2 A prediction, weak pre test, so much so that he didn't expect an interview. Interview went well. No contextual factors for either. Boy2 perhaps slightly more advantaged but nothing much in it.

To everyone's surprise, Boy 1 didn't get an offer or even pooled.Boy 2 got an offer from a prestigious college. All the parents know each other very well. The only difference is the college applied to, Boy 1 was online interview and Boy2 was in person. On every measure Boy2 was a weaker applicant (and his parents also acknowledged it) and I genuinely don't think Boy2 would have had an amazing interview to make up for his weaker application.

I would have expected Boy1 to be pooled at least because his pre test scores ranked him highly. No feedback received, despite requested so they may never know. From an outsider's view I can't make sense of it but think luck of colleges choices is a factor.

Should just mention my DC isn't either student.. I just know them very well hence my knowledge.

@Pleasealexa totally agree with you and we have witnessed this same scenario also.

I'm trying to do the student finance bit for my DD but it says I already have an account and I'm sure I don't. Never been to actual uni and when I did open university in 2011 I never had to make a student finance account as my course was free, so I'm a bit confused and will call tomorrow.

My DD is still waiting for feedback. The college say they send automatically (no need to request) and it comes out by 17 April, which I assume means on 17 April. Feels like a v long wait though, and she wants to see it to decide next steps (and who knows if it will be any help when it arrives...)

@Okayornot DD got hers last week - it was actually helpful, and she was much much closer (so close!) to getting a place than we thought post interviews; was a little bittersweet but hasn’t changed her mind - wont be going again