I just want to send some hope to those who are sad today after being rejected from Oxbridge! I got rejected from Cambridge at 17 (I was devasted and felt everything Sam has described), I went to Durham (and got First-Class Honours) and now I'm at Cambridge on a fully-funded scholarship for my MA as a working-class girl from a low-income family and as a first-generation student. Don't give up!
rejected today and having mixed feelings :/ I did well on my admissions tests and generally thought my interviews were good so I've been feeling like a 'failure'. this really helped- the more I think about it, I've always felt that if I went to Oxford, it should be for a masters and not a ba, and I think deep down I knew that. hopefully now I just get an offer from Edinburgh aha . Thanks for this video, really lifted me out of the 'post rejection slump' :)
i feel the same Emmie- just got rejected and feeling pretty low cos i thought my interviews etc went well. also i live in edinburgh and i can highly highly recommend both the city and the university!
Got rejected today. Did not cry or wasn't very sad in school. But as I reached home now I kinda feel disappointed in myself. I know I'll be studying physics the most amazing subject at any university so I'm happy about that.
Hi Sam. I just wanna tell you that I got rejected from ChCh and I’ve never felt worse. I was a reapplicant and put my all into the application. I worked super hard in my A levels just to get into Oxford and all of it just seems to have gone to waste. Thanks for all your help over the past few months though!
That's rough, reapplying I never knew. You've just gotta have the mentality of reapplying was unilaterally not for nothing as it has given you complete closure. You can never have 'what if' thoughts because you tried your absolute hardest. Which is something you didn't have last year as you have now closed the idea of 'maybe I would have got in if I reapplied'. That kinda idea helped me when I was manifesting on my gap year, I don't know :)
Jiya, I am in the same position - put everything into reapplication and was rejected from Christ Church today. All I can say is that it’s not the end of the world, it just sets you on a different path, everything happens for a reason!
@@UnfoundMysteries I can’t tell you how much this helped rn especially since everyone I see got in. The worst feeling is just that I always thought Oxford was for me and loved every bit of it and now it just feels like I’m never going to go and it’s just done and dusted now🥺🥺
Rejected by queens earlier. Requested feedback, so maybe it might help. Otherwise, just need some time to figure out next steps. Videos are still very informative, thanks!
I got an offer for Geography at St Catz!!! I really can’t believe it haha. I applied in year 13 and got rejected pre interview so I actually can’t believe i’ve done it 😭
Got rejected for PPE at LMH with a 73.9 on the TSA (+ special consideration request bc of a migraine), 44/45 predicted IB, 3 9’s 6A*’s 1A IGCSE from two diff schools (moved country after yr10) :((( tbh i wasn’t feeling great about any of my interviews tho, my phil & econ ones were 100% problem-solving based when i’m so so so much better at the argumentation side😭 my mock interviews were 100% argumentation and i got told i had good chances but then i messed up the real ones i was so fucking nervous during them i couldn’t think worst part is i already requested feedback and got sent a form to fill out where it said that in most cases there will be no individualised feedback due to high volume of requests, only cohort-level feedback :( when i need all the feedback i can get for a potential reapplication
:/ - see what they say in the feedback just in case. It is super frustrating that so much can ride on interviews which can vary so much but also be quite homogeneous and thus really fully play to some people's strengths or weaknesses. Chin up though, plenty of options still available Inc reapplying 👊🙏
Hi Sam! Not sure if you still remember me commenting on your previous videos but I managed to secure an offer for Law! In that sense we kind of took a similar path of rejection -> gap year -> acceptance, just that I applied for different subjects in the 2 cycles. Just wanted to pop by and thank you for your videos - they are really interesting and insightful! :D
@@Sam.Kramer HAHA umm I think that will be a decision for future me since I am still busy with university work - do you think I can (or rather, should) share my personal statement online?
Sam this is a brilliant video - I did exactly the same as you (rejection/feedback/gap year/acceptance) and you sum up the thoughts and nuances around this tricky topic perfectly for those in a difficult / uncertain position 👍
I got rejected for History and Politics today... I feel like I should wait for feedback in order to ensure that reapplying would be a realistic thing to do. If I do decide to reapply... what do you think is best, go to a uni first or take a gap year? im not sure I want to be a year behind everyone anyway (does that affect the dynamic?).
Definitely wait for feedback. I preferred normal gap year hence why I did it - dynamic is absolutely no problem at all, as I said in my long Term Review video, some people in our year are 20 and some are 17 and people don't even know until you say!
Thanks for the video, this is the first one I have seen. RUclips must have known I got rejected from PPE today. For PPE do you think it is worth putting in a freedom of information form, does it provide extra information as I have already asked for feedback? Thanks
Glad it maybe helped :) - I don't think there's the same deadline on FOI so you could wait for feedback, see what they say, and if you want to request it later!
I got rejected for law but i definitely expected it . My interview was sooo bad ,i just didn’t understand any of the pre reading and couldn’t answer the questions. I’m definitely not going to reapply and hopefully go to UCL or LSE instead.
Got rejected for PPE at LMH with a 73.9 on the TSA (+ special consideration request bc of a migraine) with the other aspects of my application being almost perfect except the interviews which didn’t go amazing, still had hope tho even tho deep down i felt like i was gonna get rejected
Exactly the same. Thought the interviews were pretty good and 75 on tsa. Rejected from Brasenose. I think certainly there is an element of luck involved.
Luck definitely in the sense that the way colleges can run eg their interviews can really play to some applicants strengths and not to others, and u can never really tell in advance.... Also there are clearly more deserving people than spaces so at some point they are just picking between a bunch of eligible people that would all thrive
Thank you so much. I definitely feel better after watching this. Got rejected for engineering at Oxford. What do you think about reapplying to Oxford or Changing it to Cambridge
just got rejected from e&m at st edmunds, feeling really salty towards the interviewers, especially since im already at university and cannot apply again unless its for a masters any advice on what to do from here?
That sucks man :/ There are I think ~25 freshers each year who took 2 gap years Inc some who got in 3rd try. But I wouldn't really recommend that, sounds dire to me personally. which uni are you at? Are you really against staying?
I just got rejected by LSE for law. I'm so scared for my other options (UCL, KCL, Cambridge) I also applied for Durham but my father won't allow me to go to Durham for certain reasons.
@@stellamarion1844oh no no, don't be scared! Also congratulations to your daughter!! Durham is a lovely place I'm sure, I've heard lots of great stuff about it :) It's just that I'm from a country where the Unis are average and so much cheaper than in the UK. Durham law is placed in a similar ranking to some unis here for law. My dad just thinks it's not worth paying €10k per year for a similar education that we could get for €3k per year. From my research, Durham is a wonderful school! Lots of college life, good education and friendly people. I have heard that the accommodation is really expensive though. That's another reason why I won't be attending Durham, if I do receive an offer.
sameee, i'm the only oxbridge applicant & I applied for law & i'm so anxious. No one in my school has ever been admitted for Law at Oxbridge, so I feel like there's so much pressure on me to get in kssksk
Hello, I am going to fill out the freedom of information request form for my CS course I have got shortlisted but I didn't manage to make it to the next step. Can you please tell me what information you have requested where you found useful when you reapplied so I could ask for the same data? Thank you
What approximate percentage of those who reapply are admitted ? Is it easier or harder to get into the other Oxbridge uni the next year, rather than reapplying to the same one ?
I'm not sure but it must be slightly higher. But that's a guess. There is no difference at all - the uni doesn't care if you've already applied, people mostly change if they think they may have better luck at a slightly different variation of the course or because 'PTSD' /they feel it is fate to not go to the one they applied to first
Hi man, this video was really useful for me and i cant say enough how the fast half related to me so much, I dedicated an entire year for it. Can i ask how did you manage to improve even further your admission test scores? you said that u basically had done as much practice and papers as possible before u sat the test the first time, what did u do next?
Great question - I realised second time that doing lots of papers =/= improving. I was not learning from my mistakes (going back to my textbook to get better at those parts before trying the next paper). I had to actually put in time to improve before attempting the tests. Does that make sense?!
@@Sam.Kramer oh so you looked back at parts you struggled in a recent paper and tried looking over those topics until u felt confident, then you would try the next paper? Also Do you think using anki (flashcards) for questions you struggle with most is most effective? That way you try a question a few days later and as u get better each time, you will master it and see it less often. Thanks so much for your response
I have a question : who do you put as your referee if you want to reapply to oxford whilst doing first year at another University ? And also does your personal statement need to be changed or not ? Thanks
Put the same person as last year - your school should treat you like any gap year applicant in that way. I would defo change your PS, even if it was good enough last time you are applying with an extra year of experience in your subject and the PS should reflect that
Thank you so much for this video I found it super helpful ! May I ask how you worded your emails so that you can sound polite but enough detail to get what you want out of them? Thanks
My teacher said what I wrote was too over the top and polite lol, it really doesn't have to be much. "Dear ___, I am requesting feedback for ________, (list all the things), Thanks, ___" will do!
Hey Sam! I just wanted to ask whether you decided to choose another college in your second application and why. Furthermore, your link to ur insta dosent work? If possible I'd like to dm you more about reapplying :)
Hi my heart is on Oxford and Cambridge the problem was when I was in year 9 I was working very hard but then in year 11 I started feeling mentally ill and I had really bad anxiety and depression and my GCSEs were really bad I could not do Alevels and I do BTECS I want to go to Oxford to study Music they said they do accept BTECs for that course do you think I might have a chance
www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admission-requirements/UK-qualifications read the section on GCSEs and then the Vocational Qualifications :)
I just want to send some hope to those who are sad today after being rejected from Oxbridge! I got rejected from Cambridge at 17 (I was devasted and felt everything Sam has described), I went to Durham (and got First-Class Honours) and now I'm at Cambridge on a fully-funded scholarship for my MA as a working-class girl from a low-income family and as a first-generation student. Don't give up!
What a nice story to be able to share.... Thanks very much (and congrats to you!) :)
Thank you so much! It really consoled me.💙🧿💙
rejected today and having mixed feelings :/ I did well on my admissions tests and generally thought my interviews were good so I've been feeling like a 'failure'. this really helped- the more I think about it, I've always felt that if I went to Oxford, it should be for a masters and not a ba, and I think deep down I knew that. hopefully now I just get an offer from Edinburgh aha . Thanks for this video, really lifted me out of the 'post rejection slump' :)
Glad it might have helped a bit :) great mindset to have, Edi is a superb uni too
i feel the same Emmie- just got rejected and feeling pretty low cos i thought my interviews etc went well. also i live in edinburgh and i can highly highly recommend both the city and the university!
Also got rejected, and hoping for an offer from Edinburgh too. I’m sure we will have more fun there anyway :)
Same situation here. Got rejected by Oxford, day after got my offer from KCL. Good luck on your journey
just wanted to say thanks so much for this. got rejected today and am feeling pretty shitty about the whole thing. this video helped a lot, thank you
Glad to hear it maybe helped, this is the worst part, It only gets easier :)
Got rejected today. Did not cry or wasn't very sad in school. But as I reached home now I kinda feel disappointed in myself. I know I'll be studying physics the most amazing subject at any university so I'm happy about that.
So sorry to hear that :( great mindset tho, you'll smash it wherever for sure!!
My grandson was rejected he is very very upset he feels a total failure
I needed this today, thank you. On to better things I hope!
No doubt :) Chin up! 👊
Hi Sam. I just wanna tell you that I got rejected from ChCh and I’ve never felt worse. I was a reapplicant and put my all into the application. I worked super hard in my A levels just to get into Oxford and all of it just seems to have gone to waste. Thanks for all your help over the past few months though!
That's rough, reapplying I never knew. You've just gotta have the mentality of reapplying was unilaterally not for nothing as it has given you complete closure. You can never have 'what if' thoughts because you tried your absolute hardest. Which is something you didn't have last year as you have now closed the idea of 'maybe I would have got in if I reapplied'. That kinda idea helped me when I was manifesting on my gap year, I don't know :)
Jiya, I am in the same position - put everything into reapplication and was rejected from Christ Church today. All I can say is that it’s not the end of the world, it just sets you on a different path, everything happens for a reason!
@@UnfoundMysteries I can’t tell you how much this helped rn especially since everyone I see got in. The worst feeling is just that I always thought Oxford was for me and loved every bit of it and now it just feels like I’m never going to go and it’s just done and dusted now🥺🥺
Rejected by queens earlier. Requested feedback, so maybe it might help. Otherwise, just need some time to figure out next steps. Videos are still very informative, thanks!
Ah that's gutting :( yeah see what they say and then work out what to do. Chin up :)
I got an offer for Geography at St Catz!!! I really can’t believe it haha. I applied in year 13 and got rejected pre interview so I actually can’t believe i’ve done it 😭
That's so cool, I never knew you were reapplying. Shows real character if I don't say so myself 😂 maybe see you around!
azby is this u???
Got rejected for PPE at LMH with a 73.9 on the TSA (+ special consideration request bc of a migraine), 44/45 predicted IB, 3 9’s 6A*’s 1A IGCSE from two diff schools (moved country after yr10) :((( tbh i wasn’t feeling great about any of my interviews tho, my phil & econ ones were 100% problem-solving based when i’m so so so much better at the argumentation side😭 my mock interviews were 100% argumentation and i got told i had good chances but then i messed up the real ones i was so fucking nervous during them i couldn’t think
worst part is i already requested feedback and got sent a form to fill out where it said that in most cases there will be no individualised feedback due to high volume of requests, only cohort-level feedback :( when i need all the feedback i can get for a potential reapplication
:/ - see what they say in the feedback just in case. It is super frustrating that so much can ride on interviews which can vary so much but also be quite homogeneous and thus really fully play to some people's strengths or weaknesses. Chin up though, plenty of options still available Inc reapplying 👊🙏
Bruh my friend got 83 in TSA and for rejected
So the day has come.... I'll update this comment to let u know how I do today- thanks for the kind words on other videos Sam!
Good luck (not that you’ll need it 😉) My fingers are crossed for you 🤞
Best of luck Krish and yes please do let me know either way 🤞🤞🤞
Unfortunately I was rejected 😬
Laughed out loud at the denial bit. I did the exact same :)
Ahahah :)
Hi Sam! Not sure if you still remember me commenting on your previous videos but I managed to secure an offer for Law! In that sense we kind of took a similar path of rejection -> gap year -> acceptance, just that I applied for different subjects in the 2 cycles. Just wanted to pop by and thank you for your videos - they are really interesting and insightful! :D
Huge congrats :) I do, you were maybe gonna make a video right, still planning to?!
@@Sam.Kramer HAHA umm I think that will be a decision for future me since I am still busy with university work - do you think I can (or rather, should) share my personal statement online?
Up to you but as you know I did!
@@Sam.Kramer Alright, thank you! :D
Sam this is a brilliant video - I did exactly the same as you (rejection/feedback/gap year/acceptance) and you sum up the thoughts and nuances around this tricky topic perfectly for those in a difficult / uncertain position 👍
Thanks so much for the kind words :) are you in Oxford now then?! What year?!
I got rejected for History and Politics today... I feel like I should wait for feedback in order to ensure that reapplying would be a realistic thing to do. If I do decide to reapply... what do you think is best, go to a uni first or take a gap year? im not sure I want to be a year behind everyone anyway (does that affect the dynamic?).
Definitely wait for feedback. I preferred normal gap year hence why I did it - dynamic is absolutely no problem at all, as I said in my long Term Review video, some people in our year are 20 and some are 17 and people don't even know until you say!
If you're asking for mine, I did Maths History and Greek
@@bbjr9406 www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses-listing/history-and-politics check out this page! Hope it helps :)
did you end up reapplying? i didn’t know you could go to another uni and still reapply to oxford while you’re going doing your first year
Just got rejected for history & econ :( super gutted and lowkey wanna reapply
Plenty of time to work it out, request feedback and go from there :) chin up
Thanks for the video, this is the first one I have seen. RUclips must have known I got rejected from PPE today. For PPE do you think it is worth putting in a freedom of information form, does it provide extra information as I have already asked for feedback? Thanks
Glad it maybe helped :) - I don't think there's the same deadline on FOI so you could wait for feedback, see what they say, and if you want to request it later!
I was also never got accepted by Oxford University….because I never applied
🤣🤣
I got rejected for law but i definitely expected it . My interview was sooo bad ,i just didn’t understand any of the pre reading and couldn’t answer the questions. I’m definitely not going to reapply and hopefully go to UCL or LSE instead.
Sounds like a plan! Two great unis :)
@@Sam.Kramer thank you for all the help Sam !
Rejected today dont understans why otherwise no problem at all but dont know what went wrong with 2 good interviews and a 74 from the tsa
same bro, i applied ppe at new, I had a 73 on tsa, and i thought my interviews were great...
Sucks, request feedback see what they say.... Hopefully they give a satisfying answer...
Got rejected for PPE at LMH with a 73.9 on the TSA (+ special consideration request bc of a migraine) with the other aspects of my application being almost perfect except the interviews which didn’t go amazing, still had hope tho even tho deep down i felt like i was gonna get rejected
Exactly the same. Thought the interviews were pretty good and 75 on tsa. Rejected from Brasenose. I think certainly there is an element of luck involved.
Luck definitely in the sense that the way colleges can run eg their interviews can really play to some applicants strengths and not to others, and u can never really tell in advance.... Also there are clearly more deserving people than spaces so at some point they are just picking between a bunch of eligible people that would all thrive
Thank you so much. I definitely feel better after watching this. Got rejected for engineering at Oxford. What do you think about reapplying to Oxford or Changing it to Cambridge
I applied to the same one, some like to change it up. Doesn't make a huge difference, work it out as you did first time based on course etc etc!
See you at trinity this October:)
Congrats!! Which subject?
@@Sam.Kramer physics lmao
just got rejected from e&m at st edmunds, feeling really salty towards the interviewers, especially since im already at university and cannot apply again unless its for a masters
any advice on what to do from here?
That sucks man :/ There are I think ~25 freshers each year who took 2 gap years Inc some who got in 3rd try. But I wouldn't really recommend that, sounds dire to me personally. which uni are you at? Are you really against staying?
Which uni are you at?
I just got rejected by LSE for law. I'm so scared for my other options (UCL, KCL, Cambridge) I also applied for Durham but my father won't allow me to go to Durham for certain reasons.
Why won't your dad let you go to Durham. I'm scared now. My daughter has an offer.
@@stellamarion1844oh no no, don't be scared! Also congratulations to your daughter!! Durham is a lovely place I'm sure, I've heard lots of great stuff about it :)
It's just that I'm from a country where the Unis are average and so much cheaper than in the UK. Durham law is placed in a similar ranking to some unis here for law. My dad just thinks it's not worth paying €10k per year for a similar education that we could get for €3k per year.
From my research, Durham is a wonderful school! Lots of college life, good education and friendly people. I have heard that the accommodation is really expensive though. That's another reason why I won't be attending Durham, if I do receive an offer.
cambridge decisions come out in 2 weeks and i'm the only oxbridge applicant in my sixth form, i'm so nervous😬😬😬😬
Best of luck 🤞🤞🤞🤞
sameee, i'm the only oxbridge applicant & I applied for law & i'm so anxious. No one in my school has ever been admitted for Law at Oxbridge, so I feel like there's so much pressure on me to get in kssksk
@@jessica-9291 what college?
@@Tom-vu1wr Peterhouse :)
@@jessica-9291 gl
Im so nervous
Best of luck Mohammed :) 🤞🤞
Hello, I am going to fill out the freedom of information request form for my CS course I have got shortlisted but I didn't manage to make it to the next step. Can you please tell me what information you have requested where you found useful when you reapplied so I could ask for the same data? Thank you
What's the inspiration for the haircut sam....
New term new me haha
What approximate percentage of those who reapply are admitted ? Is it easier or harder to get into the other Oxbridge uni the next year, rather than reapplying to the same one ?
I'm not sure but it must be slightly higher. But that's a guess. There is no difference at all - the uni doesn't care if you've already applied, people mostly change if they think they may have better luck at a slightly different variation of the course or because 'PTSD' /they feel it is fate to not go to the one they applied to first
Hi man, this video was really useful for me and i cant say enough how the fast half related to me so much, I dedicated an entire year for it. Can i ask how did you manage to improve even further your admission test scores? you said that u basically had done as much practice and papers as possible before u sat the test the first time, what did u do next?
Great question - I realised second time that doing lots of papers =/= improving. I was not learning from my mistakes (going back to my textbook to get better at those parts before trying the next paper). I had to actually put in time to improve before attempting the tests. Does that make sense?!
@@Sam.Kramer oh so you looked back at parts you struggled in a recent paper and tried looking over those topics until u felt confident, then you would try the next paper?
Also Do you think using anki (flashcards) for questions you struggle with most is most effective? That way you try a question a few days later and as u get better each time, you will master it and see it less often.
Thanks so much for your response
did you send the FOI alongside requesting for the normal feedback, or was the FOI instead of the feedback if you get what im saying aha
I sent an email asking for feedback and also mentioned I had attached a form for FOI - so I got both :)
I have a question : who do you put as your referee if you want to reapply to oxford whilst doing first year at another University ? And also does your personal statement need to be changed or not ? Thanks
Put the same person as last year - your school should treat you like any gap year applicant in that way. I would defo change your PS, even if it was good enough last time you are applying with an extra year of experience in your subject and the PS should reflect that
@@Sam.Kramer thanks , but how about the achievements one has mentioned in their personal statement, would it be ok to mention them again or not ?
Thank you so much for this video I found it super helpful ! May I ask how you worded your emails so that you can sound polite but enough detail to get what you want out of them? Thanks
My teacher said what I wrote was too over the top and polite lol, it really doesn't have to be much. "Dear ___, I am requesting feedback for ________, (list all the things), Thanks, ___" will do!
Hey Sam!
I just wanted to ask whether you decided to choose another college in your second application and why. Furthermore, your link to ur insta dosent work? If possible I'd like to dm you more about reapplying :)
Hi my heart is on Oxford and Cambridge the problem was when I was in year 9 I was working very hard but then in year 11 I started feeling mentally ill and I had really bad anxiety and depression and my GCSEs were really bad I could not do Alevels and I do BTECS I want to go to Oxford to study Music they said they do accept BTECs for that course do you think I might have a chance
www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admission-requirements/UK-qualifications read the section on GCSEs and then the Vocational Qualifications :)
Does anyone have any practical source (web, youtube...) concerning applying to Oxbridge for graduate courses?
Check out the Oxford website - www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate - loads of follow up pages should answer everything... Cambridge will have one too :)
What is there response window, from what time to what time
Do you mean from Oxford? 9am - 930 most get
What time of day do decision typically come out?
Now! 9-930 :)
you r in oxford please i donot undersand
As I said at the start, this was 2 years ago, I got rejected but then I reapplied!
@@Sam.Kramer Im proud of you
@@AbolishYTHandles thank you!
Reeeejected.
Gutting :(
Like the attitude towards it, just one of the five 😀