university applications?

Question

im not sure where to apply to univeristy, i have the marks to go to oxford but i feel as though if i do apply to oxford my parents will think im trying to better my step sister (my family situation is weird one) and i feel that they will almost make fun of me and say that i will never be able to get there as in the past i wasnt the most academic of students. I dont know what to do as my dad still almost makes fun of me for my past and it really puts me down and makes me feel like im not good enough even to go to uni. What else can i do to get into oxford to almost make sure if i do apply ill get in because i don't want to prove my family right. Ive already done a list of things but i need more i feel.

Answer 1

Nothing you can do will give you, or anybody else, better than about a 25% chance of getting into Oxford. That is about the ratio by which the top-qualified applicants outnumber the places available. It's (almost) a lottery.

To get a slight edge at your interview, should you get one, visit the town long beforehand. Be leisurely. Cruise around. Get the feel of the place. Try to converse with a few students in cafes or bookshops. Try to decide whether it feels like a second home or not.

So apply anyway, and good luck. Since they have to turn down a lot of excellent applicants, anybody who made fun of you for not getting in would just be showing their ignorance of the system.

Answer 2

I agree with all the answers above, and they all say basically what I want to say!

But also, I would just like to add, don't set your sights wholly on one university because that one may not be the one that's best for you.

I had my heart set on going to Warwick, and on results day I didn't get it because I got a C, not B, in French. I was SO gutted. But I phoned my insurance offer (Stirling), which I had never bothered to visit, and I ended up going there and had the BEST time of my life! The university campus was gorgeous, the people were unpretentious and it was a small uni so you always bumped into someone you knew. I loved it and have never regretted going. The only thing I regretted is not putting THAT as my first choice!

You obviously sound talented enough for Oxford, but as others have pointed out, it's not all about the grades and even the most deserving candidates sometimes don't go in.

But maybe you should concentrate on going somewhere which is going to afford you enough distance and independence from your family to work out your own situation and what's right for you. University should be the best years of your life, working hard and playing hard, it's where you really 'find' yourself and though it's not easy at times, it's the first real taste of 'freedom' you'll have.

So enjoy it. And stuff anyone who says you're not talented enough to go - that's nonsense. If you're considering Oxford, then that says it all.

But above all, go to University for YOU, not anyone else.

Answer 3

Oxford is very, very, VERY competitive, not just in terms of getting in, but in terms of studying there as well - it can be a very stressful place to study. Which is why I'm going to caution you to think carefully about applying. Not because I'm trying to tell you you 'aren't good enough' - I'm quite sure that you are a very capable student and could manage the academic work fine.

But it sounds like your situation at home is really stressing you out, and I wonder whether applying to Oxford might just add extra layers of stress to your situation? Because, as a previous answerer said, lots of people apply to Oxford, all of whom are very capable, very academic, and could cope with the studies; and, purely because there are only so many places, not all of them get in. It's really a bit of a lottery in some ways, and no-one can really guarantee they'll be accepted. It doesn't mean they aren't fantastic people who are capable of doing well - but I think, if you don't get in, that that might be how you'll take it; that you aren't 'good enough'. It sounds like that might be how your family will construe it, anyway. If you do decide to go ahead and apply, then you need to be very confident that whatever the outcome, you're still a great person - and that's difficult to do. (It's true, but it's still really hard!) I think you need to decide whether you're prepared to deal with the possibility of rejection (in which case, ally to Oxford) or whether you'd be happier if you pick somewhere which still makes use of your academic abilities, but where applying (and then studying there) doesn't need to stress you out quite so much.

So I'd suggest you take the time now to think a lot about what you want to study and what you hope to get out of your time at uni. Is a really full-on academic environment what you want? Is Oxford actually the best place for whatever subject you want to study? And there are some positives on the horizon. It sounds as though your home situation is pretty complicated and maybe sometimes quite difficult - but you'll be going away to uni before too long, to become more independent and build up the life you want, rather than the life other people think you should want, (or, indeed, your step-sister's life). Also, if you've got the grades to think about applying to Oxford, well done! I'll say it, even if your family don't - you're obviously a very intelligent person with a lot of potential. Wherever you go to uni this will stand you in really good stead.

Good luck with your application!

Answer 4

Don't listen to anyone else..or care what anyone else thinks...do what YOU want to do..and if you have the marks to go to Oxford go...you'll end up regretting it forever..you have the marks so obviously you are talented enough to get there.....