Offers Day

 Looking back many moons ago to the time when I had sent off my application and all the tests and essays to go along with it, my main memory is that of the tremendous waiting time after the December interviews to the mid January results. 

I waited, and waited, and waited for an email to find out whether I had got a place or not. I didn't apply in Sixth Form, instead opting for a gap year for a variety of reasons including health and an inability to fully commit to one university course. So, in a way I was much luckier than most because I already knew my grades and that meant that if or when the offer email came, it would be essentially a guaranteed place. 

Nonetheless I was very nervous and I remember sitting at the bottom of the stairs just scrolling on my phone when the email came. All I said was, quit quietly, "I got in", with next to no emotion in my voice. My Mum who was the nearest person wasn't really listening and after a pause asked me to repeat myself which I diligently did. Suffice to say that after that slow motion event celebrations were had and eventually the surprise abated.

That being said, for many people their dream is to get into Oxford but it’s important to remember what you really want to get out of university. University is about broadening your horizons and being academically challenged in a subject area your passionate about. It’s about making friends and having new experiences that will stay with you hopefully for the rest of your life and it’s about paving the way for your future.

All of this does not necessarily have to occur at Oxford for it to be meaningful an enjoyable. What I’m trying to say is that Oxford is not the be-all and end-all of your life. With the possible initial disappointment, it certainly may feel like that, but you have to remember the other places you applied to. Why did you want to go there? What did they have to offer? Oxford might not be right for you but that doesn’t mean that other places aren’t.

Your life is not decided or limited by not getting into Oxford in any way. And if the rejection comes you need to see it as a hiccup in your long academic journey, re-evaluate and move forward.

Oxford is definitely a buzz word and carries a lot of weight but it's important not to get too swept up in all that because at the end of the day it's a university with its pros and cons just like any other. The most important thing to remember whatever the outcome of the offers day is to try your best in your A Levels, whatever form they might take and to look after yourself. Mental wellbeing is of the greatest importance and you should always work hard to care for yourself above all else!

Good luck and good vibes and I hope you got in for those who applied and for those who didn't it's just a bump in a long and exciting road!