Being rejected from a university can be devastating. Especially when you had your mind set on studying there. When the time comes again to apply to university, can you reapply to a university that rejected you?
No matter how many times you have applied to a university previously, you will never be rejected solely because of the fact you are reapplying. Reapplying has no additional impacts to your application. When you reapply, you will be seen and treated equally to the rest of the applicants.
Now you’ve got the short answer let’s dive into the details of reapplying to university.
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Can You Reapply to a University That Rejected You?
YES!All universities will accept reapplicants.Most don’t ask if a student is reapplying, as it is generally irrelevant.UCAS does not inform universities of this either.
Does Reapplying to a University Have an Impact on Your Application?
One main worry on reapplicants minds is whether the fact they are reapplying will have a negative impact on their application.Does past rejection increase the odds of a future one?Fortunately for students in this position the answer is… no!
UCAS(Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) does not state that applications from reapplicants should be seen in any sort of negative light.Making the element that you potentially are a reapplicant irrelevant to admissions officers.
Do You Have to Wait a Certain Amount of Time Before Reapplying to University?
There is no set time period suggested by UCAS that re-applicants must wait before reapplying to their chosen university.However, they must wait a year and reapply by the deadline the following year just as all other applicants do.
This further embeds the point that reapplicants are no different to first-time applicants- both are treated equally.This means that you cannot re-apply straight away.
What Are the Advantages of Reapplying to University?
When reapplying you must wait until the next university application season rolls around- this is most commonly around autumn time.This gives you an entire year to gain work experience and to develop skills that are greatly advantageous to be seen on your application.This is especially important if applying to a particularly competitive sector of education, such as law school or medical school in which rivalry is rife, and only the elites with the most outstanding résumés get in.
The years rest also gives you time to improve your grades if you feel you could further develop your knowledge to achieve a higher score.Retaking your A-Levels is always an option, more on retaking A-Levels can be found inthis article.
The year off gives you a chance to research and reflect what went wrong and find the core reasons why you were rejected. You can then work on these and come back stronger with a higher chance of success.
During your time off you can relax, revitalise, and rejuvenate before re-entering the crazy world of education.Perhaps you could volunteer or take a traditional gap year and travel the world. This can improve your perspective on life as a whole, and your new experiences will teach you many lessons that will weave themselves into your application and university life in general whether you realise it or not.
What Are the Drawbacks of Reapplying to University?
Most universities are more than willing to accept grades achieved from retakes. The more prestigious universities such as Oxford University and Cambridge University tend to only recognise grades from the original exams.Frustrating for those who have retaken and elevated their original the achievements, and feel their new grades represent their academic ability with more accuracy.
Since the majority of universities don’t have a habit of giving reject students feedback,students often don’t know what to improve on for next time.This leaves them to figure it out for themselves. The most they can do is look up general tips for applications. Meaning none of these tips could actually apply to them, leaving them in the same position as before.
Reapplying could be a waste of your time.If you already had a fairly strong application, and there is no criticism towards your performance, it could just be you are not fit for the university for whatever reason. As disappointing as that may be to hear, it is important to be aware of this to ensure you do not turn down another equally good offer to have a retry at this one.
Where Can You Find Feedback on Previous University Applications?
If you are looking for ways to improve your application for the future, one of the most strategic moves you can execute is finding out what criticism’s universities had about your application last time. This is important so you can improve your weak areas, alsoits important to ensure you keep your strong areas effective and return to the application season as prepared as possible!
Unfortunately,universities do not tend to give feedback unless it is specifically asked for, and even then, it is not definite you will receive it.Even if you do get given it, the statements can often be quite vague and are difficult to take from. However, something is always better than nothing, so acquiring your feedback will bebeneficial for you when application season rolls roundonce more.
Toobtain yourfeedback, we recommend you contact the universityof your choice and simply request the feedback that may have been given by the admissions officers or the interviewer.I recommend you do this as soon as possible because any notes written may be lost and interviewers or admissions officers may fail to remember your interview and therefore not give correct information.
You can still attempt to contact them even if your interview was quite a while ago. However, do not set your expectations high as it isunlikely,they still have a record of you.
