I was rejected post-interview. However, I don’t feel regretful. I’m not even inclined to think of myself as failure, which I know I’m not just because I wasn’t given an offer. I did well at most of my interviews, they were interesting, they were fun. The people I met at the interviews were some of the most wonderful, intelligent people I know, and everyone of them would have deserved a place at Oxford.

I’m proud of myself for even applying to Oxford, for risking rejection. I tend to minimise failure, rather than maximising success, a feature I very much dislike in myself. Lately that has been changing. I’ve been changing. I decided to risk falling in love with Oxford only to be refused a place there. As a non-native English speaker, a female, and a person who wrote in my personal statement for PPE “I do not know anything formal about economics”, I’m quite proud of how far I got. And most importantly, I’m glad for the experience. I’ll never forget my interview with Oxford, because it taught me to dare try things. I gained much more than I ever hoped when I decided to apply. 16 months ago

ASIHDFAKDSFA I found out on Monday and it still hasn’t properly sunk in – I’ve been wanting it so badly for over a year, and the moment I opened the envelope – such a contrast to last year’s! – was incredible. I don’t think I could be sad about anything at the moment. 17 months ago

I have an interview for PPE with Oxford! I’m beside myself with joy, I’ve barely been able to stop smiling these past few days. I almost feel like I got my long-lost letter to Hogwarts. Life has a weird way of being ridiculously wonderful every now and then. 18 months ago