Student sends rejection letter to Oxford University‎

A student has sent a rejection letter to the University of Oxford following her interview for a place there. Elly Nowell parodied the institution's own rejection letters, stating Magdalen College "did not quite meet the standard" of other universities. Ms Nowell, 19, from Winchester, Hampshire, said the interview left her feeling like "the only atheist in a gigantic monastery." A university spokesman said it received only a few complaints from applicants. He added: "Of the 10,000 interviews that we conduct over the course of the admissions period it is a very low number."



Ms Nowell's letter began: "I have now considered your establishment as a place to read Law (Jurisprudence). I very much regret to inform you that I will be withdrawing my application. I realise you may be disappointed by this decision, but you were in competition with many fantastic universities and following your interview I am afraid you do not quite meet the standard of the universities I will be considering."

Should the university wish to "reapply", her letter continued, "while you may believe your decision to hold interviews in grand formal settings is inspiring, it allows public school applicants to flourish ... and intimidates state school applicants, distorting the academic potential of both". She also criticised Magdalen College's "traditions and rituals", and the gap between "minorities and white middle class students".



Ms Nowell, who went to Brockenhurst College, said she applied to the university to keep her options open but now hopes to be accepted into University College London. Ms Nowell admitted that her email was not meant to be taken 100% seriously. She said: "Oxbridge is a fairly ridiculous and prominent elitist institution, yet unlike the monarchy or investment bankers it is rarely mocked. Being a successful student should depend on the student, not on whether or not a couple of academics have deemed you to shine in a twenty minute interview."