By Hadiyah Qureshi
I had grown up with people telling me that I was smart enough to go to Oxford or Cambridge. After I got amazing GCSE results, I heard that again. So I guess in year 13, it felt like a no brainer to apply to Oxford.
But nothing prepared me for the rejection, even though I was aware that it was super competitive. I thought that perhaps I would at least get an interview, but, I was rejected straight after my application. I was so gutted. It felt like everything had gone wrong and it severely impacted my self-esteem. I think I was crying for a whole week afterwards.
Eventually, I had to accept the fact that I had got rejected and I began to listen to the much needed advice that everyone was telling me. It was time to start looking for a university that I liked just as much.
For me, that was the University of Warwick. It was close enough to London that I could go home for a weekend without it being too gruelling, the campus was self-contained and in its own little world and everyone I knew that had gone to the university loved it so much.
On results day, I opened my results and, too my complete shock , I found myself crying ; again. All of my friends were crying out of happiness and I was crying out of dread. My offer for Warwick was A*A*A and I was one grade below at A*AA. I tried to console myself by thinking that universities accept people below their offers all the time. I immediately turned o
n my laptop, logged into UCAS track and I had been refused.
I couldn’t sleep the night before results day because I feared for the worst, and that had now come true. The only thing that had gotten me through my Oxford rejection was knowing that I could go to Warwick, but now hat I wasn’t going to happen either and I didn’t know what to do.
That’s when I decided I was fed up of having others decide my life, I took charge and became the CEO of my university decision. I began to look for universities in clearing and the University of Bath stood out for me. So, in between my tears, I called up and I was given a verbal offer that was only valid for 4 days.
Those 4 days, were so intense – I watched so many YouTube videos on the Bath University that I felt like I knew the campus like the back of my hand. And now I actually do. Just over one month into my first term, I am absolutely loving it.
The entire experience was a reminder that although I may not feel like it, I am always the one in control of my life. My A Level results were amazing and nobody can take away my pride in knowing that I did the best I could. Even though the rejections were out of my hands and at points it felt like the end of the world, I’ve realised, that I will always be the CEO of my life. I can always control what comes next !
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Speak to you Gals soon !!
