Student Pens Letter of Rejection to Oxford
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Every year, thousands of students are rejected from Oxford, one of the most elite universities in the world. But how many times has Oxford been rejected by a student? The answer is at least once, thanks to Elly Nowell.
“I very much regret to inform you that I will be withdrawing my application,” Nowell, 19, wrote to Oxford’s Magdalen College in a rejection letter that parodied the ones universities send to students who are not admitted.
“I realise you may be disappointed by this decision,” Nowell continued, “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.”
Nowell, of Winchester, Hampshire, told the BBC that the school’s interview process made her feel like “the only atheist in a gigantic monastery.”
In the letter, she criticized the school’s choice to hold interviews in “grand formal settings” and the gap she perceived between “minorities and white middle class students” at the school.
A spokesperson for the college confirmed to ABCNews.com Nowell had rescinded her application and called it a “non-story.”
Last year, 17,000 people applied for a seat at Oxford. Of that number, only a fraction– 3,200– were admitted.
As for Nowell? According to her Facebook, she’s hoping to attend University College London.
“UCL was the first higher education institution in England to accept students of any race or religious or political belief,” she wrote on her page.
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Good for her! It is nice to see a person stick to their moral compass.
Posted by: Librarian53 | January 18, 2012, 2:29 pm 2:29 pm
Seems as though she’s looking for her 15 minutes. Did she not do her research before applying? What if Oxford gave the BBC a copy of each rejection letter it sent and the reasons for rejection? There’s a college for everyone, Oxford wasn’t hers. Big deal.
Posted by: LagunaTriMom | January 18, 2012, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
Wow, this is a story. And what does any of it have to do with her being an Athiest.
Posted by: aclueagain2012 | January 18, 2012, 5:52 pm 5:52 pm
Typical athiest, blame everyone else for how they made you feel bad. I feel bad for the college she picks.
Posted by: Seriously | January 18, 2012, 6:03 pm 6:03 pm
–Wow, this is a story. And what does any of it have to do with her being an Athiest.–
@LagunaTriMom Because they are a very religious school and at her interview they made her feel like she was a non-believer. It helps to read the story before commenting.
Also, it’s atheist not athiest.
Posted by: mobredthree | January 18, 2012, 6:05 pm 6:05 pm
It is not a story. It would have been if she had been accepted and then turned them down. She did not have an offer, so she had nothing. It is likely she did not qualify and would have been rejected.
Posted by: gashland | January 18, 2012, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
Boy is she going to feel stupid in 10 years.
Posted by: Yo Ma Ma | January 18, 2012, 6:10 pm 6:10 pm
I understand how Nowell must have felt, during her interview. My mom enrolled me in a Catholic high school, and one nun made it a point to distinguish the Catholic students from the non-Catholics. I couldn’t help but wonder what her reasoning was, and I didn’t return, after the first semester.
Posted by: Christine | January 18, 2012, 6:15 pm 6:15 pm
Hmm…let’s see. Cute girl vs. 1,000 year old school.
In other news, a fish peed in the ocean.
Posted by: Ed | January 18, 2012, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
This girl is an IDIOT!! Only a half-wit, lefty-lonnie would squander such a wonderful opportuinty in the name of athiests & minority rights??!! Are yiou kidding me? This little egomaniac will be heralded by the lefty losers for upholding her “principles”. But her arrogant, self-rightous attitude towards one of the finest education establishments in the world (that reached out to her) only shows what a snide little dim-wit she is. She DESERVES the non-education she is going to get. Have fun being a waitress the rest of your life LOSER!!
Posted by: Cary | January 18, 2012, 6:20 pm 6:20 pm
MOBREDTHREE: It does help to read the story before commenting but it also helps to comprehend what you’ve read. She didn’t say she was an atheist. She said the interview process made her feel like “the only atheist in a gigantic monastery”; ie like an outsider. If she’d said “the only cat in a dog’s home” would you all take that to mean she was claiming to be a cat? Oxford University isn’t “a very religious school”. Quite the opposite; there are probably more atheists per square foot there than anywhere else in the UK.
Posted by: 2hundredthousand | January 18, 2012, 6:29 pm 6:29 pm
CARY: She intends to attend UCL (University College London). Not exactly a rubbish university. And definitely not somewhere that provides the “non-education” you claim.
Posted by: 2hundredthousand | January 18, 2012, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
Interesting that ABC has two articles flanked by large pictures of atheists “taking a stand”! — Come on, I could see one “human interest” story… but two? with pictues? in one day? both high up on the front page? — Looks like somebody’s taking sides!!
Posted by: TheLoyalOpposition | January 18, 2012, 6:41 pm 6:41 pm
@aclueagain2012 – The ‘Dean of Divinity’ sits in on all interviews many of which are held in the college chapel. And if you’re there at the right time your interview will coincide with one of the 15 services held per week. Needless to say the Magdalen college puts it on a bit thick.
Posted by: elurle | January 18, 2012, 6:43 pm 6:43 pm
I’m an agnostic and can’t afford to go to Oxford, yet I have my 4-year degree from an in-state college. Is that a story, ABC News? Cause if it is, it’s a really slow news day.
Posted by: Willow | January 18, 2012, 6:44 pm 6:44 pm
The ONLY school I tell people to absolutely stay away from is Harvard. I mean, look at Obama. That should tell you all you need to know.
Posted by: kate | January 18, 2012, 7:06 pm 7:06 pm
It’s okay. She still has the rest of her life to regret it. I did not go to Oxford or Cambridge, but there’s little doubt they provide a huge career boost.
Posted by: Sally L | January 18, 2012, 7:09 pm 7:09 pm
As you did not know you were going to pass the interview hon, and probably didn’t, this story reeks of: “I don’t want to be rich, handsome, happy anyway, so there.”
Meanwhile I have sent a rejection letter to Scarlett Johansson.
Posted by: Joepublic | January 18, 2012, 7:11 pm 7:11 pm
Oh “Kate”, take that dress off man.
And find something else to obsess over. Really.
He won. Will probably win again.
Get over it.
Posted by: Kung fizu | January 18, 2012, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
“Quite the opposite; there are probably more atheists per square foot there than anywhere else in the UK.”
I doubt it. The UK is a LOT more rational than America
Posted by: Truebrit | January 18, 2012, 7:14 pm 7:14 pm
WHAT A TWIT.
WHO THE HELL CARES!
Posted by: nobama | January 18, 2012, 7:16 pm 7:16 pm
yawn. like she was going to get in anyway. She didn’t reject them, she withdrew her application… meaning she wasn’t even accepted yet.
Posted by: foo foo | January 18, 2012, 7:32 pm 7:32 pm
She was not accepted, so it is not a “letter of rejection.”
Posted by: JiggityJack | January 18, 2012, 7:49 pm 7:49 pm
Smart girl Elly! If only more people would show the snobs who’s really holding the cards. Pure genius the way you turned their own words on them, and they actually had the audacity to call it “a non-story.” They wish!
Posted by: nfission | January 18, 2012, 8:21 pm 8:21 pm
This girl is an IDIOT!! Only a half-wit, lefty-lonnie would squander such a wonderful opportuinty in the name of athiests & minority rights??!!
++++++++++++++++++++++
When religion enters the room suddenly higher education is a flag the right will rally around….LMAO, that dog doesn’t hunt.
Posted by: tibertron | January 18, 2012, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
Right On, You go Girl, U Rock
Posted by: Stanley Hutchinson | January 18, 2012, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm
This girl wasn’t even accepted yet. So, to get on ABCnews.com you have to apply to Oxford, withdraw your application before they even get to reject you outright, and write a letter about it. What would be great is if the University College London rejects her (and pens a letter stating that she seems like a really “bizarre” young lady).
Posted by: David | January 18, 2012, 8:49 pm 8:49 pm
Typical atheist personality disorder behavior. Best invest in a big umbrella when it rains on your life’s path.
Posted by: Carolyn | January 18, 2012, 9:16 pm 9:16 pm
What a slapper! Just wondering ABC…how is this news?
Posted by: wp_1968 | January 18, 2012, 9:41 pm 9:41 pm
I love this!!
Posted by: LifeisGOOD007 | January 18, 2012, 9:41 pm 9:41 pm
Rejecting Oxford? What a dumb move for a very smart young lady. So what if they were prejudice. Does she really care what people think? And this isnt news. Its a picky kid wanting it her way.
Posted by: Oscar | January 18, 2012, 10:00 pm 10:00 pm
To all the people who are over emphasizing the term atheist in this article, I think she was using it as a metaphor to describe the level of how uncomfortable she felt during her interview.
Posted by: Robert Lozano | January 18, 2012, 10:20 pm 10:20 pm
@ mobredthree “It helps to read the story before commenting.” Yes, and it helps to read comments before commenting. I said nothing about religion. I questioned her pre-application research.
Posted by: LagunaTriMom | January 18, 2012, 10:26 pm 10:26 pm
Good for you!! Stand your ground for what you believe in!
Posted by: selma | January 18, 2012, 11:12 pm 11:12 pm
It’s am empty stunt. It’s like a homeless person running for President of the United States, and then withdrawing their candidacy.
Posted by: Tyrone | January 18, 2012, 11:23 pm 11:23 pm
Silly me, I didn’t get the chance to attend Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, instead I applied the Grad-school of UMC and was accepted by the Chairman of Comp Science department due to the recommendation in person from the two Professors of the Math department – both stated I was ranked number one in their individual field of expertise – one is Calculus; the other Matrix Theory. After I received my Advanced degree I got hired by the IT Company which I worked for more than 29 years and retired recently. Since I lived a frugal life, my better-half and I are able to live on my pension and my Social Security benefit alone which left my one mill safety net intact. What I’m trying to say is one does not need to receive a degree from a well-known University or college to become successful in life. Of course one mill of safety net in comparison to Mr. Gates is only chunk-change – but we live in our retirement comfortably with the above mentioned two financial resources alone and still have some left each month. I can’t say the same for my three University-graduated grown-up kids though. That’s why we intent to pass along our safety net to them so that they could have a head start when they face their retirement. God bless everyone.
Posted by: Get_Down | January 19, 2012, 12:06 am 12:06 am
Notice how the Christian nutjobs read the word “atheist,” stopped reading, missed context, and went on a self-righteous wank.
Maybe I’m being unfair. Probably someone had to read it to them.
Posted by: Iman Azol | January 19, 2012, 3:13 am 3:13 am
Yeah, I don’t see how this is a story either. It is misleading. I thought she had been accepted and sent a rejection letter, then it’d be a story. However, after reading the comments, I reread and saw that there was no indication she had been accepted. She had merely gone through the interview process and then sent a rejection letter.
Either it was a slow news day or the reporter/editor needs to be fired for publishing such a ‘non-story’ as the college put it.
Posted by: read | January 19, 2012, 12:13 pm 12:13 pm
It’s only when you know the detail from someone who’s been through the Oxford interview process that you realise how thoroughly unkind it is. Students don’t complain at the time because they feel inadequate and humiliated and still have the slight hope that the obvious potential that got them the interview, will also get them a place. Parents who complain on their children’s behalf are given short shrift. My daughter, interviewed last year at Magdalen, was made to waited 9 hours on the first day to be interviewed by tired, bored people in a freezing cold room. If they were testing for physical endurance above all else, this was perfect – otherwise – rather a mystery!
Posted by: OXOMUM | January 19, 2012, 2:26 pm 2:26 pm
Well it was considerate of her to save Oxford the postage, and time, necessary to send her a rejection letter.
Posted by: Mikedel | January 19, 2012, 4:25 pm 4:25 pm
She didn’t reject Oxford, she hadn’t even got in – she simply withdrew her application
Posted by: Sam | January 21, 2012, 7:56 pm 7:56 pm
I hope Oxford finds a way to survive without her.
Posted by: smith | January 22, 2012, 10:50 pm 10:50 pm