Rejecting Oxford 拒絕牛津大學

John McManus, BBC News

媒體英語會帶大家一起學習 BBC 撰稿人在報道世界大事時常用到的單詞和短語。

Background: 對大多數人來說，一生中至少會收到一封拒絕信，可能是申請工作或者是報考大學。牛津大學作為英國的頂級院校每年會寄出無數封拒絕信，不過這一次，牛津大學卻被一個申請者給拒絕了，此事現已成為人們茶余飯后的笑料。

Nineteen-year old Elly Nowell from Winchester in the south of England applied to the Oxford college of Magdalen to read law, but when she was invited for interview she decided she didn't like what she saw.

Elly, who is finishing her A-levels, told the BBC that Oxford resembled the British Monarchy in that it was what she called ridiculous and elitist, but unlike the Royal Family, was rarely mocked. Her actions may well change that. Following her interview at Magdalen College, Elly wrote a rejection letter to the University using the kind of language that officials employ when they're trying to let somebody down gently.

Elly admits that her letter of rejection to the University was not entirely serious, but it has raised some important points. Oxford and Cambridge universities are often accused of elitism and of having entrance procedures that favour students from private schools.

Yet Oxford says it's changing and that last year more than half of its academic offers went to pupils from state schools. As for Elly, she now hopes to gain a place at University College London. The admissions staff there may well be watching the mailbox very closely.