A student who scored seven A*s at A Level is heading to Stanford University in the US after being rejected by Oxford.
Alastair Herron achieved top grades in biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, Latin and Classical Greek. He had previously gained 13 A*s at GCSE
The 18-year-old said he had received offers from other American universities including Harvard and Princeton.
But he accepted Stanford, one of the world’s leading research and teaching institutions in California, and plans to study chemistry from September, possibly in conjunction with maths.
He told BBC Radio Ulster: ‘I applied to Oxford but they didn’t have a place for me. I’m not sorry though.’
The student said he did not know why he was turned down as he just received a standard rejection letter.
The teenager from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, said he was ‘not in any way disappointed’ by Oxford’s decision due to the volume of interest from the States.
He said: ‘I think I’d like to go into research of some sort but whether it’d be a university or a private company I’m not sure.’
Referring to his studies at Royal Belfast Academical Institution, a grammar school, he added: ‘I’ve definitely enjoyed my time there but I feel I’m ready to move on.’
Proud: Alastair, pictured with Principal of the Royal Belfast Academical Institution Janet Williamson, is now heading to Stanford University in America to study chemistry
Delighted: Alastair achieved top grades at A Level in biology, chemistry, physics, maths, further maths, Latin and Classical Greek
An Oxford University spokesman said: ‘We have very many more exceptional applicants than we have places for and have to turn down thousands of candidates every year who go on to get the very top grades.’
This is not the first time a student has been rejected from Oxford despite achieving the highest grades.
State school educated Laura Spence, from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, had applied to read medicine at Magdalen College.
But she was denied a place at Oxford in 2000 despite ten GCSEs and A-levels in chemistry, biology, English and geography - all with top grades.
In high demand: A spokesman for Oxford University (pictured) said they have more exceptional applicants than places and have to turn down thousands of candidates every year
Plenty of choice: The 18-year-old received offers from top American universities including Harvard, Princeton and Stanford in California (pictured). He has opted to study chemistry at Stanford
THE LAURA SPENCE CASE
Alastair Herron is not the first student to be rejected from Oxford despite achieving the highest possible grades.
Laura Spence, from Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, had applied to read medicine at Magdalen College.
But she was denied a place at Oxford in 2000despite ten GCSEs and A-levels in chemistry, biology, English and geography - all with top grades.
Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, accused Oxford of elitism, saying state school pupil Spence had been discriminated against by 'an old establishment interview system'.
Speaking at the time, she tried to distance herself from the furore surrounding her case, saying: 'To be honest, I never disputed my Oxford rejection. I simply got on with life. My position at the centre of the row was difficult.'
The student instead accepted a £35,000 scholarship to study Biological Sciences at Harvard in America and graduated with honours.
She then returned to England to study at Cambridge where she graduated in 2008 from her medicine course with distinction - the highest grade possible.
Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, accused Oxford of elitism, saying Spence had been discriminated against by 'an old establishment interview system'.
Speaking at the time, she tried to distance herself from the furore surrounding her case, saying: 'To be honest, I never disputed my Oxford rejection. I simply got on with life.
'My position at the centre of the row was difficult.'
The student instead accepted a £35,000 scholarship to study Biological Sciences at Harvard in America and graduated with honours.
She then returned to England to study at Cambridge where she graduated in 2008 from her medicine course with distinction - the highest grade possible.
Alastair Herron's results yesterday are all the more remarkable considering the proportion of A-levels awarded top grades fell for the second year running.
In total, 26.3 per cent of entries scored an A or A* - down 0.3 per cent on last year's figure of 26.6 per cent.
It is believed to be the second biggest fall in the history of A-levels and comes the year after the A*-A pass rate fell for the first time in more than 20 years.
The number of entries awarded an A* - the highest grade - also dipped to 7.6 per cent, compared with 7.9 per cent last year, while the overall A*-E pass rate rose slightly by 0.1 per cent to 98.1 per cent.
As the pass rate dipped, a breakdown by subject revealed a continued move towards science and maths A-levels, which are often seen as tougher, and more traditional subjects.
Doing well: Nell Ranken, Rebecca Verlander, Louis Hill, Alice Simpson and Bridie McGrail (left to right) receive their A Level results at Stoke Newington School
Unbridled joy: Withington Independent Girls School pupils Jennifer Flynn (left) celebrates her two A*s and three As exam results with friend Harriet Macleod who achieved 4 A*s and 2 As
TWITTER ROW OVER ELITISM
Former Labour deputy PM Lord Prescott and former Tory MP Louise Mensch had a spat on Twitter over Alastair Merron's rejection from Oxford.
Prescott accused the institution elitism while Mensch argues the student just didn't make the grade - despite his seven A*s.
Prescott tweeted: 'NI pupil who got 7 - yes SEVEN A* - in his A levels - tells Nolan show he has been turned DOWN by Oxford University'.
But on her blog, Mensch argued that the university made the right choice.
She wrote: 'I said the kid probably wasn’t good enough for Oxford, and he probably wasn’t. Which is not to deny his evident high intelligence but to say he may not have had the specific type of intelligence required for Oxford.'
She continued: 'Seven Grade A* A levels is not the slam dunk it would have been in 1988, say.
'Oxford admissions directors go out of their way to try to recruit undergraduates from working class backgrounds. It’s always an advantage and never a disadvantage.
'However the university refuses, thank God, to drop its academic standards. They will not admit those who are not up to Oxford’s particular teaching style no matter where they come from.'
Biology, chemistry and physics accounted for 17.8 per cent of entries, up from 17 per cent last year and 15 per cent in 2009, according to figures published by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ).
There were almost 24,000 more entries for the sciences this year compared with 2009, JCQ said, and nearly 19,000 more for maths courses.
Science and maths courses are in demand by universities and businesses, and it had previously been suggested that the focus on these A-levels could fuel a slight drop in results, as youngsters who might not have considered taking these subjects in the past, and might not be as strong in them, are opting for the courses to help their chances of securing a university place.
Mark Dawe, chief executive of the OCR exam board, said students are becoming 'more and more savvy about choices they need to make at A-level for the career they want'.
He added: 'The universities are being very transparent about what they expect - it’s not just the grades, it’s the type of subject they expect students to take, it’s employers saying "this is the degree we’re looking at".'
Education Minister Liz Truss said the move to core subjects was ‘good for the economy and will help the UK compete’.
And core subjects have proved to help students get on to degree courses as a record number of candidates have already been accepted on to university courses.
As of midnight, 401,540 applicants had been accepted by UK universities and colleges - a nine per cent rise on 2012, Ucas said.
The admissions service said this is also higher than the number of students who had secured their place at this point in 2011 - the year before tuition fees were tripled to £9,000.
A MODEL GAP YEAR
Student Jenny Bishop has landed a coveted place at Oxford University - but first plans to take a year out to work as a professional model.
Jenny, 18, from Stockport, secured three A* grades in physics, maths, and further maths at Loreto College in Hulme.
But the teenager will defer her place to study at St Peter's College for a year after landing a top modelling contract at fashion agency FM.
The teenager - who was among 14 students at the inner city college to gain places at Oxford or Cambridge - said her long-term goal was to pursue an engineering career.
She said: 'I am interested in renewable energy but the degree I am doing is quite general, so I am keeping my options open.
'I enjoy the creative aspect of engineering and my plan is to go back and get my degree.'
Universities Minister David Willetts said: 'It is great that more students have been accepted by universities than ever before at this time in the cycle. Many congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard and is now looking forward to the life-changing experience of university.'
The latest figures also show that fewer students are entering clearing, with 153,070 entering the process, almost 9,000 fewer than last year.
Of those, 7,970 have already found places through clearing, almost double the 4,180 who had done so at this point last year.
Mary Curnock Cook, chief executive of Ucas, said from the organisation’s headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said yesterday: 'We have been very, very busy and we have processed a record number of confirmations.
'So more people know their outcomes about whether they are going to their university place than on any other A-level results day before.
'It’s going really well. We’ve had a huge number of calls, log-ins and all the services are working at peak capacity.'
The statistics come the day after students across England, Wales and Northern Ireland received their A-level results.
The figures also revealed boys outperformed girls in the top grade again this year, and widened the gap, with 8 per cent of boys’ entries attaining an A* compared with 7.4 per cent of girls.
Girls are still slightly ahead in A*-A grades combined, but their results dropped 0.5 per cent to narrow the gap between the genders.
Overall, 26.6 per cent of girls’ entries got at least an A grade, compared with 27.1 per cent last year, while 26 per cent of boys’ exams achieved this standard, up from 25.8 per cent.
As university acceptances and A-level results were revealed, the Government published new research which it said shows the benefits of higher education to graduates and the UK economy.
Women who go to university can expect to see their lifetime earnings boosted by £250,000, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), while men can see their earnings increase by £165,000.
STUDENT WHO SLEPT ROUGH LANDS PLACE AT CAMBRIDGE
A student who slept rough on the streets of Manchester is going to Cambridge University after landing top grades.
Chelsea McCluskey's life fell apart just months into her A-levels after problems at home forced her to sleep on friends' couches and spend several terrifying nights on the streets of Manchester city centre.
Despite being a high-flying academic student, the former Wright Robinson College pupil ended up dropping out of lessons at Loreto College in Hulme.
But thanks to the determination of her tutor and the kindness of best friend Leah McNair-Acton the teenager got her life back on track.
Teacher Tony Lyons was convinced Chelsea had a shot of getting into the world's top university and doggedly tracked her down, persuading her to give college another go.
Two years later, Chelsea has proved tutors right by comfortably winning a place to study psychology at Cambridge's Murray Edwards College with an outstanding clutch of grades.
Chelsea, who scored 2A* and 2A, said: 'I couldn't cope going to college and dropped out. I was sofa-surfing and sleeping rough in the city.
'I tried to go through a number of agencies but ended up living with my friend and her mum. My tutor was the first to notice that I wasn't at college and he started to send me emails and ask me to come back. I wasn't sure at first whether I could pick myself up. Nobody knew how bad it had been for me until I went back.
'The interview at Cambridge was scary even though the admissions tutors were very nice. I had always had teachers tell me I could go to Oxford or Cambridge but I never actually thought it would happen.'
Chelsea, who works three nights a week in a bar to pay for rent, admits the forthcoming three years in Cambridge will be a financial squeeze
But she added: 'I'm telling myself that nothing I can do will be as hard as the last 18 months that I've been through.'
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