As someone who went through the Oxford interview process this year (and rather surprisingly received an offer) I do wonder exactly what she was expecting when she applied to Oxford. For me part of the attraction (aside from the academical reputation) was the history and, it has to be said, rather grand buildings.

It's also worth pointing out that this was sent on December 10th, before any replies from the university, meaning that she didn't actually have an offer to reject, it was technically a withdrawal of her application, and probably only preempted a rejection letter from the university.

Personally, while I didn't enjoy the interview experience as a whole (much of the conversation was awkward, and having to wait 12 hours while you 'might' get called for another interview is incredibly stressful) I really enjoyed the interviews I had - the opportunity to discuss aspects of CS/Maths with experts in the field, particularly talking about areas that interest me is something I've not really had chance to experience through the UK education system - although I can't say I had any of my interviews in 'grand formal settings', just the tutors offices.

For those interested in the full text of the 'letter', it can be found here [1], as kindly posted to the 2012 Oxford Applicants group on FB by one of her friends who did get an offer.

[1]: http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/5766/ellylawoxfordemailco...