Purmus,
Thanks for your really helpful reply.
Would you think that I might stand a chance of getting a larger loan from a non-Oxford branch then?
My dad rang them the other day as he wanted to know his position with regard to being a guarantour etc. and the manager seemed quite adamant that £50,000 would be the maximum. This means I would have to work for a year or two before starting the APP.
I'm not sure why this really makes sense, as all I would be doing would be working pretty tedious jobs for the next year or so whilst saving up the cash. I would also have to resit the selection process for Oxford. I appreciate that they are trying to manage their risk, but surely if they are prepared to lend £50,000 then it makes sense to loan £60,000 so that I would actually be able to start the course!
The manager did mention that in exceptional circumstances there might be a possibility of extending this limit. He said that this could be a letter of recommendation from a current airline captain, for example. How an 'ab-initio' student is going to get this recommendation however is something I have been puzzling over.
I suppose the best thing I can do is write out my business plan and give it my best shot. The worst thing that can happen is that I get declined and end up working for a couple of years, which is what I would do if I hadn't applied at all.
Thanks again for your help,
James