GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR INTERVIEW?

 

St. John's College, Cambridge



Did that thin letter with the college arms turn out to be an invite to your Oxbridge interview? If so, give yourself a big pat on the back:  Oxbridge thinks  that you are “a realistic candidate”, i.e. a hard-working and high achieving student. About half of Oxford applicants are interviewed, partly on the strength of pre-interview test results. At Cambridge, the proportion is over 70 per cent. Since  applicants vastly outnumber places, many of those turned down are excellent students, too, and will doubtlessly shine elsewhere.
 

Having named the day for the lucky ones, Oxbridge dons now hope to find some proof of both factual knowledge and mental agility. While being able to do well in tests and express yourself counts for much, wise applicants therefore raise their game a little further. Here are some of the best ways to do so:
 

·        Try to re-read or at least skim any book(s) you mentioned in your UCAS statement, this time focusing on methods rather than findings or facts. How exactly did Gregor Mendel discover the genetic basis of heredity? How might an archaeologist research the lives of illiterate, long dead people?

 

·        Being familiar with  the periods covered in your history course is essential, of course, but a smart student may also want to reflect on  why some events within those periods still hugely resonate with us, while others don't.

 

·        A student aiming for a course requiring him or her to solve maths problems may want to practise explaining how they arrived at the solution. It is not enough to just present the interviewer with it.   

 

·        Make sure, too, that you can understand, define, spell and confidently use the main subject terms. You don’t want to muddle up a reactant with a reagent on that long, stressful day.

 

·         You also need to be fairly up-to-date on developments in the subject area you have expressed an interest in. Which recent discoveries, for instance, suggest that there is life elsewhere in the cosmos?
 

·        What can be helpful, too, is a willingness to speculate when faced with an unfamiliar scenario. The idea is to draw on what you know, but also use your imagination (or an appropriate calculation). What would have happened if Churchill had died in 1939? Why might an economic theory not work in real life?  

     Lastly, keep in mind that a good answer to an interview question often requires you to look at a problem from more than one single, narrow angle.

Need yet more help? 

 

Check out the links to topical academic feature  in my tweets @oxbridgentrance and my guide, OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.

 

Schools may want to book  a one-off OXBRIDGE WORKSHOP either focused   on interview prep or on broader Oxbridge issues. Parents in London and the South-East can book a one-to-one OXBRIDGE INTERVIEW SESSION for their son or daughter.