GETTING READY FOR YOUR OXBRIDGE INTERVIEW?

Wadham College, Oxford

 

Did that thin letter with the college arms turn out to be an invite to your  interview? If so, give yourself a big pat on the back.  Oxbridge has concluded that you are “a realistic candidate”, i.e. a hard-working and high achieving student. Roughly half of Oxford applicants are interviewed, partly on the basis of how well they have done in pre-interview tests. Cambridge this year greatly extended its use of  such tests, but will still interview a somewhat higher proportion. 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, meanwhile, Oxbridge dons hope to find some proof of both mental skills and subject knowledge. While an ability to do well in tests, think logically and express yourself clearly counts for much, wise applicants therefore raise their game a little further. Here are some of the best ways to do that:

 

·         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 A-level history is essential for subject applicants, of course, but you may also want to ask yourself why some events within those still hugely resonate with us, while others don’t.

 

·         An applicant for a course requiring students to solve mathematical problems may need to practise showing (on paper or board) how they arrived at the solution. It is not enough to just verbally 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 expressed an interest in. Have there been major new discoveries in the causes of earth quakes or the development of human language?

 

·         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, be aware that to give a really good answer to an interview question often means looking  at a problem from more than one single, narrow angle.

 

You’ll find links to features which will help you give such academic answers   in my tweets @oxbridgentrance. For advice on how to do well in all aspects of the interview, read the eight interview chapters of OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES, available for next-day delivery from Amazon.