HOW TO DO WELL IN YOUR OXBRIDGE INTERVIEW

The library of Magdalene College, Cambridge

Having been thrilled to receive that message with the College arms inviting them to an Oxford or Cambridge interview,  some students now go into panic mode about all the things that could still go wrong. Those from non-university backgrounds often worry that they may "not sound right" to their interviewers and so be rejected. In fact, speaking in a local accent is absolutely fine these days, whether you are from Hackney or Livesey. It is the ability to give coherent, thoughtful answers to challenging, subject-linked questions that gets you through.

This said, it's still not OK to pepper your sentences with pointless or misused "likes". While saying "I really like science fiction" is obviously fine, a statement such as "I can't, like, remember which SF book I last read, like," is not. Using teen-speak and having nothing to say about what you've read may suggest to an interviewer that you're not mature enough for their course. If you're a serious "like" addict, try to spend a whole pre-interview day without (mis)using  that pesky word. 

Other helpful ways to prepare

A student still terribly nervous may want to try a bit of yoga breathing. Even a few minutes of this will make  specific neurons in your brain tell your body to relax. There are lots of people demonstrating this simple skill on YouTube. Here's a link to a site showing two very helpful, basic exercises which can calm you before your interview.

Yet another calming thing you can do is google your prospective interviewers.  Not only will they seem less like strangers when you meet, but a special interest mentioned can suggest topics that might come up.

Don’t, though, try to plough through an interviewer’s book at this stage. It may still be well above your head anyway. Focus on practical things instead. If your Oxbridge interviews involve an overnight stay, pack something that will take your mind off the challenges ahead. For some people, that will be a thriller, for others Rescue Remedy or their favourite chocs.

What to do right on your interview day(s) 

Once up, get to know some of the other candidates (who may become fellow students), rather than just viewing them as potential rivals. Some will have read books or explored subject areas you never even heard off, but don’t worry now. Interview questions can usually be handled by drawing on a variety of sources.

·    If a term or author mentioned really baffles you, have a quick look online, but don’t spend hours trying to catch up. You want to stay fresh enough to display your own knowledge and engage with new ideas.

·  Still worried you might embarrass yourself in front of those super-smart interviewers? Remember that this is actually not what they’re trying to achieve. They’re just experts looking for yet more good learners keen on the much loved course they teach.

·   Most will try hard to make you feel welcome, but don’t be put off by an interviewer who seems unfriendly or glum. It does not mean that black-gowned figure hates your school, race or cutting-edge haircut. The poor soul may simply be exhausted after interviewing a dozen students in one day. Other great minds, however well-meaning, merely lack the social skills to put a stranger at ease. Either way, they will still be taking in everything you say and discuss it with fellow interviewers later.

    So, keep relating to what you are being asked, instead of fretting about the feel of the event. And, if you really want to be liked, practise speaking up; whispering, mumbling students are the bane of a don’s life. 

Giving good answers
To do so, you also need to remember the two key interview skills: giving yourself time to think before you reply to a question is one. Answering the question actually asked (rather than the one you would like it to have been) is the other. Also, interview questions are meant to be hard, so don’t despair if you got the odd answer wrong. 

·    Also be aware that that interviewers expect fairly detailed answers, preferable given in a few well-structured sentences. What this means is that  you should try to  cover "what, why and how" whenever possible.  Can you explain events, analyse texts or calculate outcomes? Show a knack for logical or lateral thinking?

      And, if a totally unfamiliar scenario is put in front of you, can you draw on what you do know to engage with it? Just "yes" or "no" is never, ever what your interviewers are looking for.

·    What, though, if you realise half way through an answer that you are moving in  a false direction? Don't panic. All you need to say is something like: ""Sorry, I got this wrong, can I start again?" You usually can.

How to raise your game yet further

As interviewers fish for both mental skills and subject knowledge, here are a few ways of ensuring you can display those:

       

    Listen carefully. Does your interviewer want you to discuss what triggered the First or the Second World War?  Are you being asked for a fact, an explanation or your opinion?

·     Make sure you have reread or at least skimmed 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 past events still hugely resonate with us, while others don’t.

      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 (or allusion with illusion) on that long, stressful day.

A few final tips
It's also nice 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 climate change or the development of human language? Has our judgement of past events or practices radically changed over time, and why? 

    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?  This often requires some logical or lateral thinking.

      An applicant for a course requiring students to solve mathematical problems, meanwhile, will 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.  

     Lastly, be aware that in many fields giving a really good answer to an interview question often means looking  at a problem from more than one single, narrow angle.

    For more detailed advice, check out OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES, still available by one-day delivery from Amazon. Not only does it include 45 pages of interview advice, but there is lots of course-specific guidance. 

     BEST OF LUCK!