Oxford and Cambridge Interviews
Two very useful PDFs on the university websites
Short-listing for interview: Oxford: Arts
Sciences Intake 12 Over 80% overall interviewed at Cambridge
What are they looking for? Self motivation and commitment to subject That you have done more than your syllabus demands That you can think critically and independently Ability to think conceptually and can engage with ideas Similar to supervisions in approach
Subject specific interview Challenging discussion Issues covered in recent academic work Issues in application/personal statement Apply existing knowledge to new situations What you think rather than what you know If you don t understand say so Usually no right or wrong answer
How can I prepare? Think about obvious questions Read widely Take a critical view of ideas and arguments Re-read personal statement and written work submitted Bring copies to the interview Remind yourself the selection criteria for the course Arrange a practice interview Dress:...whatever you feel comfortable in. Most tutors do not dress formally.
At the interview May be two or more interviewers at a time May be given something to read before interview especially in arts subjects Like a mini tutorial Test ability to apply logic and reasoning to new ideas or problems The tutor will be seeking to stretch you in order to assess your potential. Judging academic potential, self motivation and commitment not your manners, etiquette, appearance or background...not seeking to make you feel ignorant or catch you out.
Biology and English mock interviews here Comp Science, History, Maths, Med and Vet Science, Languages, Natural Sciences mock interviews here
Computer Science interview has explanation from tutor at beginning
History interview best for illustrating key points to all applicants
Short video clips on Oxford website Who will interview you? Purpose of interview What to expect What tutors are looking for Are there right and wrong answers? Are extra-curricular activities taken into account? Your questions
Law and Biochemistry mock interview clips
Oxford Sample Interview questions with pointers
Good source of 60 admissions interview questions with answers: How would you measure the weight of your own head? What happens if I drop an ant? 'What percentage of the world's water is contained in a cow? Why are fierce animals so rare?
Spend minimum of 20 hours preparing Anticipate obvious questions What ifs? What did I get from the books I have read, from work experience, conferences or field work. What insights? Prepare clear examples to illustrate your answers about yourself and what you have read, done and think
Make it a conversation Pause before you answer and don t speak too quickly Think out loud. Show how you think about a problem Show the different angles/alternatives to a question Don t be afraid to ask for pointers if you get really stuck Rehearse interview skills and serious intellectual talk with other students in your subject: How do I know what I think until I see what I say?
Advice for schools and colleges Try to use interviewers who are not known to the students Do an exchange with another school. You interview their students, they interview yours Over coached students are seen through Not necessarily a good idea for students to pay for advice and training Interviewers increasingly use prompts that cannot be prepared for eg a tea bag in a recent Cambridge anthropology interview
Get students used to questions which challenge their views What evidence is there for that? I disagree with that because...? You are not taking account of...? Doesn t that contradict what you said earlier...? Wouldn t x s ideas/theories argue against that? Would you be able to apply that kind of thinking to...? Can you explain how you came to that conclusion? On the other hand, couldn t you say that...? The problem with what you are saying is...? There are limitations to that argument aren t there...?
Subject teacher support is crucial Make it clear what is being looked for Emphasise thinking skills. Give interviewee something to analyse or think about or get them to think forward based on what they already know in the relevant subject Supply lists of interview questions and video clips Give them interview debriefing sheets for their subject from past students
Give two or three subject specific questions as pointers Provide answers/analysis from Answering Oxbridge Questions activity and sample questions on Oxford website Encourage them to focus on these questions with lots of follow up questions and discussion
English: examples to give to subject teachers Would you rather be a novel or a poem? Why do you think an English student might be interested in the fact that Coronation Street has been running for 50 years? Why might it be useful for an English student to read the Twilight series?
Analysis There's several reasons I might ask this one. It's useful in an interview to find some texts the candidate has read recently and the Twilight books are easily accessible and popular. Also, candidates tend to concentrate on texts they have been taught in school or college and I want to get them to talk about whatever they have read independently, so I can see how they think rather than what they have been taught. A good English student engages in literary analysis of every book they read. The question has led to some interesting discussions about narrative voice, genre, and audience in the past. Lucinda Rumsey, Mansfield College