Interview tips

Before the interview

• Find out what form the interview will take – if you know how many people will
be interviewing you, and whether it will be formal or not, you will know what to
expect.

• Read the prospectus – have an idea about the course and university to show you're
committed to studying there.

• Look over your UCAS form – it’s often the basis for interview questions so make
sure you can talk about the things you’ve said on it in detail.

• Read over your A-Level subject notes – you may be asked why you took a
particular A-Level or what parts of your A-Levels you enjoy.

• Read a quality newspaper or magazine related to your subject – interviewers may

ask for your opinions on current affairs or developments in your field.

• Have a mock interview – get a teacher you’re not familiar with to prepare a
formal interview to give you an idea of what it will be like.

• Speak to students who’ve already had an interview – ask them what to expect or if
they have any tips.

• Think of points you may want to make in the interview – prepare specific things
you want to say or subjects you want to discuss if you get the chance.

• Prepare answers for common questions – for example, why do you want to study
this course or at this university?

• Think of some questions to ask in return – how is the course assessed? What
teaching methods are used? Although make sure they’re not already answered in
the prospectus.

• Plan your journey – take into account rush hour traffic and finding the
room/building so you arrive in plenty of time.

On the day
• Get a good nights sleep – be ready for your interview and don’t stay up all night
drinking or worrying about it.

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 • Arrive early – allow 20 minutes for traffic and finding the place. If you have extra
time, take a look round the university or talk to other applicants.

• Contact the university if there’s a problem – if you’re going to be late or

unavailable due to circumstances beyond your control you should be able to
rearrange the interview.

• Dress smart but comfortably – formal clothing may be uncomfortable if you’re at

the university all day, and dressing scruffily may give a bad first impression.

• Turn off your mobile – you don’t want any distractions in the interview and it will
not impress the interviewer.

During the interview

• Be aware of your body language – look at the interviewer, make eye contact and
try to smile from time to time.

• Be enthusiastic about your course – make sure you get your interest in the course
across to the interviewer.

• Take your time with questions – don’t feel pressured to answer immediately, take
a little while to develop your answers to avoid saying the first thing that comes
into your head.

• Say if you don’t understand a question – interviewers don’t expect you to know
everything and will often prompt you or rephrase a question if you ask.

• Give full answers – the interviewer is trying to find out about you, so make sure
you tell them something. Don’t waffle just to make your answers longer though.

• Don’t try to bluff questions – admissions tutors will know a lot more about their
subject than you will. If you don’t know the answer to a question be honest and
admit it.

• Listen to the interviewer – answer the questions asked rather than the ones you’ve
prepared for.

• Ask questions – use ones you prepared earlier or new ones you’ve thought of. It
shows you’re enthusiastic and will help you get more out of the interview.

• Try to relax – interviewers will expect you to be nervous and will try to make you
feel comfortable.

• Be yourself – interviewers want to know about you, not just what tips you’ve read
off the internet!

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After the interview
• Don’t worry if you found it hard – some interviews are designed to stretch
candidates.

• Make the most of being at the university – talk to students, have a look round the
city or sample the local pubs.

• Think about what you’ve learned – the interview also allows you to find out more
about the university and course. How have your opinions changed?

• Write down your answers to questions – this will come in handy for other
interviews you may have.

• Discuss your interview with other people – they can give you feed back on how
they think you did and give you advice for other interviews.

• Don’t worry about whether you’ll be offered a place or not – prepare for your
next interview or just enjoy yourself, as you can’t do anything to change the
result.

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Admission Interview Tips
Help your students put their best foot forward
High school students may feel daunted at the prospect of talking with interviewers about
their goals and experiences. How can you help your students feel more confident about
interviewing?

Interview facts

First, make sure your students know what the admissions interview means to the college
and what it is intended to accomplish. There are two basic kinds of college interview. If
students plan to (or are required to) interview, they should find out which type of
interview the college is offering them.

The evaluative interview is intended to help the institution assess the student as a
candidate. The interviewer speaks with the student, takes notes, and reports his
impressions to the admissions committee. His evaluation becomes part of the student's
application file. The interviewer is often an admissions officer but may be a faculty
member or an alumnus.

The informational interview is intended to give the student information about the
institution. This can be a one-on-one talk with a college representative or a group
information session for applicants. The interviewer may be an admissions officer, but
might also be a faculty member, an alumnus, or even a current student at the college.

Although the informational interview's main purpose is to answer student questions about
the college, it is quite possible that the college representative will also evaluate the
student and pass his opinion on to the admissions committee. Students should therefore
always be aware of the impression they are making.

Interviews of either kind can take place on or off campus (for example, the school may
match up applicants with alumni interviewers who live in the same area).

Few schools require an interview. Many offer evaluative or informational interviews as

an option. Some institutions do not offer interviews at all. These include some public
universities whose applicant pools are so large that offering interviews to all candidates is
not feasible, and also some private colleges.

For example, Stanford University's undergraduate admissions website states, "We choose
not to offer interviews at Stanford. . . . [A]n interview program . . . would duplicate many
of the resources we already provide prospective students, while also shifting the focus of
applying to college away from student exploration and toward student competition,
thereby increasing student stress and possibly promoting gamesmanship."

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Benefits of the interview

Tell your students that it's usually to their benefit to interview if interviewing is an
option. And they don't have to visit the campus to do it —potential interviewers can
range from an admission officer on campus to a current student or alumnus in the area.
Interviewing is one more way for a student to display a strong interest in a school, and it
lets the interviewer get to know the personality behind the grades and test scores.

An interview is also a chance for a borderline student to present herself as a winning

candidate by virtue of sincerity or charm, to explain any extenuating circumstances that
affected academic performance, and to describe the ways she will contribute to the
school.

How you can help

Help students practice interviewing; play the part of a college admissions interviewer and
ask them to talk about their high school experiences and college goals.

Point out their interview strengths as well as what they need to work on.

Acquaint students with interviewing basics such as making eye contact, smiling, shaking
hands, and so on. Many young people have had little experience in formal or businesslike
situations.

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University interviews - frequently asked
questions
Will I be asked to attend an interview?
There’s no single answer to this – whether or not you get an interview is up to the
individual universities and their departments. However, you should be able to find out
after a bit of research.

Check out the admissions section in your chosen university’s prospectus or website and
you should be able to find out.

My university interviews – will I get one?

This is also difficult to say, but generally the better regarded your university, the more
likely you will be to get an interview.

The same rule applies if you’re taking a particularly competitive course like medicine or
law. Some other subjects also have a reputation for interviewing, such as teacher training
or art and design.

You may also find you don’t get asked for interview if your grades greatly exceed the
entry requirements. Many universities won’t waste the time interviewing the best
candidates, so don’t be surprised if you don’t get an interview from your insurance
choice.

Is Oxbridge special?
Yes, in some ways. As competition is so fierce, Oxford and Cambridge want to know
more about you than just what’s on your UCAS form, and therefore interview many more
students than most other universities.

Oxford interview around 90% of their applicants and Cambridge state they interview 'the
vast majority', so unless your grades or personal statement really let you down, it is
highly likely you will get an interview if you apply to one of these institutions.

When will my interview be?

This tends to vary - interviews generally start taking place from early November and
continue all the way through the academic year, although the earlier you apply, the earlier
you’re likely to be interviewed.

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Many universities and departments interview at specific times, but they don’t always
publish this information. Try looking at the admissions section of the university's
prospectus or website to see if it tells you.

How should I prepare?

• First, have a thorough look at the prospectus, paying particular attention to the
course you want to study. If you’re already familiar with the university and the
course, it will show the tutors you’re committed to studying at their university. It
will also save you from having to ask simple questions.

• Go over your personal statement, as it’s an obvious source of questions for

admissions tutors, and is often used as a first question in the interview to help put
you at ease. Make sure you have answers prepared for the common ones such as
'why do you want to study here?' and 'why have you chosen to study this subject?'.

• Do some mock interviews with teachers, career advisors and/or parents. If you
can, arrange to have the interview with a teacher or adult you’ve never met
before, to make it a bit more realistic. The idea of a mock interview is to help you
prepare for questions you might get asked in the real interview, and to give you a
feel for how an interview goes. If you’ve haven’t applied for a part time job or
other position of responsibility, this may be the first interview you’ve ever had to
attend, and the mock interview should make your real one a bit less daunting.
When you go for your actual interview, you may find it’s nothing like your mock
– don’t be discouraged though, it’s all good practice.

• If you’re applying for subjects such as medicine, biology or economics, it may be

worthwhile reading around in magazines for information on the latest
developments in your field. You may be asked for your opinion on these during
the interview.

• Finally, get plenty of sleep the night before so you feel refreshed and ready for
your interview.

I’ve been asked to attend an open day

Rather than holding interviews, many universities invite you to attend an open or visit
day. This is an excellent opportunity if you are able to go, as you will probably get a tour
of the university, visit your department, meet and ask questions to the lecturers and
possibly even have an informal interview.

What are informal interviews?

Sometimes universities describe their interviews as 'informal', which can often cause
confusion, as students don’t know how seriously to take them.

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Informal interviews are generally used as a chance for you to find out more about your
university and department as well as for the tutor to find out about you. You shouldn’t
take them as seriously as formal interviews, though you might still want to prepare some
questions and look over the course information.

This is because they are often held before universities make offers, so your performance
in the informal interview may influence whether you are offered a place or not.

What should I wear?

It’s probably a good idea to wear what you are comfortable in, but still look presentable
enough to make a good impression.

This could range anywhere between smart-casual and a suit and tie. We would advise
against trainers, jeans and t-shirt, because you want to show you’ve made an effort, but if
you really don't feel comfortable in anything smarter then wear that.

It's far better to be badly dressed and confident than it is to be well dressed and look
really uncomfortable in the interview.

At your interview you will see people wearing clothes with different levels of smartness
ranging between smart-casual to a full suit and tie - so whatever you end up wearing,
there are likely to be people who are both smarter and less smart than you.

Also remember that interviewers aren’t going to dress up for you, so there’s no need to
dress up for them.

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Oxford University interview questions:
the examples
Joanna Sugden

Subject: Geography

Interviewer: Lorraine Wild, St Hilda’s College

Q: If I were to visit the area where you live, what would I be interested in?

Lorraine Wild: ‘The question gives candidates an opportunity to apply concepts from
their A level geography course to their home area. They might discuss urban planning
and regeneration, ethnic segregation and migration, or issues of environmental
management. The question probes whether they are able to apply ‘geographical thinking’
to the everyday landscapes around them. It reveals the extent to which they have a
curiosity about the world around them. By asking specifically about their home area the
question eliminates any advantage gained by those who are more widely travelled and
have more experience of a variety of geographical contexts.’

Subject: Modern languages

Interviewer: Helen Swift, St Hilda’s College

Q: What is language?

Helen Swift: ‘Although I would never launch this question at a candidate on its own, it
might grow out of a discussion. Students sometimes say they like studying Spanish, for
example, because they 'love the language'. In order to get a student thinking critically and
analytically, the question would get them to consider what constitutes the language they
enjoy – is it defined by particular features or by function (what it does)? How does form
relate to meaning? And so on.’

Subject: English

Interviewer: Lucinda Rumsey, Mansfield College

Q: Why might it be useful for an English student to read the Twilight series?

Lucinda Rumsey: ‘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

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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.’

Subject: Medicine

Interviewer: Robert Wilkins, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics

Q: Why does your heart rate increase when you exercise?

Robert Wilkins: ‘The simple answer, which all students can provide, is because you need
to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to muscles and remove metabolic products. But
follow-up questions would probe whether the student appreciates that there must be a
way for the body to know it needs to raise the heart rate and possible ways for achieving
this. Answers might include sensing lowered oxygen or raised carbon dioxide levels. In
fact, gas levels might not change much, so students are further asked to propose other
signals and ways in which those possibilities could be tested. This probes selection
criteria such as problem-solving and critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm
and curiosity, and the ability to listen.’

Subject: Biological sciences

Interviewer: Martin Speight, Department of Zoology

Q: If you could save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose?

Martin Speight: ‘I’d expect students to be able to use their general knowledge plus their
common sense to come up with an answer – no detailed knowledge is required. Students
might then be asked about the importance of natural features, such as biodiversity and
rare species, and human interests, such as the fuel and food, ecotourism and medicines
we get from rainforests or reefs. Finally there are impacts to consider from climate
change, soil erosion, pollution, logging, biofuel replacement, overfishing, etc. The final
answer doesn't matter – both reefs and rainforests must be managed sustainably to
balance conservation and human needs.’

Subject: Law

Interviewer: Ben McFarlane, Faculty of Law

Q: What does it mean for someone to ‘take’ another's car?

Ben McFarlane: ‘There is no right answer to this question. For example, can you take a
car without driving it, or even without moving it? Our focus is on the candidate’s
reasoning – how he or she formulates an initial definition and how he or she then applies
and refines that initial definition in response to hypothetical examples provided by the
interviewers. One example might be: I am walking along the street when it starts to rain. I

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open the door of an unlocked car and sit there for 15 minutes until the rain passes. Have I
‘taken’ the car? The aim of the interview is to give the candidate a chance to show his or
her application, reasoning ability and communication skills.’

Subject: Engineering

Interviewer: Byron Byrne, Department of Engineering Science

Q: How would you design a gravity dam for holding back water?

Byron Byrne: ‘This is a great question because the candidate first has to determine the
forces acting on the dam before considering the stability of the wall under the action of
those forces. Candidates will probably recognise that the water could push the dam over.
The candidate would then be expected to construct simple mathematical expressions that
predict when this would occur. Some may also discuss failure by sliding, issues of
structural design, the effects of water seeping under the dam, and so on. The candidate
will not have covered all the material at school so guidance is provided to assess how
quickly new ideas are absorbed. The question also probes the candidate’s ability to apply
physics and maths to new situations and can test interest in and enthusiasm for the
engineered world.’

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