Y13 son told to cut hair for University interviews......thoughts???

DS received an invitation for interview at UCL today. It says smart or casual but no jeans.

Notan Otter, my son seems to be doing the research for you.lol
Had his second uni interview yesterday, wearing jeans, tshirt and longish hair. Got offered a place at Manchester, needs 3 B's.
Two of this country's red brick uni's don't seem to mind long hair, so let your son keep it/grow it back and be happy. Stuff his outdated headteacher, and lots of luck.x

The parents talk at Oxford open was very informative on this subject. Their view is that if a potential student is all dressed up in a suit they are unlikely to be at their most relaxed and able to cope as usual with the interview process.
Not saying they should all dye their hair black and become goths/punks etc, but if a load of suited and cropped haired clones turn up, then a kid with his own style and confidence does, who do you think will stand out the most from the masses?
Uni's are not stupid enough to only look at the front cover, it really is what's inside that counts, as my son's already proved.

I would worry that if it is annoying his teacher then it might annoy a potential interviewer

Personally I would encourage him to cut it - plenty of time to grow hair/get laid/take drugs once you get IN to uni

Sorry, counts.

No, don't get it cut! My son's hair is just slightly longer and he's just been offered a place at Birmingham after he went to his interview in his casual clothes (his fave mighty boosh t-shirt) as well!!!
Has Manchester next week and hopefully Oxford in Dec, who have already said to wear warm comfortable clothes, no suits needed. He wants to do Earth Sciences (Geology.)
Good luck to him, it's whats inside that counds!

No he doesnt need to cut it it's fine!

My dp had very long hair in his yoof and got it all cut off for his first job interview after he left college. When he got there the director interviewing him had longer hair than he had had.

I haven't read the rest of this but my brother did his oxfor interview with very long hair and wearing riped jeans and a t shirt with a hole in it. They thought he was great and he got a place, that was 20 odd years ago.

He's gorgeous and clever - can I have him for my DD1?

Joining the stressed mother's club here!! DS has been invited to an interview at UCL for Physics, and he's just started thinking about what he'll wear. Of course, you're right, what he says is far more important.

Hello. Is it Natural Sciences at Cambridge? I did that exact course(a few years ago now but not that long). In case it is that course he is applying for here are my tips - feel free to ignore otherwise!
I think it is worth wearing something smart, neat and tidy for the interview. The reason for this is simply that you will find on the day that everyone else is wearing smartish clothes and there is no point starting the interview (which is nerve-wracking enough) worrying that you have worn the wrong clothes. However having looked at the photo I would say there is no need to change his hair cut. Lots of the other interviewees and indeed natural sciences students will look like this and it is not at all extreme.
My other tip is to spend as much time as possible in the run-up to the interview READING about your subject. Any broader reading around the normal A Level syllabus is gold dust in these interviews. It is likely the interviewer will ask almost no 'normal' questions about his hobbies etc and a huge number of subject-related ones, including very technical ones.

He's a great looking kid notanotter & I love his hair as it is. Also think it would be just fine in a Nat. Sci. student environment & 99% interviewers wouldn't turn a hair (sorry) at it. If he wants to trim it against the possibility that he gets one of the 1% of old school interviewers then fair enough - but I do think in Physical Science they will not be too concerned by appearance (as long as clean) - it's brain power they are looking for.

My DS did natural sciences at Cambridge, followed by a Masters in Physics - from what I have seen on visits your DS would fit in beautifully with that haircut. However, if he is to be interviewed at Cambridge he won't have time to fiddle with, flick back his hair, etc. - my son's interview included working out increasingly complex mathematical/physics problems while giving a running commentary what he was doing. If you think the hair will distract him might be best to get it trimmed at least a bit!

Oh, once they're in they all revert to type.

But I think for interview it's advisable to pay some nod to social norms, don't you think?

I'm sure many people with BO are lovely and intelligent, yadda yadda. But a good wash before an interview never goes amiss, imo. Ditto brushing your hair, and putting on clothes that you haven't slept in all week.

Just a thought.

"The only real no-nos are (1) being seriously filthy (2) BO (3) T-shirts with obviously provocative or obscene slogans and (4) personal appearance that is so unusual, extreme or unkempt that it causes you to wonder about the candidate's mental health. "

Really? We seem to have no shortage of 2, and a fair amount of 4. It would certainly make the lecture theatres more fragrant if we did start weeding them out based on hygene.

Actually, I'm actually rather taken with the idea...

Cheers Notanotter, could pay you in chocolate hobnobs

I think university interviews should be fancy dress.

Dear Master NotanOtter

Please come for your Natural Sciences intervew at XXXXX College, Oxford. Please come dressed as Alice In Wonderland.

Right Notanotter we've sorted your son's hair out now I've got a more important question

"can you come round and sort my linen out like that?"

No, ReducedToThis round vegetable, I think most of us do concur that medicine is a different matter. Maybe some business subjects have different expectations also.

And I accept that there are people who will be prejudiced also. But I don't think it would be a very credible university that would prioritise hair over what came out of a mouth. We expect them to look like teenagers, that's all. Not bankers.

This is all very well a few Mumsnetters who happen to serve on Uni admissions panels saying they have nothing against long hair but there are people who do.

One of DS's teachers serves on the UCL panel for medicine ( he is a qualified medic and a Minsiter and now teaches) and he personally prefers applicants to look smart and well turned out and finds long hair a bit off- putting. He is a lovely chap but sharing his silly prejudices.

I was expecting shoulder-blade length at least! That's not long....

But how can that be your DS? He's so grown up!

Why do people make stuff up and pretend that it is The Law? Clearly there is more than one teacher making up his own bizarre 'rules' about university admissions going by this thread. Then you get the HVs who make up stuff about breastfeeding or weaning... am sure I've come across other examples too.

What on earth are they thinking?

Well, an armful of cuts from self-injury isn't a good look. Or a faceful of serious slap on a bloke. Or hair that looks like it should have a few limericks-worth of wildlife living in it.

Essentially, any look that would cause total strangers to stop and gawp in the street ought to give the aspiring student pause for thought.

The OP's ds's hair is fine, the school are being numpties.