How do I prepare my DS who has ASD for a Uni Interview - HELP!!!

[MysticMum68]

My DS has submitted his UCAS app and sent them off. He's very stressed about having to do an interview as part of the application process and I don't know how to help him. He applied to the Russell Group and his school have pushed him towards Cambridge which we also liked, but happy for him to go local to us in London. He is academically sound and got at least 5 grade 9's and rest 8 in GCSE's
Anyone have experience of their DS or DD going through this process with a special need such as ASD or ASC and could share. I never went to UNI so I feel helpless. He declared ASD on his UCAS and PS.

I went to Cambridge and I was diagnosed as autistic when I was 40.

I barely spoke at school due to the anxiety of speaking in front of other people. But I really, really wanted to go to Cambridge and so I went for it.

I know that's not hugely helpful but I wanted to reassure you that autistic people can and do go to Oxbridge. In fact, I think quite a high percentage do!

Wow at 40. How an earth did you cope all that time with the issues of life? Its must have been hard. You clearly were high functioning, so kudos to you for getting into Cambridge. My dilemma remains.

His school might do practice interviews? Also, there's a thread in Higher Education about Oxbridge. If you know anyone who works in his area, you could ask them what some interview questions might be? Get him to read something related and be prepared to answer questions on the book.

I think you get asked if you need special consideration/adaptions for interviews. I would note it on there.

If applying to Imperial, they are very clued up about ASD and haves higher than average number in certain departments. Learning support is very strong. I am sure they would make adjustments at interviews if he has applied there.

What course has he applied to?

ask the school to write to the Cambridge College letting them know he might be nervous and anything which would be helpful to him. They will want to get the best out of him.

Reasonable adjustments. Unis are obliged to offer these to him. Have a good conversation about things that you can request that he feels will help him. I work in a global firm, specialising in ASD friendly hiring and adapting our interview process. Also ASD myself and went to a London uni.

Requests we have complied with include; questions provided in written format before the interview to allow processing time, taking a pen and paper in to write the question down, taking a few minutes to think about answers before giving them (you could practice a stock phrase like “let me give this a few minutes thought”), one interviewer at a time, not a panel and any sensory/environmental requests.

Most London unis I don’t think require an interview (well not when I went 5 years ago!).

Get in touch with the applications team for each uni, usually their contact details are online. They will be able to talk you through the process for students with disabilities. You’ll probably find that being better informed specifically for each uni’s process helps you and your son.

Hi OP,
It might be worth you asking MNHQ to move your thread to the Higher Education board, there's quite a lot of knowledgeable people on there including involve in admissions and parents with all sorts of experience.

Also, there may be someone on this thread who has specific experience:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/3722426-Oxbridge-2020-4?msgid=90969554

Very few places interview. Cambridge will though - did he apply there? As pp have said if Cambridge invite him make sure they're aware of his ASD. School should also prep him.

But realistically he may well not get shortlisted anyway and probably not have any interviews at all. So try and cross that bridge if/when it happens.

Or is he applying for medicine of some description or music performance?

Some subjects seem to interview more than others - all of DDs RG choices for elec eng did, but apart from Cambridge they weren't in the least grillings - more like nice 'pick us' chats.

Is your DS able to talk to adults he doesn't know well about subjects which interest him?

Thank you for feeback everyone. Yes DS chose to do Computer Science as a Degree and the school of selected him as part of a small group of 3 to apply for that subject as he does very well in the subject. He did his Personal statement very well and his school were very impressed with it, so he submitted it with confidence. I did speak to the Cambridge Disability Resource Center and asked what do I need to consider to help him prepare so will wait some feeback.
I was given this website for Oxford which has given me some comfort www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/field/field_document/Guidance%20for%20colleges%20on%20adjustments%20for%20disabled%20interviewees.pdf
If Cambridge or other Unis have a process of dealing with these I'm sure it will provide the comfort he needs to deal with any interviews at Unis.

My son went to interview at Cambridge for computer science last year. Obviously there may be variation from college to college, but both his interviews were just maths/logic questions. No chitchat. Most Cambridge interviews will be almost entirely academic.

Also, yes, get this moved to Higher Education!

@MysticMum68 - I would be surprised if any of his other university choices will interview for computer science. It’s a popular and often over subscribed subject but if he has good grades and a strong application then it sounds like he will get offers.

So it’s likely his only interview will be Cambridge. As I said earlier, do ask the school to write and let the College know. But, that said, he will not be the only one in this position.

It will be an academic interview so see if he can practice talking through his thinking to logic/maths based questions. The questions won’t be easy but if he isn’t sure he needs to still try and not worry if he gets some wrong. There are some films on the Cambridge website which will help show him what kind of set up to expect.

Good luck to him!

Thank you Julii ad Blue. Maybe I'm over analyzing the pitfalls of I/V's for students with ASD.

I think that generally for STEM subjects, unless he will really struggle just to answer a direct question, the interviewers will be quite accustomed to interacting with students and colleagues with autistic spectrum conditions, and it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

It's not like a job interview where you have to present a polished personality.

My son also applied to Manchester, who interview (tour and informal chat) for a lot of STEM subjects, and although he is NT, he thought being asked "why do you want to come to Manchester?" was much harder than anything he was asked at Cambridge 😂 But I don't think his answer had much bearing on his subsequent offer.