Oxbridge Applications 2019 (Part Three)

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Today is a big day for many... time for a new thread too

Dd had four interviews at Oxford. Not one question about her personal statement.

Atia and Abetes I don't know how many Oxford interviews my DC have had between them I've not counted but not a single one has emerged from the process without something from the personal statement being mentioned. In fact one was told by the tutor in charge that her personal statement was the most interesting he had ever read - from which one has to assume he'd.... read it!

I’m sure that they read them, but in my dd’s case they didn’t ask about it at all. Maybe they are now trying to move away from the perceived advantages/disadvantages that independent/state school pupils can show through their personal statements? Or maybe hers was just a one-off case? I’ve absolutely no idea.

Abetes any well off DC who thinks that writing down 'expensive' experiences on a personal statement for Oxford will help them probably needs to think again. All I can say is that each and every DC (including the medic, so the same interview criteria as your own DD), had at least one thing picked up and discussed from their personal statement. I do also know that not all interviewers do this but I think the fact that 100% of my DC had questions based on something in their personal statement means that prior to interview the tutors do, at least on the whole, read them. None of mine have ever applied for Maths. Perhaps some subjects are different.

As I said, for Oxford medicine, the personal statements do not form any part of the pre interview selection process. There is a rating system that tries to ensure objectivity. I can't guarantee what individual tutors may do once they know who they're interviewing

ds said that they only mentioned his PS in the General interview and even then it was only in passing. It was mostly maths.

Oh sorry Atia, I thought you were talking university wide - I hadn't got that you meant Medicine only. Well they do read the statements even for Medicine but yes, prior to interview not selection. As you said, that's almost entirely mathematical unless either the GCSEs or the BMAT looks odd.

They actually asked DS about his cafe job, so no immediate indication from that that they regarded him as especially important (other than using him to ascertain which cake was the best in his view (an excellent sort of question to spin out, which he did ).

I know my ds's Cambridge Com Sci interviews were entirely maths/logic problems. No chit chat, even the maths-related PS stuff.

My dd's Oxford Classics interview didn't explicitly mention anything from her PS, but she did realise afterwards from talking to other candidates that a couple of the questions were geared to classics-related interests she'd mentioned in her PS.

If it’s a traditional face to face interview or even once of the stations at an MMI for Medicine the personal statement may be discussed usually as an opener to get a candidate talking and settled .

Dd's Cambridge interview were only science / medicine related in both the interviews. I did ask her about PS- she said that only non sciency interaction was to wish her safe journey home as she has travelled quite faraway place!

bengalcat yes, I wasn't counting ice breakers though - that will usually be about hobbies. I mean actually taking something from the personal statement and using it as a basis for discussion (which usually moves rapidly away from the initial subject).

I probably mean rapidly develops it rather than moves away.

Hobbies could spring up in a q on dealing with stress . Work experience , memorable patients from work experience and relevant EPQ’s from a PS could form an icebreaker . As with job interviews don’t put anything in your PS/ CV that you aren’t prepared to discuss but equally no guarantee it will .

Umm - not sure whether playing with a world class orchestra or one in your school hall should make a difference to interview for medicine, Both show commitment, ability to work with others and may act as a stress buster.

I wonder if music applicants are required to have worked with the Red Cross!!

Albeit a nice idea of course!!

Yes Pant in my DDs current state school the Oxbridge / medics etc preparation is very good. In her previous state school it wouldn’t have been there at all.
One aspect of DD’s PS was picked up and developed into a discussion in one of the interviews. She just loved both the interviews because they were so broad and lively.

In one of my son's two law interviews they said that his personal statement was very interesting and they could talk all day about it but they didn't have time.

The other interview did not mention the statement.

Perhaps subject area matters- mine was almost entirely about my personal statement, and the essays I'd submitted. They asked me briefly about my opinions on some texts I'd named in my statement, then came up with an entirely new angle of approach to apply to them and asked me questions from that PoV.

In the other interview, they asked me about what sections of the course I felt my area of special interest named in the PS could best apply to and went down that road of questioning.

They also asked me about stress management but I think they're trying to be more MH aware.

Dd said she will ask for feedback although I can't think how it will help going ahead.
I have told her that she still has options, particularly if she comes out with really good grades.
She could contact Cambridge again and inform them of her results.
Or just stick with York.
Or step off the rollercoaster for a year and reapply.

Although she's heard that Cambridge don't like it if you're not going straight from education but I'm not sure she's completely right there as I know some do reapply and are successful.

I think asking for feedback can be helpful. Ds had a great score in the HAT test, which encouraged him. If he had done badly in spite of having thought it went well, then that would have sent him a clear message!

Yes although mine has shredded the rejection letter and put it in the recycle ( rather Freudian ) I will suggest she seek some feedback . Feedback allows you to reflect on ‘ where you cocked up ‘ for want of a better phrase and you may learn something that could help at any stage of your career / interviews for jobs in the future .

Re the PS... one of DD's Cambridge interviews was purely problem-solving (the nice one); the other appeared to have looked at her PS for the purpose of finding out what sort of engineering she was most into and then avoiding it. Elsewhere, Southampton (in 'recruitment mode' noticed her hobby was watersports!

dds maths interview was simply 'solve these problems'.

@errol they avoid it because they're not interested in reciting facts but how you learn. That's why they took the text in my PS and asked me how I'd interpret it through a viewpoint the interviewer suggested that I didn't know very well- I had to give an initial idea about how it would affect the meaning of the text, and then expand on it in a way that was completely at odds with how I've always interpreted it. They wanted to see how I thought, how adaptable I was to new information and what original ideas I could come up with on the spot, it was very interesting and reflected what their website says about it being almost like a mini tutorial (but much more nerve wracking!)