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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Original poster

Oxbridge aspirants part 4......Hold onto your nerves interviews ahead....!

940 replies

TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 30/11/2021 12:17

Part 4 - A friendly supportive thread for those with DC applying to Oxbridge, its an arduous process to say the least. I suspect we will need some handholding and alcohol for the couple of weeks ahead as our dc have their interviews. For those still waiting to hear I hope news comes soon Flowers

OP posts:
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SandyBayley · 05/12/2021 17:45

DD has an interview on Friday and another one on Monday. She's got us to decluttering our spare room / study today so it will be uncluttered. Friday is the last day of school anyway so she's taking the whole day off.

The dreaded C is lurking at school, fingers crossed it keeps its distance. Her BF has a Cambridge medicine interview tomorrow.

Flyonawalk · 05/12/2021 17:58

Good luck to all the DC with interviews looming. DD has her first one tomorrow. She’s very calm so far.

Piggywaspushed · 05/12/2021 18:00

She definitely should Google the interviewers. DS's questions were very much linked to their specialisms.

Panicmode1 · 05/12/2021 18:13

Will be thinking of all of the DCs facing interviews this week. DS has his on Weds and is currently on a Zoom call with a current Cambridge engineering student, having a mock interview so I hope he's going to feel positive afterwards. Good luck to them all and may the tech hold up 🙏

(DH and I went to a dinner party last night and of the 4 couples present we were the only ones not to have gone to Cambridge. All 4 of our respective DCs have Cambridge interviews this week and they were all adamant that their children would be following in their footsteps. I was wishing I had some of their confidence!!! )

SandyBayley · 05/12/2021 18:21

Funny @Piggywaspushed that's exactly the opposite advice to what DD was given by her college on Friday.

They said on no account to try and mug up on your interviewer's special interests. By all means look them up and be aware but on no account suggest a deep interest in topics you'd had no previous interest in!

The advice was that the tutors want to give candidates an opportunity to talk about what they know and demonstrate how they think.

I know when DS1 has his interviews in Chemistry he found out in advance that the senior tutor was a world expert in a branch of very interesting chemistry but something DS1 knew nothing about so he steered well clear.

Piggywaspushed · 05/12/2021 18:27

Oh, I didn't mean mug up and learn new stuff. As it goes the people's interests matched DSs submitted work so it may just have been serendipity. But it was helpful to him to expect some probing on the bits of his PS that matched their angles.

I did read on TSR to look them up so this may be specific to soc sci/ hums.

SandyBayley · 05/12/2021 18:38

I see what you mean. Yes by all means find out about interviewers and see if interests overlap but on no accounts spend the next five days deeply researching their specialism. That would not be time well spent!

VikingNorthUtsire · 05/12/2021 19:19

Anyone else interviewing for Oxford Maths? (DS obviously, not me 😂)

Whatstheweatherlike · 05/12/2021 20:24

Good luck to all those with interviews coming up over the next few days 🤞
DS has two interviews tomorrow, one politics and one is philosophy. He seems quite calm this evening and is currently watching a film. He describes it as the chance to have a conversation with someone else who is really passionate about his subjects and is just grateful he's got this far. I'm so glad he sees it that way.

SandyBayley · 05/12/2021 20:37

@Whatstheweatherlike - great attitude. DS1 really enjoyed his interviews as he got to talk to people who loved Chemistry as much as he does 😊 Shh, but I find it just a bit dull...

Eightytwenty · 05/12/2021 22:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Storminamu · 06/12/2021 00:44

I gave DC a mock interview today and it was unsuccessful, sadly.

Geamhradh · 06/12/2021 05:53

@Darbs76 Brew and Cake

DD did the webinar thingy on Friday, she found it very useful. (@TangoWhiskyAlphaTango I think it's your DD with one this week?)
Both the Admissions bods from the email correspondence were there, along with three or four current students. They did say to be prepared for one of those "if you were an animal what would you be" questions, and, of course, that the interviewers know that everyone is terrified and it would be more concerning if you weren't.

Re: the interviewers, DD has looked hers up, (one has a YT channel) She did wonder if she'd been bunked up with them specifically as one of the specialisms is one of the topics she submitted written work on, but who knows.

Good luck to all interviewing this week!

Original poster
TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 06/12/2021 06:14

@Geamhradh DD has not had a webinar for her subject (or at least her college), sounds like a brilliant opportunity to ease them into it.

Just a question do they all get interviewed by the same people for each subject or is it college specific? I cannot get my head around the college system and how they choose their students or those who are then pooled.

OP posts:
doubleshotcappuccino · 06/12/2021 06:25

@Storminamu that's made me chuckle . glad to see our humour hasn't gone. Just praying for strong wi-fi and quiet dogs !

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 06/12/2021 06:41

Just popping in to say good luck to all young people with interviews this week. DN has his for MML (O) mid-week.

Letsgoforaskip · 06/12/2021 06:53

Good luck to everyone!
@Storminamu 😂
@doubleshotcappuccino the dogs and wi-fi are also my concerns.🤞🏼

doubleshotcappuccino · 06/12/2021 07:45

@Letsgoforaskip one of ours is a particularly frantic rescue so he will have to go on a lead .. comical if they could see the houses as the DCs do their best !! Also going to switch any wifi extenders off and close off any devices .. and then take cover with the ironing and the dogs ... one on a lead !! Good luck everyone!

NewModelArmyMayhem18 · 06/12/2021 07:53

Cats too! They are more likely to want to take centre-stage on the keyboard and in front of the camera mid-flow!

MFLMum2021 · 06/12/2021 08:13

Good luck everyone. DDs interviews are also mid this week. Her non-MFL subject interviewers had particularly esoteric specialisms, she certainly won’t be pretending to know much about them! She’s definitely anxious, just hope she’ll relax enough to let them see her usual bright, sparky self.

ealingwestmum · 06/12/2021 08:21

Thought I was being clever by booking doggo into day care on weds. Now trying to work around the problem of her returning home, head butting each bedroom door with a ‘I’m home everyone!’, scheduled in the last interview. Too late to train her out of that little habit…

🍀 to all the DC!

cosmiccat · 06/12/2021 09:43

Good luck to all.
DD (C- Maths) has just started her interview upstairs. I am a bag of nerves. She is very calm and even was excited about it. The IT has worked so far just hoping for no glitches. It is going to be a long morning!

doubleshotcappuccino · 06/12/2021 11:35

Good luck @cosmiccat with today and to all our DCs !!

doubleshotcappuccino · 06/12/2021 11:42

@NewModelArmyMayhem18 hadn't thought about pitch invasion from cats ! Will there be a time when we look back and laugh at this all ?! We've all got mocks then the exams ahead so I'm delighted to know we aren't the only ones in this boat.. keep telling DD it's a marathon not a sprint .. for us as well I think ...

ofteninaspin · 06/12/2021 11:54

@Storminamu Grin

Good luck for glitch-free interviews and well-behaved cats and dogs.

@Geamhradh, I can't remember whether your DC is O or C.
DD (O) was interviewed by two colleges and the interviews were very different at each college. The college she had applied to made an open offer in January and she ended up at a third college. She really did not enjoy the interview at her chosen college and was much relieved to end up at a different (and rather lovely) college.
DS (C) had two interviews at his chosen college; a short general one with a tutor from a different subject and a more intense subject one with two fellows/tutors. The questions were specific to his college and all 16 interviewees were asked the same questions. The college made three offers and put a fourth candidate in the pool. His interviewers are now his tutors and he likes them very much.