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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

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TerrifiedandWorried · 15/12/2021 06:59

I really should name change as it wasn't related to Oxford applications!

@Horace123 she has applied for law with German law at Oxford but the Aberdeen course would qualify her for England and Scotland. Apparently it's the 6th best law school in the UK dontcha know 🤣

Theamazingshrinkingwoman · 15/12/2021 07:01

It does look lovely but is SO far from us

Theamazingshrinkingwoman · 15/12/2021 07:02

I name changed!

PermanentTemporary · 15/12/2021 07:27

I have misty happy memories of a week in Aberdeen at a summer school for Robert Gordon University. I fell in love with it as a city. Travelled up on the sleeper train as that was something I'd always wanted to do - it was so far North that you didn't have to leave the train until after 8 in the morning. It was June and completely glorious weather, the pubs open so late, the light going on and on and on, the handsome grey buildings. I reminded myself to spend a winter there before rushing in and buying somewhere...

Original poster
TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 15/12/2021 07:35

@foxgoosefinch I am really curious to know where you work and what you do?!

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Original poster
TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 15/12/2021 07:36

@Theamazingshrinkingwoman Congratulations to your DD lovely news Flowers

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Juja · 15/12/2021 10:22

Just a coda on DD's interview with a second college at O. There were fellows from two colleges on the Teams call - two from one and the third from another college. One was just observing and asked no questions so it seems it was only one additional college interviewing her. Perhaps the third college was there for benchmarking? No point second guessing the outcome for DD but it does suggest that there is considerable effort made to be consistent across applicants in their assessment process. That is encouraging whatever the outcome.

SirVixofVixHall · 15/12/2021 13:31

Dd had her second interview, not as bad as her first in her view, but her mind went completely blank from stress and she literally forgot a fairly substantial thing at one point.
No sign of any third interviews tomorrow, she seems to think that is a bad thing, is it , does anyone know ?

Juja · 15/12/2021 14:13

@SirVixofVixHall I don’t think you can read anything into how many interviews you have. Now time for waiting …. And a rather more subdued Christmas than we were all hoping for.

SirVixofVixHall · 15/12/2021 15:11

She thinks it is a bad thing but she worries about everything!

ofteninaspin · 15/12/2021 17:26

I actually don't see how candidates can be coached for interviews, not for my DC's subjects anyway. DD's interview questions were driven in part by random biological artefacts. If she recognised something, it was replaced with something else. You can't prep for that. DS subject interview started off with a broad question but evolved into "an interesting chat". I remember DS saying he couldn't possibly have done well because it was just a chat! I don't see how you can be coached or prepped for that either. Both also had to do a fair bit of data analysis which is obviously a skill that you can practice.

goodbyestranger · 15/12/2021 17:31

What subject is she SirVix?

carben · 16/12/2021 08:05

DD has her 5th maths interview today with a 3rd college. Won't talk about how they went other than to say not very well. Brilliantly academic but barely speaks. Talking to people voluntarily is not something that comes naturally and has no small talk whatsoever. She is extremely independent and self sufficient and has loads of common sense and is really keen to go to uni despite not being 18 until the end of next August. Just doesn't enjoy talking or being centre stage. 8 x 9's and 2 x 8's at GCSE and predicted 4 x A* at A'Level from a non leafy state comp. Has offers from Birmingham, Nottingham and Warwick. Still waiting on Imperial. Looking back we should have done more about what must be anxiety around talking but never knew what and she would have resisted.

Oxford is crossed of the list and in all honesty may well have not been the right fit. Not sure what is but I guess that is for her to find out. She is the best at being her not me.

mustardpot13 · 16/12/2021 08:22

Hi Carben . They wont be interested in whether she is good at small talk etc they will just care about how good she is at maths. She is obviously very talented to get to this stage. The tutors are experienced and will be able to see through nerves different personalities etc.. To be having a 5th interview is very impressive and they must definitely be interested in her. Good luck to her today!

CowCat · 16/12/2021 08:50

@carben St John's actually say on their website for maths that they care more about the MAT results, the school's report and not the interviews.

DS is in a similar position. He won't talk about how it went at all.

Original poster
TangoWhiskyAlphaTango · 16/12/2021 08:51

@carben She sounds like an incredibly talented student and to have that many interviews they must be very interested in her. The very best of luck to her for her interview.

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CowCat · 16/12/2021 08:53

To quote them:

We place relatively little weight on the interview itself in selecting candidates, focusing instead upon performance in examinations and school reports.

carben · 16/12/2021 09:21

Thanks everyone. Just having a moment I think. She loves to blend into the background and is ridiculously modest. It was only in Yr 10 that she really started to get noticed at school. I doubt they knew who she was up until then. Every single school report said 'needs to speak up more in class'. By year 11 they didn't care as long as she was working at an 8/9. Smaller A'Level classes has helped a bit and it was her maths teacher who encouraged her to apply to Oxford. She never thought she was good enough and we had loads of angst about whether it was a waste of a choice and even then she was terrified of any interview!

The good thing is despite her fears she has done the interviews. She is afraid of letting people down but really I just want her to be somewhere where she can thrive, be happy and become the best she can be. And I don't really care where that is. Ohh I feel better now.

ealingwestmum · 16/12/2021 09:37

She’s done very well carben, so far, nothing is lost by her being quiet, very best of luck to her securing an offer.

DahliaMacNamara · 16/12/2021 10:12

I had the same worries about DD's likely interview performance last year, @carben, for similar reasons. No small talk, no capacity to charm or talk her way out of difficulties, but a natural and brilliant mathematician. She wasn''t applying for maths, so I didn't realise the interviews would be principally maths-based. She's done very well in her first term at Oxford. I hope the admissions team have been able to see the excellent mathematician behind your DD's unassuming manner, and she can decide for herself if that's the right environment for her.

carben · 16/12/2021 10:23

@DahliaMacNamara thank you for your thoughtful words. Glad to hear that you DD is thriving and is in the right place for herSmile

beeswain · 16/12/2021 10:58

@carben I am not a regular on this thread as my ds is now a second year Maths undergraduate at Oxford. In fact today is the anniversary of his interviews 2 years ago.
I just came on to say my ds doesn't do small talk either but he did not have to in any interviews. He was only asked one 'warm up' question to which he gave a shocking answer. He just did the Maths. Your dd has done brilliantly to get this far.

carben · 16/12/2021 11:40

@beeswain - thank you. The interview should nearly be over now. Her maths is completely beyond my understanding and as long as she has done her best I can't ask for anything more.

PhiRhoSigma · 16/12/2021 15:43

@carben
I second what beeswain says. Our middle DC also did not do small talk, and still doesn't, but had similar grade profile to your daughter, also from a city centre state comp. Got into Oxford for a STEM subject at very popular college some years ago and is now doing a PhD. Ability to work independently and pass exams trumps small talk as fast as Oxford is concerned. Do you get to know her MAT score?

We're now waiting on outcome of younger sibling's application, same school and grades (identical to your daughter's actually), again a STEM subject, but a real chatterbox, even in the interviews. Hope it wasn't all just drivel.

carben · 16/12/2021 16:35

@PhiRhoSigma thank you for your message. She is of course convinced she did badly in the MAT. My understanding is we get the results in January. She has applied to Imperial and Warwick, both of which take the MAT into account. Warwick have made a contextual offer however which doesn't include the MAT. Still waiting on Imperial.