Oxbridge 2024 Entry Part 4

[Lightsabre]

New thread as our dc start the rollercoaster ride of interviews.

When DS was applying to C I was worried because he told me that they only look at the exams you take in one go - he took Maths a year early and then Ad Maths with the rest of them...so I was worried his maths grade wouldn't count. But he also said Cambridge don't really care about your GCSEs, it's more about your results in the entrance tests and how you interview. Who knows...I'm sure we all know amazingly brilliant young people who we all thought would ace the entrance exams and interviews, not progressing beyond the former or latter stages....it's a lottery when there is less than a cigarette paper between most of the candidates!!

BEST of luck to everyone - candidates and parents alike - in the next two weeks or so of interviews. May the tech and transport gods be kind too!

One thing I have been meaning to pass on, although you might all have heard it before. DD took part in a webinar with that nice man from the Oxford yt videos and he said - these interviews shouldn't really be called interviews, so don't think of them like that. They are really practice tutorials, to find out whether that particular way of teaching suits you or not.

DD thought that was helpful - so it's not about who is the cleverest, or even the best, just who suits that teaching method. And if that's not you, it doesn't mean you are not "good enough", it's not really competitive in that way. And they might even be doing you a favour if you are not at your best in those circs. Three years of tutorials might not be much fun if they don't suit your way of learning.

He also said that confidence doesn't count for anything - Oxford is full of nd people who may not be the most self-assured in conversation. So don't worry about that.

Stoneysongs - that is helpful thank
you . Also the point they made in the history mock interview ( which was quite terrifying !) that the interview is just one part of the process and they take everything into account- PS , HAT written work submitted and the interview .
DD did a discussion online with her gcse teacher and a French one with a friend who teaches A level French and they were both useful .🤞🤞 for tomorrow .

DD said her E&M interviews are Wed and Thurs.

One thing I have always wondered about MML interviews - how much of them is in English and how much in the other language?

DD has Spanish tomorrow. She has now reached very stressed levels. We’re going to an Advent Sunday service later on - at least she can be silent in a non threatening way then!

@stoneysongs my older DC is at Oxford doing MFL. Oxford MFL is very, very literature focussed. The literature essays for the course, while obviously requiring books to be read in the relevant language, are all written in English. That probably gives you some idea - the interviews may feature some questions in the MFL but it is highly likely they will also test candidate skills at literary analysis. My older DC had to analyse something written in English as part of the interview.

Stoneysongs I read that some of the interview will be in French but that’s all it said

@RIPMatthewperry my DD has had three mock interviews with different people. The first was awful and she came out thinking she was terrible and had no business applying to Cambridge. She recorded them all. Now a week later she has listened to them all and in comparison said that the first two interviewers (who interviewed her together) were by far the worst - they took ages to actually ask the question and seemed to try and bully her. Rather than try and lead her to further explore her answers they just picked holes in them.
It has been a very worthwhile exercise though. She has overcome her nerves, and can hear how she handled herself rather than relying on memory. Just hope it translate to a good performance for the real thing!
I asked this on another thread (I thought I asked here but can't find it). DD said TSR says the reading sent in advance is not a pdf as they don't want it forwarded - so can't be printed and must be read on screen. Is this true? I'm sure there's be a way to copy and paste it to a Word doc or whatever but probably no time as they said they would send it 20 minutes ahead.

@Wolvesart I wonder if our DC go to the same state college then ?

@mondaytosunday thank you. I think it is a school rivalry thing…although the teacher from the true rival school was challenging but fair and sent a lovely feeback note to the school. I think it is fine to be tricky, but another thing altogether to leave any pupil thinking they have no business applying to either O or C…

Thanks for the heads up about the reading, I’ll pass it on.

@mondaytosunday oh that’s interesting re reading; DD has just moved the printer into the kitchen where she will do hers. she was hoping to print so that she could scribble on it I guess. Will see if she has been told differently

If it’s in a city that calls Oxford ‘the other place’ then probs.

@Wolvesart then no

lol 😂

@mondaytosunday DD says they were told at a webinar last week that they can print

@KBBuniv good to know. The anxiety around the tech needed! She's now thinking she should do her interview in my office as I have an iMac; her laptop is on its last legs and she says she looks very pixelated. The printer is in that room. We are going to do a trail run - me on her laptop her on my Mac! Can't wait til Wednesday evening when it will be in fate's hands!

Interview styles are going to be a bit dependant on who is doing the interviewing.

DD's (Oxford, Biology) says her first interview was tricky with a panel of three tutors where she barely had time to remove her coat and de-mist her glasses before fielding the first question. It was fast paced and DD said she had to ask for questions to be repeated to give herself thinking time.
At the second college, she was invited to sit by the fire and offered tea and biscuits before the questions began. Her interviewer was a PhD student, observed by the head of biology admissions. DD says the approach was much gentler and more relaxed whilst still covering the artefact discussion/data interpretation/biological questions format.

DS's (Cambridge) subject interview emulated a typical tutorial and DS felt he was given the opportunity to show his depth and breadth of reading. More of an interesting discussion than an interview and not something which required any special prep or revision (other than having done quite a lot of wider reading).

Very best of luck to all interviewees. I hope the online interviews run smoothly and your DC enjoy the experience.

I don't know if people remember from earlier threads that my DS is one of 4 male cousins who have applied for Oxford this year? I now know that all 4 of them made the interview stage! My DS and one of my DNs have their interviews tomorrow.

Good luck to all who have interviews this week. They're all amazing!

DD has been through various stages of stress today. Went to bed a bit ago in general acceptance I think.

Mine’s still up despite me telling her she needs a good night’s rest 🙄

Best of luck to everyone with an interview tomorrow.
DD is staying home for one more day of prep.
@lifeturnsonadime amazing news!

Good luck @Sybill that offers flow on from other universities for your DD.

Good luck for those DC with interviews this week. My DS’s won’t be until next week. He doesn’t know what day yet, only that he has one.

Good luck to all those with interviews tomorrow.

DD has done a bit of prep this weekend; no idea if it’s enough.