Continuation of Oxbridge 2025

[BananasAllofIt]

I for one still have a kid waiting to hear about interviews. Thought I'd carry it over...

I'm told that Cambridge only re-interviews pooled applicants if "exceptional circumstances" impacted the first interview, otherwise they're simply picked up (or not).

Thanks @HewasH2O I'm sure - if it comes to pass - that child2 will be find the right balance. Allegedly he quite enjoys maths but says he got quite 'deer in the headlights' so his maths brain didn't come out to play. In contrast it sounds like he found it hard to shut up in the politics interview.

@PhotoDad yeah Cambridge is very streamlined with their interviews so colleges who are fishing in the pool use the report from the first interview, rather than doing their own. Makes a more predictable process, although a bit more 'secret santa' on which college you might end up with if pooled.

My DS has a time for one interview at Oxford for CS on Tuesday but not heard re any others

DD just has one time for interview too. History, Oxford, tomorrow

DS (Cambridge NatSci) had just the one interview. He was very pleased that they didn't ask him any questions about chemistry (probably because that was his best ESAT score). As per PP, no small talk and no questions at all about personal statement, just straight in with "here are some maths and physics problems." Heaven help me, he said that one impossible-sounding question was fun to puzzle out!

Good luck for those with interviews later this week!

Son had his maths interview times and dates come through. Three next week. Two with first college and third with another college. Busy week ahead - and has school events too as it’s the end of term!

Well, I did ask DD, currently in her final year, but she said (in grey-haired elder fashion) that it was so long ago she really couldn't remember anything about it.

Just me that has Interview Week seared into the brain, then.

Good luck to your DS. Mine has Maths interviews next week too-two on Monday with same college. We are on holiday, 🤞the signal is good.

Google luck and I hope you are blessed with good signal. Nice that you get the interviews out of the way and can enjoy your holiday afterwards 😊

Thank you. Yes, so glad that they are on the Monday although DS is worried about not having an interview with another college to up his chance of getting offered a place. No idea why, I thought all candidates had an interview with another college. He has checked junk mail etc but has no other college interview.

Think my son has an interview at another college because he applied to a very over subscribed college initially.

I see, didn’t know that was how it worked.
Lots of students at my DS’s school have interviews for Oxford and all but him and one other boy have interviews at more then one college. Even more have/had interviews at Cambridge. 🤞 for our DSs.

@Juja so the second interview was more stuff on the PS and also only one of the languages again - really strange when applying for joint honours? So two interviews on one language and only one on the other.
DC hated today - really struggled with the interviewer being cold and unfriendly and speaking so quickly in the language that Dc just couldn't understand the questions and had to say she didn't know, sounded awful. Such a shame as felt yesterday had gone ok.

Each subject will have slightly different arrangements around second interviews and reallocation.

Most subjects do some form of pre-interview reallocation.
Some subjects have automatic second interviews.
Many subjects also do second interviews for some candidates (in addition to pre-interview reallocation).

The idea is to try to make sure that candidates have the same chance of getting in regardless of which college they have put down as first choice.

As several of us have said, you can't second guess anything from how you/they think they did - try (!) not to fret about it but encourage the DCs to just enjoy the break over Christmas (such as it is if you are in the middle of the run in to A levels!).

(I thought my interview (30 something years ago now admittedly) had gone rather well - but Oxford didn't agree sadly 😂)

Thank you for that, @Panicmode1. Yes, my DC thought yesterday's online interviews for C went pretty well, which makes me very suspicious!

@Panicmode1 thank you. It did sound pretty terrifying - it seems unnecessary when you're trying to get the best out of already nervous teenagers, but there we go - part of the process I suppose!
DC has decided if it means she has this person for her tutorials, if she did get an offer it would be turned down as no way she could work with this woman for 3 years!

Please tell them not to worry - some tutors relish in giving good candidates a challenging cross-examination. And if your DD found it hard I expect everyone else will have done too. Tutors being cold and unfriendly is a 'them' issue not an issue with your 'DD''.

They would be one of several tutors, and might well move on before she even arrived. DD has had three different "main" personal tutors in three years, plus different ones for each subject area.

And whinging about one's tutor or supervisor is a good early bonding activity!

Thank you both, appreciate the replies. At least it's done now - nothing else to be done and can just get on with all her other work now. The fun of year 13!

Sorry to hear your DD’s felt her second interview didn’t go well. It’s true, as others have said, you can never tell. I have known many students who felt the same after interview and yet got an offer 😀

My daughter was only interviewed by her college last year and is now studying there so don’t worry about no second college interviews.

Ds not happy after his history interview today. Of the three people he says one was friendly and the others aloof, but more than that he feels he missed an obvious opportunity to draw a comparison (or something like that) and is now beating himself up. Not nice seeing him like this...

Thank you for letting me know this, I’ll let my son know as he is worried about this.