The London colleges tend to hold one interview as part of their offer-holder days. Oxbridge however will give you a minimum of two to get multiple opinions of you and to let you show off on multiple topics rather than just one. Interviews are usually between 20 and 30 minutes each, but that time will fly by!
If you’re doing joint honours, you can expect them to separate your interviews into the different subjects, so PPE will likely have one for politics, one for philosophy and one for economics. Makes sense so far right?
Sometimes they want to see whether another tutor would get on with you better, or are trying their best to fit you in somewhere – there are as many people who get in after doing seven or eight interviews as only one or two! The interviewers themselves may seem scary, but remember that they are on your side! Out of all the applicants, they wanted to see you! They seem like they’re trying to catch you out, but really they just want to see how you’ll get back up and respond to them. You may also find it a pretty cool experience to talk to an expert in your subject, and learn new ideas about what you love.
Here's what Verity had to say on the whole experience:
No matter which subject you are applying for, genuine enjoyment of the subject is incredibly under-appreciated. Students are obviously nervous before going to interview, but I think if you go in with a real intention of not just enjoying it, but getting something out of it, can be really refreshing. This means that even if you are unsuccessful, you still learn so much from the experience. ... Your love for the subject should shine through, even if your answers do not go to plan.
Now, interviews, especially at Oxbridge, have become infamous as impossible tests, but that is just not true. Whilst the questions may be a little different to what you’re used to, they are not judging you with any secret tests, like the way you walk in the room or how you're dressed.
The main thing the interviewers are looking for is your ability to take new ideas, and apply your knowledge, rather than just recalling it – that’s the only secret ingredient. They want to see how you will react to stuff that you won’t have studied, like you’ll do each week for tutorials - small classes with a professor where you discuss a topic that they have set for you the week before. The way to think of it is kind of like those hard questions in exams, where you have to think of how you can apply what you know to what the question is asking, even though you won’t have covered that exact situation in class, and explain it step by step.
Here are a few examples of previous interview questions. Why don’t you pick one to have a go at answering on the next question?
How many different molecules can be made from six carbon atoms and twelve hydrogen atoms?
What can historians not find out about the past?
What do we lose if we only read a foreign work of literature in translation?
Would it be better if we all spoke the same language?
The viruses that infect us are totally dependent on human cells for their reproduction; is it therefore surprising that viruses cause human diseases?
If Apple were producing a car, what should it look like?
If you had an invisible ring and could do anything, would you act justly or unjustly? Why?
Convince us why climate change is an issue
Why are strawberries and ladybirds red?
If Pythagoras’ theorem states that if a triangle is right angled, then the squares of the shorter sides must add up to the square of the longer. Prove the reverse; if this relation applies between the side lengths, then the triangle must be right angled
At what speed does a high jumper have to run to make it over the pole? Why might they be able to run slightly slower and still make it over the pole?
What could you tell about history if you only knew sports results?
How many sides does a 4D cube have?
Let’s have a look at one of them, about whether it would be better if we all spoke the same language and how you could come to an answer of yes or no from multiple angles.
Yes, a common language would be good in allowing everyone to communicate. There is often conflict or inefficiency when people can’t communicate, which this would remove. Often cultures separate themselves by their language, and there may be a more united and peaceful culture if that weren’t the case. But, it would be just as valid to say no! Languages and words hold significance in certain languages that would make them untranslatable into a common language without an infinitely large and complex vocabulary. Plus if we standardise everything, how would poetry or rhyming work? You could also point to its impossibility of the idea when you think about how languages grow and change over time, and the failed attempts of Esperanto.
First of all, you won’t be expected to be this in depth straight away! You would do well if you thought of one or two points overall – a third year linguist spent a week studying this…Secondly, we can see that there was no right answer to this question, and no right approach. What made this a good answer was that it had a thought, and then developed it into an argument, using what they knew. They applied their knowledge!
If you want extra practice too, check out Oxplore as well, an access scheme run by Oxford for interview questions.
Alternatively, you may also get asked some more general questions, although Oxbridge tends to focus on the academic side, to warm up the interview, or to get a sense of your personality. Why don’t you try answering one of these as well?
Why do you like your subject?
What's your favourite topic?
How does your subject fit into the current world?
Why do you want to do it (especially if you haven't done it at school)?
Why have you picked this university/college?
The good news is that most of the preparation you need for the interview you’ve been doing the entire time, from reading everything you’ve talked about in your personal statement, to all the stuff you’ve done beyond your subject. Make sure to give your personal statement and written work a reread, and that you know you can back up your opinions there. Interviewers sometimes use something from your statement as a springboard for discussion, or something mentioned in your reference, or prefer to do unseen tasks.
Focus on having a good breadth of knowledge – try reading an article or listening to podcasts on topics outside your syllabus. You won’t need to be an expert in your subject at a university level, but it can be helpful to have introduced yourself to things beyond the course. Try and have mock interviews, either with your mentor or with a teacher from school, as if you were doing a practice test.
The most important thing is to make sure you are comfortable thinking out loud and explaining yourself as you go!
It’s normal to be nervous, and everyone is in their interviews, you just have to remember there’s a reason why you’ve gotten this far, and that the tutors are so used to doing this that they’ll help you every step of the way!