Things I Wish I Knew Before My Oxbridge Interview

The interviewers are not trying to catch you out

This is something we talk about all the time but it bears repeating; interviewers are (generally) looking to get the best out of you in the interview. Occasionally they may lead you down a certain path before positing some alternative options, but they are not trying to ‘trick you’ into making a mistake from which you can never recover.

Most of the clients we work with say that they enjoyed their interviews much more when they relaxed and treated it like a conversation with a like-minded (albeit much more academically experienced!) individual. Second guessing every question they give you takes up a lot of time and mental strength, not to mention being exhausting! Of course you should maintain a critical lens of analysis throughout the interview, but you should not go in overly-defensive since this could well backfire.

Interviewers will push back or offer alternative ideas (and it doesn't mean they hate you!)

In the same vein as the previous point, you should absolutely be prepared for the interviews to push you for further explanation, question your methods, and occasionally disagree with something you have said. This is essentially their job. They are there to see how you respond to new prompts and debates within your academic field; the conversation would end up pretty boring if you agreed the entire time!

With this in mind, be reassured that when they push back against your answers it is NOT because they hate you or that they have already decided to reject you. Quite the contrary; they are most likely testing your ability to think on your feet, since this is what you will need to do in real life tutorials.

The interviewers can and will ask about your personal statement

There’s a limit to how much your interviewers know about you, and the information in your personal statement makes up a large proportion of this. All of our clients are asked about their personal statement contents in at least one of their interviews; you are unlikely to be any different! Remember to really read through your statement top to bottom and refresh your mind on any of the books, films, or other resources you directly mention (since it’s very embarrassing to be asked about a book the contents of which you have forgotten or, even worse, never read in the first place!).

The entire interview could be on just one or two topics

Generally when applicants practice at home, they spend their preparation firing through past questions to try and get as much in as possible. However, the real interview is very rarely like this.

Rather than seeing your responses to multiple disparate topics, interviewers (especially in the humanities but across the board) tend to be more interested in developing an argument or topic of conversation over several questions. This is much more akin to a supervision or tutorial, in which you and a tutor will discuss a problem sheet, essay, or topic you’ve worked on in class over the space of an hour or so.

We therefore recommend getting a friend, teacher, or parent/guardian to try and develop a debate on one or two topics, or asking follow-up questions to your practice answers, rather than simply moving on immediately to the next question.

Expect to discuss unseen materials

One element of the interview that applicants sometimes forget about is the unseen material. Before the interview, applicants are often placed in a ‘waiting room’ for 30 minutes or so with an unseen prompt (such as a text, image, problem sheet, graph or piece of statistics, etc.) to consider before entering the interview. The interviewers then use this prompt to spark conversations throughout the interview.

Applicants who are not expecting this part of the interview can be really thrown off their rhythm, so we recommend preparing for this if you can! For more advice on how to prepare for unseen material, check out our dedicated blog here.

You do not need to dress up for the interview

Every year we see applicants stress about what they should wear to the interview; this is absolutely not something you should spend time worrying about! Sure, you don’t want to wear dirty tracksuits or pyjamas and slippers, but you also don’t need to begin ironing your suit or best formal dress. We recommend simply wearing something presentable but in which you feel the most comfortable; a jumper and jeans, for example, will suffice. It may go without saying, but you should avoid wearing t-shirts, jumpers, or anything else with large slogans on in case they are not deemed appropriate for the interview.

Expect unique mannerisms and personalities in your interviewers

Interviews, like anyone else, are all different and have their own personalities. Rather than the kind of interview you might imagine for a job, however, academics can sometimes let their personalities show through a little more. That is to say that you should not be put off by mannerisms that might seem a little ‘odd’ or ‘informal’ from the professors interviewing you. In the bast majority of cases, this is a quirk of their own rather than anything to do with you, so try to leave it be and focus on the debate at hand.

Additionally, whilst some interviews might not treat the interview as formally as you are expecting, you should still retain a certain level of politeness and formality. Unfortunate as it may be, there is something of a double standard in these situations, and sometimes what is appropriate for an interviewer to say or joke about is not okay for you to join in with. Just stick to talking as you would to a new teacher at school and you will be just fine.