What to Expect in Your Oxbridge Interview

Before the Interview

The interview process doesn’t begin when you enter the room (be that room physical or virtual). One important element our Oxbridge-graduate experts stress when they discuss interviews is the importance of preparing yourself emotionally before the interview itself. This may seem like a trivial matter, but ensuring you’ve got the right routine in order will really help you combat the nerves and worries you may suffer in the immediate run up to the interview.

If attending an interview in person, there will be plenty of new situations to encounter in the lead up to the interview. You will likely travel to the college at which you are interviewing the day before or the day of the interview, and may have stayed in an unfamiliar room before the interview itself. Additionally, you will meet helpers in the college (usually current students) and possibly also other applicants interviewing at the same time as you. Remember that this is a great opportunity to experience college life and meet some nice new people; avoid ‘eyeing up the competition’ as much as possible, as it will not serve you any benefits! If the college have yet to confirm your precise interview time, make sure that you consistently check any information boards or electronic communications throughout your time there.

If attending an interview online, you have a little more control over the lead up to the interview itself. Since you will be at home (or ideally somewhere else familiar), we recommend following a schedule that you know works for you when you need to be productive. For example, treat the day like any other school or exam day; eat your regular meals (nothing that will put you in a slump!), wake up at your normal time, and try as best as you can to keep the day ‘normal’. Naturally you should do some preparation (such as reading back through your personal statement and/or written work), but try to maintain normality so you are as calm and relaxed as possible when it comes to the interview itself.

Be sure to keep an eye on your emails in the lead up to the interview, since sometimes timings can change or (especially for Oxford applicants) additional interviews can be scheduled for you. We recommend not reading into any last-minute changes or additions too much, since this can happen for so many different reasons, but rather go with the flow and remain calm. Be prepared mentally for additional interviews, possibly at other colleges, and think of these as simply additional changes to show the admissions tutors what you can do!

Unseen Materials and Preparation Time

Immediately prior to the interview, you may be asked to look at some unfamiliar materials or, with slightly longer notice, you may be given a source or two to read in advance. This is used by interviewers across subject areas, and can include a problem sheet, essay question prompts, written sources, images or statistics, or something else entirely.

Being given an unseen source or material in advance is not intended to give you time to write an entire essay on the topic; but rather it is to give you some time alone to think about the possible avenues down which you could lead a conversation on the item, source, or material. We recommend keeping an open mind when approaching the source (since you likely won’t know the questions the interviewers will ask you), and exploring all possible ideas you may have. For textual sources or images (such as in humanities courses), we recommend beginning with the basic information; roughly when do you think the source is from, who may have written or made it, and what is the main message? Do not worry if you don’t know the specifics – that’s the point! Then, we recommend picking up any themes or specific details that you think point to areas of contention, discussion, or controversy; this is likely the kind of topics you will be asked to discuss.

For problem sheets or statistical information, you will have some time to think or work out the problems (depending on the subject) before being asked about them in the interview. It is likely you will be asked to show the interviewers your approach to working out the problem or, in the case of statistical information, drawing conclusions from the data. You should spend your preparation time considering the wider implications of your methods, as well as any alternative processes or conclusions one could argue for.

For a more in-depth overview of preparing for unseen materials, check out our dedicated blog on the subject here.

Entering the Interview

How you enter the interview will naturally depend on whether it is in-person or online. For in-person interviewees, you will likely have been sitting in waiting room or hallway prior to the interview (perhaps preparing your unseen material alongside other interviewees). The helpers will call your name and direct you to the correct room in time for your interview; do not worry if they are slightly off schedule, as this is completely normal amongst academics! When you enter the room, one or two (or sometimes more) interviewers will already be in the room awaiting you. They will direct you to a chair (or, if you’re lucky, a sofa!) on which to sit. They may ask to shake your hand or might simply point to the seat. Take their cues and try not to worry too much about being overly formal; the interviewers are usually welcoming and will introduce themselves in a friendly manner.

For online interviews, we recommend entering the waiting room for your online interview (using the information communicated to you by the college) a little early so that you are not rushing, and to mitigate against any technical issues. When it is your time to enter, you will simply be let into the interview room where, as per in-person interviews, one or two (or sometimes more) interviewers will be visible on camera. They may be in the same room, or joining from different locations; try not to worry too much about that. Again, they will welcome you and introduce themselves; all you have to do is politely accept their introductions before introducing yourself…

Introducing Yourself

The first task of the interview will likely be to introduce yourself. The interviewers will know your name and your basic information, so they may or may not ask your name. What they will likely ask by means of introduction is something like ‘tell me about yourself as a student’, ‘why are you applying to Oxford/Cambridge?’ or ‘why are you applying to X subject/course?’. You might also simply get ‘tell us a little about yourself’.

The best way to respond to these questions is to keep things simple, short, but specific. We recommend thinking a little before the interview about your main motivating factors and interests, keeping them personal, so that you are ready for these questions. We recommend being casual but somewhat formal when introducing yourself, since you are still new to the interviewers and want to put your best foot forward. Be clear and straightforward (no overly flowery language) in explaining your motivations. Most crucially, never ever lie, since they WILL probe you and figure this out! Simply be open, honest, and personal.

Responding to Starter Questions

For the main body of the interview, the interviewers will pose questions before developing a conversation based on your answers. This is designed to reflect the format of a Tutorial or Supervision, wherein students learn from tutors by discussing their ideas in an academic conversation.

The opening question of each discussion will likely be an open question (i.e. asking for not a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but rather an open-ended response) based on your personal statement, written work, or the unseen material you were given prior to the interview. These initial questions will likely not send you in any particular direction, but rather allow you to take the floor and demonstrate your way of thinking around an issue. For this reason, it’s important that you articulate every step of your thinking in your answer (without babbling too much!) so that the interviewers understand your thought process.

Discussing Your Ideas Further

After the opening question on a topic, the interviewers will likely probe further based on the answers you have given. To many interviewers this can feel like criticism, but it’s important to remember that this is not the case; the interviewers simply want to see how you deal with new information and points of view.

As an applicant, you need to toe the line between understanding and exploring the suggestions they give you (since they, of course, are the experts), but also staying true to your own beliefs and not blindly following someone else’s ideas. You should also remember that it is not bad to reevaluate a previous answer and decide on another direction; academics have to do this all the time, and it is a sign of a humble and conscientious student to do so.

Some interviewers may be more forceful than others in their discussion style, with some feeling more like they are attacking than conversing with you, but you should always remember that this is a conversation not an interrogation. Think coherently about what they suggest and come to your own conclusions. IT also serves to remember that sometimes the interviewer will be playing devil’s advocate, and that their ‘criticisms’ are never personal. Simply take the discussion in the academic spirit it is meant and try your best to engage intelligently!

Concluding the Interview

At the end of the interview (usually after 20-30 minutes), the interviewers will begin to wind the conversation down. They may ask if you have any final points on the conversation you’ve been having, or whether you have any questions to ask them. Whilst it is not by any means essential that you ask a question, certainly feel free to do so if you have one. However, we recommend not asking anything that you could find out from the course website (such as when the course begins, which topics are covered, how the course is examined, etc.), since this will only indicate that you have not done your research. Try to think about academic-style questions that contribute to developing your understanding of the topics you discussed in the interview or that you will study on the course.

After any final questions, the interviewers will wrap up the interview by thanking you and directing you out of the (physical or virtual) room. If interviewing in person, we recommend thanking the interviewers and, if prompted, shaking their hand(s). You will then be directed to the door, with the interviewers remaining in the room after you to discuss their notes and conduct the next interview. If interviewing online, you should likewise thank the interviewers and, when prompted, simply log out of the video call. There should then be nothing more for you to do; relax and congratulate yourself on a job well done!