Catherine

I decided to apply for Oxford first and foremost because of its reputation as one of the top universities in the world. After almost applying to Cambridge, I changed my mind after visiting the city of Oxford and preferring its more bustling atmosphere. I was also tempted by the excellent Classics department, and the structure of the course, which allowed me to pursue Ancient Greek from scratch. I chose Somerville College after visiting on an open day – I was charmed by its friendly and unpretentious atmosphere, as well as the number of impressive women who have studied here (as it was women only until 1994).

There were lots of other people from my (state grammar) school applying, so my school offered us practice interviews to help us prepare, as well as letting us look through information sheets prepared by older students who had applied in previous years. They also checked through our personal statements, because it’s important to make a good first impression! In my own time I did a bit of extracurricular reading, choosing Plato’s Republic to explore because my A-Level in Classical Civilisations didn’t cover philosophy. I also read some critical essays on Greek tragedy and some bits and pieces about Greek history as background.

I had three interviews which were spread out over a few days, which meant I had to stay at Somerville. After getting a lift up with a friend (and getting lost!), I went straight into a meeting with a Classics tutor and the other interviewees. He put us all at ease and I realised that it wasn’t going to be such a scary experience as I had imagined. Then we were shepherded to a hall where we took a selection of language tests. Because I hadn’t studied Latin or Greek before I was given the ‘Language Aptitude Test’, which involved analysing English grammar and translating a made up language called ‘Krempl’. I had done some practice papers beforehand (obtained from the Oxford website), so I knew what to expect, and actually enjoyed it!

My first actual interview was with two tutors, who specialised in history and literature. They worked mainly from my personal statement, asking me which texts I had enjoyed reading so far and why, and then some more challenging questions which got me to think carefully about what I had studied. Sometimes I didn’t know the answer, but I was careful to explain what I thought it might be, and the tutors were very encouraging. I was also given a piece from Tacitus (which I had never read before) to analyse – it was a bit nerve-wracking as I didn’t know anything about Roman literature, but I thought sensibly about it and worked with what the tutors suggested to answer their questions as best I could. My second interview, with a philosophy tutor, was similar – we mainly discussed my personal statement, including the Republic, but also chatted a bit about my experiences doing debating at school and about stories in the news. My third interview was at Wadham College with the language faculty, who talked me through the ‘Language Aptitude Test’, asking which questions I found hardest and how I worked through them.

There was quite a bit of free time between interviews and tests. During the day I went shopping in town with other interviewees, and did some reading in my room. In the evening we played board games in the bar, and I met some school friends at the pub. I also had the chance to talk with the undergraduates who were helping out – they were all really friendly, and took each person to their interview so we wouldn’t get lost on the way.

In hindsight I can see that I probably should have concentrated on one or two extracurricular topics in depth and revised my A-Level courses thoroughly rather than trying to do too much. It’s much better to be able to answer well on a few things than to know a little bit about lots.

I had a wonderful time at interviews, and ended up enjoying it immensely. It was fantastic to meet other people from all over the country, especially those who were interested in Classics. I enjoyed talking to the tutors, who were genuinely pleasant and encouraging, and it was exciting to be staying in college and trying out life as an undergraduate. I wasn’t sure if I had secured a place – you never can be – but I felt I’d had a memorable, happy experience even if I eventually received a rejection letter.