Alison

I am an American student with a degree in political science. I decided to apply to Oxford as a second undergraduate in English literature because Oxford has one of the best English programs in the world: a BA from Oxford would mean more than an MA from many American schools.

The Oxford application process is quite thorough, but it is not like the application process for most American universities. Instead of spending a lot of time writing about myself, I spent hours in the library researching for and writing to rigorous academic essays about English texts. I submitted the application in September and waited.

The letter inviting me to interview arrived only a few weeks before my interview was scheduled. I was lucky to find a bus to New York City, where interviews for Americans are all held. That left me little time to prepare. I found myself reviewing notes from school about how to close-read poetry and then practicing on poem's I randomly selected from an anthology. I also spent some time thinking about the sorts of personal questions I thought my interviewer would ask me to make sure I had an answer.

On the day of the interview, a representative from Oxford gave me a poem and told me to spend the next thirty minutes preparing to discuss the poem. It really was not as intimidating as it sounds--the poem was fairly short and it was easy to understand. I read through it, making notes about literary devices, metaphors, rhythm, and other things of that nature. When I was finished, I found I had some time left. I spent it recopying the poem, so I knew it very well. I also practiced reading the poem very quietly to myself, which turned out to have been a very smart thing to do when the interviewer asked me to read the poem to her.

The interview itself was very scholarly. The interviewer did not want to know much about me personally; she was far more concerned about how well I understood the text I had just read and how well I could discuss it with her. She asked me for my general impressions, including whether I could identify when or by whom it was written. Then she asked me more technical details. Finally, we discussed the poem's meaning. Ultimately, I spent thirty minutes discussing poetry with a learned scholar. I enjoyed it so much that I almost forgot she was testing me!

One of the negative points of interviewing as an American is that you miss out on the entire 'interview experience.' I was lucky to have visited Oxford, because I had no other opportunities to explore the city or meet with other potential students. Nevertheless, interviewing was very worthwhile.

Overall, my interview experience was not as scary as I had expected. It more academically rigorous than I had expected, but I knew my topic well. Years of study helped me earn my place here--there was nothing covered in the interview that I did not learn in school. I think any student who applies in a subject he or she loves and honestly understands cannot help but do well in an Oxford interview.