Kat

Balliol College

For sixth form, I went to a school from which quite a few people applied to Oxford.  Everyone who wanted to apply was given a little booklet about writing personal statements for Oxford and Cambridge and we were left to get on with it.  There was an optional workshop on 'interview technique' but I didn't use or benefit from anything I was taught there. With my application, I sent in one essay I’d written for class and my coursework essay. I didn’t rewrite them at all – I don’t even think I reread them before putting them in the envelope, although one of my friends who was also applying was very shocked by this when I told him.

Before I arrived in Oxford for my interview I re-read my personal statement and the essays I’d submitted and tried to think what I might be asked and how I would answer.  I gave up quite quickly because I hadn’t the faintest idea what sort of questions I’d get.  After my interview I was glad I hadn’t wasted any more time on worrying about this.  Much more helpful was skimming through some of the novels I’d mentioned in my personal statement and rereading the sections that I thought most interesting or had most to say about.

I took the train up and arrived in Oxford the night before my interview.  The students who welcomed me were very friendly and helpful and so laid-back and reassuring that I quickly stopped feeling nervous.  The other people applying for my subject were great as well – it was the first time I’d met people who were as enthusiastic about books as I was and I was soon enjoying myself so much more than I could have imagined.

My surname’s quite late in the alphabet, so my interview wasn’t until very late the next day.  I lost track of time and only managed to get a copy of the poem I was supposed to talk about 15 minutes before my scheduled time.  I chose the shorter of the two poems on the sheet and sat outside the tutor’s room reading it and picking out words or other things that seemed unusual or seemed to be doing or saying something interesting.  I didn’t really feel I’d come up with anything dazzling or anything much at all by the time I went in.

I was interviewed by two tutors, one of whom was very chatty and one very quiet: I had to try very hard not to think of them as good cop/bad cop. After meeting the ‘bad cop’ at the drinks party he held the next night I realised that his natural facial expression was always as disapproving as he’d seemed in the interview, and it didn’t mean that he hated everything I’d said.  In the interview we talked about the things I was studying at A level, and how they connected to the other things I’d talked about in my personal statement.  One tutor had noticed that I’d mentioned acting as one of my hobbies, so he asked some questions about the difference between reading plays and seeing them performed.

I actually really enjoyed the interview, which was much more like a converstion than a test, although I had absolutely no idea how well I’d done afterwards.  I know now that the tutors want to see how you think about a subject and about new ideas far more than they want to test you on what you’ve already read.  Most other people seemed to be as unsure as me about how they’d done, although there were the occasional scary people who talked about all the killer points they’d made and how they made the tutors laugh and so on.  Funny thing is, I don’t think any of them actually got in.

I didn’t have any more interviews (and I’m glad that I believed the students when they told me that this didn’t affect my chances of getting a place) but I was asked to stay around for another couple of days just in case.  I had a great time – lots of activities were organised and I spent just as much time going off on my own with my new friends and exploring Oxford.

I came away from the interview process having enjoyed them a lot; I’d made new friends that I’m still in contact with now, got a taster of university life and had fascinating discussions about my subject – not least in the interview. Much more than being excited about the chance to study at Oxford, I was very excited about studying English at any university. 

The whole process had been a lot less intimidating than I had expected.  I think some of this was to do with me not trying to cram in more information when I was there – sitting in your room desperately reading as much as you can the night before your interview will only make you stressed and panicky. I was much better off having a little fun with whatever activity was organised or just chatting to the other interviewees and then going back to my room to quickly look over my personal statement again before getting an early night.