#university interview

[strangesigils]

any sigils or spells to aid my upcoming university interviews?

I gotchu, I reallize your interview is probably long past by now, but I hope it went well!

***SIGIL REQUESTS ARE CLOSED***

[uniapplicationmayhem]

Exeter Medicine Interview Experience

I had my interview at Exeter on the 22nd of January. While I can't give exact details about the day as the process is meant to be confidential, I wanted to give an overall view of how my day went.

We had decided to go up to Exeter the night before, leaving staight after college college ended on the Tuesday. We stayed at  Jurys Inn, Exeter which was only a 10 minute walk from St Lukes Campus. I think despite living relatively close to Exeter, staying overnight helped take away some of the stress. And as a bonus I got extra time in bed!!!

That morning I was so nervous I couldn't eat a thing. It was my first interview and one of my top choice Unis, so I knew there was a lot riding on that day. 

The time I was told to come to the campus was 9:30 so we decided to walk up a little earlier to have a look around and see what the campus was like.

I had never visited Exeter Uni as it was a last minute decision to add it to my application. The grounds were really nice and it was nearby the main hospitals as well as the accommodation, so ideal for early morning classes and placements. I really liked the position of the campus, it is close enough to the city centre for anything you need but it feels like a small, safe community on the campus. 

In the morning we had a talk by a member of the admissions team and then we were provided with lunch. It was during this time that I really got to know the other applicants. It was lovely to meet people for all over and I found it really calmed my nerves talking to everyone else. Some Uni students caution making friends with the other applicants as they are your competition, but I felt that we were all in the same boat so we might as well support each other. After lunch we all walked to another building to wait for our interview. I had one of the latest interview slots at 4:15pm which worried me slightly. I was scared that sitting in a room waiting for 4 hours would make any anxiety I felt build and build.

Surprisingly the opposite happened. During the hours we were sat waiting we had some really great conversations. We laughed and joked and at times I forgot we were even about to have an interview.  All the other applicants were lovely and we all eased each others anxiety.

One of the people who I had spoken to most was in my MMI group and having her there make the process slightly less nerve wracking. 

People had always told me that the time went so quick during the interview and I didn't believe them until I experience it myself. I used the 3 minutes provided for all of the questions and I found myself running out of time at points. Thankfully I found myself able to answer all questions and came out of the interview feeling happy. 

For me the medicine interview was a far better experience than I could have imagined. All the staff put us at ease and make the process far more comfortable than expected. I walked out of the interview knowing that whatever happened I had had a really great day and it was a valuable experience.

[study-like-you-mean-it]

Preparing for Any University Interview

 Chances are, a large number of you are going to have to interview for a university, be that Oxbridge or elsewhere: university interviews are fairly common, and there are several things you can do to make you interview process better:

1) Read lots beforehand

 If you’ve been reading a lot for your personal statement, then this should be somewhat easier for you, as you will have a list of books that you have read that you have opinions on that you can talk about, or at least discuss ideas within these books. Keep reading- the more you read, the more you’ll have to talk about, and the less likely you’ll be to run dry during the actual interview, since you can keep drawing on things you know to answer questions about things you don’t (in the form of “I don’t know about [x], but it sounds a bit like [y])

2) Talk to anyone who will listen

 Practising is the best thing you can do before an interview: explain concepts to people, get them to ask questions, figure out the clearest way to make a point, ask people who know stuff about your subjects questions. The more you practise, the easier it will get, and although I only spoke to one person who had a background in the subject I chose, there were plenty of contributions that other people had to offer, and influences from their own subjects that I hadn’t though of before. This will help you to come out of your shell and ask questions in the interview, something that people often neglect but is essential in showing your willingness to learn and understand new concepts.

3) Make sure you know the kinds of other things you may be expected to do in the interview

 Often, a conversation is not the only thing that you will be expected to do, especially in Oxbridge interviews where you will normally be given something else to do, often analysing something you’ve never seen before, or conducting the interview in another language. The interview is already highly stressful, and you will find yourself surrounded by nervous people, and being caught out by an entire section that they have mentioned somewhere will not put you in the best mindset for the interview. That being said, you can’t expect to be prepared for everything they fire at you in the interview, and the more you accept that you’re going to get curveballs and things you can’t prepare for, the more relaxed overall you’re going to be in the interview.

4) Check out what the interviewer specialises in

 Looking at who is interviewing you does not mean researching their work and trying your best to prove yourself to them in their own field: interviewers are not looking for that. It’s useful to know what they specialise in case you have an interest in what they work on, or the areas that they specifically teach, and if you can ask questions and open up a meaningful dialogue in which you can learn new things even in your interview, which further shows the interviewer that you are ready and willing to be taught.

5) Remember that the interview is a conversation

 This obviously relates to the ideas of being willing to be taught and willing to learn in the interview, as is mentioned in the other points, but this also refers simply to the fact that you can’t let your nerves get the better of you. You’re not being interrogated, and the interviewers generally do not want to make it difficult and stressful for you. The more relaxed and conversational you are, the more likely you’re going to feel that the interview went well, and the more relaxed you’re going to feel about the application overall.

My ask box is open this week for a Q&A, so ask anonymously or not and I will answer your questions on university applications (Oxbridge in particular but elsewhere as well, as obviously I did not just apply to Cambridge).

Links to all posts for Oxbridge week here.

[ihavewaytoomanyproblems]

Not going to be on much today have another university interview today.

[vikstudies]

🍓34/100🍓 Not been posting much as I had exams to concentrate on! I also had a uni interview and this is some of my preparation for it! 👩🏽‍🏫

[lemongrassjello]

okay so i had an interview and it??? went???? well???????? Like i didn’t have a heart attack in the middle or anything???

Makes me believe in myself

[uniapplicationmayhem]

Well it’s the night before my interview. Exeter Medicine interview is tomorrow and I’m pumped. The anxiety hasn’t started yet but I’m sure in the morning the nerves will kick in. Drove up to Exeter after college today and had a Pizza Hut in our hotel. Now I’m just gonna chill before tomorrow 🤞Wish me luck.

[edensfallenangelart]

I’ve got two interviews first thing tomorrow, I’m terrified and I need all the confidence I can muster. At least when it’s done I can finally get on with my drawing for Day Seven, I’ve got a plan for more pining in ‘Silent Night’! (I promise I’ll put an end to the pining eventually.) Until then, I won’t sleep, I’ll just read over my notes all night.

(I also have Crowley sunglasses for when I cry on the way out of the interviews, and two rings - one is a snake, the other is a feather, for obvious reasons. :) )