[WokSz]

To be honest, they are both very helpful sites and I'm sure prospective students will not stop using OA.

[lil_sweetie]

No, they give you at least 7 days prior notice.

[lljaneth]

(Original post by lil_sweetie)
No, they give you at least 7 days prior notice.

is that also true for cambridge?

[samba]

(Original post by blissy)
TBH, I don't know anything about oxbridge admissions. Despite having just graduated from Cambridge I rarely come in this forum.

You may or may not know that I'm fairly involved in the TSR wiki and have been working on the Oxbridge side of it out of my own interest. The "Applying to Oxbridge" section had been completed, and I'm in the process of making the College/University section good and the interview process just seemed to be a gap! So I decided to fill it, and I was just asking if anyone wanted to help contribute to what I'd written and found in posts on TSR.

The page on a the wiki isn't a matter of competition in my view, I was just filling in the gap that had appeared on the wiki - and wanted to get it done before the next cycle of applications.

You also have an interrailing webby don't you, which is just to help people.
I'm fairly sure that you're just trying to be helpful and make the wiki a really useful resource, without any sort of ulterior motive

However, when others come shooting their mouths off about "competitors" and "we're competing" it detracts from the usefulness of the information, and just adds to the feeling that tsr isn't about to help, but to make a profit. If they are unwilling to credit, or to link to other useful resources, then what use is it? The wiki should have a link to the other forum, if its to help folks more.

[Madmax]

I had my Oxford interviews yesterday, yes on a Sunday. The interviews were held on Sunday for applicants who did not have to travel far. No need to dress formally, I wore jeans and a casual top, although the tutors were dressed smart. I arrived at 11.30 and left at 6 p.m. I had two interviews 2 hours apart, the first with two tutors and the second with a post graduate. The interviews were pretty tough and no amount of pre-prep work will help you. No mention of anything on my PS, they simply wanted to know the way I could analyse and interpret information and my thought processes. You have to remain calm and collected (easier said then done)...because you are under extreme time pressure to assimilate information analyse it and discuss it. They are also fired questions regarding the information they had given me.

The predicated grades, school reference, personal statements, tests, written work are simply methods for them to filter out candidates and only invite those for interview that meet their pre selection criteria. All I can say I gave it my best shot. One thing that put me off Oxford was the fact that it had no soul...the college felt like a monastery...with the monks being the students...with their heads stuck in books...Perhaps also that they had broken up for the Xmas break. I am glad its over, however I maybe called up for other interviews by other colleges. I will find out today.

Good luck to all of you who have your interviews this week. Keep Cool....

[ChocolateCherry]

Ahh, too late for you're advice, i seem to suffer from amnesia when put under pressure, i'm afraid this probably didn't come across too well. On the other hand, they did get that i'm enthusiastic, maybe that'll work for me. All the same, if all else fails i shall happily toddle off to Bristol.

[Madmax]

Unfortunately I got rejected by Bristol. It would have been my main choice if I get rejected by Oxbridge. You cannot tell with interviews...everyone is nervous...you gave it your best shot. Remember this, not all of the courses offered by Oxford are the best in the country. For engineering it would be Imperial College etc...There is simply a premium price that has to be paid for tradition, academia, supply & demand that goes along with Oxbridge...At least you got an interview which proves something...

[ChocolateCherry]

Yeh, but I applied for maths, Cambridge is the best place for maths...Sorry you didn't get into Bristol, hopefully you'll get into Oxbridge and then it won't matter! Best of luck

[RocketTown]

I just wondered what you lot would say if you were asked "why do you want to study at this university?"

Everytime i think of what i would say, i just think of all the really really obvious stuff. Like, what i can gain, and the Uni's reputation etc etc. But that can't possibly be what theyre looking for if they asked this.

So just wondered what any of you would say to it?

dan

[physicsgirlie]

the opportunity to learn from researchers that are leaders in their respective fields.

[Jigglypuff]

(Original post by RocketTown)
I just wondered what you lot would say if you were asked "why do you want to study at this university?"

Everytime i think of what i would say, i just think of all the really really obvious stuff. Like, what i can gain, and the Uni's reputation etc etc. But that can't possibly be what theyre looking for if they asked this.

So just wondered what any of you would say to it?

dan

I just pointed out what I liked about the course.

[Johnny01638]

How many people do you tend to find are in the interview room with you?

[mkgm1]

I applied for Physics to Oxford. Had 3 interviews (2 x Physics and 1 Maths) - in each one there were 2 interviewers, and all of them were professors.

[hyper-little-mushroom-men]

When I went for interview at Cambridge (for philosophy) there were two interviewers.

[anonymous1985]

Probably similar for most subjects then?

[city_chic]

Thanks for this. I'm sure it will be very helpful.

[fatshim]

(Original post by Johnny01638)
How many people do you tend to find are in the interview room with you?

hi, sorry just out of curiosity, why did you do seven AS levels?

[fisherman]

I've got a form to fill in about topics to discuss at interview, but I don't really know what to do. I'm applying for chem eng, and they say to concentrate on physics topics.

I'm very interested in quantum mechanics, but I worry as I don't have a phenominal knowledge of the topic, and I feel I could be torn apart on it. I'm very interested in it, but I don't know (or understand) any of the maths behind it, and in reality the depth of my knowlegde can be summed up as being able to use E=mc^2 for nucluer fission/fusion, and knowing electron+positron annahalite each other to produce two photons. I have been reading books about antimatter and the like, but would they expect me to know this kinda stuff inside out? I love it, but do typical interviewers expect people to know their course related interests to a high level?
Thanks

[seanw]

Had mine today, really enjoyed them! Was really down as I left, but you can't answer all the questions. Try to balance your arguments, be prepared to answer questions you don't know the answer to, and your 2nd interview always > the 1st! One of my interviewers got replaced by a consultant on neurological disorders whose primary interest is Alzheimer's... exactly what I put on my personal statement lol! Massive coincidence. I didn't realise who he was until I got home and tried to find a picture. I said that i was interested in Alzhemier's and he began questioning me on it, it didn't twig that he might be an expert! Just hope i didn't make a fool of myself lol.

Good luck everyone. It's not as bad as you'd think...

[LoveOfHumanity]

This is actually an interesting thread. From personal experience, colleges like Magdalene and Robinson invite candidates for medicine interviews BEFORE BMAT results come out. This means that if you aren't too confident in your BMAT score (5.5<x<6 on sections 1 & 2) and you think that you can rock the interview in ever way, this is good. At colleges like Clare, they don't send out invitations for interview till BMAT results get to them [ they then tell people who get invited for interviews and do all their preliminary rejections]

But realistically, if you get below 6 on sections 1 and 2, you'll be rejected anyway.. Unless you applied through CSAS or COMPLETELY blew them away at the interview