[tomdav]

(Original post by sofialoves)
13th. I made such a silly silly mistake, this girl walked out of her interview with Thompson and started talking about the questions he asked her and I found out there were exactly the same that he asked me so I told her some questions I've been asked and she had the same and we laughed about it... only to find out that the guy next to her had his interview coming up and had to go for a 20 minute "walk" (ie phoning his mommy to ask about the answers) beforehand. ARGH that annoyed me soooo much!!

I completely messed up with Mottier, she's just so nice, I kept babbling and she kept nodding, and I dont think I made myself look very clever, oh well ^_^

Mine was the 13th as well! Dont worry, that guy is only cheating himself

[SianE]

Hello,
My interview was on 4th and then i got asked to go back for another one last thursday which was quite random.
I haven't really brought much to thid thread in sharing that but i just thought i'd make myself feel included.

[JHutcher]

(Original post by SianE)
Hello,
My interview was on 4th and then i got asked to go back for another one last thursday which was quite random.
I haven't really brought much to thid thread in sharing that but i just thought i'd make myself feel included.

what was the interview for? did they give you a reason for inviting you back?

[sofialoves]

(Original post by tomdav)
Mine was the 13th as well! Dont worry, that guy is only cheating himself

do you have any bets with other oxbridge applicants? I've got this comprehensive thing with about 5 people, what to do if i get in and they dont, if they get pooled and i get rejected etc ...............

[SianE]

[QUOTE=JHutcher]what was the interview for? did they give you a reason for inviting you back?[/QUOTE

I've applied for classics but got called back for a general interview, i think they just forgot to schedule me a general interview the first time round.

[Apagg]

(Original post by tomdav)
Mine was the 13th as well! Dont worry, that guy is only cheating himself

Not really

[tomdav]

(Original post by Apagg)
Not really

Its said time and again not to bother trying to look up questions because interviewers will often try to push you harder therefore making them likely to expose you. I know I recieved a notice about this upon being invited to interview.

[Apagg]

(Original post by tomdav)
Its said time and again not to bother trying to look up questions because interviewers will often try to push you harder therefore making them likely to expose you. I know I recieved a notice about this upon being invited to interview.

They're still going to be impressed if you know answers that other candidates didn't. Anyone halfway intelligent can use interview questions to their advantage. If this wasn't the case then Cam wouldn't bother contacting people on this site asking them to remove interview questions

[tomdav]

(Original post by Apagg)
They're still going to be impressed if you know answers that other candidates didn't. Anyone halfway intelligent can use interview questions to their advantage. If this wasn't the case then Cam wouldn't bother contacting people on this site asking them to remove interview questions

I read a stat recently (on TSR somewhere) from an admissions tutor saying that 98% of they make the right decision, they might be impressed to begin with but once the push onwards it will be quite clear that the candidates aren't so special. The point of an interview is to take you outside of your comfort zone so my guess is that the interviewer (who is much more than halfway intelligent and has lots of interview experience) will quickly be able to uncover someone who has overheard a few questions in the waiting room.

[Apagg]

(Original post by tomdav)
I read a stat recently (on TSR somewhere) from an admissions tutor saying that 98% of they make the right decision, they might be impressed to begin with but once the push onwards it will be quite clear that the candidates aren't so special. The point of an interview is to take you outside of your comfort zone so my guess is that the interviewer (who is much more than halfway intelligent and has lots of interview experience) will quickly be able to uncover someone who has overheard a few questions in the waiting room.

Possibly, possibly not. Once you get to Cam, you'll discover the faculty aren't as infallible as you seem to assume.
Besides, you missed my point which was that if you know a question in advance, you'll be able to think out a detailed answer, and possible follow up questions, and so on and so forth. It definitely gives you an advantage over other candidates, varying from subject to subject

[JHutcher]

(Original post by Solemn Wanderer)
What you could do would be to conduct research to test, for successful applicants (which they do have data for), how closely interview scores correlate ith eventual degree results. Suppose two applicants are both successful, but one scores 8 at interview and the other scores 10. If the one who scores 10 does better than the one who scores 8, then this also indicates that the one who scored 8 would have done better than another applicant who got 6 (and consequently didn't get in).

This wouldn't really work. DOSs aren't only looking for people that will perform well at tripos... in fact i've heard lots of academics at the university complain about the inability of tripos to really measure an undergraduates ability. Because of this you end up taking some who score highly at interview learn alot and are exceptional students but achieve 'average' results.

A better measure would be to conduct a survey of interview scores and people being told by DoS/supervisors that they aren't really cambridge material or that there application was being reconsidered etc...

[tomdav]

(Original post by Apagg)
Possibly, possibly not. Once you get to Cam, you'll discover the faculty aren't as infallible as you seem to assume.
Besides, you missed my point which was that if you know a question in advance, you'll be able to think out a detailed answer, and possible follow up questions, and so on and so forth. It definitely gives you an advantage over other candidates, varying from subject to subject

If I get to cambridge haha (fingers crossed though). I definately agree with you that you will have time to think up a long drawn out answers but I also think that this makes you more likely to be challenged and/or taken to a totally different subject matter to that which you may have prepared so I believe the advantage, if indeed there is any, would be limited. Am I right in thinking that no decision can really be made on one answer alone? I think I read that it one of Solemn Wanderers posts in another thread. The advantage would perhaps be more clear cut in a subject like maths where the answer is arguably more definate, as you mention.

[sofialoves]

I agree with those that say that knowing the answers in advance doesn't necessarily give you an advantage. I was lucky enough to be asked about a political philosopher I knew something about, and from what the girl said of what she answered her answers were those of someone who wouldnt've really read any of his texts etc, and the guy sitting next to us told us he didn't know anything about him, which means that even if he did think up some answers he otherwise wouldnt've said (or copied what little he knew of mine) he would've struggled with follow-ups.

The thing I really messed up on in my interview was the question "ok so give us a modern problem that can be tackled from an SPS perspective", something so standard I really should've been able to prepare for, then I blurted out terrorism, possibly the most difficult topic ever and had to be prompted my way through before the interviewer changed the topic

[whknock]

(Original post by sofialoves)
oh.. well I should've sucked up to him more then. I first laughed at him for taking the "doss subject" at cambridge and then thought his accent was American! haha

You thought his accent was American?!?!?!? But he's from Donny!!! (Doncaster) Will have to tell him that on the phone later..... (I'm his boyfriend, so it's a given that we'd talk on Christmas day......)

Wow - haven't been on here in aaaaaaaaaages!!! And I just want to say thanks to all of you guys that said we undergraduate helpers helped in any way shape or form and to say that all of you guys are absolutely lovely as well!

Oh, and hey Justin!!!

Merry Christmas,

Will.

[sofialoves]

(Original post by whknock)
You thought his accent was American?!?!?!? But he's from Donny!!! (Doncaster) Will have to tell him that on the phone later..... (I'm his boyfriend, so it's a given that we'd talk on Christmas day......)

Wow - haven't been on here in aaaaaaaaaages!!! And I just want to say thanks to all of you guys that said we undergraduate helpers helped in any way shape or form and to say that all of you guys are absolutely lovely as well!

Oh, and hey Justin!!!

Merry Christmas,

Will.

PS ask him to bribe admissions for me!

[JHutcher]

(Original post by sofialoves)
PS ask him to bribe admissions for me!

He isn't that bent otherwise we'd all be really rich from bribes!

[pix24]

wow, I remember Justin and Will from my interviews on the 13th, (u guys probably don't remember me ) Thanks 4 making us feel welcome, and 4 making Pride and prejudice and Evita funny.

[whknock]

(Original post by whknock)
Will have to tell him that on the phone later..... (I'm his boyfriend, so it's a given that we'd talk on Christmas day......)

Mark's reaction was very much as I expected..... he laughed, loudly!!!
Oh, and the Evita/Pride and Prejudice night was immense!!!

[JHutcher]

congrats to all those who applied to Jesus and got an offer!

[Phileas_Fogg]

cheers man, I'm looking forward to walking up the Chimney in 21 months time.. !