interviews are as good as tossing a coin

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Ben.S.

chloe_sh

So... what kind of thing would prejudice them in one's favour? Presumably not grades, since the vast majority of applicants will have all As at AS-Level.

A good personal statement. That's really all you've got to effect your chances before interview.

Ben

Reply 41

BazTheMoney

chloe_sh

So... what kind of thing would prejudice them in one's favour? Presumably not grades, since the vast majority of applicants will have all As at AS-Level.

And GCSEs? Like it or not, they count. Other than that, written work is a major factor where it is required; afterall, that's what you'll be doing for 3/4 years week in week out. Also tests, whether they be interally set by Oxbridge or external: BMAT, HAT, LNAT ect; though they're probable more important in the sciences than the arts, though significant in both. Beyond that, personal statement and references; though they're a much more minor thing, in my opinion.

The general message is interview isn't everything.

Reply 42

Ben.S.

BazTheMoney

I forgot about written work and weird tests (I didn't have to do any!). The personal statement is not a minor thing - your opinion doesn't count!

Ben

Reply 43

BazTheMoney

OK, in the opinion of my father (and my opinion, for what it is worth) who's been an Oxford admissions tutor since about 1856, personal statements aren't a major part of admissions. Why? Because beyond all the fancy writing and long words they all say the same thing; "I like subject X, this is why I like subject X, I do this to show I like subject X. Oh, and I play sport and music too".

And considering if I stay at Cambridge I'll be working for the King's admissions panel next year yes, my opinion does kinda matter.

Reply 44

H&E

Baz, even for you claiming your dad's been an admissions tutor for 148 years is a pretty far flung claim.

Reply 45

shiny

You mean Baz isn't telling the truth! :eek:

Reply 46

BazTheMoney

Well, that was a slight exaggeration. More 1982-ish. He 50 in Jan and has only ever been in admissions.

Reply 47

Ben.S.

BazTheMoney

Well, I suppose the applications process is different for different subjects. Every admissions tutor is different (my dad is also one - touché). From what you've said - the personal statement isn't important and the interview itself isn't quite as it's made out to be. Yet there is hardly anything to differentiate grade-wise. I didn't have to do any tests, or give samles of work. I wonder how they actually assessed the candidates I was up against? Of course it matters (well, certainly for sciences)!

Ben

Reply 48

granddad_bob

hey, listen guys, there's no poinnt splitting hair over what's the more important. if you get rejected it's all important, if you don't, then it doesn't. all of us who're lucky enough to get accepted will probable be bias and highlight what we thought we did well in. personally i got accepted on the strength of my interview (or so my acceptance letter said), but that doesn't mean it's more important than the rest. either way, the easiest (or "easiest") way to get accepted is to do great in the lot; and that's the advice i'd give all applicants.

Reply 49

MadNatSci

It is all important I think. It probably varies from college to college and university as to which individual aspect has most weight placed on it; from the people I've spoken to, here it's your reference. But it ALL matters; they look at the spectrum of information they have about you and they make a decision based on that.

But it is true that the interview isn't necessarily a deciding factor. Some people they're pretty sure they're going to take beforehand, some that they'll reject, and the interview just confirms (or sometimes changes) this. The way it was put to me is that basically our admissions tutor looks at the list before interviews and makes a private ranking (a bet with himself, if you will) of those he reckons will probably get offers. 75% of these guesses at the end are right...

Reply 50

granddad_bob

i think that's the process at pretty much every college.

Reply 51

yawn1

If you appeal to the admissions tutors because of personality, looks and you are considered by them (in the very short time span allotted) to be responsive to their style of teaching - providing you fulfil the academic requirements you will most probably get an offer.

Most educationists refer to Oxbridge interviews as very much a 'lottery' - in the same way I guess as it's been described as a 'toss of the coin'.

It also helps if you have some connection with the college - oh, and your parents are teachers! :wink:

Reply 52

ThePants999

According to my feedback, I gave only a mediocre interview performance and was accepted on the strength of my written work.

Reply 53

granddad_bob

yawn1

It also helps if ... your parents are teachers! :wink:

yes, yes it does. but we like to call that genetics - clever parents normally produce clever children.

Reply 54

MadNatSci

granddad_bob

yes, yes it does. but we like to call that genetics - clever parents normally produce clever children.

Also teachers will probably encourage an ethos of learning through their kids' childhoods, which might not always exist in other families. If you start early it's a big bonus later on.

To some degree it is a lottery, in the sense that humans are always fallible and they have to choose between a huge number of fairly equally qualified candidates. This doesn't meant the interview system itself is inherently flawed. I think it's the best they can do to choose the people they feel are the best candidates; it certainly seems fairer, to me, to give people a chance to show what they're made of at interview rather than simply making a decision based on their UCAS application. Although the interview often isn't a deciding factor, I think it can be.

As for connections with the college - this is a perception the colleges are trying very hard to get rid of. I know here the closest you get to that is the fact that the admissions office is confident that it can trust references from some schools, because they have been consistently true in the past. This doesn't mean you'll get an offer if you're from that school. For a start your reference might not be good :wink:

Reply 55

leopard

~what's the % that get in after the interview? re: oxford

Reply 56

shiny

MadNatSci

To some degree it is a lottery, in the sense that humans are always fallible and they have to choose between a huge number of fairly equally qualified candidates.