Computer Science Interview

No. I didn't go and still got an offer

Hi, I got an invitation for an open day (which an interview is included with), for MEng Computer Science at the University of Manchester.

I was wondering if attendance to the interview is compulsory for them to give you an offer, since it doesn't say anything in the letter I was given.

Can anyone help?

Just got an interview for BSc Computer Science for the 15th. I've read on Student Room that their interviews are pretty informal but the UCAS update actually said interview or portfolio so I don't know if this is the standard. Perhaps this interview/portfolio combination means it is a little more serious than the interviews that other people have had? I don't know.

But any advice would be really appreciated.

No. I didn't go and still got an offer

Hi, you posted a message onto my profile but I can't seem to reply to you, so I'll just put mine here instead.

Sorry to hear you didn't get an offer from Cambridge! I wasn't actually given a reason why I was rejected, but I personally am not too bothered about it. For the record, I got 3 A*s at A-level and I'm now studying a MEng Computer Science course at UCL.

You say that you're thinking of taking a gap year and then applying to Oxford. I personally would say that you shouldn't get too hung up on trying to get an Oxbridge degree, because honestly, even during and after your course, it will not matter at all. Most employers in CS will check that you have a degree of some kind and then make sure you do well in a technical interview. They realise that actual understanding (as well as good communications skills) are far more important than where you spent your last three/four years.

I am extremely happy with my course, and I get a lot of industry contact. Wherever you end up, make sure that you sign up for some hackathons (they're free and great fun!), where you'll get the chance to meet lots of interesting people from across the country and build great stuff. You may also bring yourself to the attention of the sponsors, potentially, although hackathons aren't really networking events.

The point I'm trying to make is, computing employers don't target solely Oxbridge, and you should never feel like that Oxbridge is where you go if you are the best. Glasgow has a thriving games industry. York's CS department actually has an IBM office in their building. And here in London, we rub shoulders with loads of startups and big companies - last term alone, I went to talks run by Google, Blackrock and Bloomberg, as well as visiting the offices of Facebook and King (the people behind Candy Crush). As long as you keep on making new things, as long as you study hard and learn the materials well, you'll have an education which is just as good as any other place, in my opinion. So, think hard on whether you would want to take a whole year off for a chance to study at Oxbridge.

That said, what other places did you apply to? I wish you the best of luck with your future

First of all, I must stress just how much I genuinely appreciate the lengthy response, it was so helpful! The reason why I am considering reapplying is because, for the past three years, i've pretty much aligned my life according to what would maximise my chances of getting into Oxbridge. Almost every major decision i've made, i've had Oxbridge in mind - from working extra hard for my GCSE's, to joining various clubs, spending hours applying for difference work experiences, taking an extra AS-level, doing an EPQ on quantum cryptography, etc... Pretty much all of it was with Oxbridge in mind, and I really wouldn't want all of that work to seemingly go to waste. This is a particularly prominent factor because the other universities I applied for, Bristol, Warwick, Manchester & Durham I have got offers for, but so have others with so much less than me, and who aren't nearly as passionate as I am about their chosen subject. It really has been my dream to go and, unfortunately, I thought I would get it, but even more so did my parents. I have a vague idea of what i'd to on the gap year: Work until Christmas whilst preparing for the admissions tests & interview, whilst learning French and practicing guitar (essentially Oxbridge took over these commitments, annoyingly), advance further with DofE, take up a new, different sport and do a French-exchange sort of thing. Then, I would spend time working at a software-related company, and then go on holiday/partake in Camp America. I would also take an additional A-level in additional further maths. My birthday also works in favour - late July.
This probably sounds good on paper, and i'd be happy to get most of it done, but am I blind to the negatives of a gap year? Could you enlighten me, thank you ever so much!!