The Student Room Group
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Competition - post a photo you've taken of nature >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

This discussion is now closed.

Check out other Related discussions

Post Assessments - Pre-interview Ask an Admissions Tutor

Scroll to see replies

Original post by Oruese
Hi again AT,

Sorry to disturb but i am getting quite agitated, someone else applying for my course at Queens has already received a reply concerning an interview but i haven't. When would you say the invites would be finalised?


Try not to worry too much at this stage, you will likely find out very soon. Colleges handle these things in different ways due to the working practices of the people involved and the number of applicants etc. If it is a large subject, for instance, and the interviews are spread over a number of days they might send out the interviews for the first day first and the second later. The important thing is, as hard as it will be, is not to read too much into this. Good luck. :smile:
Reply 221
Avatar for gigey
gigey
5
Hi! Will we hear about our NSAA results? Or is it possible to know how many we got correct/how many points we got?

Thank you.
Original post by Murray Edwards Admissions
Hello all. Having discussed things with other colleges involved in TSR, we agreed to re-run the thread from the same time last year to try to offer reassurance and general advice to candidates between the admissions assessments and the interviews.

I can't discuss the content of the Admissions Assessments so please don't ask nor can I say for certain how colleges are going to be using them in their decision making.

The purpose of the thread is to provide general advice and reassurance about the process between now and the start of the interviews in early December, so if you have a query please do send it. I will try to answer as quickly as possible but please bear in mind that things are busy at the moment in Cambridge admissions offices so have patience and I promise to get back to you.

I can't answer on behalf of colleges other than Murray Edwards but I can provide some advice or at least a window into the way colleges behave so don't feel you have to be a Murray Edwards applicant in order to ask. A lot of the time, though, the answer will be 'email your college and ask!'

A series of short tips about how to prepare for your interviews will be going up on the Murray Edwards Instagram account over the coming days and weeks from interviewers, students and members of staff at Medwards so do check those out.

Thank you and best of luck in your preparations for interview.


In your opinion is it worth going to interview preparation days from companies such as ‘Oxbridge Applications’?
Hello,

I'm applying as a NatSci applicant and expecting to get several mathematics/physics questions during the interview
When solving the questions, should I be quick in solving or be very thorough and accurate by showing all steps I take???

Thank you
Original post by DrinkerOfCups
Hello, I have a history interview at Girton. There is a pre-subject reading and 2 subject interviews. It says the first will be at 10:00 and the second at 12:00, how long are they? I remember reading that they were around 15 minutes long. Also, it says that the reading will form a part of the discussion for the first interview, will it just be about the reading and the second interview about my PS and perhaps essays or is it possible what I wrote in the PS will be a part of the first interview? Also, apart from reading the essays I will submit and making sure I am secure in my course content I say I have learnt and all the books/articles I have put down. What can I do to revise for the interview? Also, how would you see it as a history tutor if someone researched your research interests, would it be seen as creepy?

Thank you so much for doing this, it has been so useful :smile::smile:


Hello and thanks for your questions. Obviously, I can't tell you exactly how Girton will structure their interviews but generally I think that you should be prepared to answer PS questions in either interview.

I think you are doing the basic things you can do. Find and tackle unfamiliar sources would be my only other advice. Source criticism is a key part of being a historian.

It's a bit strange when applicants suddenly develop an interest in your research area. We don't want to teach mini versions of ourselves, we want to let students make their own, genuine choices about what to study. One of the best things about the History course at Cambridge is its sheer breadth - whatever you're into you can study it.
Original post by malikasa
Hi AT!

Thank you for taking questions. I was wondering when the medicine interviews will be sent out. I have applied for Pembroke and I understand it differs for each college, but I read in the previous replies that it will be after Wednesday for medicine applicants.

Thanks a lot!


As you say colleges do things differently but in general we all like to wait for the BMAT results before inviting candidates for interview. As yet, we do not have the BMAT results. Once we do, we'll start to get invites out. BMAT results are due very shortly to reassure you.
Original post by jvinmurrey
Hi! I'm an international student and I've been granted an interview (exciting yet nerve-wracking stuff) and I was wondering if the college only accommodates candidates for a day? I won't be able to travel back home right away the next day (I live quite far from the UK), will I need to check in to a hotel?


Congratulations on the interview and good luck. Ask your college and hopefully they'll be able to accommodate you for both nights. Either way there's no harm in asking.
Thank you very much I'll follow your advice :smile:.
Original post by a_d2010
For Medicine, is it good to talk about MOOC's in the interview?, does it make you stand out because it indicates that you're passionate about the subject :smile:


There's no harm in talking about your MOOC if the opportunity arises in the conversation - it is good evidence of super-curricular activity.
Original post by gigey
Hi! Will we hear about our NSAA results? Or is it possible to know how many we got correct/how many points we got?

Thank you.


It is not usual for colleges to release Assessment results (except BMAT and ELAT where these are released to all candidates taking the test, whether applying to Cambridge or not), as we are still using the results with caution. You may get a general impression f how you did in the assessments compared with the gathered field but, as with interview scores, we tend to avoid being overly specific because we do not want to give the impression that one element of an application necessarily weighed more than another in our reasons for giving an offer or not.
Original post by Shaanv
In your opinion is it worth going to interview preparation days from companies such as ‘Oxbridge Applications’?


No. Save your money. They won't tell you anything that is useful that you can't get for free from the University's website or from those of us who wok for the University and Colleges.
Original post by Mingsan9
Hello,

I'm applying as a NatSci applicant and expecting to get several mathematics/physics questions during the interview
When solving the questions, should I be quick in solving or be very thorough and accurate by showing all steps I take???

Thank you


You want to be as swift as you can while showing us why you've take the steps that you taken to get to the answer.
Hi! Sorry to bother you again, but I've decided to ask for re-evaluation and I have the final form of the email, but I haven't send it yet. Is there a time limit for this?Can I send it tomorrow?
Thank you
Hi! Great thread, it has helped a lot!

Anyway, I got invited for a maths interview (which really is the best thing that ever happened to me) but I recently got ill and have been dying (not literally of course) for some time. When I have energy I’m trying to prepare with previous admission tests but I’m not sure what I could do more. And this brings us to my two questions:

• If you have a bad day, say I would still be ill, how much does it ruin my chances? I was at the open days this summer and a professor at my college seemed very chill about not doing great on interview/step and told us to call the college and explain why this wasn’t your day. Would you say that is true? Because personally I feel everything is based on the interview, at least in maths..

• How can I prepare more? I feel like we will not talk about my personal statement since I first will do one test and then bring my answers to the subject interview... is it just doing tons of maths?
Hello!

For colleges where you pay a KFC, are meals then completely free or only subsidised? If so, by how much? Thanks :smile:
Original post by Neko猫
Hi! Sorry to bother you again, but I've decided to ask for re-evaluation and I have the final form of the email, but I haven't send it yet. Is there a time limit for this?Can I send it tomorrow?
Thank you


It's no bother. I'd send it as soon as possible as the interviews are not too far away. I'd remind you, however, that academic decisions will only be reviewed if there is significant new evidence or it is clear that we've not followed our procedures.
Original post by ellectron
Hi! Great thread, it has helped a lot!

Anyway, I got invited for a maths interview (which really is the best thing that ever happened to me) but I recently got ill and have been dying (not literally of course) for some time. When I have energy I’m trying to prepare with previous admission tests but I’m not sure what I could do more. And this brings us to my two questions:

• If you have a bad day, say I would still be ill, how much does it ruin my chances? I was at the open days this summer and a professor at my college seemed very chill about not doing great on interview/step and told us to call the college and explain why this wasn’t your day. Would you say that is true? Because personally I feel everything is based on the interview, at least in maths..

• How can I prepare more? I feel like we will not talk about my personal statement since I first will do one test and then bring my answers to the subject interview... is it just doing tons of maths?


Well done on getting the interview and sorry to hear that you are poorly. If you feel that your health significantly affects your performance on the day, inform your school as soon as possible and get them to write to us as soon as they can with details. We can then take it into account. I assure you that, even in Maths, everything is not based on the interview but on an holistic viewing of the application.

You can prepare by practising as much Maths as possible, especially STEP questions as they are a good introduction into some of the ways Maths is approached at Cambridge.

Good luck.
Original post by eliza154
Hello!

For colleges where you pay a KFC, are meals then completely free or only subsidised? If so, by how much? Thanks :smile:


They are only subsidised I'm afraid. How much will vary from college to college.
Hi, sorry for bothering you but I have been invited to another college for a computer science interview, and was wondering what types of maths/CS questions might be asked (e.g. level)? I don't take further maths or computer science at AS or A2 - would this be likely to come up in interview?

Thank you for your time! :smile:
Hi AT,

Is there a particular way that AMES splits languages? Is there a number for each language?

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you