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My Cambridge interview was too easy...

Reply 20

yodude888

16

Swayum

I've had 3 actually (and that's not counting mock ones)...

...? How come?

Reply 21

Swayum

18

yodude888

...? How come?

I applied to Oxford last year and was rejected post-interview. My interviews went pretty well though.

Reply 22

electriic_ink

15

SimonM

I'm not sure if that is sarcasm or not

It's not.

Reply 23

yodude888

16

Swayum

I applied to Oxford last year and was rejected post-interview. My interviews went pretty well though.

Ah right, weird you got 3 tho, isn't it? I have 1 for Cambridge maths at King's

Reply 24

creation17*

which college did you apply to?

Reply 25

Economist1

13

Vivisteiner

And I'm scared.

I was psyching myself up for the interview big time; rereading the AS syllabus, reading ahead to A level, analysing every line in my personal statement. And then my interviews combined lasted only just over half an hour. And I was asked only one subject related 'proper' calculation question (I applied for Natural Sciences Physical). I started off on completely the wrong track (stupidly), but then he pointed me on the right track and I worked the answer out easily. The rest of the time was spent discussing stuff.

What I wan't to know is - is that bad or good? I got 11A*s at GCSE and 4As at A level (Maths 98%, Physics 97%, Biology 96%, Chemistry 94%).

I was expecting them to ask harder and harder questions until they found my 'ceiling'. This didn't happen at all. I could have been the best mathematician in the country and they would have had no idea...

To be honest with you, all of the people who I have spoken to who are at Cambridge now have said they could not properly discern how well they did, or what their interviewer actually thought of them. Your grades, though very impressive, will have been bettered I'm sure, by some. Best thing is to put it out of your mind and wait for a decision.

Reply 26

Draconis

2

yodude888

Ah right, weird you got 3 tho, isn't it? I have 1 for Cambridge maths at King's

At Oxford you get interviewed by two different colleges. Some of those colleges have 2 interviews as the norm, so it can happen.

Reply 27

Swayum

18

yodude888

Ah right, weird you got 3 tho, isn't it? I have 1 for Cambridge maths at King's

I'm not sure but I was under the impression that most Cambridge colleges give you 1 general interview and 2 academic ones. At any rate, all Oxford mathematicians get at least 3 (at least 1 a college they get assigned to by the department which they didn't apply to directly) and sometimes more (they're all academic as well as far as I know but only 15/20 mins).

Reply 28

Αξιολογος

Interesting that they're interviewing now, it's still term-time. As far as I know, they wait til all the students go home so they've got space in college and the interviewers don't have teaching commitments. At least that's what they do at my college.

Reply 29

faber niger

17

Economist1

To be honest with you, nobody I've spoken to people who are at Cambridge now, all of whom have said they could properly discern how well they did, or what their interviewer actually thought of them. Your grades, though very impressive, will have been bettered I'm sure, by some. Best thing is to put it out of your mind and wait for a decision.

Reply 30

Dr Acula

3

Vivisteiner

And I'm scared.

I was psyching myself up for the interview big time; rereading the AS syllabus, reading ahead to A level, analysing every line in my personal statement. And then my interviews combined lasted only just over half an hour. And I was asked only one subject related 'proper' calculation question (I applied for Natural Sciences Physical). I started off on completely the wrong track (stupidly), but then he pointed me on the right track and I worked the answer out easily. The rest of the time was spent discussing stuff.

What I wan't to know is - is that bad or good? I got 11A*s at GCSE and 4As at A level (Maths 98%, Physics 97%, Biology 96%, Chemistry 94%).

I was expecting them to ask harder and harder questions until they found my 'ceiling'. This didn't happen at all. I could have been the best mathematician in the country and they would have had no idea...

show off

welldone

Reply 31

redsox20

Economist1

To be honest with you, nobody I've spoken to people who are at Cambridge now, all of whom have said they could properly discern how well they did, or what their interviewer actually thought of them. Your grades, though very impressive, will have been bettered I'm sure, by some. Best thing is to put it out of your mind and wait for a decision.

Sorry?

Reply 32

Cities

16

Vivisteiner

And I'm scared.

I was psyching myself up for the interview big time; rereading the AS syllabus, reading ahead to A level, analysing every line in my personal statement. And then my interviews combined lasted only just over half an hour. And I was asked only one subject related 'proper' calculation question (I applied for Natural Sciences Physical). I started off on completely the wrong track (stupidly), but then he pointed me on the right track and I worked the answer out easily. The rest of the time was spent discussing stuff.

What I wan't to know is - is that bad or good? I got 11A*s at GCSE and 4As at A level (Maths 98%, Physics 97%, Biology 96%, Chemistry 94%).

I was expecting them to ask harder and harder questions until they found my 'ceiling'. This didn't happen at all. I could have been the best mathematician in the country and they would have had no idea...

I think it's quite likely that you're in. Maybe the questions were standard, but you breezed through them? Did you apply to Christs?

Reply 33

eulerwaswrong

13

everybody i know/have talked to who applied to oxbridge say they didnt whether it had gone well or badly.

Just fingers crossed and roll on january

Reply 34

200428

3

yodude888

Ah right, weird you got 3 tho, isn't it? I have 1 for Cambridge maths at King's

I've got a friend who has 6 interviews at Cambridge over 2 days. She applied for Russian and Italian at Selwyn, and each of her interviews has one interviewer in it. I'm scared for her!

Reply 35

Economist1

13

redsox20

Sorry?

Yes, I apologise for my syntactical error. Please look at my edited version. Posting on TSR whilst simultaneously trying to work out a proof for Industrial Economics was perhaps not the brightest idea that I had.

Reply 36

Supergrunch

10

Some people get thrown by the fact that lots of interviews nowadays are designed to make the candidate feel they're doing well, so as not to upset people. So I don't think you can really work anything out from the fact you found the interview easy - best just to put it out of your mind until January, which is hard I know.

Reply 37

redsox20

Economist1

Yes, I apologise for my syntactical error. Please look at my edited version. Posting on TSR whilst simultaneously trying to work out a proof for Industrial Economics was perhaps not the brightest idea that I had.

NP, probably not the brightest idea :smile:

Reply 38

Swayum

18

Vivisteiner

rest of the time was spent discussing stuff.

It's this part that worries me. I get the feeling they were looking into your thought process + expecting you to lead it into academic discussion.

Reply 39

Vivisteiner

OP

Yeah, I'm applying to Christs. Fingers crossed, eh... :wink:

wow mate ur results rule... i hope u get in .. i got 11A*s at gcse but am struggling with chemistry and biology whats ur secret?

There is no 'secret'. Just learn the text books and understand the key principles. I love just lying down on my bed, reading the text books. Yes, I know I'm sad. :tongue:

Yeah, I think Oxbridge interviews are a bit hyped to be honest. It's not a lot like people imagine.

Yeah, I was hugely hyped. And then a little let down. xD

"Vivisteiner"...? Are you a Final Fantasy IX fan...?!

Uh, sorry not to answer. Especially sorry if you're not a Final Fantasy IX fan and I'm talking rubbish.

To call me a Final Fantasy IX fan would probably be the biggest understatement of the century. I'll put it like this: If I believed in a God, it'd be Adelbert Steiner. FFIX is the best game ever.

Your grades look exceptional. Perhaps they just needed to confirm what they already thought of you? They probably liked what they saw, and so felt no need to interview further. I maybe wrong, im no admissions tutor, but apparently with top candidates they sometimes do that.....Which college did you apply to?

I was wondering if that was a possibility. I hope it is the case.

You answered all the questions. Congratulations!

Incorrect. I answered all the question. :biggrin:

I did have other questions of course, but they were non-calculation based, and if anything, pretty philosophical. Thankfully I'm quite good at philosophical ********.

Best thing is to put it out of your mind and wait for a decision.

Sensible advice, but not exactly the easiest thing in the world to do. I swear I've gone through every sentence I uttered in my mind. I can remember every slight pause and garbled sentence...

show off

lol. Well, you can't win, can ya. If I had left it out, people would have been saying 'What are your grades, what are your grades?!"

I think it's quite likely that you're in. Maybe the questions were standard, but you breezed through them? Did you apply to Christs?

I wouldn't say I breezed through them, but I didn't exactly struggle. Apart from one stupid comment I made, (hopefully they'll realise it was nerves), I answered everything pretty fine in my mind.

mod edit: removing interview questions

My Cambridge interview was too easy...

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