Questions Russell group unis ask for

Hey everyone!

Why do you want to join this college? How can this college help you achieve your goals?

Do Russell group unis ask these types of questions? I've heard many US colleges test the applicant with such questions but was wondering if UK colleges do the same.
If so how do I prepare for them? I'd need to research about the college and what is could provide, but im not sure how to get started. Any tips on how I can answer such questions?

Thanks!

Other than Oxford and Cambridge (which are both part of the Russell Group), UK universities don't routinely interview candidates. Instead, they will interview candidates for specific courses only (e.g. Medicine). For what course would you likely be applying?

Hey there! I'm applying for natural sciences/physics in UK and my college choices are cambridge, imperial, durham, bristol and st andrews. I'm not only trying to prepare for interviews but also hone my PS towards values colleges are looking for. That way I know what things to highlight and prepare for the most to show.

Well, no personal statement would ever seek to answer the questions you posed above: "Why do you want to join this college? How can this college help you achieve your goals?"
This is because, unlike in some other parts of the world where students make separate applications to individual universities, the process is handled centrally in the UK. So you complete one application, containing one personal statement, and it gets sent to up to five different universities. So you can't, by definition, target individual strengths of any particular university.
Perhaps I can draw your attention to TSR's Personal Statement Guidance Hub 2024 Entry, and some example personal statements for both Natural Sciences and Physics?

Thank you so much for providing the reference links, I'll definitely check them out!

As for the above questions it makes sense that they can't be answered in a general PS, but when having interviews (Cambridge and Imperial) they would ask such questions, and I'm unsure how I should answer them.

Furthermore, I'm having trouble answering deep personal questions on the PS, like 'Why do you want to do this course'? I mean I wouldn't go for it if I didn't like it! How can I uniquely show my love for the course without preaching too much?