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Oxford Interview Help?

Hi! I have an interview for oxford for biology next week and im quite terrified as I don't have the support of my college as I live in rural deprived Wales where its considered amazing to even go to university. I feel like the odds are against me I can't lie as I struggle a lot with procrastination and haven't prepared as much as I should have and feel like I don't stand a chance against other applicants.

Calling anyone who has had an oxford undergrad interview (preferably biology), what was your interview like, do you have any tips and what do you think got you in/ didn't get you in? Thanks so much :smile:

Reply 1

First, don't panic. Second congrats on getting an interview. That's an achievement in itself. Third check out the handy guide to interviews on the Oxf Uni website Interviews | University of Oxford
In particular look at a) the sample questions and b) demonstration interview. This will give you an idea of what to expect.
The tutors will be looking for how you think, so make sure you explain your thinking, and focus on the questions being asked. Bring in any background knowledge as and when you can, but as you can see from the examples they will be asking unfamiliar questions that make you think on your feet. It's ok to think about the question for 15 - 20 seconds but you should then really launch into your answer, with something like "my first thoughts are.....". Don't be afraid to break the question down into bit sized chunks, instead of tackling it in one go.
Oh and read through your personal statement the night before the interview. They sometimes like to begin by talking about your PS. Good luck.

Reply 2

Original post
by BetaVersion2.9
First, don't panic. Second congrats on getting an interview. That's an achievement in itself. Third check out the handy guide to interviews on the Oxf Uni website Interviews | University of Oxford
In particular look at a) the sample questions and b) demonstration interview. This will give you an idea of what to expect.
The tutors will be looking for how you think, so make sure you explain your thinking, and focus on the questions being asked. Bring in any background knowledge as and when you can, but as you can see from the examples they will be asking unfamiliar questions that make you think on your feet. It's ok to think about the question for 15 - 20 seconds but you should then really launch into your answer, with something like "my first thoughts are.....". Don't be afraid to break the question down into bit sized chunks, instead of tackling it in one go.
Oh and read through your personal statement the night before the interview. They sometimes like to begin by talking about your PS. Good luck.

thanks so much super helpful!🙂

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