The Student Room Group

Unimpressed with UCL interview today

Wow, I had this down as my first choice if I were to get an offer but after today I can't say I'm terribly keen anymore. I had an interview for Psychology and turned up at 12:30 at a most unimpressive, frankly grotty building.

All of the candidates (around 80 of us, with many mums and dads as well) had to wait in a cramped uncomfortable common room til 1 o'clock. Then we were taken for about 45 minutes to fill out questionnaires for a Psychology student's project, followed by about another 45 minutes of faffing about on a computer deciding whether to side with the Guardian's predictions of certain football scores or The Sun's, based on their past record.

This took us til around half two, but my interview wasn't til 4. But we were required to wait in the common room anyway! So I sat there bored out of my face for 90 minutes before being interviewed by the most unfriendly duo I'll ever have the displeasure of meeting.


I don't think one of them cracked a smile through the whole twenty minutes. Their questions were so long and rambling that by the end of them I'd forgotten what the point of them were in the first place. So invariably I would answer the question at a slight tangent, at which point the interviewer would tell me to stop and say 'perhaps I should clarify the question'. So I never got into a flow with my answers, I was constantly interrupted, rather rudely in my opinion. And then I left, with UCL looking worse for wear in my eyes.

At other interviews we have been given a nice talk by the head of the subject, shown around the buildings, been invited to talk to students, made to feel like we MATTER. Maybe UCL feels that cos of its reputation it doesn't have to bother with us. I spent about 4 and a half hours there, of which I only needed to be there for 20 minutes for the interview. I learnt nothing about the university or the course. What a waste of a day!
Reply 1
they didnt show you around???
Reply 2
veryjammy
Wow, I had this down as my first choice if I were to get an offer but after today I can't say I'm terribly keen anymore. I had an interview for Psychology and turned up at 12:30 at a most unimpressive, frankly grotty building.

All of the candidates (around 80 of us, with many mums and dads as well) had to wait in a cramped uncomfortable common room til 1 o'clock. Then we were taken for about 45 minutes to fill out questionnaires for a Psychology student's project, followed by about another 45 minutes of faffing about on a computer deciding whether to side with the Guardian's predictions of certain football scores or The Sun's, based on their past record.

This took us til around half two, but my interview wasn't til 4. But we were required to wait in the common room anyway! So I sat there bored out of my face for 90 minutes before being interviewed by the most unfriendly duo I'll ever have the displeasure of meeting.


I don't think one of them cracked a smile through the whole twenty minutes. Their questions were so long and rambling that by the end of them I'd forgotten what the point of them were in the first place. So invariably I would answer the question at a slight tangent, at which point the interviewer would tell me to stop and say 'perhaps I should clarify the question'. So I never got into a flow with my answers, I was constantly interrupted, rather rudely in my opinion. And then I left, with UCL looking worse for wear in my eyes.

At other interviews we have been given a nice talk by the head of the subject, shown around the buildings, been invited to talk to students, made to feel like we MATTER. Maybe UCL feels that cos of its reputation it doesn't have to bother with us. I spent about 4 and a half hours there, of which I only needed to be there for 20 minutes for the interview. I learnt nothing about the university or the course. What a waste of a day!


Hmm i know UCL has got a reputation for being, hmmm 'impersonal' to say the least. I got the same feeling as you when i was there, you don't really feel like they are all that bothered about you, and you feel like you are disturbing them or something. The interview wasn't too bad, i managed to get into the flow a bit.
It sounds mad but i wouldn't let it deter you from UCL.
IT's important to remember that it's the students who you will meet, be friends with, and share your time with, and all the students feel the same. So it's not as though you are alone.
I've picked UCL on the basis that i like the university, the course, the accomodation, and the students are pleasant.
I wouldn't let the lecturers and a grotty room deter you. Go back some other time, i could go with you hehehe, actually, i'd quite like to have another look, if anyones interested? :smile:
Reply 3
dont let 1 bad day ruin a gr8 uni, a similar thing happenned 2 me at warwick
Reply 4
chats
they didnt show you around???


No, so I saw precisely 3 rooms out of the entire uni. They obviously dont feel they have to sell it to you, I mean, ITS UCL. What does it matter how cheaply we treat prospective students, they'll all come flocking anyway based on the reputation.

I think it was the waste of time that got to me. I only had to travel an hour by train but there are people there from all over the country, who have travelled all this way to waste a day sitting around and doing pointless activities, only to end up in a rude 20 minute interview where they didnt get the chance to show off much knowledge of anything.

I'll have a dilemma if I get in now. I thought it was clear cut, but I have offers from Leeds and Bristol, both of which seem far more personal and friendly than UCL. Reputation isn't everything to me, and frankly the day has left a rather nasty taste in my mouth.
Reply 5
if u reject ucl 4 leeds u need ur head examined.

bristol......good but no ucl. as the other person said the people who matter are the other students, not the organisation of an interview
Reply 6
topdude
if u reject ucl 4 leeds u need ur head examined.

bristol......good but no ucl. as the other person said the people who matter are the other students, not the organisation of an interview


but if she really didnt like it and they treated her like crap, I see where shes coming from.
Reply 7
hmmm true i guess, but this is not a decision u can take lightly, i personally would not reject a top uni bcoz of a 4 hour experience (or lack of experience!)
veryjammy
Their questions were so long and rambling that by the end of them I'd forgotten what the point of them were in the first place.


That's how my interview went as well, the interviewer went off on a tangent with his Q's and I also felt the same about them feeling like they don't have to bother with us. Am in a bit of a similar dilemma, not certain by accepting the UCL offer am going to be content studying there cos I keep hearing repeatedly how impersonal it is, and it's beginning to put me off :frown: . However, it's the more recognized school for my program so that's what has me swayed a bit. In the end pick whichever uni offers whatever you value the most or want to get out of your college experience.

Good luck with your decision :smile:
topdude
hmmm true i guess, but this is not a decision u can take lightly, i personally would not reject a top uni bcoz of a 4 hour experience (or lack of experience!)


haha yeah, because leeds is sooo bad. :rolleyes:
Reply 10
camera obscura
That's how my interview went as well, the interviewer went off on a tangent with his Q's and I also felt the same about them feeling like they don't have to bother with us. Am in a bit of a similar dilemma, not certain by accepting the UCL offer am going to be content studying there cos I keep hearing repeatedly how impersonal it is, and it's beginning to put me off :frown: . However, it's the more recognized school for my program so that's what has me swayed a bit. In the end pick whichever uni offers whatever you value the most or want to get out of your college experience.

Good luck with your decision :smile:


Thanks for your advice :smile: I don't even know whether I will get an offer, the interviewers' faces were completely blank the whole way through which was very unnerving actually. My opinion is that, yes it may on the surface just be an impersona l disorganised 4 hour interview, but if they can't be bothered to make prospective students feel wanted, what is it going to be like when I'm there.

I said earlier the whole 'reputation' thing is the least of my worries. At the end of the day no employer is going to look at someones CV and say "Well they got a 2:1 at UCL, and they only got a 2:1 at Leeds so the UCL person is obviously better for the job." Far too many people on here believe going to the 'elite' universities will allow them to glide into jobs based on the unis reputation which is rubbish.
Reply 11
veryjammy
Wow, I had this down as my first choice if I were to get an offer but after today I can't say I'm terribly keen anymore. I had an interview for Psychology and turned up at 12:30 at a most unimpressive, frankly grotty building.

All of the candidates (around 80 of us, with many mums and dads as well) had to wait in a cramped uncomfortable common room til 1 o'clock. Then we were taken for about 45 minutes to fill out questionnaires for a Psychology student's project, followed by about another 45 minutes of faffing about on a computer deciding whether to side with the Guardian's predictions of certain football scores or The Sun's, based on their past record.

This took us til around half two, but my interview wasn't til 4. But we were required to wait in the common room anyway! So I sat there bored out of my face for 90 minutes before being interviewed by the most unfriendly duo I'll ever have the displeasure of meeting.


I don't think one of them cracked a smile through the whole twenty minutes. Their questions were so long and rambling that by the end of them I'd forgotten what the point of them were in the first place. So invariably I would answer the question at a slight tangent, at which point the interviewer would tell me to stop and say 'perhaps I should clarify the question'. So I never got into a flow with my answers, I was constantly interrupted, rather rudely in my opinion. And then I left, with UCL looking worse for wear in my eyes.

At other interviews we have been given a nice talk by the head of the subject, shown around the buildings, been invited to talk to students, made to feel like we MATTER. Maybe UCL feels that cos of its reputation it doesn't have to bother with us. I spent about 4 and a half hours there, of which I only needed to be there for 20 minutes for the interview. I learnt nothing about the university or the course. What a waste of a day!


i know a few people who have had UCL interviews that sound very similar to that - in one case my friend was interviews for medicine, was rejected, and appealed on the grounds of how rude the interviewers were, was interviewed by a new panel who didn't know about her first go, and she's now finishign her first year there!

mind you, if people had been that rude to me i wouldn't have wanted to go to uni there. but thoguht i'd mention it!
Reply 12
veryjammy

I learnt nothing about the university or the course. What a waste of a day!


Sounds to me like you probably learnt a lot about the uni as it certainly left a lasting impression - just happens to be negative.

Talk to students already there and see what they think about the uni and whether the treatment you got in the interview is indictative of how the uni treats students as a whole.
Reply 13
topdude
if u reject ucl 4 leeds u need ur head examined.

bristol......good but no ucl. as the other person said the people who matter are the other students, not the organisation of an interview


Thats ridiculous. 1st impressions count and if UCL put on such a poor display it's easy to see why you wouldn't wanna go there. As Chats said exactly, if you don't like it no matter how good the reputation, then it's clear tyo see why you might not want to go and spend 3 years there.

Maybe go back over easter and just have another look around informally? Or see if you could visit the department again to get a better look.
Reply 14
To be honest, my experience of the ucl psych department was similarly terrible. I've done a few experiments in the holidays to earn a little £ and found the whole place was run down and badly organised

Nice enough uni overall but **** department sadly