Subject reading ...

hi

I've seen many a recommendation to undertake some out of lesson reading on your chosen subject for mention in your personal statement, interview and to get a better overall understanding of your subject. I'm doing some reading at the moment but I'm wondering how much I would be expected to recall at interview? Or indeed how it may be approached/used at interview?

cheers

Reply 1

Andy the Anarchist

10

Mitch92uK

hi

I've seen many a recommendation to undertake some out of lesson reading on your chosen subject for mention in your personal statement, interview and to get a better overall understanding of your subject. I'm doing some reading at the moment but I'm wondering how much I would be expected to recall at interview? Or indeed how it may be approached/used at interview?

cheers

It's not a recall exercise, it's so you have something interesting to say in your personal statement, which will form the basis for the initial interview questions.

Reply 2

Derek_the_Sheep

8

Mitch92uK

I'm wondering how much I would be expected to recall at interview? Or indeed how it may be approached/used at interview?

It quite probably won't be used as such at interview - especially in sciences, where interviewers very often have a set of exercises to go through with each applicant (*). It will just mean that you know more about the subject, which is generally helpful at interview, where the things discussed are intentionally devised to stretch you beyond the school syllabus. Also helpful in life, and so on.

DtS

(* "knees bend, all together....")

Reply 3

eve_22

18

I would second what others have said and advice you to read whatever interests you and do not try to memorize it, because at the end all that will matter is whether you can pick up on something interesting on your PS or your interview, that will make you stand out as a person who knows something outside of A levels curriculum.

Reply 4

InVinoVeritas

I was asked some questions on a couple of the books I listed (for biological natural sciences). They weren't in detail, one was a "what kinda things does this book discuss" question and another was a discussion of some of the broad ideas in another book I had read (the idea of the importance of the Burgess Shale in S.J Gould's Wonderful Life).

I thought they were great questions as I enjoyed the books and knew alot about them, and especially had formed my own ideas on the books. If you know the books in detail as you should then it allows you to a have a couple of questions at least that you can really engage with.

phil.

Reply 5

SouthernFreerider

12

its not a case of "learning" all this extra curicular stuff.

its a case of "knowing" the subject, as I like to say.

you have to be genuinely interested in the subject. reaad as much around it as you can. there isnt a limit or a quota. the more you reaad, the more you'll know, the better you can develop your own reasons opinions as so on.

i go to a big school where we got about 30 people into oxbridge. i know most of them personally and (in most cases) there is a marked difference between those that got in, and those that didnt. the ones that got in did lots of outside reading. they "knew" their subject. for example, one of the cambridge economics people was the sort of person that seemed to know everything about everything when it came to economics (or politriks for that matter). because he read so much, he had his own views which he could back up with all sorts of outside knowledge.

i rambled a bit, but to sum up: reading around your subject isn't something to "tick off". its something that has to become a part of what you do if you want a respectable chance at a place.

heck, you dont need to do any. but it just gives your chances of a place a serious slashing.

Reply 6

Metamorphosis_S

Reading only helped me to the extent that when they asked me a question, I had a vague understanding about what they were on about. Also when I was arguing (read waffling) a point, I could use examples from things that I'd read. The general feeling amongst all of us at interview was that we could probably have gotten by without doing any reading at all, but it wouldn't have been worth the risk.

Reply 7

jw366

As people before have said you probably won't be explicitly tested on it, but it generally shows in interview through your ability to discuss topics outside the syllabus and interact with the new ideas they'll throw at you.

Reply 8

Jigglypuff

16

Definitely re-read whatever you mention. I was asked quite specific questions about one book I read, and I was a bit thrown at points when they referred to specific chapters.

Reply 9

FadedJade

15

Yeah it does depend on the subject. I was asked about a couple of specific things I'd read and my responses to them, so obviously I had to know what they said and actually understand them in order for my responses to make any sense.

Reply 10

maya1

I read one book because all oxbridge applicants had to do a book presentation at my school (to make sure we were reading something). Wasn't asked about it in any of my 4 interviews. This was for bio NatSci.
x

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