By Georgia Douglas
Most of my morning was spent crying. Regardless of the outcome, I knew I would be proud; even being invited to interview is a huge achievement! After managing to convince myself that the email would be a polite but disappointing rejection, I didn’t know how to react when I noticed the notification. I was mid-speech in online English class and had to carry on – speaking increasingly rapidly in my desperation to SEE THAT EMAIL.
I got in.
It hasn’t sunk in yet. I can’t quite believe that I will be studying my favourite subject (English) at one of the world’s top universities, in a gorgeous city with beautiful weather; far from the dreich Scottish weather I’ve been experiencing for most of this latest lockdown.
To any prospective applicants: go for it! The fact that you are even considering Oxford (or Cambridge) means that you or someone else believes you have the intelligence and resilience to get in. Whether or not that is the end result, the application process forces you to delve far deeper into your subject than you may otherwise have done; it is brilliant preparation for studying your subject at any university.
The entrance exams and interviews will be exhaustingly gruelling, and you’ll struggle to interpret how they went: few people applying have done anything like this. I had some mock interviews with English teachers and parents of friends but talking about your subject is the best possible preparation. It doesn’t matter if the person on the other end knows nothing – get the cat involved! Explain to a toddler! This advice is coming from an English student, so may be biased, but being able to strip concepts and arguments down to their most basic components will allow you to respond better when challenged in interviews.
Everyone else who is feeling overjoyed this morning: hopefully we’ll see each other in October!
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