By Isobel Hawkins
The prospect of Oxford interviews can understandably be quite daunting, and in the lead-up to interviews, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and caught up in a spiral of nerves and self-doubt. As much as the prospect may seem scary, if approached in a positive way, interviews really can be rewarding- and even enjoyable! Interviews are obviously a great opportunity for you to show tutors your enthusiasm and aptitude for your subject, and hopefully secure you an offer, but interviews can also provide some fantastic opportunities in other ways too.
If you’ve applied and been asked to interview, tutors have already recognised that you are passionate about your subject, and that you are someone that they might like to teach. This in itself isn’t something which should be disregarded, as to have reached the interview stage, you’ve already provided an application which has impressed: an achievement to be proud of!
The interviews, then, can be a fantastic opportunity to talk about the subject you care enough about to have applied to Oxford to study, with experts in your subject, who have seen your potential to excel in this subject. Tutors will encourage you in your interviews to think creatively and more in-depth about your subject than you may have before. This is intended to be a challenge, but can be a surprisingly rewarding one, as you’ll get the opportunity to use your knowledge and skills in novel ways: a great opportunity to both learn more, and to recognise how much more you are able to do than you may expect! Interviews are also a great opportunity to get some experience with thinking creatively and resourcefully when put ‘on-the-spot’, and articulating your reasoning to show the interviewer how you’ve arrived at your conclusion. These are useful skills which an Oxford interview is great at helping you develop, alongside staying positive and responding resiliently when you’re inevitably asked a challenging question!
An Oxford interview is a fantastic opportunity to be offered; not only is this an opportunity to potentially secure a place, but even if this outcome isn’t realised, interviews offer up the chance to learn and be challenged, to remind yourself of your potential- and even to enjoy yourself! Hopefully approaching interviews with a positive outlook and the knowledge that you’ve been invited to interview because you have already shown potential, should help you get the most out of the experience.
If you are waiting on interviews, all the best of luck, you’ve already made yourselves proud to get this far!
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