On Saturday 21 November, forty students who are in the process of applying for Oxford or Cambridge attended the SMF’s ‘Oxbridge Interviews Workshop’. The students were given an insight into the Oxbridge interviews’ procedure with useful tips and information about what to expect from the interview process. They participated in an extensive question and answer session with the Director of Admissions from both Oxford and Cambridge, Mike Nicholson and Dr. Geoff Parks respectively, as well as observing mock interviews with current Oxbridge students Madeleine and Safian, who went through the potentially daunting process only a few years ago.

Dr. Geoff Parks likened students’ interviews to “a game of chess” where “no two games are the same” and along with Lucinda Rumsey, an English tutor at Oxford, spoke in depth about the different styles and possible questioning that could be expected across a range of subject areas.

Lucinda Rumsey, an experienced English interviewer, dispelled some of the myths surrounding the complexity of Oxbridge interviews and reassured students that the interview, although important, is not the “be all and end all” of an application. Mike Nicholson emphasised that the interviewers will have “really taken an interest” in your personal statement and that interviewees should look to “go beyond their A-Levels” as “A*s and As do not make you stand out”.

The students who attended the event were enthusiastic and keen to question the speakers about their upcoming interviews. Yousuf Mohamed, who is applying to Cambridge to study Economics, said “the session was very useful and I appreciated how much time was spent answering our questions”.
After organising the event, the SMF have developed some ‘top tips’ for those students being interviewed for Oxbridge:

1. Re-read your personal statement before your interview
2. Revise your AS/A Level course so far
3. Make sure you are aware of the selection criteria for your course
4. Keep an eye on the news for subject-specific articles
5. Don’t be afraid to take time to think over difficult questions before answering

The SMF would like to say a huge thanks to Dr. Geoff Parks, Mike Nicholson, Lucinda Rumsey and Mark Copestake as well as current students; Madeleine, Safian and Helen for their help in making the event a success. Furthermore, we would like to thank Baker & McKenzie LLP and particularly Rebekkah Kinghorn for allowing the SMF to make use of their fantastic facilities for the event.