It’s very possible that you absolutely, definitely, totally have the brains to make it at Oxford, Cambridge or another top university. However, if you are invited to interview, you will be one of thousands of others who look similarly good on paper. How will you show the interviewer you’re one of the few who’s really got what it takes?
Three points to start considering now are:
- What are your strengths? How do they make you well-suited to studying your subject? How have you demonstrated these strengths in the past (in a way that you can casually weave into the conversation)?
- How do you cope when you don’t know the right answer? They aren’t really interested in what you know (it’s clear from your grades you know what you’re meant to know). They want to know how you operate when you’re outside your intellectual comfort zone.
- Where have your shown your commitment to your subject? Talking about how immensely passionate you are about medicine/classics/computer science is not going to cut it. Show, don’t tell. Practise talking about how you’ve walked the walk.
The thought of an interview might already make your mind blank and send your stomach sideways. It’s ok, you can still make it. Shyer and more chaotic folk than you have won Nobel prizes.
If you know you have the right qualities to succeed at a top university, but are worried about whether you can convey this at interview, you might want to check out one of our workshops.
