1) Interview Practice

Ask a teacher you don’t know well to give you a mock interview. It will give you an idea of what to expect in the actual interview and provide a chance for you to talk about your personal statement and the subject you’re applying for in a formal, challenging situation.

“I’m terrible at interviews – I get incredibly nervous so I got one of my parent’s friends, who is particularly terrifying, to give me a few practice interviews before my Oxford interview,” says Lucy Gibson who studied Psychology, Physiology and Philosophy at Oriel College. “The practice made me realise that I needed to speak much more slowly and clearly, and when I came to the real interview I wasn’t as nervous as I felt like I’d been in the situation before.”

2) Be prepared for the tests you might have to take.

Several subjects require all applicants to take a faculty based test before or during the interview period. It’s really important to be prepared for these tests as they’re a significant factor in the tutors’ decisions on who to take. Do the practice tests that most faculties provide on their website and brush up on any weak areas before the real test.

“I’d completed my Greek and Latin A-level in June and I knew that by the time it got to December, and I was mid way through my gap year, I would have forgotten half of my Greek and Latin. I made sure I revised vocabulary and did a few translations a couple of times a week in the months before the interview – I’m glad I did as I definitely wouldn’t have done well in the tests if I hadn’t.” advises Louise Pugh who reads Classics at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.

3) Be prepared to talk about something you’ve read.

“Be sure to know the texts mentioned in your personal statement well,” recommends an English graduate from Cambridge. “Depending on the college you’re applying to these will often form the basis of your interview and not having anything to say about them would be very uncomfortable.”

Professor Roger Crisp, tutor in Philosphy at St Anne’s College, Oxford, also recommends that you make sure that you are prepared to talk about something you have read in the subject, but cautions that you’re careful about what you choose read – if you’re applying for philosophy look at something like Bertrand Russell’s ‘Problems of Philosophy’, not a bunch of Wikipedia articles.

4) Know about every subject involved in your degree

If you are applying for a joint honours, or triple honours, degree then make sure you know about every subject that is involved in your degree, and think about why you want to study it.

“I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve asked people what they’ve read in philosophy and they say: ‘Nothing, that is one of the reasons I’m applying for this degree – so I can learn about it.’” tells Prof. Crisp.

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