Interviews – how to prepare

Hello interview invitation! At this point you will be feeling relief and excitement that you’ve been shortlisted, but dread and anxiety that you’re only halfway there, and now you’ve got to impress your chosen university face to face.

Go and accept your interview, then let the preparation commence…

 

Planning ahead:

• Remind yourself of your personal statement
  Why? It is likely that you will be asked to explain or expand on parts of your personal statement, so try to think of possible questions they may draw from it. For instance, if you spoke about attending a summer school, they may ask you to describe an aspect you found most challenging.
• Look over the university website
  Why? Degree programmes will often describe the type of student they are looking for on their webpage, either in the entry requirements or selection process section. For example, this is from our Law degree programme, “Demonstration of your perseverance in past achievements (e.g. in your academic work), along with a strong, genuine and intelligent motivation for studying law, will contribute to your successful admission to UCL“.
• Prepare questions to ask the interviewer(s)
  Why? This will show you are engaged and really interested. Don’t ask a question that could easily be answered by looking at their website, instead familiarise yourself with the content and modules of the degree programme, and see if there was anything not mentioned or something you would like more clarity on.
• Read through the invitation letter thoroughly
  Why? We know this point seems like an obvious one, but it is easy to miss details. You would hate to be surprised with a test or to learn that the interview will be all day and not just the morning. So read the invitation carefully – it may even ask you to bring certain documents or prepare for a task.
• Make fail-safe travel arrangements
  Why? If your smart phone fails you, could you survive? Probably not. So take note of the registration point and time, and then plan backwards. Use Google maps to plan your route, print the directions and have a look at Google street view so you know what the building looks like. Also ask yourself, will there be traffic? Is it worth staying in a hotel the night before? Is the interview taking place somewhere not on the main campus? It’s a good idea to take note of the interviewer’s name and contact details, just in case you are late and need to phone ahead.

On the day:

• Start right, end right
  This is a simple recipe for success – have a good night sleep, a decent breakfast (so you’re not distracted by a rumbling tummy) and remember to pack a bottle of water to keep hydrated, a pen and paper to take notes, and some cash for lunch and travel expenses such as a parking meter or bus fare. If you’re taking any documents, make sure they are in a plastic wallet or file to avoid them getting crumpled or dirty.
• What to wear?!
  If no dress code is mentioned, assume it’s smart casual. This means no jeans, trainers, open toe shoes or low cut tops. Boys could opt for smart trousers and shoes with a shirt and/or smart jumper, and girls could go for a dress or skirt/trouser and blouse combo with pumps or low heels. Don’t feel the need to go suited and booted unless it’s stated.
• Better to be early than late
  Allow yourself more than enough time to get there, as there will always be a cafe or canteen nearby for your to grab drink if you’ve got time to burn. You really don’t want to be hot and flustered or late to your interview.

 

So what’s it really going to be like? Hear from Dana Moss, a UCL English BA student:

“It was my last interview so I spent a lot of time on the internet looking up past peoples’ experiences so I knew what to expect. There were two people interviewing me and they went through my personal statement line by line and asked me to clarify everything, but I know this is not what they do for everyone – for some people they go through their course texts. At one point I forgot the name of a main character from the book I was talking about so had to keep referring to them as the protagonist! After the one to one interview, we were all taken to another room and had a sort of test where we read an unseen passage that we had to write a critical response to for about 45 minutes. Whilst we were waiting to be called in for the interviews I had the chance to talk to a couple of other applicants, though nobody wanted to talk too much. Looking back, I don’t think the interview is anything to worry too much about, even though it is natural to be stressed out about it. It was more of a discussion – they weren’t looking for a right answer but wanted me to talk more about my interests that I had written about in my personal statement. At the time it is quite overwhelming though! Reading back through your personal statement is essential preparation.”

Remember… interviews are two way – you’re interviewing the university to see if they are suitable for you, just as they are seeing if you are suitable for them. It’s also important to remember that the interviewers want you to do well; they are not trying to catch you out.

Other than that, you are going to be great! Just be yourself, and make sure to take the time to reflect on your interview afterwards, especially if you’ve got more interviews to come.