University interview myths

[ijakings]

Anyone heard any good stories about university interviews? Here's a couple I've seen:

When the candidate arrived in the interview room, the tutor was reading a newspaper. As the candidate enters, the tutor looks up from the paper and asks the candidate to "entertain him". At this point the candidate whips out his lighter and sets fire to the newspaper.

During an engineering interview the candidate is given a brick by the interviewer and told to throw it through the window. The candidate is unsure whether or not to break the window and hesitates, and the tutor again tells him to throw the brick through the window. The candidate tells the tutor he doesn’t want to break the window - at this point the tutor takes the brick from the candidates hand, opens the window and tosses the brick through the open window.

[ijakings]

A few other apparantly true stories I saw on another website:

At the start of my subject interview, though, the tutor said "Ive had enough ****ing interview for one day", which was a bit disconcerting.

The interviewer quoted a line from one of the books on my reading list and said 'do you remember this line?'. I didn't remember it at all, and admitted I didn't, although I could VERY easily have bluffed and said I did remember because I didn't want to look stupid. However, I am so relieved I was honest because the interviewer then said 'well as a matter of fact that quote isn't even in the novel! but what do you think it would mean in the context of this novel anyway?'

I'm at St. Peter's Oxford and one of my (three) interviews was truly bizarre. It was at St. Hughs and when I walked in there were two chairs and a footstool facing a fire. The tutor (Peter Mitchell if any of you know him) asked me to sit down and just in time I realised there was a dog asleep on the other chair. Maybe this dilemma was a character test or something but I was then faced with throwing the dog off the chair, or standing up. I chose to sit on the tiny footstool and look very silly indeed. The interview then proceeded as normal except for the snores of the dog.

My Brother-in-Law went for an interview at Teddy Hall. When he went in he was asked to sit down, to find the sun directly shining in his eyes through a chink in the curtain. He asked whether the curtain could be closed and carried on with the interview. As he went out, he glanced behind - to see the interviewer re-arranging the curtain to allow a chink of light to fall back on the chair! (NB He got a place at Teddy Hall btw, but this was many years ago). So I think there are some 'tricks' , but not on the scale of the 'urban myths' perpetrated by the ignorant.

A friend of mine told me that when he went in for a languages interview, he saw the tutor bent over looking for something under the table. The tutor, at this point still under the table, proceeded to ask him to sit down. A few moment later, whilst still searching for something, and having not even glanced at the candidate, he asked his first question. Whilst in the middle of answering it, he was interrupted by the tutor suddenly standing up from under the table with a pen in his hand saying "found it".

The worst situation I've ever heard of was a Maths interview, where my friend was taken through a series of rooms (Alice in Wonderland stylee!), before finally meeting his interviewer, who simply turned over an egg-timer and said, "You have 10 minutes to tell me about Maths".

know two people interviewed for Medicine at Hertford in 2003 (ie for 2004 entry) who were both given shocking interviews involving 5 interviewers (some leaving/entering during the interviews) telephones going (and being answered) and one of them being asked to drum on the table with pencils whilst answering questions fired at him from all angles!

One of my friends was asked what her favourite song was, and was then told to sing it. The people who got in are the ones who didn't cry.

And one which I'm very sure is just a myth

The test was that as you walked in, the interviewer would throw you a cricket ball and say, "This is an orange. Why don't you eat it." The response they were looking for was to throw the ball back and say "Would you mind peeling it for me."

And something along the same lines

certain students have been known to play pranks on interviewees. one particular instance was 3 years ago; a guy was staying over, being interviewed for law; in the middle of the night, this 2nd year medic bursts into his room, wearing a gown and mortarboard, shouting "THE INTERVIEWS WILL COMMENCE NOW! I WILL ASK QUESTIONS IN ENGLISH- YOU WILL RESPOND IN LATIN!" this student isn't exactly a small, slight-figured, unimposing type either....

[Lakka]

Tehehe, kinda interesting stories!!! But if I were the interviewee, I may change that comment!

[Guest]

As soon as the student walked into the interview room, the interviewer asked her 'what colour underwear are you wearing?'

[fentorydekson]

Always keep smile on face. To be a confidence internal and external.Present of mind.Power of your speech. This is basic criteria for interview.

[bra12vo]

Every Oxford student owns a cap and gown, but that’s only because you need one for matriculation (the start-of-your-degree ceremony). The only other times you’re only ever required to wear academic dress are University exams and when you’re in really, really serious trouble. If you actually enjoy wearing a gown, though, nobody’s stopping you…

[heroes_46]

Those are really interesting