Alright,
I have applied to do Economics and Management at Lady Margaret Hall
(Oxford), so I was wondering whether you could answer a few questions for
me.
1) Are there are any ways to prepare for the interview? I have the guide to
doing Economics at Oxbridge as well. Did this help?
2) Was it mainly topical issues brought up in the interview?
3) How many interviews did you have?
4) I am more concerned about the management interview than the economics
one. What kind of questions did they ask you in the management one?
4) Did they talk about your personal statement and your written work?
5) Do you have a copy of the written test you did? If so, could you please
e-mail it to me?
6) Did you find out the mark from your written test?
7) I am actually currently at cherwell and am the only one applying for
Economics and Management. Do you think it helped coming from a state school?
8) Do you have any other advice?
I feel I have a reasonable chance of getting in if I do well at the
interview and written test.
Cheers,
Tom
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Ok hre we go:
> 1) Are there are any ways to prepare for the interview? I have the guide
to
> doing Economics at Oxbridge as well. Did this help?
Ok first the guide, yes it is helpful, but mainly as an overview of what to
expect more than anything else. The bit that is useful is the questions at
the back, though they may seem obscure, I got asked a few things like this. Other than that it's not great prep.
I would say there are two ways you need to prepare: 1: know your college and course, exactly what does the course cover, how is it tought and by who, who are the lectures and what are thier specialities. This won't directy help you answer questions in your interview, but will stop you asking stupid questions you should know the answer too, and may make you feel a bit more comftalbe if you are interviewed by a lecturer you know somthing about. 2: have something to talk about: make sure you know the answers to common questions like: why did you pick Oxford, you college and your course. I would say you are very unlikely to get asked these but having some kind of answer will help. Also make sure you know everything in your personal statement in detail, especially any books, publications or newspapers you mentioned reading - these will be likely topics for the interview.
So basically know the course, and know yourself - apart from that therses
not much prep you can do.
> 2) Was it mainly topical issues brought up in the interview?
Not really, the first questions were about me and my personal statement, we talked for quite a while about the economics website I had written, second I was given some logic problems, and the last thing was economics issues. I cant remember exactly what i was asked but it was mainly to do with how marks and spencer were performing. the whole interview was about 20-30 min - I would say about 15 were spent on topical issues
> 3) How many interviews did you have?
Just the one, but with two interviewers on the panal, I think that day
everyone doing E&M just got 1, though it's not unusual to have another at a different college.
> 4) I am more concerned about the management interview than the economics one. What kind of questions did they ask you in the management one?
The interview was combined with one guy asking the economics and one guy doing the management, I'm sorry I cant exactly remember what the management questions were like, but it wasn't really like one question after another.
The interviewer chose a topic and asked a question about it, then you would continue with this topic which the interviewer asking or promting you. I would say I only really covered one economics topic and one management topic.
> 4) Did they talk about your personal statement and your written work?
Not the written work, Yes the personal statment but only in the introduction
really, and only the part about doing my website. Though it was economic
related, I guess it was just a warm up question, and i would say you could
easily get something like: it said on your stement you read xxxxxx, did you enjoy it? - though be careful - another more economics related question could easily be spun off this.
> 5) Do you have a copy of the written test you did? If so, could you please e-mail it to me?
Yes, but it's at home in Oxford, and I am up in Essex, I may be able to get
one of my family to send it up here though, so will get back to you on that.
> 6) Did you find out the mark from your written test?
No, but i would say i found the majority of the questions easy.
> 7) I am actually currently at cherwell and am the only one applying for Economics and Management. Do you think it helped coming from a state school?
No, i think it makes no real difference, the interviwers arn't looking at where you're from, but how they think you could do.
> 10 Do you have any other advice?
Some yes, though you may alreay know it. Check the norrington table and
application ratios to give you a rough idea of how well you think you need
to do to get in. See if you can think about economics in a new way, get your teacher to give you some more advanced economic models and see if you can explain them yourself. Try a few logic problems and puzzles similar to those in the Economics at Oxbridge booklet.
And one last tip - though a hard one to do - be unique: what have you done related to economics which is different from what everyone else has done? In my case that would be the economics website I wrote. This may be dfficult as you have already subitted your personal statement, but don't worry about it now.
I think thats all the tips, but I've only had one interveiw at one college,
and yours may be very different.
Hopefully this will help, good luck
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I think thats all the tips, but I've only had one interveiw at one college,
and yours may be very different.good luck
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I complete the criteria to apply at Oxford but the financial problem is on the way to get the admission because the bank statement required is about huge amount.
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It is so good and informative! Thanks for your good sharing!
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I would say there are two ways you need to know to prepare your college and of course, exactly what the coverage of course, how he thought and WHO, which are the conferences and what are their specialities.
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Before you apply
Many people have a mental image of the "Oxford type", which usually involves some combination of tweed, pearls, a trust fund, 25 A-levels, no life, or being a personal friend of a tutor. Hopefully you're already aware that this is a very long way away from the truth. Students are admitted to Oxford purely on academic merit: and the work-hard play-hard ethic perpetuates: Oxford students tend to get involved in far more extra curriculars than people at other universities (as helped by the collegiate system). So now you know you have a chance, what do you want to know?
