Contents:
1. General advice to conduct the session
2. What should the student get out of the session?
3. The session itself
4. Areas the student may want to focus on in the session
- In the early stages
- About Oxbridge: the courses and colleges
- Oxbridge Tests
- Oxbridge Interviews
5. The end of the session
1. General advice to conduct the session
- Be friendly and enthusiastic. Let the student know that you are confident in helping them stand out and impress those admissions tutors.
- Be honest. Explain both the pros and cons so they know what to expect
- Reassure them that you remember how intimidating the application process can be but, in the end, it’s just an opportunity for them to display their talents. Ultimately, they should be excited about coming to university!
- Your personal advice should be realistic. Don’t worry the student by suggesting weeks of work experience and extra reading to impress admissions tutors. Some of this advice can be helpful but you should focus on advising them on how to show off what they already do/have done.
- If you do not know the answer to a specific question, do not make up an answer. Offer to find out and email them or say you do not know.
- It may be necessary to have a subsequent session depending on what they want to cover. Explain that this is 55 minute session and if necessary they can arrange a follow up session with you or another mentor.
2. What should the student get out of the session?
The university application process is all about the student demonstrating their academic potential and suitability for their chosen course. Given Oxbridge application procedure is notoriously rigorous, students have come to you in the hope that they will leave a little more confident and have a better idea of how to prepare.
You will need to convey to them:
- What to expect from the application process
- What to expect from the interview in particular and what questions a tutor might ask
- The best ways to prepare for interviews
- What admissions tutors are looking for
- How to convey academic and personal suitability
- What life is like in your college and which college might be best suited to them
3. The session itself
Getting to know the student:
Before you start, greet the student and get to know them on a personal level.
- Ask them what they are studying at the moment, how they enjoy school, their interests etc. Building a rapport will help them feel comfortable and might help you when suggesting how they approach the interview.
- Ask them why they’re applying to university and what they would like to study.
- Why are they interested in the subject? Is it the first step to a job they would like to do after graduating?
- Keep in mind that the student may not be sure about any of the above. These are ideas that need to be clarified before approaching interview or writing a personal statement.
About Oxbridge:
- Have they visited Oxford/ Cambridge before? What did they think of it?
- Which college(s) are they interested to applying for and why?
Remember to take notes! They may want to book another consultation and it will help you to have any relevant information to hand.
Make sure the student also has paper and pen handy to take down any important points.
4. Areas the student may want to focus on in the session
The student might need advice for the early stages of the application process or specific advice for how to survive those nerve-wracking interviews. Make sure you know which area to focus on:
In the early stages
If a student is drafting a UCAS application, you might discuss:
The application process.
-What are they most worried about? Remember to be reassuring, you overcame the challenges thrown your way and you can help them prepare!
-Give an overview of the various stages they might experience (e.g. personal statements, written work, tests, interviews).
-What the admissions tutors expect from you
-Tips on how you might stand out
-The best preparations for applying ( e.g. grades, knowing your subject well, reading around your subject, having volunteering/ work experience)
How can we help further?
-Most of the information you give them above might be very general, let them know that you can arrange a session with MyTutorWeb for interview practice in particular once they receive an invitation
-Mention that there are MyTutorWeb mentors available specifically for personal statement advice and they are best to book a separate session if they want specific help in preparing their personal statement
About Oxbridge: the courses and colleges
The student may be in the first stages of the application process and want more information about what courses and colleges suit them best. Alternatively, they might be preparing to go to university and want to know more about where they have already applied to.
The colleges:
-What colleges are they interested in/ have they applied for?
-Your own/ your friends’ personal experiences of your college.
-If they are still choosing, advise them on the best colleges for their course/ lifestyle.
-If they have chosen, advise them on how best to prepare for university life.
Your course:
-Your personal experiences of studying your course.
-Information on modules available in the first year.
-How you might prepare to study your course (e.g. wider reading, magazine subscriptions).
Oxbridge Tests
Both Oxford and Cambridge may require the student to sit entrance tests before their application is accepted. If they need advice in this area, you might want to discuss:
· Ask what areas the student thinks they need most help.
· This might be subject specific. For example, they may be sitting the TSA exam for Oxford and are not very confident with numbers or they need more help with the Physics parts of the BMAT.
· The best preparation the student can have is to be familiar with the style of questions, content and timing in entrance tests.
· Being familiar with the type of mark schemes the university uses might help them be more confident about what the university is looking for.
· Remember that written tests are supposed to show the student’s ability to structure an argument, show an in depth understanding of their subject and think critically. They’re not an opportunity for them to revise and reel off a limitless number of facts.
· Provide tips for how to make most of their time in exams and how best to show off their knowledge of the subject.
· Perhaps you could provide them with example questions, like those on the university websites. Make sure you give them plenty of feedback on how they answered the questions according to what the tutors will be looking for (Is it a well structured argument? Should they watch for spelling/ grammar errors? etc)
Oxbridge Interviews
The student might have received an invitation for an Oxbridge interview or simply want practice.
There are some ideas the student has to be clear about before going into an interview:
- Why do they want to study the subject?
- What will be on their course and what kind of modules are available in the first year?
- They should know their personal statement inside out
- And also know any work they have submitted inside out
After these are fully understood, there are a number of areas where the student might need extra advice:
The student needs to be clear, confident and enthusiastic when talking about themselves and their subject.
- You might suggest they practice by simply talking to you about specific topics and their hobbies.
- If you are unclear about what they are trying to say, ask them to clarify their responses. Make sure they are aware of where something could be better expressed to really show off their achievements and personality.
- Remember to advise them on the best things to talk about in interview (anything that makes them interesting, shows originality and enthusiasm?)
Subject specific interviews will generally involve a task a student will need to complete or subject-based questions ranging from the difficult to the down-right obscure.
- They should understand that these tasks are designed to stretch their thinking to its limits, they are not trick questions and there is rarely a right or wrong answer.
- Practise will improve their confidence in thinking deeply about their subject and expressing their ideas clearly.
- Perhaps you could provide a set of practise tasks or questions. You should give feedback. Is this the kind of answer the tutors will be impressed with (e.g. was the student clear/ give evidence of some insightful thinking?).
They might need general tips for improving interview technique.
- For example, they should take their time to think through what they are going to say, even if there is a pause before they start. Or it’s ok to say you have made a mistake; if they want to re-do something they have said or think they have made an error in a test, they should say so.
- Make sure they know to dress smartly, follow instructions and get plenty of sleep the night before.
- Remember to mention anything else you think might help from your experience.
5. At the end of the session
- Ask if they have any further questions
- Make sure they know they can book another consultation if they think they would like more help with you or with another mentor to get a different perspective
- Inform them about the MyTutorWeb personal statement mentoring service.
- Tell them it was good to meet them/a pleasure working with them and wish them luck with their Oxbridge interviews/ application. Their confidence is very important.