On Tuesday thirty-five students came from surrounding state-maintained schools Holyport College, Windsor Boys, Windsor Girls, St Joseph’s RC School, Cox Green, Reach Academy and Heston Community School for practice interviews and to learn about interview technique. Twenty-eight of them came from the London Academy of Excellence,
The students had a general interview followed by up to two subject-specific interviews. Following their mock interviews, and to conclude the day, they went to Upper School to take part in a role play where they worked with an actor and took turns being interviewed.
Gavin Choy hopes to study Physics and in his mock interview was asked to calculate the mass of the sun on the spot. He said that it was incredibly useful in helping to hone the quick-thinking skills necessary for an interview, and that being asked the questions in interview format with teachers you do not know is a completely different yet beneficial experience.
Forty-eight more students came on Thursday 29th November. My overall impression was that all involved found the entire experience extremely helpful and that it has really helped them get to grips with the Oxford interview process.
Many thanks to OxFizz, to Joe Organ at Brasenose College and to Tony Fahey at Caterham School for all their help.
Lorenzo Harvey-Allchurch
