My advice, as an Oxford student, is to be honest when you don't know and to seek further clarification. This prevents waffling and remember it is not inhuman to admit you are unclear.
23 minutes of unedited quality content and you’re so well-spoken!😳 you’ve been so so helpful as always and please be careful when filming while walking down the streets🥺 have a lovely weekend Mr Williams!!
For any candidates doing maths, worried that the part at 19:32 sounds a little more subjective than you might expect, I wouldn’t worry. Speaking only from my experience, they literally just ask you maths questions and help you solve them. Won’t be anything that seems to foreign, but might need a little more ‘thinking’ rather than ‘solving’ if that makes any sense. All the interviewers are really nice aswell and will give you hints in the right direction if your not sure.
Exceptionally good video, the best i've seen giving examples of everything one could expect to be thrown at you in an interview in a clear ordered concise way....well done brilliant
Wonderful video Matt. You are so smart, and insightful. I completely believe what you said, If you Love what you do you are going to be good at it. That is how I took what you said. I find your videos Enjoyable and Relaxing, They make me feel better. Thank You for making them. I hope you are well. Jeff
So very different from my Stanford & Harvard interviews. Interviews in the US tend to not focus on academics- -we've already shown them that we are capable of high academic performance by our grades and standardized testing. Highly selective Universities in the US attempt to assemble a class of interesting and unique individuals. We are usually interviewed by alumni in the community and for example , they are interested in how well you've taken advance of opportunities regardless of your circumstances. I suppose there are pros and cons with either system. It appears that mediocre performance on an Oxford interview will certainly doom you.
If anyone invited to oxford interviews, they have demonstrated mire than enough academic strength already. One first need to satisfy standardized test scores to apply, then sit for a subject test, after selected, then sit for technical interviews. US school applications as of now are not merit based. There is no standard, no more required standardized test scores, by the way the standardized test is much easier than oxford subject test. US is about gender, skin color and extra-curriculars. The first two nobody can do anything about it, the last is more tied to the family circumstances and schools than personal abilities., and idiots are crying for standardized tests are not fair? Life is not fair, the test reflect the result. But at least one can work hard to get a good test score, but fancy extra-curricular, skin colors? Nobody can do anything about it unless one can change parents. Oxford interviews demonstrated clearly what an education really should be.
I am looking forward to getting my interview invite for Creative Writing MSt. Thank you so much for making this video. Can't wait to practice what you have suggested during my Oxford interview. :))
I’ve always been a bit worried about having an interview if I apply to Cambridge, I’m Irish, I know England and Ireland haven’t always had a good relationship. I’ve encountered some English people who have brought up the past when talking to me. This helped with that, thanks!
I'd say the English and Irish governments have had difficult relationships, but the peoples of these islands can overcomes such pettiness. We have had Irish students in Oxford probably for as long s there's been Oxford! Currently there are hundreds of Irish students contributing enormously to the academic and social lives of the university. Best wishes to you!
In terms of the 2nd “C”, Coherence, do you suggest we do we throw out all scattered ideas we have in response to a problem and then start filtering/focusing on how to address the problem, or that we go through this process in our head and only present a coherent solution to the interviewers?
Good question. I would go with the former: throw out lots of ideas and then start to pull them together. The interviewer will help you draw the points together into a coherent case.
Thank you so much, you have been a huge help! I just wanted to ask if you could be asked questions from your references - eg if a teacher says you’ve read a book that you haven’t written about in your statement, could you be asked about it?
Thank you for your kind comment! It's very rare to be asked about something a teacher has written about you, but not inconceivable. More likely you will be asked about what you've written in your personal statement. But even that is not guaranteed.Good luck!
Thanks for the video! Do you know how the online interviews are going to work for subjects such as chemistry? Will we have to position our camera somehow to show work done on paper, or will the interview be altered to more verbal questions?
The tutors will likely adapt their questions to be verbal, or show you images for you to react to, or may ask you to show your working on a piece of paper. Whatever format is used, you will be given plenty of time to prepare.
Hi, I'm a Seren student currently in year 12 in South Wales and just wanted to say thank you very much for all the info you gave at the launch last night! Quick question, when will the Jesus College summer school applications open? Also, how much would it cost to take part?
"At what point is a person dead?" I didn't laser in on "at what point" because expiration is assumed. Instead, my focus was on "a person." What makes a person a person? Then comes "at what point" a person ceases to be a person. Is it organ function? Say there is a brain-dead patient whose heart is kept pumping by machines. Is the person alive? And is "alive" the same as being "a person." I say no. What makes a person a person is the higher order processing. I don't know the word for what I mean. A person's capacity to think and emote, their morals, their ability to interact with the world as a Person, not merely alive. I do think a Person's point of death - when a person loses the capacity for higher order engagement (?) - coincides with brain death. That answer isn't the final product, but it's me "thinking out loud" to share the thought process. What do you think? The interview questions you share are stimulating. It is helpful to think of it as a lesson. Thanks for your videos, Matt. Maybe...
Brilliant content in context to walking the streets of Oxford. It brought back memories from 2006. Thank you. The Dean of Jesus College adjudicated the merits of my Tribunal in my favor.
And isn't the proportion of "state school" intake predominantly grammar school ... and just how many of those who went to grammar school came from private prep school? What proportion are of Oxford's intake are from comprehensives - where the overwhelming majority go?
Thank you a lot for the video! It was extremely helpful! I have one question though.. Are the online interviews different from face-to-face interviews? Will the questions require no working or a lot of reading in the case of online interviews for subjects like economics and management? Or will I be solving questions on a separate sheet of paper and showing my working through the camera?
The online interviews are very similar to face-to-face interviews. Indeed, even when we were doing face-to-face interviews, many students from around the world had to speak to us online anyway. You may be asked to do some mathematical problem-solving on an online whiteboard. If that's the case, you'll be given all of the necessary technical instructions well in advance.
This was very helpful. I am interested in going into medicine, would I be required to have to answer diagnostic questions? I feel like I would not be able to answer anything. What types of questions are asked? Examples? Or are they all philosophical like the examples you used?
Hi Claire, please see here for examples: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ecRhRYg2pT8.html You would not likely be asked diagnostic questions.
All interviews will be online. We'll check that every candidate has requisite hardware and connection. The format of the interviews will not change. We have for years run interviews online for overseas candidates, so we're well prepared for this move.
What do you mean exactly by indecision? I agree with your point of ‘chickening out’. But, what if a candidate says ‘well, on one hand, you could argue...’ and then says ‘on the other hand, you could argue...’? Is this indecision in the same sense? They haven’t really chosen a side but have considered both sides of the proposed interview question. V. Useful video btw :)
Thank you! It's good to work out various sides to an argument, but you have to pick one to fight for! Having said "On the one hand x, but the other hand y"... then say something like "But for the following reasons, x is the most powerful solution to this problem."
I come from Sweden and the teaching and grading system here is very different from the British one. We don’t do the gsce or A-levels. Which on the Oxford website I checked it said a whole lot about those things or the equivalent. Though I can’t seem to find out the equivalent in my country. So would you recommend for me to study and take the igcse’s? In Sweden we also get to choose a course to study in high school, so for three years. Right now I go to Kungsholmen gymnasium in the economy course (which is mostly about business). I hope to study the E+M course in Oxford but with huge differences on tests and grading stuff, I don’t know what is considered qualified😩 coming from an expert, what do you think I should do?😄
This website gives details on international qualifications: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/for-international-students/international-qualifications If you search for Sweden, it states the following: Sweden Avgangsbetyg with a total of 2500 points, with scores of MVG (excellent) or A or B in the majority of relevant subjects. The relevant subjects for E&M have to include Maths. Best of luck to you! Matt
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you! I now have a bit more courage to chase my dreams even though getting into Oxford seems out of reach for me, I will work hard💪🏼
a couple points: i wish i knew this before my interviews 10 years ago. also, these things are not at all intuitive (esp. for people from foreign countries or different socioeconomic backgrounds). for example, the point that oxbridge profs arent arrogant, this is a generalisation. its possible a candidate might be unlucky. also, as you mentioned, since this arrogance is a widespread preconception that youre trying to debunk, how can you therefore not expect students desperate to get into oxbridge to tailor their behaviour, accent, mannerisms, dresscodes, hairstyles, and even answers (pandering to their preferences) to the interviewers? I understand the discussion style that looks to discover the Truth behind the questions, but as a student at the time, I knew profs had clear academic and political positions, they publish papers based on these positions, and so how could a candidate with this knowledge not be expected to pander to his/her interviewers' views to get in? but that said, its a lack of transparency that perpetuates these (allegedly by you) stereotypes, and i think its greatly appreciated (for future students at least) that you are trying to help improve the transparency behind this process.
Many thanks for your comment. There's undoubtedly a lot more work to do to improve the fairness of Oxbridge admissions. I dare say things have improved even in the past ten years, since you applied. I was cynical about the processes when I arrived in 2006, but have been pleasantly surprised by how committed the uni is to making improvements. No room complacency, of course.
Hmmm. So how come Oxford's intake is still disproportionately privately educated then? About 6% of kids are privately educated, yet the privately educated make up what proportion of your intake? 50%?
You don’t really need to do any mock interviews. Many people don’t have the ability to undertake mock interviews. That’s why I’ve uploaded these videos. You can prepare by talking through past interview questions with friends, interviewing people yourself, and just thinking about the various aspects of your subject.
I have Question as an international Student I finished radiology college and wanted to apply for medical school I spent 5 years 4 academic 1 clinical internship but im afraid i won’t get accepted so I got a scholarship for master in japan by the government but im afraid after finishing 4 more years i will be too old to apply for med school in oxfords universities i need your Advise
As far as I'm aware, there's no age limit on applying. The admissions tutors will just want to see evidence that you've kept up academic work and not been taking lots of gap years. That is clearly your situation, so I don't anticipate a problem in that regard. Best of luck!
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 what about working in my field of study im just graduating radiology college after 10 days and i will want medicine because i work during my academic years in clinical rotation I shadowed alot of physicians and i was asking them to send me their books but my family couldn’t afford to pay for medicine here so i went as a pre med to radiology college wanting to get master degree in japan mext scholarship and making my chances of acceptance better since my fields are related and i work with physicians and radiologist and im taking advantage of years studying while working there so i have advantages when i go to oxford with my masters
16:30 I’m gonna try to solve this question (please remember I am 13 years old, english is not my first language and I have never ever studied law in any way, it is just for fun.) It depends from which perspective you look at it. If you look at it literally, then I’d say yes. Because a human right includes having free will as long as this does not harm others or infringes on their rights. So you get to decide if you want to wear a uniform or not. If someone forces you to wear a uniform, it is technically against the law because they are ignoring your right on free will. But if you look at it less literal and more at if it really harms anyone, I would say no. Because it does not harm anyone if you have to wear a uniform. (I know the second argument is poorly explained but that is because I never actually learned anything about law and don’t know most of the rules and stuff. This was just for fun because it is vacation right now and I am bored.)
Hi sir! I was wondering about the number of interviews you have for a course. For multidisciplinary courses such as PPE, I was under the impression you have an interview for each element of the subject but apparently for this year there is only two interviews for PPE. So will those interviews no longer be testing each of the PPEs individually?
It depends which college you're applying to, as they run things slightly differently. Sometimes philosophy and politics interviews are conjoined, or pol and econ are conjoined. But, regardless, you'll be seen by tutors for each of the three subjects, so it doesn't make a big difference whether there are two or three interviews.
I just realized (whilst listening to Matt explain the 3 C's)... this is some smart Marketing Ploy when the famous Hertford Bridge came into view. lol. But regardless, Thank you for debunking a lot of Myths abt Oxford being a snobby, arrogant, or intellectually-perfect instituton-- but one that is open to new ideas and perspectives from anywhere.
Looking at your videos on admission interviews should provide applicants with some comfort they have what it takes to get in ... and perhaps become a fellow. "lawyers trade in language, that's how they add value to the economy." Really?
It sometimes feels like you discuss issues of class, ethnicity and other immutable differences in such a way where you apologise for being white and middle class. Surely regardless of your background - whether advantaged or disadvantaged, it should be your intellectual character that determines your place (even if you are white and middle class)? Obviously there's an element of negating historical injustice, but that doesn't mean those marginalised should necessarily be prioritised over those who have been luckier.
Dear Jesus Oxford: I appreciate the tour of the edifices tips and tops. However, would it not be better to separate the tour from your speech to provide less distraction and *better-needed audio* in a dignified stationary setting, considering that the building itself has no bearing on your content?
@@ibbybutler9526 Oxford University is the Mount Everest of the academic world where stepping up to greatness commences at its first step. Character, discipline, and preparation would be in order, as the client should know what he is getting into. When one can recognize and accept the arduousness, and flow with the system, then he can have more of a causal mindset. We need to keep up the rigors of the most revered traditional vicinity of academics in the world: Personalities need to be tried and tested. It ought to be formal. It cannot afford to have modern PC stuff (etc., etc.: you know what I mean) enter this dignified greatness on the sacred soil where we stand. We welcome diversity -- and do not discriminate, but should be wary against things that will drag down the dignity of this didactic institution. If one is not comfortable in this setting -- go where the sun shines -- and bask at Berkeley, California. Ps: This gentleman in the video is trying to pick up his crumbs from the RU-vid platform.
