My son read Maths & CS at Worcester. His CS interviews were almost exclusively logic problems. He was given them the night before his interview and he had to walk the tutors through his answers/thinking during his 30 minute in person interview.
I don’t know how things may have changes for the new virtual interview format.
Have your son look at the CS Department website for any information there about interviews. They used to post sample questions and they actually asked my son one of them!
Keble is a very popular college for CS. Very close proximity to the CS Department. During my son’s cycle he was also interviewed by a second college (St. Hugh’s in his case). Are they still doing that?
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Oh, that is very helpful - thank you! They do have a mock interview available to watch now. Can you recall if your son had interviews during the time set aside for overseas students or during the regular interview period? Unfortunately, both interview periods fall within my son’s final exam week. We are wondering if it’s worth asking if his interviews can be held so that they don’t conflict with his exams. His high school is willing to accommodate, but the last thing I want is for him to fumble a final exam or have an incomplete on his transcript going into the RD season!
DS chose Keble due to proximity to the department as well as for accommodations (all are within the main college and many en suite rooms). Yes, they are still doing second colleges. He will be interviewed by Pembroke.
Worcester is a lovely college. I attended a non-Oxbridge school for postgraduate studies but had friends at Worcester and New. I stayed with them quite a bit, as I had research at Duke Humphries. I hope your son had a wonderful experience there.
My son’s interview experience is a little dated (2016). There was no separate overseas interview schedule. Everyone spent the same 2-3 days in Oxford (based on their course) at their sponsoring college and ran around to their in-person interviews.
I wouldn’t delay the interview too long - the admissions process wraps up relatively quickly. This week is 8th week at Oxford, so Michaelmas will be over on Saturday. My recollection of the process is that final admissions decisions are made before everyone leaves for the Christmas holiday with letters sent in the second week of January.
All of the tutors from the individual colleges for the different degree programs meet to compare applicants (MAT & interview scores are the key drivers) and make the decisions on offers.
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Yes, I was afraid that trying to delay the interview would put him at a disadvantage given how they are conducted. Thanks for that guidance. His school does have make-up slots in its exam schedule, so hopefully he can take advantage of that and shift exams times around.
DS applied to Edinburgh. He hasn’t heard anything yet either.
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My son submitted an open application for Mathematics at Oxford and received an introductory email and later an interview invite from the first college he was assigned to, but nothing from a second college. Is that normal? How can he find out what his secondary college is? Thanks
i think the second college usually comes in the winter pool if he’s not accepted to the first college? at least that’s how it works for cambridge
DS has not heard from his second college yet, either. He does know which college it is (it was identified in his introductory email), but he didn’t apply open which may account for the difference.
applied to edinburgh also, not expecting to hear anything for a while.
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