Primrose Kitten

Think about each of the following questions. Write a few short bullet points for each. Don’t write out long answers and memorize them exactly, because this will seem false and you may get flustered if they ask the questions slightly differently.

· Why did you decide to study (the subject you’ve applied for)?

· Why have you chosen to apply to this university?

· Which module on this course are you looking forward to most?

· Why should you get a place here?

· Why did you take …… for A-Level?

· What have you enjoyed most about your A-Levels?

· What have you enjoyed least about your A-Levels?

· What would you change about your A-Levels?

· What have you enjoyed most about school?

· What have you enjoyed least about school?

· What would you change about your school?

· Do you think your grades are a good reflection of you as a student?

· What have you read about (the subject you’ve applied for)?

· What are the current trends in (the subject you’ve applied for)?

· Why is (the subject you’ve applied for) important?

· How is (the subject you’ve applied for) relevant to everyday life?

· What are you interested in?

· What have you done outside of your A-Level studies to develop your subject knowledge?

· What are your strengths?

· What are your weaknesses?

· What are you proud of?

· What mistakes have you made?

· How do you deal with stressful situations?

· How do you react under pressure?

· What makes a good student?

· What work experience / volunteering / part-time work have you done?

· What skills did you gain from your work experience / volunteering / part-time work?

· What are your long-term career plans?

· How did you decide on this career path?

· What are your long term goals?

· What are your short-term goals?

· How are you going to achieve your goals?

· Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

· Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

· How much do you expect to be earning in five years’ time?

· How does this degree help you achieve your gaols?

· What motivates you?

· What makes you happy?

· What does success in life mean to you?

· What are the most important rewards in life?

· What advantage has doing …… extracurricular given you?

· Can you give an example of where you have worked well in a team?

· Do you work best on your own or as part of a team?

· Can you give an example of when have helped another person?

· When have you shown leadership skills?

· What five words best describe you?

· How would your teachers describe you?

· Why did / didn’t you take a gap year?

· Tell me about your EPQ / extended project?

· What was the last book you read?

· What was the last film you saw?

· What is your favourite book?

· What is your favourite film?

· How do you choose the books you read?

· Who inspires you most?

· Who has influenced you most?

· Which historical figure would you most like to meet?

· What is the most interesting place you’ve visited?

· Where would you like to visit?

· What has been your most interesting experience to date?

· What are your opinions on tuition fees?

· What advantage has the DoE given you?

· How you got any questions?

These are not ‘trick’ questions. Most of the time there are no right answers and no wrong answers; the interviewers just want to see how you approach answering the question and how you solve the problem.

· Why did you decide to take a gap year?

· What did you do on your gap year?

· How was your gap year arranged?

· How did you decide what to do on your gap year?

· What impact has your gap year had on you?

· How have you grown as a person during your gap year?

· Did your gap year help with your future career plans?

· Did taking a gap year put you at a disadvantage?

· What was the best part of your gap year?

· What was the worst part of your gap year?

· What is the most important piece you have created?

· Which piece in your portfolio are you most proud of?

· Which exhibition have you seen that has had an impact on you?

· What text did you study at A-Level?

· Which was the best book you studied for your A-Levels?

· What have you read outside the text you needed to read for your A-Levels?

· What makes a book ‘good’?

· Should older books that offend modern ideals still be studied in schools?

· What is literature?

· Are film adaptations of books ever any good?

· What is the ideal length of a book?

· Why are so many series written in trilogies?

· How long is a story?

· What has been engineering’s most important contribution to society?

· How dangerous are mistakes?

· How would you explain force?

· What is the difference between engineering and physics?

· Which of your teachers influenced you most and why?

· How important is classroom environment to student learning?

· How disruptive is low-level misbehaviour?

· What is your opinion on OFSTED?

· What have you chosen this year group?

Katrina’s Story – Interviews for Art Students

Katrina has A-levels in Art (A), geography (C) and drama (C)

There are lots of different styles of interview for university applicants. For art students, however, all of these include a portfolio review which is done either whilst the interview is happening, or without you present before the interview takes place. The main topics of discussion were: what I think the course was; what I was hoping to get out of it; what my practice is; and what I hope to end up doing with it after my studies are finished.

Out of the four interviews I did, the one for the illustration course at Falmouth was the most stressful. It was completely different to any of the others I had done, in that it had a sort of speed dating feel to it and was a lot more commercial. There were six potential students (including me) and five interviewers sat at tables. We had to go to each of them in turn as they all looked through our portfolios and interviewed us. I personally found the more informal, conversational interviews to be much easier and enjoyable. Having the personal conversations (i.e., where I come from, what I enjoy doing in my free time) just put me more at ease and helped me learn about the interviewer just as much as they were learning about me.

I think the interview that I felt the most nervous for was my first one, purely for the fact that I had never actually done anything like it before. To any students getting ready to go through this now, remember there is no use in stressing about the interviews, just believe in yourself and what you know you can do. The university needs you as much as you need it. But that being said, don't try and blag your way through it. Do your research on the courses and universities you are interested in. True passion and drive cannot be faked.