Mrs Allen (Careers Administrator)
With the UCAS application process underway and offers arriving daily, many of the girls will be invited to attend interviews for their chosen courses. The interviews this year will be very different to the experience of previous cohorts, as all are now taking place online and as such, The Bridge Careers Service has adapted to the ongoing restrictions to ensure that this year’s applicants are afforded the same opportunities to prepare, as previous year groups.
As part of the ongoing application support, our Oxbridge and Mock Interview Evenings would usually be held this term. Sadly, neither have been possible this year, however, it was vitally important that the girls had the opportunity to practice for their entrance interviews using this new digital format.
Having appealed to our Alumnae and wider school community, we were inundated with offers of support from volunteers generously offering their time and expertise to help the girls prepare. The challenges of arranging some 40+ online interviews, across a two-week period, involving Doctors, Lawyers, Linguists, Vets, Scientists and many more professions, some in different time zones, stretched all of our technical knowledge. The interviewers robustly questioned the students encouraging them to convey their passion for their chosen subject, build their confidence, practice the interview technics that they have been learning in school and discover which areas they need to further focus on. University selection interviews are demanding processes and pose questions and problems in a unique way; the reputation of the Oxbridge interviews precedes them.
The Bridge would like to thank all those who volunteered, giving their free time and evenings to offer the girls guidance, tips and help develop their interview ready mindset.
Marisa Mistry (applying for Medicine)
“I was so grateful to my mock interview experience, as it really highlighted where I needed to refine my technique by speaking slower and more coherently. I also received invaluable feedback from the careers advisors and Dr Poole; this helped me feel more confident in that my hard work in preparing for the interviews was slowly paying off.”
Karis Nibett-Hadaway (applying for Medicine)
“My mock interview has definitely helped me on my pathway to becoming truly interview ready. It was great to be questioned by a doctor I had never met, as it really reflected what an interview would be like. This experience taught me what my strengths and weaknesses are and what I need to work on. I am truly thankful to the careers department for organising this for us!”
