Oxford admissions: interviews and conditional offers

[evgenia]

I applied for a MPhil in Economics at Oxford. I read on the website that the econ department *might* call an applicant to arrange an interview. Do they almost always call? If they call, does it mean your application has not been outstanding enough to get you acceptance right away? What questions to expect?

 

Also, some former admits posted in the results submission section of this website that they got an offer conditional on a certain GPA or first-class honors. I am seriously concerned. I had an almost perfect GPA until last semester of my undergraduate studies. When I applied, my GPA was still almost perfect, but then my last semester grades arrived and I realized that now I don't even qualify for first class honors. Are offers always conditional? Why do they require a first-class degree if they say on their website that a second-class degree is also acceptable? 

 

Ughhh Thanks so much! 

[PetitJacques]

I am currently doing an MSc at Oxford but in a different department so I'll tell you what I know but it may be somewhat different in your case. I can't really help you on the interview side, since we didn't have that. Something I have heard here is that they can ask some difficult questions but the point with those is that they want to see your thought process - it's ok if you don't know the answer. That may be more for undergrad though.

 

Conditional offers at Oxford are very common, and include academic as well as financial conditions (actually all offers are conditional on the financial side first, unless maybe the dept funds you - you have to prove you can pay). If you are in a degree program at the time of your application, it is rare to get an unconditional offer - conditional is the norm and the academic conditions always have to do with you achieving a certain goal by the end (GPA or honors). What the condition is will depend on your past work as well as the other applicants in the pool. So a second-class degree might be acceptable but if the applicant pool is really impressive the conditions may go higher because of that - I'm speculating here. But don't worry too much about the fact that they give out conditional offers - that is very common. 

[bobkindles]

I did my undergrad and Masters degree at Oxford. I think that, as with the US, interviews outside of the sciences are not that common - I was not interviewed for my Masters, and neither was anyone in my course, and I know of few people outside of my course who were. As PetitJacques said, though, conditional offers are the norm - the exception is, obviously, when you have already finished your undergraduate degree or previous program of study, in which case you will either receive a rejection or an unconditional offer, because, after all, you are already done with your study, so there are no conditions that you would be able to fulfill. It is also not uncommon to receive a condition that is higher than the stated minimum - just as US universities make it clear that fulfilling the minimum requirements for a course will not guarantee you admission, with the UK, universities will set higher conditions, either because the applicant pool is especially strong, or because there are some parts of an individual's application which are seen as lacking or problematic, so that the higher condition is set as a way of ensuring they will be adequate for the program. 

So, don't read anything into having or not having an interview, but don't be surprised about having a conditional offer either!

[matzika]

Hi all,

 

I have also applied to Oxford for a Master's in Computer Science. I received an e-mail 2-3 days ago with 4 questions I had to answer within 48 hours. The first two questions was about my interest in the program and my background in mathematics, logic and programming. The other two were two problems I had to solve : one required a mathematical solution and the other to write an algorithm that finds an optimal solution to the given problem. 

 

Has anyone else received a similar e-mail ? What is the importance of answering the above questions in the application process? 

 

I also noticed in the results table of the forum, that many of those who were admitted to the program had an interview. Does the interview follow when one has successfully answered the above questions or is it conducted when the applicant is seriously considered for acceptance? 

 

I am worried that I received those questions because I did not seem eligible  to pass to the next stage for an interview... Nevertheless, I answered thoroughly  all of the questions and solved the problems correctly. 

 

What do you think my chances of acceptance are? Lot of questions - Hope one of you with a similar experience can help!

[AvaNorling]

I just received a request for an interview in two weeks, for Oxford's MSt in Creative Writing.  Do they typically interview MORE applicants than they can accept?  In other words, will this interview be a we-like-your-stuff-and-we-just-want-to-make-sure-you're-not-crazy thing, or a we've-got-one-spot-for-every-five-interviewees-so-dazzle-us thing?  

 

Has anyone here done interviews by phone or Skype?  I live 6 hours away by plane.

 

Thanks in advance!

[Kleene]

I am not sure about graduate courses, but I know for a fact that for undergrad significantly more people are interviewed than admitted. Check out the statistics: http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/facts_and_figures/undergraduate_admissions_statistics/courses.html

[matzika]

I have seen in the results board that there are people that were rejected after the interview. 

 

I have applied for the MSc in Computer Science, so I believe our interviews are quite different from yours.

 

I am having my interview in a few days and I expect to be asked some technical questions related to my field of study.