Test taken: CAT

Number of interviews: 5

Skype interview: No

Interview spread: two days - 2 on first day, 3 on next day

Length of interviews: 30-45 minutes each

For my Classics interviews, we talked about texts I was studying for A level, and how they related to wider themes of Classical literature and philosophy. We also spoke about Oxford's Classical heritage (e.g. the Ashmolean, examples of Classical architecture around the city). I was also asked to do some on the spot translation, but the lecturers were helpful and told me not to worry if I needed prompting on any vocabulary or hard parts of the translation.

For my English interviews, I was again asked about what I was studying at A level, and what my wider literary interests were. I was also asked to talk about things that I'd written about on my personal statement. Before a couple of my interviews, I was asked to look over a passage from a text or a poem and to prepare some thoughts on it, which we then discussed in the interview.

I felt very nervous before my first interview - I didn't really know what to expect, and it seemed a bit daunting to go into a room and talk to two Oxford academics. However, the tutors made me feel as comfortable as possible, and were really patient with me if I needed time to answer questions. They generally tried their best to put me at ease. They were also very helpful in answering my questions. By the time I got to my final interview, I felt much more relaxed and began to actually enjoy the interview experience (not something that I thought I would say before I first came up!)

The main way I prepared was by doing past papers and by asking teachers to mark them. Even though they didn't know exactly what the Oxford tutors might be looking for, getting their feedback helped to reassure me that I was on the right lines with what I was writing about.

I personally felt that it was really helpful for me to make sure that I knew my personal statement inside and out before interviews. It did turn out to be useful, because nearly every tutor in my interviews asked me about some aspect of my personal statement. I also spent some time the night before my interviews reading over some of my favourite texts that I wanted to talk about in my interviews if I got a chance. It helped me to remember why I was interested in pursuing my subjects and gave me confidence that I could show the interviewers that I was knowledgeable and engaged with my subjects.

I expected the interviews to be a lot more grilling than they were. The questions that I was asked were about as hard as I expected, but the tutors I spoke to were more friendly than I had thought they would be! I would say to prospective applicants to be yourself in interviews, and don't be afraid to show your personality to your tutors - it makes you seem like a more interesting candidate, and you're more likely to come across well if you present yourself authentically.