Test taken: English Literature Admissions Test (ELAT), Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT)
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: One day
Length of interviews: Around 15 minutes each
Online interview: No

In my first interview (for English), I was given 15 minutes before to close analyse a poem (out of a choice of two). The first section of the interview then involved being asked about my first impressions of the text, before the interviewers led me through the poem line by line. I was very nervous to start with, especially because my interviewers gave no indication of whether I was doing well. However, even though I made some slightly contradictory points and was very anxious, as the interview went on, I felt so much more comfortable. I finally began to see how the tutors were helping guide me to analyse the text in more depth, paying attention to more aspects of the text than just words or form. We then discussed some of the texts in my personal statement, and this led to an organic conversation (questions came up about why it was important to re-read books), and I was also asked about my favourite book of all time. For Spanish, we again discussed a poem I had to read before the interview for the first half. This felt a lot more like a chat than an interrogation, and was a lot more relaxed than the English interview, so I already felt a lot more comfortable. We then discussed the idea of translation, which was a very enjoyable conversation, with reference to the poem, before moving on very briefly to my personal statement: we briefly talked about the most obscure poem I had mentioned briefly in my personal statement, which was nerve-wracking but okay, since I had prepared. I was quite surprised when I was asked a random question in Spanish at the end about where I would like to go in the Spanish-speaking world, but I managed to pull together a random answer, even if it was a little rushed.

Perhaps the most useful thing I did was to make flashcards summarising the texts on my personal statement (both for English and Spanish) and my written work - I included some main ideas that came up, and also made bullet point lists of my argument. Even though my written work didn't come up in either interview, I felt a lot more secure about the content of my personal statement and my analysis of each text.

Practice papers from the relevant websites (and memorizing tricky vocab), reading back old English essays, grammar practice exercises, random unseen poetry practice with teacher

I would have advised myself to relax more - even though I had been told before that interviews are more like a formal conversation with people who have the same interests, I never truly believed it. I think I would have spent a little more time doing close analysis practice, but I think my preparation was rigorous enough to prepare me on some main ideas, which I could then develop if put on the spot. For any applicants, try to be as organic as possible - elaborate upon your thought processes (what you initially thought about a poem, your subsequent change of idea or mind and why). Also, perhaps most importantly, ask for more time if you need it!!! I remember being asked to read a passage again bearing in mind a certain lens or idea, and I was a little too scared to ask for more time - your interviewers want to know your considered thoughts, and do not expect you to have an in-depth answer immediately, so ask if you need a moment to re-read!! Also, relax immediately after your interview, even if you have one later that day or the next day - despite only being 15 minutes long, the amount of on the spot thinking and reasoning you undergo leaves you write drained, so take time to have a chance of scene and unwind. Above all, remember that you deserve to be here!! You have been picked, and the interview is your chance to talk about your passion with like-minded people (whether they be interviewers or fellow applicants).