Modern Languages @ Balliol, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

MLAT; 3x interviews.

Interview content

Interview 1: analysis of pre-provided text, vocabulary, speaking in German, personal statement; Interview 2: analysis of pre-provided text, personal statement in French; Interview 3: analysis of pre-provided text, felt daunting due to number of tutors, felt challenged but stood their ground, discussion of A-Level content and deep discussion about interpretations.

Best preparation

Reading on things in personal statement; mock interview.

Final thoughts

Be yourself; don't worry about acting a certain way. Try to be succinct.

Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.

Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.

Interview Format

Test taken: Modern Languages Admissions Test (MLAT)
Number of interviews: 3
Time between interviews: 1 day
Length of interviews: 20 mins approx
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

First interview: Merton College - I was given a poem for which I had 10 mins of preparation time to write some ideas about it. They first asked me to explain some of the ideas I had about the poem. Then I got an on-the-spot vocab test which was nerve racking I suppose. Then they asked me to speak in German and showed me a picture which I had to describe. Then they asked to talk about one of the books I read on my personal statement, which was about the Techno movement in Berlin.
Second Interview: Balliol College - I was given 10 mins preparation time for a French poem which I found quite challenging. There were 3 other tutors in the room and I first discussed that poem. They then made me speak in French to discuss some of the things I mentioned on my personal statement. I feel like this interview didn’t go very well as I felt like I was just repeating my personal statement.
Third Interview: Queen’s College - I was also given 10 mins to prepare a German poem this time. This college was by far the most welcoming out of all the interviews and everyone there was lovely. There were 5 tutors in this interview which was a bit daunting. I firstly analysed the poem and one of the tutors was really challenging what I had to say, but I kept my ground. They made me read out the poem in German too. Then they asked me about the films and books I studied for A-Level and then went into a deep, complicated discussion about interpretation of film which I did not expect and was quite challenging. 

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I did some reading around some of things mentioned in my personal statement. I only had a mock interview conducted by a teacher at my school which was helpful. I didn’t really revise any vocab or language as the chances of something coming up that I’d revised would be very slim.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Looked at a few practice papers online

What advice would you give to future applicants?

I’d probably say just be yourself and don’t try to act overly sophisticated. At the end of the day as well as Oxford trying to find out if you are right for them, the interview process is also about finding out whether Oxford is right for you. Don’t waffle either because you are more likely to impress them if you say one or two interesting points, rather than six or seven mediocre ones. Don’t worry too much either about your confidence and they way you carry yourself in the interview - it’s not a job interview you don’t need to be all polished, they are looking for raw talent first and foremost.