This is so refreshing to hear as when I find myself in school needing to know what a term means and why we use that term the teachers simply do not understand why I ‘need to’, but I just do to understand the topic so that I know fully what I am learning about. Thanks!
Thank you Dr Williams. I’m a first year mature student at Oxford, who is dyslexic and struggling to find my academic voice, you have helped me workout how to get to the sharp end of what I’m trying to say in my 5000 word portfolio! Thank you so much! You are a star, I really appreciate your videos.
Another fascinating video! In following your advice, I've realised that achieving clarity can be brutal. Too often, a seemingly elegant sentence wrapped in complicated words, when stripped apart, turns out to be a weak or flawed idea. In the long run, I hope this strain results in clearer thought. Thank you again for the content you produce, Dr Williams!
I also had one more question: When practising for interview questions, and if you don’t really have someone who you are willing to practise with. Would you recommend writing out answers, like maybe in a mind map to show your though process to questions, or would you still recommend just saying out your thought process? Thanks :)
I would recommend writing down answers that's what I do. Every new thing i learn i make notes then go through my notes. Its so much better and you would learn more easily. Trust me.
Yes, writing out your thoughts can help order them. It’s also worth practicing your speaking as well. Even if you talk to yourself in front of the mirror, it can help order your thoughts and get you used to thinking out loud.
Hi Dr. Williams! Do you recommend interviewees to be honest and admit to the interviewer when they genuinely don't understand something? Would that hurt our chances? Especially building on the point where mentioned that people often will act pretentious or use complicated jargon when they don't really understand. And once again thank you for these videos! They are quite enjoyable to watch and your positive attitude lights up my day!
Thanks for your message! Yes, I do recommend that you are honest with the interviewer when you don't understand something. It should not hurt your chances at all. Indeed, it's a good idea to seek clarification so that you can demonstrate your thinking skills at their best.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Hi Dr. Williams! I am so sorry but I have one more small inquiry. Regarding being honest in an interview, should we also make known to the interviewer (if circumstances arise) of our weaknesses and maybe areas where we are not so strong in? Also, if an interviewer has clarified, yet we still don't know how to proceed, should we tell them we have absolutely no clue or should we attempt the question even if we end up making no sense?
I don't think it would be necessary, nor helpful, to confess your weaknesses. Whilst it's fine to have weaknesses - we all have them - it's not likely to be relevant to the interview for you to bring them up. If weaknesses come up with a line of questioning, then by all means you can discuss them, but I think this is pretty unlikely. Even if you have absolutely no clue, it's best to just think out loud and try and guess what the answer is. The interviewer will quickly come to your help, but will want to see you trying with the information you've been given. It's not a problem if you're struggling, everyone struggles in the interview.
Hi! Thank you for the informative video. I have a question: In an oxbridge Economics interview, is it alright to avoid using technical jargon if you find it easier to explain your thinking without using certain key words?
It's better to avoid jargon and to use plain language! If the interviewers introduce new vocabulary, and explain what the word means, then it's fine to use it, but generally speaking it's best to avoid jargon whenever possible.
Thank you so much, Dr Williams. This video made the Oxford Interview psychology much clear to me. Can you please recommend certain books on law, apart from the usual reading list, that I can refer to for clearing the basics of law? Is there any other book or magazines you would recommend reading for preparing for the interview for BA Jurisprudence?
Thank you for your comment. It’s best to find books on matters of law that you care about that we’re published by a university press. So start with a question you’d like to answer and look up books that might answer that question that were published by presses such as Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Manchester etc universities.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you so much for your reply. I will start with a list of questions I'd like to answer and accordingly find books that help in answering these.
@@chrolka6255 …then you go and write it in a comments box. Yeah that’s pretty mean - he can’t help that. I was just making a light hearted observation!
@@Noneofyourbusiness99999 You're right, I deleted my comment. It wasn't necessary. But it also made me realise why I don't ever want to be filmed. So I don't have to read comments like mine.
Good day Dr. Williams, I was wondering what your views are on Oxford doing online interviews this year? Would you have any tips for this, and if so, could you please make a video on it. Thanks! :D
Hello! Yes, interviews will be online again this year. The university actually has good advice for online interviews: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/interviews
Would this be okay? Describe the sound of silence. To begin we would have to question whether silence can even be said to have/be a sound. Silence could be described as the simple absence of sound and therefore perhaps not possess many other describable attributes, given that it can be argued to not be an entity in and of itself. Equally, silence could be defined in numerical terms by how many decibels constitute 'silence' (0dB).
This is what I think about the first question, Firstly, Google is king of like a search engine created through specific lines of code, it works with the internet which is a large network of computers connected all overhead world and in those networks are the information we put in coming from sources all over the world. Since humans created those networks, we put in our home addresses, bank cards , birthdays etc. I think the information we give Google determines the extent to which it knows us. Therefore, Google cannot know us better than we know ourselves.
I agree with you that Google cannot know someone more than that person knows themselves because what information its data bases do obtain are entered by the individual themselves. Similarly, the information/data used by Google to recommend things to its users through its algorithms are only determined by everything the user enters. Google’s ability to know people is limited to only hard facts, rather than memories or emotional experiences and thoughts which further demonstrates how we know ourselves better than Google.
Hi Matt, I'm always worried about practicing, although it is beneficial it may make me sound mechanical or like I've rehearsed it. Can the interviewers tell the difference between practiced and rehearsed answers? Would it also be okay to practice explaining what I'm thinking or what I know about a particular subject?
Interviewers can typically identify rehearsed lines, but practicing interview technique is different. If you get used to thinking out loud and stripping back your analysis to basics, that will likely be to your benefit. As I say in the video, try explaining your thoughts to a non expert.
Thanks for these videos Dr Williams I am applying for Spanish this October :) I visited Jesus College and it was very nice but I was just wondering is it possible in any circumstance for your college choice to affect your likelihood of receiving an offer? I saw that Jesus received a substantial number of Modern Languages applicants last year with only a few getting in compared to less applying and more accepted in other colleges. Is this just a superficial difference?
Thank you for your comments. If you choose a college with a high number of applicants, then your application will be shared with other colleges if necessary in a pooling system. In other words, College choice does not negatively affect your chances of admission to Oxford.
This is so refreshing to hear as when I find myself in school needing to know what a term means and why we use that term the teachers simply do not understand why I ‘need to’, but I just do to understand the topic so that I know fully what I am learning about. Thanks!
Thank you Dr Williams. I’m a first year mature student at Oxford, who is dyslexic and struggling to find my academic voice, you have helped me workout how to get to the sharp end of what I’m trying to say in my 5000 word portfolio! Thank you so much! You are a star, I really appreciate your videos.
Thank you Fiona! That’s very kind of you. Best wishes for your portfolio.
Sir kindly make videos about Masters/Mphil admissions regarding interviews, statement of purpose etc
Another fascinating video! In following your advice, I've realised that achieving clarity can be brutal. Too often, a seemingly elegant sentence wrapped in complicated words, when stripped apart, turns out to be a weak or flawed idea. In the long run, I hope this strain results in clearer thought. Thank you again for the content you produce, Dr Williams!
Thank you for your comment! All best!
I also had one more question: When practising for interview questions, and if you don’t really have someone who you are willing to practise with. Would you recommend writing out answers, like maybe in a mind map to show your though process to questions, or would you still recommend just saying out your thought process? Thanks :)
I would recommend writing down answers that's what I do. Every new thing i learn i make notes then go through my notes. Its so much better and you would learn more easily. Trust me.
Yes, writing out your thoughts can help order them. It’s also worth practicing your speaking as well. Even if you talk to yourself in front of the mirror, it can help order your thoughts and get you used to thinking out loud.
Hi Dr. Williams! Do you recommend interviewees to be honest and admit to the interviewer when they genuinely don't understand something? Would that hurt our chances? Especially building on the point where mentioned that people often will act pretentious or use complicated jargon when they don't really understand.
And once again thank you for these videos! They are quite enjoyable to watch and your positive attitude lights up my day!
Thanks for your message! Yes, I do recommend that you are honest with the interviewer when you don't understand something. It should not hurt your chances at all. Indeed, it's a good idea to seek clarification so that you can demonstrate your thinking skills at their best.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Great! Thank you Dr. Williams! I appreciate your answer 🙏
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Hi Dr. Williams! I am so sorry but I have one more small inquiry.
Regarding being honest in an interview, should we also make known to the interviewer (if circumstances arise) of our weaknesses and maybe areas where we are not so strong in?
Also, if an interviewer has clarified, yet we still don't know how to proceed, should we tell them we have absolutely no clue or should we attempt the question even if we end up making no sense?
I don't think it would be necessary, nor helpful, to confess your weaknesses. Whilst it's fine to have weaknesses - we all have them - it's not likely to be relevant to the interview for you to bring them up. If weaknesses come up with a line of questioning, then by all means you can discuss them, but I think this is pretty unlikely.
Even if you have absolutely no clue, it's best to just think out loud and try and guess what the answer is. The interviewer will quickly come to your help, but will want to see you trying with the information you've been given.
It's not a problem if you're struggling, everyone struggles in the interview.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 that's reassuring to know, thank you Dr. Williams! I appreciate your help 🙏. I will keep this in mind thank you.
Hi! Thank you for the informative video. I have a question:
In an oxbridge Economics interview, is it alright to avoid using technical jargon if you find it easier to explain your thinking without using certain key words?
It's better to avoid jargon and to use plain language! If the interviewers introduce new vocabulary, and explain what the word means, then it's fine to use it, but generally speaking it's best to avoid jargon whenever possible.
Thank you so much, Dr Williams. This video made the Oxford Interview psychology much clear to me. Can you please recommend certain books on law, apart from the usual reading list, that I can refer to for clearing the basics of law? Is there any other book or magazines you would recommend reading for preparing for the interview for BA Jurisprudence?
Thank you for your comment. It’s best to find books on matters of law that you care about that we’re published by a university press. So start with a question you’d like to answer and look up books that might answer that question that were published by presses such as Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Manchester etc universities.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 thank you so much for your reply. I will start with a list of questions I'd like to answer and accordingly find books that help in answering these.
I’m thinking ‘the bulb in your lamp requires replacing’
True!
@@chrolka6255 …then you go and write it in a comments box. Yeah that’s pretty mean - he can’t help that. I was just making a light hearted observation!
@@Noneofyourbusiness99999 You're right, I deleted my comment. It wasn't necessary. But it also made me realise why I don't ever want to be filmed. So I don't have to read comments like mine.
Good day Dr. Williams, I was wondering what your views are on Oxford doing online interviews this year? Would you have any tips for this, and if so, could you please make a video on it. Thanks! :D
Hello! Yes, interviews will be online again this year. The university actually has good advice for online interviews: www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/interviews
Would this be okay?
Describe the sound of silence.
To begin we would have to question whether silence can even be said to have/be a sound. Silence could be described as the simple absence of sound and therefore perhaps not possess many other describable attributes, given that it can be argued to not be an entity in and of itself. Equally, silence could be defined in numerical terms by how many decibels constitute 'silence' (0dB).
Amazing breakdown! helpful even outside interviews
Thank you!
Does this also apply to the graduation school or would it be more specific ?
Effectively the same as grad school, yes.
This is what I think about the first question,
Firstly, Google is king of like a search engine created through specific lines of code, it works with the internet which is a large network of computers connected all overhead world and in those networks are the information we put in coming from sources all over the world. Since humans created those networks, we put in our home addresses, bank cards , birthdays etc. I think the information we give Google determines the extent to which it knows us. Therefore, Google cannot know us better than we know ourselves.
I agree with you that Google cannot know someone more than that person knows themselves because what information its data bases do obtain are entered by the individual themselves. Similarly, the information/data used by Google to recommend things to its users through its algorithms are only determined by everything the user enters. Google’s ability to know people is limited to only hard facts, rather than memories or emotional experiences and thoughts which further demonstrates how we know ourselves better than Google.
Hi! I am applying for philosophy and psychology, will I have separate interviews for each?
Most likely, yes. At least the tutors from each subject will want to see you, even if in the same interview.
Hi Matt, I'm always worried about practicing, although it is beneficial it may make me sound mechanical or like I've rehearsed it. Can the interviewers tell the difference between practiced and rehearsed answers? Would it also be okay to practice explaining what I'm thinking or what I know about a particular subject?
Interviewers can typically identify rehearsed lines, but practicing interview technique is different. If you get used to thinking out loud and stripping back your analysis to basics, that will likely be to your benefit. As I say in the video, try explaining your thoughts to a non expert.
@@JesusCollegeOxford1571 Great, thank you!
Thanks for these videos Dr Williams I am applying for Spanish this October :) I visited Jesus College and it was very nice but I was just wondering is it possible in any circumstance for your college choice to affect your likelihood of receiving an offer? I saw that Jesus received a substantial number of Modern Languages applicants last year with only a few getting in compared to less applying and more accepted in other colleges. Is this just a superficial difference?
Thank you for your comments. If you choose a college with a high number of applicants, then your application will be shared with other colleges if necessary in a pooling system. In other words, College choice does not negatively affect your chances of admission to Oxford.