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More than 50 students from state schools were given Oxbridge interview practice thanks to the Wellington College Student Alliance.
Students in Year 13 who had secured interviews at either Oxford or Cambridge were helped by staff at Wellington College before Christmas.
The teachers covered 20 different subjects, conducting 47 interviews online and then giving verbal or written feedback to help the students prepare for the real thing.
In addition, WCSA funded external online law mock interviews including written feedback for five WCSA students.
The mock interviews followed an online session in November delivered by Dr Ruth Lexton, Oxbridge co-ordinator at Wellington, Wellington, and her colleague Abigail Patterson, who talked students through the interview process and gave advice on the different technologies used.
Mrs Patterson said: “We are always happy to help students from schools in the WCSA. Oxbridge interviews take some navigating and it is very important to be prepared and informed about the process.
“And practice is key, which is why we are grateful to all the teachers here who gave up their time to deliver the mock interviews and then write feedback for each candidate.
“We wish all the students lots of luck when they get to the real thing and we look forward to hearing how they
One of the students said: “I received an offer from Somerville this morning to study computer science. I am very happy and want to thank you for organising my mock interview as it really helped me feel prepared for my actual interviews.”
A teacher added: “Thank you so much for organising the mock interviews, the students I have spoken to found them invaluable. We continue to be so appreciative of the support Wellington have been able to offer us.”
The mock interviews are just one part of a series of Oxbridge support events offered to schools in the WCSA. Other events include online sessions on Super Curricular (how important it is in supporting a student’s University application), Personal Statements (How to balance your PS and what should or should not be included), and Next Steps (upcoming deadline, how to make your PS stand out, selecting written word as examples to include in the UCAS application).
