Sixth formers share experiences of uni interviews with applicants

At St Paul’s Catholic School, students participate in mock interviews to help them prepare for interviews at their chosen universities. Students are matched with interviewers who have experience that is relevant to the courses they are applying for.

The focus groups held at the school so far have allowed students to reflect upon this mock interview process and consider how it compared to their real university interviews.

St Paul’s UCAS Co-ordinator Emma Exelby said: “We’re very grateful to our students for attending the focus groups and providing such invaluable feedback on their experiences. It will help us to further refine the work we do to help our students prepare for university and ensure that they present themselves confidently and have the appropriate knowledge for a successful interview.”

Some of the advice passed on during the focus groups included making sure to prepare thoroughly by researching the course, dressing smartly and considering body language during the interview. Importantly, students were overwhelmingly in favour of mock interviews.

Year 13 student Ben said: “Pretty much every question I was asked in my mock interview came up in the real one. When I didn’t know how to answer a question in the mock I then had time to go away and do some research.”