By Katie Bacon
Part of preparing for Oxford interviews is accepting that there is a significant amount you cannot prepare for. A lot of your interview will likely be based on pre-reading so the interviewers can see how you think and respond to unfamiliar material.
As such, a key part of preparation is getting yourself in the right frame of mind to be able to do your best. I think one of the best ways to do this is to step away from academic work - this is not to say don’t do any academic prep, of course you should (!) but it is important to recognise that preparation is multi-faced and encompasses wellbeing as well.
Doing things you enjoy beforehand is a good way to not only put yourself in a calm headspace but also to help you feel confident. Personally, I really enjoyed doing puzzles and ultimately I think it served me well. It was a good distraction from feeling nervous or thinking about what the interview might bring.
It also actually helped prepare me in a different sense. You often learn useful skills or different perspectives from your hobbies that are more beneficial than you might think. For example, whilst doing puzzles I realised that sometimes if I had been building a section for a while but couldn’t figure out where it went in the big picture it was helpful to turn it upside down. I think subconsciously this helped me in my interview because it showed me that it’s good to try and see problems from different angles - it can give you a new perspective that makes the big picture fit together. Equally, sometimes you can build something up - a puzzle or an argument - and actually for it to be stronger you might need to change or adapt parts you thought were right.
For on the day nerves, I would recommend trying some breathing exercises. They are very personal but I find ‘in for 4’, ‘hold for 4’, ‘out for 4’ quite helpful. There a lots of guided breathing videos on YouTube you might find helpful.
I’d also recommend having a list of things you’ve done/are proud of with you, it can feel awkward to write but in the moment when you need a boost it’s a great thing to have.
Wishing you the very best of luck with your interviews - remember useful things can be found in the strangest of places!