By Abbie McBain
Brilliant! Now interviews are done, you can just sit back and relax – well… let’s be honest, that’s definitely easier said than done. It certainly was for my case. I seemed to feel more anxious after the interviews than I did before them. I kept thinking of all the negative aspects of my interviews and how I could have improved upon them. I tried to convince myself that all the other universities were amazing but I couldn’t quite absorb these ideas until I knew the answer to the big question: “Have I got an offer from Oxford?!” What I’m going to tell you is, if you’re feeling remotely similar to this, then you’re not alone. I’m going to give you a few tips on how to deal with the dreaded “post-interview wait”!
Start off by remembering how amazing you are for getting an interview – you should be so proud of what you’ve achieved at this stage. Some people don’t even make it this far. Also, the negative parts of your interview are always going to stand out in your mind. Brush them off and try to consider the positives. Who knows, maybe your negatives were actually positives in the eyes of the interviewers?
Take the following weeks easy – go watch a movie, treat yourself to a new piece of clothing, get together with your friends, but most importantly… relax. Wind down with a hot chocolate or get cosy in some fluffy socks. If you’re like me, then you spent a lot of your free time (pre-interviews) reviewing you’re A-level work, reading extra books, having mock interviews and all that jazz – you deserve a break!
Take a few days to do something you’ve never done before. My sister and I went to the Manchester Christmas market for a couple of days. This was a perfect distraction for me because, one, we were doing so much that I didn’t have time to think about Oxford and two, I LOVE Christmas. Try an activity you’ve never done before – you never know, you could distract yourself and find a new hidden talent.
Consider planning ahead. What do you know for certain is going to happen in the next few months? New Year: organise a time when you’ll see your friends or family, Spring term of college: Organise folders and catch up on work. In my case, I had mock exams in January so revision – of all things – actually was a good distraction for me.
What it all boils down to is that you should try your best not to stress or worry. Just know that you are a remarkable person and there truly is NO way of knowing whether you’ll have a place or not. Keep yourself busy, do things you find fun and have a Merry Christmas and New Year.
Ultimately remember this journey you've been on will have taught you so much and whatever happens this month, you will have gained more than you may realise from the experience!