{"id":1065,"date":"2017-01-05T08:57:28","date_gmt":"2017-01-05T08:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/?p=1065"},"modified":"2017-05-30T17:01:51","modified_gmt":"2017-05-30T16:01:51","slug":"preparing-for-a-university-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/2017\/01\/05\/preparing-for-a-university-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Preparing for a university interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Not every university will interview its applicants, but many do. It\u2019s natural to be nervous before an interview, but with our top tips, hopefully the process won\u2019t be too stressful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1 \u2013 Research and prepare<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1075 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/files\/2016\/12\/interview-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"An image of a student interview at the University of Kent\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/files\/2016\/12\/interview-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/files\/2016\/12\/interview.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>This is very important, the more preparation you do, the more confident and relaxed you\u2019ll feel on the day.\u00a0 Do some background reading on the university and course that you are applying to, either on the university\u2019s website or in their prospectus. You want to come across as informed and passionate about the subject area and what the course is going to teach you. What appeals to you about this specific course? Are their particular modules or academics that interest you?<\/p>\n<p>Re-read your personal statement and make sure you are prepared to answer any questions about it. Stay up-to-date with current developments and events in the areas you want to study so you can include them in your answers if needed. Try and anticipate any obvious questions that might come up from your statement and think about your answers.<\/p>\n<p>Prepare your answers in certain areas, some obvious questions you might be asked include, what do you like about this course? why do you want to study here? What do you want to get out of the course? It\u2019s also good to think about what you can offer the university, what can you contribute? what are your future plans? what are your achievements and experiences?<\/p>\n<p>Remember to practice, practice, practice, the more you practice the more confident you will feel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2 \u2013 What to wear<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At Kent we recommend smart casual clothing, but remember you will not be penalised for being \u2018too smart\u2019. Be careful not to appear scruffy as that will give the impression that you are not taking the interview seriously. Make sure you feel comfortable in what you are wearing and you won\u2019t be too hot\/cold on the day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3 \u2013 What to take<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1077 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/files\/2016\/12\/interview2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A student interview at the University of Kent\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/files\/2016\/12\/interview2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/files\/2016\/12\/interview2.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Make sure you take your itinerary, so you know where you are going, who to ask for when you arrive and what your travel arrangements are. Also remember to take copies of any submitted work, your UCAS form and a contact number in case you are running late for any reason. You will be advised if you need to bring any specific examples of work when invited to interview.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4 \u2013 On the day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Try and get a good night\u2019s sleep, it\u2019s easier said than done of course but try not to worry. Plan your day to arrive early so you have more time to play with. You\u2019ll feel more relaxed if you can familiarise yourself with your surroundings. Contact the university if you\u2019re running late or any unforeseen circumstances arise, you can always re-arrange if needs be.<\/p>\n<p><strong>5 \u2013 Making a good impression<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to make a good impression when being interviewed. Smile when you are introduced. Try to make eye-contact with the interviewer and maintain an \u2018open\u2019 body language with arms and legs uncrossed. It is fine to gesture with your hands when you are being interviewed, but if you\u2019re not sure what to do with them, clasp them in your lap.<\/p>\n<p>Finally if you\u2019re really nervous, try deep breathing, in through the nose and out through the mouth, repeat four times and relax.<\/p>\n<p>Good luck J<\/p>\n<p><em>This is a guest post by the digital communications officer at the University of Kent\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Not every university will interview its applicants, but many do. It\u2019s natural to be nervous before an interview, but with our top tips, hopefully the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/2017\/01\/05\/preparing-for-a-university-interview\/\">Read&nbsp;more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40560,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[143728],"tags":[19153,9645,8814,135294,37,143768,74],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40560"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1211,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions\/1211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/kentstudents\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}