snowflakes wrote:
Thanks very much! Sorry but when you say yours was a breeze, does that mean you got the standard interview questions: why mba, why mba now, why oxford etc.? Do you have any info on the 'terrible' interviews?
Well, that is exactly what I was asked. The rest of my interview was about how to place me in Oxford, how I would, with my background and goals, maximize my experience and benefit in Oxford. I got the feeling they wanted me, which gave the interview a relaxed and safe atmosphere. I actually learned quite much about the possibilities in Oxford, since my interviewer was a member of the careers team.
I heard one of the people on the Oxford adcom is an older professor who can be pretty strict and scary. He employs some stress interview techniques to throw people off their feet. I don't know whether he uses them against everyone, structurally, or only against people who appear to be very confident. I've spoken to two people who apparently have been interviewed by the same person, but these two certainly did not lack confidence.
But this is really just hearsay, not my first-hand experience.