uni appointment/interview - what should I expect?

alyth

I have an appointment with Stirling Uni on Monday, with a view to studying English & History there next year - I'm on an access course and am 39.

What should I expect of this appointment? I'm doing the private visit as I was unable to attend the open day due to my access course classes. I know I meet with a student advisor and can have a tour of the campus if I want, but what sort of questions will they ask me, and what sort of questions should I ask them?

Apologies if this sounds thick, I've been worrying a bit about it tonight.

Thanks in advance.

Cherry1

See what facilities they have in the library (wi-fi), enough study places/computers. I think Stirling is good isn't it so that should be a given.
If you are returning as a mature student, they'll probably ask in interview why you feel you want to return to study now. Doesn't have to be any great philosophical reason, just be honest. Also, would be good to ask how the time is divided up/how many one to one tutorials you get/what's expected of students on your course/are there opportunities to spend a semester somewhere else (if you want)/depends what you want out of this really. If you're full time you'll want to know you will be supported as a mature student i.e. if you need support with writing/a refresher on doing essays etc.
If you're part-time you might want to ask when you get your timetable for the year and if you have access to any of the full time lectures.
You could ask about their research programme to see what further study the uni offers support in especi.if you interested in the works of certain authors/writers who might be affiliated through their doctorates there etc.
If you need it you might want to ask what bursaries are available.
It won't be as bad as you think, I'm sure. Good luck!

Oldernotwiser

Almost all English degrees will ask you for your views on something you've been reading, either a set book or something away from the course. (This would be if you're having an interview with a subject tutor, which isn't clear from your post.)

eklynne

Also, ask what subjects are covered in the History classes. I did history and found some of the topics really bored the life out of me and weren't particularly the areas of history I was interested in. It's such a broad subject, best to know in advance.
Good luck!

alyth

ONW it's not clear from the email I received from Stirling whether I will meet an actual tutor or just an admissions officer - I suspect the latter.

At the moment I'm reading Shakespeare for my OU short course and have for some reason got really into him, so I guess I can bring that up if asked. And thanks eklynne about asking about history, having thought about it you're right, some areas of history are more interesting than others for me, will ask about that as well.

pinkneonmartini

an interview is very different from an appointment!

appointments are to discuss your admission and all associated administration. An interview will be with a lecturer from the course you have a applied for, there will be a short chat, some general questions "why do want to come here? why this course? where do you see yourself in 10 years?" but there will also be technical questions! I had 3 questions all to be answered verbally.

alyth

I haven't applied to the uni yet, this will be an appointment to discuss what course options are open to me, whether I am following the correct courses to make my application, and a visit round the campus if I need it. My apologies if I did not make that clear.

bestpud

alyth wrote: »

I haven't applied to the uni yet, this will be an appointment to discuss what course options are open to me, whether I am following the correct courses to make my application, and a visit round the campus if I need it. My apologies if I did not make that clear.

In that case, Cherry's post is very good imo, and you can also add more specific questions about the courses if you get a chance.

You may want to check out practical things like carparking/public transport/childcare too...

It would obviously be helpful to have read the prospectus beforehand (sorry if I'm stating the obvious!)

[Deleted User]

It may also be a good idea to enquire about future career prospects are for when you finish, and where previous graduates have sucessfully gained employment, especially if you are currently undecided as to what to do when you finish.

Will you need to do a post-grad to get employment? further vocational course? Or will you be able to get direct entry into your chosen area of interest? What's their career service like - will they give you assistance on job searches? applications? interview techniques? Do you need to gain experience in your chosen career before entering the field? (can you do this whilst studying, can the Uni help you find something suitable, what links or partnerships do they have?)

All worth thinking about in advance.

alyth

Thanks for all your advice, I appreciate it.

I want to become a librarian so I will do a postgrad at RGU, checked with them and my English/History degree is the correct entry route onto the postgrad course. I just had a sudden thought last night as to what sort of questions they would ask me - I know what I want to ask them, for example how many hours will I be in lectures, what opportunities are there to study abroad (there does seem to be a chance to be able to do this), that sort of thing.

Thanks again.