Land Your Place: Surviving & Thriving In A Challenging University Interview
Maximise your candidates’ chances of university interview succes with our practical, high-impact workshops. For Oxbridge, medicine, vet, and other competitive / top tier university courses
Equipping interview candidates with the thinking skills they need to succeed
The key to unlocking interview mastery and confidence this year:
Looking for a high-impact interview skills workshop to help your students prepare for competitive university interviews?
You’re in the right place.
William Wadsworth and Dr Alix Hibble are leading university interview specialists, delivering highly-rated interview workshops for students in UK schools.
Whether your students are aiming for Oxbridge, medicine, vetinary school, or other top-tier university courses, the interview skills we teach are a must-have trick in their toolbox.
Read on to learn more about how our workshops can help your students gain the univeristy place of their dreams – with confidence.
We had excellent feedback from the students, who really enjoyed the session. Many reported that what they learned in the workshop really helped when when they got into the interview and faced difficult interview questions, as they could break them down and think through potential responses. We know candidates’ ability to do that so often makes the difference between an offer or not.
The “Land Your Place” programme
is designed and taught by our interview specialists:
Dr Alix Hibble
Head of Learning & Research
Oxford University, PhD, Psychology
William Wadsworth
Founder & Director of Learning
Cambridge University First Class BA / MA, Psychology
We know what it takes to succeed
Alix tells it as it is: as a current Oxford University interviewer, she offers the inside scoop on what interviewers are looking for & how to stand out
William is our “art of the interview” specialist, having spent years dissecting the exact thinking processes and problem-solving frameworks that successful candidates use in highly competitive strategy / management consulting interviews (his first career, before Exam Study Expert). He’s since found these ideas work brilliantly for university interviews too.
These contrasting experiences are an key part of our combined strength, helping as wide a set of students as possible resonate with what we have to say.
And we’re trusted experts and teachers
William and Alix have a combined ten years’ experience preparing candidates for challenging university interviews, including 1:1 coaching and mock interviews, as well as delivering the “Land Your Place” programme for a number of leading schools across the UK for the past 3 years.
Alix and William also:
Co-host the award-nominated Exam Study Expert podcast
Reaching well over one million students every single year (the largest platform on this subject – as far as we know!), together with the sister blog
Are highly experienced study skills coaches
With a combined twenty years’ experience teaching students the science of effective study techniques, from 1:1 coaching to delivering revision and study skills workshops at leading schools nationwide
Have written two highly-rated books
Outsmart Your Exams and Outsmart Your Studies are both Amazon bestsellers in their categories in multiple countries
… and are regularly featured in the media and education conferences:
British Education Research Association – members & conference speakers
Independent Schools Association – Heads’ conference speakers
researchED – multi-time conference speakers
Featured expert in regular “exam prep” column (paywall-free example)
Inside “Land Your Place”:
Discover our signature 3-part programme that maximises your candidates’ chances of success
Part 1: Preparing for Success
The high-impact introductory workshop is a 30 minute session for your full group of students:
It’s time to get your candidates feeling confident, stress-free and well-prepared for their university interview.
Click here to learn more about Part 1: Preparing for Success
In “Preparing for Success”, your students will learn:
- What interviewers are looking for (and what they don’t care about!)
- Preparation timeline: what to do in the month, week, and day before the interview
- How to present well on interview day
- Managing nerves in the interview to bring your A Game when it matters most
Part 2: How To Break Open Tricky Interview Questions
The second workshop is an advanced session that dives deep into thinking, communication and problem-solving skills required to truly succeed in a competitive university interview.
This session is 30 minutes long, for your full group of students.
Click here to learn more about Part 2: How To Break Open Tricky Interview Questions
In “How To Break Open Tricky Interview Questions”, your students will learn:
- Advanced thinking skills to find a way through unfamiliar questions, even when you feel stuck at first
- Advanced communication skills to clearly structure and narrate your thinking, even when you’re nervous
- “Troubleshooting” tactics for specific challenges you may face
Part 3: Interview Question Practice
The third and final workshop will be run as two 50-minute tracks: one for Arts & Humanities candidates, and one for STEM / Medicine candidates.
This is a high-impact, practical session that will get your students particpating as they put their new-found skills to the test.
Click here to learn more about Part 1: Preparing for Success
In “Preparing for Success”, your students will learn:
- What interviewers are looking for (and what they don’t care about!)
- Preparation timeline: what to do in the month, week, and day before the interview
- How to present well on interview day
- Managing nerves in the interview to bring your A Game when it matters most
PLUS enjoy two BONUS workshops
All schools taking the “Land Your Place” programme will also receive two additional bonus resources for the year, taught by Dr Alix Hibble:
Y13 - Preparing for Oxbridge: Study Skills
An on-demand video (approx. 30 mins), perfect to prepare your Year 13 / Upper 6th leavers for the next step in their journey at the end of the academic year (ideal to offer to students post A level exams)
Essential tips for transitioning to Oxbridge level study, including:
-
- Basics of academic reading
- Essay writing
- How to take notes in lectures
- Getting the most from supervisions
Y12 - Oxbridge: What's It Really Like To Study There?
An on-demand video (approx. 30 mins), perfect for your Year 12 / Lower 6th considering an Oxbridge application, to watch in the summer term (ideal for post summer exams)
Including a realistic taste of what Oxbridge study is really like (lecture programme, supervision / tutorial system etc)
PLUS tips on how to prepare effectively over the summer months, inc. getting the most out of wider reading as part of your interview preparation
How it works:
We can provide your students with individual log-ins to our resource hub for them to watch on demand, or you can play the videos to a group, e.g. as part of an assembly or form / tutor time (esp. for Y12). Either way, your log-ins are valid for the entire academic year in which you’re running the Land Your Place programme.
The Exam Study Expert difference
Our one-of-a kind university interview workshops are:
Robustly evidence-based ...
Alix and William are both Oxbridge trained psychologists and active independent researchers on effective learning in action
Incredibly practical ...
We talk to real students and teachers virtually every day, we understand how to create strategies that actually work in practice (not just in a lab)
And super-interesting!
Highly engaging packed with live “experiments” and interactive activities. Over 1 million students annually turn to our blog and podcast for study advice
It got the audience to participate which is a great touch to help people engage with the ideas.
Informative, very interesting, eye-opening.
What happens now?
Three easy steps to university interview success:
Get in touch
Tell us what you’re looking for: either book a consultation call, or drop us an email using the box below
We'll deliver your perfect workshop
Every school is different. We’ll tailor your workshops to maximise impact for your interview candidates
Your students ace their interviews!
Let’s do it!
Or drop us an email via the form below:
We look forward to helping your students ace their interviews
and land their dream university place this year!
Frequently Asked Questions about
Exam Study Expert’s Land Your Place:
How will this help students succeed in landing their aspirational university place?
The feedback we hear from interviewers is that unsuccessful candidates lost out because they were unable to think through an unfamiliar question. Unsuccessful candidates needed more prompting, and came up with fewer insights.
These skills are hard to gain through interview practice alone.
We have decoded the exact thinking skills needed to unpack and work through tricky interview questions, and designed a unique combination of explicit instruction in these skills, with opportunity to put them into practice.
This is important practice for all candidates, but perhaps especially so those from disadvantaged backgrounds, who are more likely to underperform in demanding interview processes through lower confidence and other factors.
How is this different to a mock interview?
Our emphasis is on equipping interview candidates with the thinking and communication skills that will, from our experience, most often make a difference to whether or not they get their place or not.
We use role plays to allow students to put the ideas into practice, in which students get to take turns at being interviewer AND interviewee.
This not only allows us to train students in groups (rather than one at a time, as in a mock interview), it also a great way to allow candidates to learn from being the interviewer, and seeing the process through their eyes.
OK, so we need mocks too? Do you ever do actual mock interviews?
A popular option is to partnering with a local school and setting up a “mock exchange” programme, in which your teachers offer mock interviews for candidates applying for their subject from your sister school, and vice versa.
If that’s not possible (or you need more mock opportunities), Alix and William can on request offer mock interviews themselves, in our degree subjects, namely Psychology, Biology, and Business / Management / Finance. We can also offer practice for Medicine applicants as biology / psychology specialists. This is at an additional charge of £50 per 50-min interview.
What regions do you cover?
We are based in South East England, but can travel throughout much of the UK to deliver workshops. We have visited schools all over the map, including:
- London
- Berkshire / Reading
- Buckinghamshire
- Kent
- Surrey
- Hampshire
- Gloucestershire
- Oxfordshire
- Somerset
- Devon / Exeter
- Hampshire
- West and East Sussex
- Essex
- Suffolk
- Cambridgeshire
- Bedfordshire
- Warwickshire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire / Lincoln
- West Midlands / Birmingham
- Merseyside / Liverspool
- Manchester
Especailly long-distance travel (e.g. overseas) is possible subject to an appropriate additional fee to cover travel. Alternatively, we’d be glad to support through virtual delivery, and have extensive experience of this.
Please get in touch to discuss further.
How long have you been doing this?
The Exam Study Expert brand has been trading since 2018. Alix and William were both teaching study skills in various forms for many years prior to that, since c. 2014.
Are you DBS checked?
Both Alix and William hold enhanced clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service, for working with children and vulnerable adults.
What are your rates?
Thank you for your interest in our services!
Your investment: £750 (inclusive of VAT and expenses), which includes:
- A live workshop for Preparing for Success and How To Break Open Tricky Interview Questions thinking & communication skills frameworks
- Separate Interview Practice Questions sessions for Arts & Humanities vs STEM & Medicine candidates, either delivered live as part of a longer in-person workshop (c. 2hs total), or delivered virtually on a separate date
- Both Exam Study Expert speakers co-delivering, teaching to their respective strengths (William – thinking skills, Alix – “inside scoop” and how it really is, as a current Oxbridge interviewer herself)
- BONUS 1: Preparing for Oxbridge Study Skills – help your Year 13 / Upper 6th take the next step beyond their school career (on-demand video, perfect to offer after A Level exams)
- BONUS 2: Oxbridge: what it’s really like to study there & how to prepare for your interview – help inspire your Year 12 / Lower 6th about life at Oxbridge, and some top tips on how to start your interview preparation (on-demand video, perfect for the Summer Term)
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