UCAS
Hello all fellow aspiring nurses,
First of all, I hope you are well and enjoying the university application experience so far.
As I have noticed whilst looking at the UCAS bloggers website there aren’t many blog posts relating to nursing and as this is a true PASSION of mine, I thought why not write a blog post about attending a nursing selection day/interview!
Before I go on about preparing for your nursing selection/interview day,I would just like to CONGRATULATE you on being selected to attend a selection day/interview! YOU are halfway to achieving your dream of getting your place to study nursing!
So, let’s start considering the various ways in which you can plan ahead for your selection day/interview. Below I will put the things in order,as to what I believe are the most important things to consider first.
1. Do you know how you’re going to get there?
If not then you need to talk to parents, friends, or relatives to see if they can help you to attend your selection day. If no one can take you and you don’t drive, then I would highly recommend you book your bus/train tickets in advanced as these can be slightly cheaper-saving you extra money!
2. Need somewhere to stay the night before or after the interview?
I would highly recommend booking at a travel lodge or somewhere similar as it won’t cost you a lot of money, especially if you book in advance!
3. What do you want to wear?
I know some unis state on their interview offer letters what they would like students to wear to their interview and MOST of the time they will ask candidates to dress in smart-casual clothing! In my interview experiences I have always worn a blazer,blouse and black trousers to my interview,as this gives the right impression to the university that you’re taking things very seriously. Of course,if you don’t feel comfortable in wearing a suit you can always wear something more casual. Don’t forget to wear smart black shoes too!
How do I prepare for the actual selection day/interview?
Tests
Depending on what your interview letter states,you may be asked to sit a maths and English test. You will be required to sit any tests stated in the interview letter,even if you have already got your maths and English qualifications!
To prepare yourself for the tests I would highly recommend that you go onto google and type in ‘university nursing selection day tests’ and a whole list of various sample tests will come up on various university websites. Print or save these onto a word document and try and work through each unis sample selection test for around 20-30mins everyday. This is to familiarise yourself with what kind of questions you could be asked during your test phase of your university interview!
At some universities, you will be asked to wait after completing the test papers,so they can be marked on the same day! Other universities will mark the papers in due course and you will be notified via email/track whether or not you successfully passed the tests and will be invited to the second phase (interview) of the selection process!
Interviews
I know the word interview can scare us,but honestly the majority of interviews are just a little chat, so to speak, about why you want to be on that course,why that uni etc.
Every uni is different,some will have a group interview to access how your team working skills are and others will have a 1-1 interview or mini interviews. Below I will explain each interview and how you can prepare for whichever one you will be taking part in:
Group interviews
In all the times I have applied to university I have only ever had ONE group interview & it honestly isn’t as scary as it may seem.
You will be put into a small group of around 6 people and be asked a question for you to discuss .
Tips for a group interview
1. Make sure you talk,but not too much
2. Listen to what other people are saying
3. Make sure you don’t talk over one another (although this can be difficult, I know.)
4. Work as part of a team
One-on-one interviews
During this interview you will be asked a number of questions. A good tip is to research what kind of questions you could be asked and think about how you would answer them in the interview. Be confident and passionate about why YOU deserve the place at that university!
Mini multiple interviews
These interviews are very similar to the 1-1 interviews but are mini 2-3 minute interviews with various people,which could include: Professionals,service users and lecturers from the university.
1. Do your research on the university and course you’re hoping to study.
2. Complete research on NHS issues in the news I.e sepsis
3. Be confident
4. Be passionate
5. Be yourself
6. Smile
Enjoy this experience of applying to study nursing,as your ONE step away from securing your place at University!
Good luck!