1 3 8 . H O W T O S U C C E E D AT I N T E R V I E W S
Why did you choose the university you went to? The interviewer is trying to understand how you make decisions. Ideally, you would say that you chose your university in a systematic fashion, after considering a range of course options and the reputation of different universities, and visiting campuses to get a feel for the quality of accommodation as well as social life. I knew that I wanted to study molecular biology so I researched the top universities offering the degree course. I got the brochures for the top ten universities and after reading them decided that only five of them had the gap year option available that would offer a year working in industry. I visited those five universities and talked to students and some of the staff to get a better understanding of the courses. That’s how I chose the ones to apply for. Of course I was very pleased when I got an offer from my top choice. Why did you choose the degree subject that you studied? Again, like the previous question, the interviewer is interested in your ability to gather data and make informed decisions. A good response might mention that you did some research as to the practical nature of the course and by talking to lecturers and current students about the content and relevance of the course to the world outside of academia. If you can, try to link your degree subject to the job you’re applying for. I chose economics because I see it as a way of understanding what happens in the world around us. Economics teaches us how to question what is going on rather than taking anything at face value, which is a lesson and skill that I think can be transferred into this job. I enjoyed chemistry and biology at school so I thought biochemistry would be a great way to combine both subjects. When I looked into the subject, I found that a lot of the work is