Useful information
Here's some information below that you may find useful prior to your interview or visit day.
Interview/Visit Day checklist
Here is our useful checklist to make sure you have got everything covered:
- Check the available dates for your Interview/Visit Day.
- Speak with your parent/guardian to see if they are available (if they are attending too).
- Book your place on the Interview/Visit Day through our Booking Portal.
Helpful tip: Places fill up quickly and so try not to leave it too late to complete steps 1-3. - Inform your School/College that you are attending an Interview/Visit Day (if required to do so).
- Arrange transport and accommodation, if applicable.
Helpful tip: Train fare prices increase closer to the time and so booking in advance is advised. - Visit the APCOA Prebook website to register your vehicle registration number in advance which provides full details on how to do this.
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Remember to check your Inbox and Junk folder for emails from 'wsadmissions@lboro.ac.uk.'
Useful things to know
What communications can I expect once I have booked my event?
Please note: all email communications will be sent to the email address provided on your UCAS application.
- A confirmation will be emailed to you promptly after you have booked onto the event. If you do not receive one by the following day, please check your Junk folder first and then contact us to check you are booked onto the event.
- 2 weeks prior to your event you will receive your itinerary and a QR code for registration.
- 7 days prior to your event you will receive a reminder email containing the QR code you will need for your registration.
Reasons why we interview
Part of our Invitational Visit Day is to host you for a one-to-one interview with a member of staff who teaches on your degree course of choice. The following information briefly explains the reasons for the interview and identifies the questions that will be asked. Hopefully this will help to put you at your ease. The interview is an important process for yourselves and the School and is being completed for the following reasons:
- Engage with applicants to better allow them to determine the correct degree choice
- To allow the School to better capture the needs of applicants with extenuating circumstances
- Help the applicant to better identify design and engineering motivation and aspiration, beyond school/college qualifications
- To allow the School to better determine the fit of a degree programme to an applicant.
What can I expect if my course requires an interview?
- You will be asked a number of questions that are simply intended to find out more about you, your experiences and your reasons for wanting to study your chosen degree programme. This will also provide you with the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have too.
- The interview is typically about 25 minutes long and held in an academic member of staff’s office.
- The interview will take place in the afternoon, therefore, please do not worry if you are delayed in the morning due to transport issues.
- There is no requirement to bring any portfolio with you – we do not make offers based on portfolio evidence. However, if you wish to bring examples of your current work with you – then your interviewer will be happy to include them in the discussion.
- A smart/casual dress code is advised.
Typical interview questions
The following questions are ones that will be typically asked during the interview – note that we do not ask questions about mathematics or science (your qualifications already explain this);
| Questions | Further explanation |
|---|---|
| 1. Why do you want to study this degree? | Your motivations perhaps linked to existing qualifications or family experiences |
| 2. Why have you chosen our degree course? | Is there anything particularly special about this degree course delivered here at Loughborough University |
| 3. What aspect of our degree course excites you? | Degree courses have 3 or 4 years of education and module specifications are freely available on-line linked through from the Web Prospectus |
| 4. Noting that a professional engineer routinely works in teams. When working in a team, what do you believe is the biggest strength you would bring to it? | It is routine as a professional designer or engineer to be working in single or multiple teams within the industry setting alongside your individual specialisms and role. As such we practice team-based learning in your degree course alongside your individual work. |
| 5. If given a project and a partner to work with, describe the type of person you WOULD NOT want to be paired with. (Why?) | There are many different people and personalities you will end up working with in industry. Many you will get on well with – perhaps some you will not. However, the work still needs to be completed |
| 6. What is the most significant thing you have undertaken in your life so far? (Why did you choose it?) | This may be education, social, sport, school extra-curricula – it is all about something you have achieved for yourself |
| 7. What are your career plans? How will the degree help this? | Many applicants have firm ideas about the potential future – but many applicants have not yet settled on a direction after graduation and wish to explore the opportunities that a degree may open to them |
What happens after my Interview Day?
After the interview, all the information we have gathered from your UCAS application and one-to-one interview will be reviewed by the Directors of Admissions. You will be notified on UCAS track of the decision between 2-3 weeks (depending upon the time of year).
We hope that this set of interview guidance notes is useful to you. If you have any special requirements when it comes to the interview, then please do not hesitate to contact us prior to the Interview Day.
Can the University store my luggage whilst I attend my Interview/Visit Day?
Unfortunately, the University is unable to look after visitors luggage at the interview/visit days for security and insurance reasons. We recommend that you either bring luggage with you that you are able to carry throughout the day or if you are staying overnight at a hotel that you make arrangements with the hotel reception to store your luggage whilst you attend the event.
