The university interview - the season is upon us once again.....oh joy!

So, here we go again, although this year it is a whole new ball game - not only is it just as stressful as usual with all the students doubting their own capabilities and often losing the powers of speech and general co-ordination, now we have the added bonus of about a million other would-be students applying and becoming extra competition for my lot now that the prospect of putting it off for "another year" is a non-starter given the imminent fee increase - OMG - have the government REALLY thought this through I wonder, and what pray tell, will out future be here at Alton when nobody can afford to go anymore??? But so long as we are still giving bank bosses six figure bonuses and sending our innocents off to war....

This month's inspiration board pic from Brooke kind of sums our feelings up!

Even more so considering it is all about the print this season!

Along with the prospect of the interview comes the mock interview - a part of my job which I generally find a bit emotionally draining, as my charges are ordinarily rather stressed already, and having to go through the torment of this with their teacher - who they (apparently) want to impress and prove to that they are worthy of up-holding the (brilliant) Alton college reputation  - proves to be a step too far for some! Generally too, in my experience, it is the outstanding students who beat themselves up the most and tears almost always appear. What to do? Well,make the mock such a challenging experience that the real deal seems like a walk in the park is always a good bet- to hell with being sensitive and nurturing I say! So with Jenny on Friday I put the theory to the test, not only did I ask the questions and go through her folio, but my entire 1st year class did too! Great practice for her and brilliant for them to not only get an inkling as to what they have ahead of them (fees pending of course), but to also see how the the projects they are currently undertaking can be successfully translated into an interview folio - even if they are staggered by it initially, it makes them think about the importance of good practice even now..... The photos are rubbish as my battery was running out of juice - but here's the evidence....

So tomorrow I will find out how the real one went.....