Interview anxiety
Hi everyone 💖
I am currently applying for my masters at a few unis and just had an interview with my top preference. It didn’t go as well as I wanted and kept fumbling over some of my answers. Does anyone have any tips to stop worrying about how I went? They say it can take up to Christmas to find out if I got a place, but I already cannot stop thinking about it because I want it so bad. I am not sure how I can last that long not knowing 😭
also to anyone going through a similar interview process whether it be postgrad, undergrad, jobs, volunteer roles - you are not alone!!! I feel your stress 😅
Comments
Hey @LilacLeopard14
Firstly, that's just awesome that you are applying for your master's at different universities; that's very exciting but also nerve-wracking. I can relate to worrying about how we performed during an interview after it has happened and overthinking anything we said or did during it. It's also frustrating and anxiety-inducing having to wait potentially up until Christmas to hear whether or not you were accepted.
I think the best advice that I can give is to try to distract yourself with other things in your life rather than allow the worrying to consume you. I do recommend spending time with loved ones, even organising a fun weekend out with friends or something similar; it'll give you something to look forward to and allow you to focus on the moment with them. I also suggest engaging with your hobbies and interests in the meantime, and also practising self-care is very important!
I'm sorry if my advice isn't particularly helpful, but there is not a lot that you can do besides look after yourself and do things you enjoy/things that fulfil you until you hear back results. I really hope you do get in!!!!
- Matcha_Toad 🐸🍵💚
I totally get it, interviews are so tough!
When applying for uni a few years ago, I had to attend quite a few interviews, and I absolutely hated waiting so long to find out about the outcome. There wasn't really anything that completely alleviated the anxiety and stress, but one thing that was somewhat useful was reminding myself that despite the outcome of the interview, there were always still ways forward. I knew that there would still be ways to get to where I wanted to be, even if that just took a bit longer, and if it looked different to the paths that others have taken.
Another thing I had to do was just fill up my time with activities, whether that was work, hanging out with friends or just random chores around the house - anything that needed my full attention so that I couldn't think about the interview.
I know this can be a really challenging time, so I hope you're taking care of yourself with your favourite self-care activities! All the best 💛
Hi @LilacLeopard14
Interviews are so scary!!
I totally understand your stress and for something you value as well its quite difficult to stop worrying.
I think the number one thing you have to remember is that I can 100% guarantee most people have fumbled in their interviews as well. It is a stressful situation that I think a lot of applicants would hav stuggled with and I think the interviewers understand that and are looking at what you have actually communicated not how you said it.
I am so proud of you for getting this far and am so excited for you! Getting to th point of doing an interview for a Masters degree is such an accomplishment in of itself!
You have done all you can, and to be blunt, worrying will literally change nothing. All it is going to do is negatively effect your wellbeing until you get the result which is going to be the same whether you worry or not. Try your best to let go and enjoy the now! You deserve it.
Hey! @LilacLeopard14 I definitely understand. I will soon be going through a similar process, and feel a bit nervous! It can be really hard not to play back your interview in your mind over and over again, criticising everything that went wrong. But remember that your interview is a LOT more than just the moments you fumbled. Our mind choses to focus on these and often distorts the memory of the interview, when in reality, there were probably a lot of really great moments. Also remember that the people interviewing you have seen hundreds of nervous people - they understand your nerves and will probably do their best to look past that as they know that a short little interview is not a reflection of a person's actual self.
In the meantime, do some things that make you happy and reward yourself for going through this tough process! You've got this 💜
Thankyou appletree ❤️❤️ I appreciate your kind words 🫶🏻 have a lovely day!
Thank you for sharing your experience, interviews can be so nerve-wracking especially when it feels like you’ve got so much at stake. Although it might feel hard to do, trust yourself that you’ve done the best you can in the moment.
The outcome is not something you have control over so it might be helpful to shift focus to something you enjoy doing or that might be useful in the next phase of uni, or something you might not be able to do when you start uni again.
If you’re looking for more suggestions in the meantime, see if these resonate with you. An article about what can you do if nothing is working and how to manage your anxiety and stress.
It sounds like you’re very passionate about this place you interviewed with and we can only hope that it translated well during the interview. We wish you the very best and have our fingers crossed for some welcomed news for you
