Sunday, July 03, 2011

Interview Technique

At Glasgow Uni, after you've done ten physics exams in May there's a chance you'll get an interview in early June. It's an opportunity for people sitting on grade boundaries to convince the exam board that they deserve the better of the two grades. Although that's clearly a good thing nobody wants one, because they're terrifying.

We all received an email asking us to be present in the common room at 12pm on June 9th and that any interviews would be conducted at around 2pm. Usually only one or two people are interviewed, but that meant everyone would have to sit in the common room, fearing the worst, for two hours.

We all showed up. At 12:30 our class head entered and said, "You'll be glad to know that no one has to do an interview this year." A cross between a cheer and a sigh of relief went up, and he mentioned that the class photos were now available and we could collect them, free of charge, if we wanted them.

How nice. People most hung around in the common room, chatting and speculating about the results, myself included.

The class head came over to me and asked, "Rebecca, could I have a quick word?"

I think I may have actually flinched. As I followed him across the the far side of the room I thought "OhmyGod. OhmyGod. I have failed so monumentally that they would like me to leave the university, the city and ideally the world. They want to pretend I never happened. I'm not even going to get a diploma! They'll take away my right to a designated degree! OhmyGod."

At the other side of the room he looked up, smiled and indicated one of the class photos.

"Could you help me work out everyone's names?"

...

"Oh. Yes. Of course."

Bastard.