Somerville College has set up a purpose built Skype room for the use of students and staff.
According to Mr. Chris Bamber, the IT Systems Manager at Somerville College, “the Skype room is a meeting room with the addition of a fixed LDC monitor on one wall, with a computer, HD camera, conference desktop microphone, wireless mouse and keyboard, desks, chairs and a [VOIP] phone.” The phone has hands free facilities.
As Mr. Bamber informed Cherwell, “any member of the College may book the room. [To book the room], they email the Bursary as per any other room booking”.
During the admissions period, from the December 5th to December 19th, the Skype room is being used for interviewing applicants, and so is completely booked. Whether an international applicant has a Skype interview or not depends on their subject choice and country of origin.
University regulations stipulate that any applicant applying for Medicine must be in Oxford for a face to face interview. If the candidate short-listed for an interview is a passport-holder from the European Economic Area (an EU country, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein) or from Switzerland, then they too must be present in Oxford for their interview. However, potential students from other parts of the world who cannot be in Oxford will be given a Skype interview, with no impact on the consideration their application is given.
On this subject Mr. Bamber said, “The College identified a need for a room with fixed equipment capable of hosting a Skype (or other video or audio conference) interview or meeting to provide a better experience during online interviews. It enables up to six people to see and be seen during an interview, which is important for formal interview panels. Having the dedicated space means that minimal IT support is needed to conduct a video meeting. Prior to this, IT services would provide and set up a laptop and projector for any such requests. The room has been in use since the start of this term and has been used for group meetings, job interviews by students and now in use for Admission interviews.”
Hannah Sharpe, a second year undergraduate from Somerville College, told Cherwell, “Personally, I know of the Skype room’s existence, but I’ve never used it myself, as the only Skyping I’ve ever really done is to family. I also don’t know anyone else who’s used it, but I can see that it could be useful for undergrads or grad students who are using Skype for an interview and want somewhere more formal and quiet to go than their rooms or the library. I think it’s a good idea to have a Skype room, although it could be a bit more advertised by the college to the students.”
Anyone in Oxford can use Skype on the University Network, so Somerville students are still able to use Skype outside of the Skype room.
The Skype room is located on the second floor of Maitland, in Somerville College.
An anonymous second year undergraduate at Somerville commented, “Honestly I had no idea this room existed.”
