#cambridge interview

Hey - I don’t think I have answered this! 

I was, understandably, terrified before my interview. I remember I broke down in school the day before, and one of my teachers had to calm me down (so melodramatic). I was really scared that interviewers were going to expect me to know so much, and I thought it was going to be like a quick-fire question thing. I hadn’t had any ‘practice interviews’, and my school didn’t send students to Oxbridge so there was no help there, so I was quite truthfully, stepping into the unknown. 

But I will never forget my interview. I think its something that will stick with me forever. I remember being shocked because I actually enjoyed the process. A lot. You have two interviews at Cambridge - one that’s ‘academic’, and the other for a more general purpose (to see the kind of person you are). 

My ‘general’ interview wasn’t run by architecture professors (even though thats the subject I interviewed for). I had a Natural Scientist and an English professor. After a ‘task’ (I was given a worksheet of 4 images 5 mins before the interview & had to choose one and talk about it, I chose the image of Saint Jerome in his Study by Antonello da Messina and spoke about space and perspective), then we had a general chat about stuff I had written in my personal statement, and about my interests. I talked about the fact I’d been to the RSC a few times because I loved Shakespeare and mentioned the recent renovation, and then I got into this amazing chat about my favourite Shakespeare plays with the English professor. At that point I’d forgotten it was an interview, they made me feel so comfortable. At the end I was hit with a weird question - something like ‘explain a doctrine,’ I can’t really remember but I remember talking my way through it. I figured it was one of those myths about strange questions you get at Oxbridge interviews and thought I’d give it my best shot. 

In the second interview, the Architecture one, things were a little more tense and more focused on the degree I had chosen to do. The two professors (both architects) asked me a lot about my views on recent architecture news/developments, and then about my work experience in an architects office, and then I had to present my own portfolio of art work in front of them, as well as present the ‘task’ that was set about a month before the interview to draw a ‘space’ (wow, precise brief). But still, they were really nice and not as scary as I had ever imagined. I came out of my interview and laughed with relief. I knew that even if I hadn’t got in, I had done my best. 

I think one thing I would want everyone with an upcoming interview to know is - no matter how scary you think it’s going to be, it’s really not going to be so bad once you’re there, and you’re doing it, and it will just seem so normal for you (yet so amazing at the same time). My main advice to you would be: whatever you do, do not lie in your personal statement. Interviews are primarily formed around this, so if you say you’ve read a book, please bloody well have read the book. Be yourself, and if you have an opinion on something, say it but also justify it - be open and flexible to wider ideas ,and if your interviewer challenges you, treat it as an opportunity to explore something you’ve never thought about before. Stay calm. These people aren’t trying to catch you out in any way, they just want to see who you are. 

But I also think that even if you don’t get an offer, don’t take it personally or anything. It’s probably for your own good - interviewers know who will suit the pressurised atmosphere and crazy/inhuman expectations the university has for its students, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re not wired that way. 

Hope I helped? 

that i'm being interviewed at Cambridge