Anglo-Saxon, Norse, And Celtic @ Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in 2013

Interview format

2x interviews (30 mins each)

Interview content

Academic interview; attempted to translate an Old English text, discussed my personal statement, and historiography. General interview; discussed my other interests, and choice of college.

Best preparation

Do as many mock interviews as you can, look up course essay questions.

Final thoughts

Don't worry about your clothes, wear what feels comfortable.

Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.

Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.

Interview Format

I had the interview in December. After signing in with the porters, and being directed to a waiting room with other applicants, I had two interviews. One was general, with an admissions tutor, one was academic, with 2 interviewers. One was immediately after the other. Both were roughly half an hour in length.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In the academic interview we discussed the historical accuracy of sources and attempted to translate an Old English text to see how much I could work out. Other conversations were mainly based on my personal statement.

The general interview was with an interviewer unfamiliar with ASNaC (Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic), and I was asked about my other interests, what I was reading for fun and my motivations for studying ASNaC. I ended up talking about Jane Austen and the film Troy, so I think this interview was mainly to see if I would fit in at St Catharine's, rather than my intellectual prowess.

How did you prepare?

I took as many opportunities for mock interviews as possible, so I was ready to face tough questions. I also looked up the kind of essay questions that the subject sets in first year so I had an idea of the kinds of debates that we might have.

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

Wear clothes you are in comfortable in, and prioritise that over smartness. They don’t care what you wear, and it’s much better if you are physically comfortable, so you can focus on the interview.