Education @ Selwyn, Cambridge in 2022

Interview format

2x 30 minute interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: discussion of EPQ, personal statement, motivation for studying Education, and response to a prompt Interview 2: follow-up questions/discussion on personal statement and written work

Best preparation

Re-reading personal statement and written work, and considering relevant topics to prepare

Final thoughts

Be yourself and don’t be afraid to voice your opinions

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

Test taken: None
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 30 minutes
Length of interviews: 30 minutes each
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

Both of my interviews revolved a lot around my submitted written work and personal statements. The college removed the “pre-reading” section a few days before my interview so I didn’t have to do that. The first interview had to do a lot about my EPQ and the reason why I chose to study Education. We had discussions of some theories that I mentioned in my personal statement and focused our discussion on the topic of my EPQ (my written work). Towards the end, I had to choose a given prompt that I agree or disagree with strongly and explain it to them. I feel quite confident after the first interview, the interviewers were really nice and it was overall just exciting to talk to people who are passionate about the same subject that I do. I might have felt tense at first but I quickly felt relaxed - and those 30 minutes flew by really quickly.

The second interview was still centred around my personal statement and my written work. However, the questions led more to a discussion surrounding five questions that had nothing to really do with my personal statement. I wasn’t able to comprehensively answer one of those questions and I did panic in the process. I did manage to keep myself calm, but the answer I gave was definitely not a very strong answer. The interviewers do ask follow-up questions that are very challenging but I think it is part of the fun of these interviews. I had my interview online so it was somewhat less intimidating since you can’t see other applicants coming in. Still, there is an atmosphere of seriousness lurking around, and I definitely struggled to choose a suitable interview outfit. 

How did you prepare for your interviews?

My preparation was guided mainly by my teacher where we had a few mock interviews. The “mock” interviews turned out to not be what the actual interview was like but it allowed me to practice providing counter-arguments and to think quickly. A larger part of the preparation was me re-reading my personal statement and the coursework I submitted and from there mapped out a list of topics that can be relevant to the personal statement. It helps me feel a bit more secure of my knowledge that I have previously demonstrated to them. I also looked up the names of my interviewers and a bit of their research work to know a bit more about them - I feel a bit more relaxed when I know who I’m talking to. One of my friends did her interview before I did, and she gave me some reassurance and excitement, and it allowed me to prepare “mentally” - staying calm and reassuring myself that everything will be fine even if I don’t successfully get the offer.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

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What advice would you give to future applicants?

My advice would be to keep yourself calm and know what you want. You know the answer to their questions and you need to believe in it. Be yourself and don’t be afraid to voice your opinions. The interviewers may seem intimidating at first but just imagine you are talking to like-minded people. And if you don’t know whether to apply, just go for it (if you have the grades).