Geography @ Queens', Cambridge in 2020

Interview format

1x interview

Interview content

Discussion of a book, then of wider issues, then questions on a graph

Best preparation

Reading the news, going over personal statement, practice talking about the subject

Final thoughts

Read a range of different literature, and consider connections between them

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: 1
Length of interview: around 45 minutes
Online interview: Yes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

I had written about a book I had read focusing on a particular issue in a particular place. We talked about this and then how the themes/trends could be thought about and expanded to different geographical contexts. We thought about the wider issues the specific context related to and the way mainstream media/political figures present narratives in certain ways. I was asked to think about the geographical significance of specific things. Then asked to respond to a graph, this was the more physical geography part of the interview.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

For Geography, I felt more confident going into the interview with a range of ideas and knowledge about current events: I tried to read the news (from multiple websites/sources) everyday and make a mind map for that day: this took about 30 mins per day. I could also see where 'gaps' in discussions lay between different media outlets. Since coming to uni I have realised how useful and interesting Twitter can be for this!

I went over my personal statement loads. Just making sure I had things to say about each of the sources/experiences I included. I think this prep was helpful, but really the interview was much more chilled and 'conversation-like' than I expected. It is obviously still a slightly anxiety-inducing experience but the main things are to enjoy it! and relax and believe in yourself. I had a mock interview at the local private school as mine didn't really organise them, this only made me more stressed and I already had some hints of imposter syndrome. But when I had my interview the questions they asked were quite different, dare I say less pretentious? More about how you respond to things and less job interview like 'what are you most proud of?'.

What advice would you give to future applicants?

The interviewers are looking for how you respond to questions and stimuli. It is all about your thinking process not what you already know and have already been taught. It's a good idea to read some texts to think about and put in your personal statement but I would argue it's more important to read a range of different literature: books, news articles, social media, documentaries, and connect them based on what they say, present and what they miss out!