History @ Corpus Christi, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

Corpus history test; 2x interviews

Interview content

Interview 1: general motivations, borad conceptual questions on the study of history; Interview 2: personal statement, EPQ

Best preparation

Listened to 'In Our Time' podcast

Advice in hindsight

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Final thoughts

Remember the interviewers are looking to have an interesting discussion

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: Corpus history test

Number of interviews: 2

Skype interview: no

Time between interviews: 45 minutes

Length of first interview: 20 minutes; Length of second interview: 30 minutes

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In my first interview, we talked about my motivation for studying history and some broad 'conceptual' questions about the study of history, and themes like war and power through time. In my second interview, I felt more comfortable and relaxed more quickly - the questions in this one were more focused on my personal statement and my EPQ, and the questions were more linked to the themes which arose from this discussion. For example, talking about my work experience in a museum led to a conversation about the value of material culture to a historian. I'd submitted two essays in advance of the interview, but neither of them were brought up at all.

How did you prepare?

There weren't any practice papers available for the admissions test I took, so I looked at other colleges' tests and the Oxford HAT. Before the interviews, I reread the books I'd mentioned on my personal statement and some others connected to similar themes which I hadn't had time to read before applying. I also listened to the 'In Our Time' podcast, which was really useful to highlight the kind of debates historians have and the practice of history. I spent much too long on The Student Room, which didn't have much useful advice and mostly just served to stress me out much more than necessary!

What advice do you have for future applicants?

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

Remember that the interviewers really just want to see that you're 'teachable' - that you can have an interesting discussion, adapt when presented with new information or alternative points of view, and make a reasonably coherent argument. They're definitely not looking for you to be a walking encyclopedia on everything ever written about the Reformation, or seamlessly improvise a world-changing analysis of politics in the French Revolution.