Philosophy @ Girton, Cambridge in 2016

Interview format

2x interviews (20 mins); 1x test

Interview content

1st interview: interest in philosophy, personal statement; 2nd interview: philosophical topics

Best preparation

Personal statement revision; mock interviews

Final thoughts

The application process is useful in itself

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 a test at the beginning of the day and then two interviews directly after. For both interviews I had two interviewer which in one I was given a passage to talk about. Both interviews lasted about 20 minutes. In between activities I was looked after by a lovely group of student ambassadors who calmed me down and supplied me with tea and biscuits.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In one we discussed my favourite area of philosophy and was grilled on my personal statement. In the second I was asked questions regarding liberty and freedom of action.

How did you prepare?

Made sure I had everything from the personal statement in my mind and just read a little bit around my subject. I contacted past students to give me mock interview questions and attended a workshop organised by the local schools.

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

Even if I didn’t get in the application process would have been worth it! Just give it a go!