Philosophy @ Robinson, Cambridge in 2016

Interview format

2x interviews, 1x assessment

Interview content

First interview - EPQ, work experience, submitted essays, personal statement; Second interview - central philosophy concepts, response to written extract

Best preparation

Logic puzzles, philosophical discussions with friends, familarising with submitted material

Final thoughts

Interviews are OK. Be yourself!

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 two interviews. First, a general interview with a Maths fellow that was based on my Personal Statement. Second, a philosophy interview with a Philosophy fellow and one man taking notes with a range of philosophical problems. They were followed by an assessment. The first part was a logic exam (logic puzzles). This was followed by a written essay on some broad philosophical topics not requiring any prior knowledge.

I spent the time in between in the college's common room with other applicants and current students. Student helpers took me to all of my sessions and did a good job of keeping me calm.

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In the first interview I was asked about my EPQ, my work experience, the essays I had submitted and other small things from my personal statement. In the second interview I was asked to think about two central philosophical concepts and had one written extract I was asked to pull things from to (I think) test my comprehension skills.

It was a cool experience, despite being really nervous in my first one I calmed down by the time I went to the second one and really enjoyed it.

How did you prepare?

Doing some logic puzzles as practice for the assessment. Talking to friends about philosophical questions in a structured way. Making myself familiar with any material I had sent in, so my personal statement and essays.

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

The interviews are okay and you will come out of them alive! If thought the DoS that interviewed me was incredible at making me feel at ease. I felt I would struggle against private school applicants but it doesn't matter how much preparation you've been given, the DoS will just pick someone they'd like to work with. Be yourself, as clichéd as that sounds.