History And Politics @ St Hugh's, Oxford in 2019

Interview format

2x 20 min interviews, 2 days apart

Interview content

History: submitted work discussion; Politics: definition and graph discussed

Best preparation

Help from nearby private school, looked over personal statement

Final thoughts

Don't get too invested, remember you are worthy

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: HAT
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: 2 days
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: No

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In my history interview I was interviewed by four people, so the idea of that was quite intimidating but it was actually very fine and manageable. I had previously submitted an essay and so the interview was based around that. Also, they touched on something I had written on my personal statement.

 My politics interview was in two parts. The first bit was about a definition and so we discussed that and compared it to other ideas. Then the second part was around a graph and the interviewer basically wanted to see how I interpreted it. I was interviewed at the time of the general election and so was expecting something on that, but they are more interested in the theory and science aspect rather than topical issues. 

I felt that my interviews were fine and not too intimidating, which was contradictory to some of the myths and stereotypes. However, I did hear accounts from people who felt like they were made to feel uncomfortable and not at ease.

How did you prepare for your interviews?

I had a practice interview with my teacher at my school and was invited to the private school as part of their outreach programme. Although it was definitely done so they can get their charitable status, it was actually really useful talking to someone I didn't know and felt the most similar to the actual interviews. So I would say that you should definitely take up every opportunity you are given for a practice interview. I made sure I looked over my personal statement and thought of questions they could ask and thought of answers that they could ask. But, overall, to be honest I had no idea what to expect and where to prepare.

If you took a test, how did you prepare?

Practice paper and my school was able to use a council bursary to pay for some day organised by a company (it wasn't very good). I also did general reading and practiced source question from my A-Level history course to practise the skills needed for sources

What advice would you give to future applicants?

I would say that you should not pin all your hopes and dreams on going to Oxford and Cambridge and make sure you are looking and getting excited about other Unis. I applied pretty much on a whim and I think it made the whole experience better because I was much more relaxed and chilled out about it.

I would also tell state school students that at your interview you will meet people who have been coached for ages and given loads and loads and loads more support with the process and so will inevitably be more confident, but you just need to be aware of these people and constantly remind yourself you are worthy of being there. I also get the impression that interviewers can see through the ultra-primed answers.