No admissions test; 2x interviews
Questions around the modern applications of historical concepts in art
Chose pieces of visual culture and brainstormed around them
N/A (no admissions test taken)
Remind yourself not to pretend to be anyone or anything other than your natural self
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.
Test taken: None
Number of interviews: 2
Time between interviews: None
Length of interviews: 20 minutes
Online interview: Yes
Considering modern applications of art historical concepts and thoughts, such as the impact of gallery spaces. It all felt like a general discussion and was very welcoming and open. I felt comfortable sharing and changing my answers to questions where I felt appropriate!
I definitely relaxed into the interviews and found them a really enjoyable experience!! It was such a nice atmosphere and really encouraging and enriching.
I watched the resources put out by Oxford. I read over the written work I had sent in and immersed myself in subject-specific reading leading up to the interview.
I also chose pieces of visual culture at random and brainstormed around them. I felt that this really improved my confidence and allowed me to go into the interviews feeling calm and prepared.
n/a
I would definitely try to do everything you can to be relaxed before the interview started. I very much treated it like a creative discussion, rather than an interview. Alone, they were a really interesting experience and opened different approaches to my subject, so I leant into that, without overthinking it.
One thing I found really helpful to remind myself was not to pretend to be anyone or anything other than my natural self. If you get in based on a performance from someone/something you aren’t, the next 3 years of teaching won’t be fun at all!