History And Politics @ St Edmund Hall, Oxford in 2018

Interview format

2x 15 min interviews, 1 day apart

Interview content

Interview 1: written work; Interview 2: text given beforehand

Best preparation

Practice papers, history discussions, thinking about how to approach sources

Advice in hindsight

-

Final thoughts

Try to stay calm; keep up with your schoolwork.

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

Skype interview: No

Time between each interview: 1 day

Length of interviews: 15 minutes each

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

My first interview was entirely on my written work, which was on a topic to do with my family’s historical origins.

My second interview was on the basis of some pre-reading I was given on the topic of political opposition in history.

Most of the questions revolved around my interpretation of things, with the tutors playing devil's advocate at times.

How did you prepare?

I did a few practice papers and had discussions about history with teachers and friends. I also found it useful to think about the methodology to use when approaching a source.

What advice do you have for future applicants?

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

Don’t stress as Oxbridge is not the be all and end all! You will do best when you are calm and enjoying the discussion, so make the most of it!

Yes, you get a few days off of school, but also try and keep up with your schoolwork (while also making the most of those few days in Oxford)!