Philosophy Interview - Wish I'd Known (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
Your Philosophy interview is likely to be mentally stimulating, intellectually challenging and often at times downright mind-boggling. Either way, it is likely to be a memorable experience. Try to enjoy it; avoid panicking in advance of it or trying to cram information at the last moment. This is likely to only cloud your thoughts during the interview.
One, if not the most important aspect of the philosophy interview, is the ability to think clearly when presented with opinions and facts.
The interview itself is a great way for not only the tutors to determine whether you are suited to Oxbridge, but for you to also make the same judgement. Some people love the interview; some people hate it. If you do hate it, then Oxbridge may not be right for you, given that the tutorial/supervision system (which the interview a simulation of) is the main way in which you learn there.
If you mention literature in your personal statement, be familiar with it. If you read it a while ago, recap it. Most importantly you should understand the books you mention in your statement and ensure you are familiar with the analysis and evaluation you have made.
On that note, revisit any statements or essays you sent in advance to ensure you remember what you wrote and why.
Do not go to the interview without being familiar with the books you have previously mentioned. Some tutors will ask one or two questions about them to get the interview going, or potentially none at all. Others will be interested in the literature you have mentioned and may well grill you on your insight and understanding. You do not want to be underprepared for the latter; not only will you not get in, you will likely suffer the most embarrassing 20 minutes of your life.
Tutors are looking for someone they will be able to spend a lot of time with, as the Oxbridge system of teaching operates this way. Thus, it is very important to engage well, in order to convince them that you are worth spending time with. You can do this by providing useful insights when asked complex Philosophical questions; their questions will be nuanced and will not lend themselves to yes/no answers. Take time to think through what you want to say before saying it. In addition, think creatively and avoid one-word answers.
Bringing up new ideas is a great strategy, so long as you don't go over the top or say off the wall things for the sake of saying them.
On this note, it's important to have your own opinions; they will explicitly ask you for them. This interview is not a knowledge test; it is a test of your ability to think critically under pressure. If you don't know something say you don't know; they will not mind. What tutors do mind are students who pretend to know when they don't. This combined with arrogance is a sure fire way to ensure you fail at interview.
Whilst it's important to have your own opinions (and disagree with those of the tutors if you believe you have a legitimate reason for doing so) it is also important not to be cantankerous. If the tutors open your eyes to a set of new information which fundamentally changes the argument and your opinion, do not be afraid to change your mind. The tutors may well do this on purpose to ensure that you are not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing. This doesn’t mean to change your opinion whenever they something new; just don’t be afraid of letting the tutors know if your opinion does actually change.
Although the interview is unlikely to make any demands on your knowledge, practise for the interview can be useful in so far as getting into the right frame of mind.
Many students aren’t used to discussing philosophy in the way in which the tutors will want to during your interview. Taking time to think through questions properly, constructing your own opinions, then vocalising and defending those opinions takes practice to do well like any other area of life. Be it with friends, teachers or professionals it is very important to practise. You’d practise extensively for an exam, so it seems counterintuitive to not do so for the most important part of the Oxbridge application process; your interview.
Try to enjoy your interview; you get to speak to world-experts on a subject you’re really interested in and intellectually stimulated by. Don’t panic beforehand and remember that you are assessing whether you fit into the environment as well as the tutors assessing you.
Let us know if you have any questions about this article or anything related to Philosophy at Oxbridge at all.
This article was written by Kes (Oxford - PPE).
If you find this content useful, please visit Kes' profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge. Alternatively, book support now with Kes, using the form below.
Author: Kes - Oxford
BA Philosophy, Politics & Economics
In my mentoring, I like to focus on building critical thinking and communication skills, which are fundamental to both PPE. In my experience, the best way to build these skills is through understanding argument structure and then applying it to different scenarios.
