History Interview - Wish I'd Known (Expert Oxford & Cambridge Application Advice)
The interview is typically the most nerve-racking part of the entire application process. Sitting down face to face with your potential future tutors and being quizzed by world-class scholars can be a daunting experience. However, if approached correctly, the interview process can end up being a satisfying, interesting and even fun experience. After all, it’s not often that you get a chance to discuss your ideas with professional academics in a setting modelled after the standard tutorial/supervision experience provided to students at both Oxford and Cambridge.
It is impossible to predict the questions that one is going to be asked in an interview, and each tutor will have their own particular style of questioning.
However, to maximise your chances and boost your own confidence ahead of the interview, it’s important to have mastered a few basics. Firstly, you need to know your own application inside out. That means that you are able to discuss and make intelligent comments on any element of your personal statement, submitted work or the HAT. Make sure you’ve re-read the books you might have mentioned in your personal statement and re-read the essay you’ve submitted as part of the application. You should have also thought ahead to any obvious potential questions you think might arise from them. Secondly, do some background reading on history as an academic subject. In order to be a better historian, you need to have a good grasp of the philosophical debates surrounding the discipline and have an informed opinion on questions such as: what is the purpose of history? Should historians pursue objective truths? Do such truths exist? A good introduction to these questions is provided by books “What is History” by E.H.Carr and “In Defence of History” by Richard Evans.
Thirdly, remember to show your potential and desire to learn, as well as adapt your view according to any new evidence and information presented.
Interviewers will often throw you a difficult question not necessarily because they are interested in your answer, but because they want to see your thinking process and how you deal with an intellectual challenge.
You usually face three choices in such circumstances: sticking to your original point; waving a white flag, admitting your mistake and concurring with your interviewer or; adapting and adopting a new line of argument/evidence and synthesising it with your own argument. Options 1 and 2 typically fail to show that you’re capable of thinking on your feet and responding to an argument (unless your original argument was so weak that you judge it wiser to beat a hasty retreat than dig yourself into an even greater hole). Option 3: intelligent and relevant synthesis, is usually the most effective, in that it shows your ability to combine different ways of looking at a problem, recognising the value of alternative interpretations and being open-minded towards your interviewer.
Lastly, the interview is an exercise in seeing whether you’d fit into the Oxbridge tutorial/supervision system. Your interviewers want to see whether you would benefit from and contribute to this method of learning and whether they’d enjoy teaching you for the next three years. It is above all, an academic exercise in which you are demonstrating your intellectual qualities. Where wardrobe is concerned, wear something comfortable and tidy without going for overkill (i.e. suit and tie). Your body language should be confident and your voice loud and clear. When it’s all done remember, the interview whilst important, is weighted at around 30% of your overall application. It should always be treated as part of a larger whole and not a stand-alone component.
Let us know if you have any questions about this article or anything related to History at Oxbridge at all.
This article was written by Wojciech (Oxford - History & Politics).
If you find this content useful, please visit Wojciech's profile for further information on applying to Oxbridge.
Author: Wojciech - Oxford
BA History & Politics
Since graduating I have acquired extensive experience in Mentoring for Oxbridge admissions. I have worked in person with students in London, Hong Kong and Budapest and taught A-level History and Politics at Akademeia High School in Warsaw.
