Oxbridge Admissions Blog

Last year, roughly 25,000 different people used OxbridgeAdmissions.com to learn about applying to and studying at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

If you applied to one of these universities in the last few years, please consider submitting a profile describing your experience so that those applying in future years can benefit from your experience. You can get started here.

Congrats to all applicants that have persevered and made it through the Cambridge interview process. That is no easy feat, and you should be proud of yourself for making it this far! 

If you're wondering what life is like at Cambridge University, make sure to browse our archive of Cambridge specific information. Learn from current and former students from Trinity College, Queens' College, Homerton College, St. Catharine's College, and numerous others.

Another worthwhile read comes from this Cambridge Admissions blog which showcases the diverse stories of Cambridge students:

December is officially upon us, which means INTERVIEW SEASON! Students around the globe are preparing for their Oxford interviews. If you’re looking to get an upper hand in your quest for Oxford admissions or Cambridge admissions, remember to browse our full archive for first-hand accounts from applicants that have already gone through the process.

And for additional tips, directly from Oxford faculty, check out this post from a blog dedicated to Oxford admissions:

“We look for potential wherever we can find it, whether in excellent exam results, a really good performance in an aptitude test, a great reference from a teacher, or interesting submitted written work. A student who’s really good on paper but then underperforms a bit at interview due to nerves is still a really good student, and they might still get a place at Oxford and go on to do really well here.” (Andrew Bell, Senior Tutor at University College)

“We go to great lengths to try and ensure that the interview process gives each candidate the best chance to show their ability, whatever their background. We agree on questions that will provoke interesting discussions, similar to a tutorial setting, and try to make students feel comfortable and at ease. We always start the interview by outlining how it will work and what we expect candidates to do” (Helen Swift, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Modern Languages and a tutor at St Hilda’s College)

Jesus College is on a single large site on a quiet side street in the centre of Cambridge. It was established between 1496 and 1516 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Mary and St Radegund whose buildings, which included a huge church, were adapted to house it. These buildings remain at the College’s centre, and beyond them there are 24 acres of sports fields and gardens. 

Jesus College works with a range of international partners to support cutting edge research and innovation in its state-of-the-art West Court development. Initiatives include the Intellectual Forum, the Cambridge Peking University China Centre at Jesus College and many other academic conferences and events.

Why did you apply to Jesus College?

Was asked by school what i'd like, replied medium size, old and new, good facilities, off tourist route large ground so they suggested jesus because it met that and seemed strong for arch and anth (Profile 155)

The Theology faculty at Cambridge is one of the best in the world. Also, the way the course is structured means there is a lot of flexibility with room to explore pretty much whatever most interests you. Jesus is well situated and is a large, friendly college. I know some people that go there and it was recommended to me. It is also consistently one of the most applied to colleges for theology. (Profile 767)

Jesus is the best college! It's absolutely gorgeous. Visited it and knew it was the one - I love the incredible library and modern accommodation, and the location just out of town is great. (Profile 719)

Neither too big nor too small; lovely spacious site; relaxed, unpretentious feel to it :) (Profile 310)

What was your general impression of Jesus College and any other colleges you visited?

Nice, large, friendly college with beautiful, expansive grounds. Really helpful admissions staff who were always happy to answer my questions and were patient when I was late with submitting written work and other forms. (Profile 767)

Clean, tidy and larger than i expected. very pretty. (Profile 155)

Jesus is gorgeous, and the people are great. I also visited Fitz, which is very friendly but not so visually impressive and the location's a bit awkward. (Profile 719)

Thought Jesus was quite grand looking untill I met up with my friend who was applying to St John's and had a look around there- it's huge and feels like a palace. Definitely prefer Jesus. (Profile 735)

The college is beautiful and picturesque, and though it is traditional, I didn't feel like I was an imposter or that everyone was pretentious, so it's a good mix I think. (Profile 165)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: The room I stayed in was big and had a nice view over one of the quads. Not en-suite but had a sink and the showers and toilets were close enough. 

- Food: Coffee was good, didn't really have the food. (Profile 767)

- Accommodation: Jesus has huge rooms that are the envy of the other colleges! They're modern and furnished well. Most are en-suite with gorgeous views of the college grounds.

- Food: Great! A big choice - I had a huge jacket potato with beans and cheese, obviously. (Profile 719)

- Accommodation: My room was twice the size of my bedroom at home, had loads of storage, a huge desk, coffee table, comfy chairs, bookcases, sink, mirror with light over it, windows all along one wall and loads of floor space left over. I was very impressed, but apparently these are the cheapest rooms and the others are all far better. Shower next door, seemed to be shared with only one other person although other corridors may not have had a shower so not sure, nearest toilet on the floor above, which was a bit of a pain. Room got quite cold in the middle of the night although I realised in the morning that the radiator was switched off so presumably this is not usually a problem. 

- Food: Much like good school dinners only you get three times as much.Choice of two hot meals in the evening, and cereal/pastries for breakfast. (Profile 735)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at Jesus College?

- Tutors: Only spoke to one (in interview) but was extremely nice and kind. (Profile 767)

- Students: Didn't really speak to the helpers there as I was always in a rush but one or two always willing to help out, all friendly. (Profile 767)

- Tutors: relaxed, easy to talk to and seemed to want me to do my best. they were very likeable and made me keen to get into the college. (Profile 155)

- Tutors: I was told my first interviewer, Professor Dowdeswell, was a very friendly man - he was, incredibly! And helped me through all of the questions, especially when I got stuck. I was told that my second interviewer, Dr Keans, was cold and unhelpful, that he played the 'bad cop', so I thought 'Right, well if he won't talk, I will' and just charged right into my answer after he asked the first question. But soon we were chatting comfortably and he was recounting little anecdotes and we were laughing quite a bit! 

- Students: They were very friendly, though I wasn't with them long. My friend, who does Economics at Selwyn, said that the people from Jesus are renowned for being intelligent but down to earth, and he said they're all really nice. (Profile 719)

- Students: Really friendly. Chatted to quite a few while hanging around for my interview (we were using their common room, so they came and went quite a lot) and they were all welcoming and took us to dinnerand sat with us even though it wasn't their job. Students from different years and subjects all seemed to get on well. (Profile 735)

Do you have any advice for future Jesus College applicants in terms of preparation?

[Music] On Cambridge Application Form: Well mine was quite succint, so I would avoid being pretentious, express yourself well and say why you want the course you've applied for.

Interview: Have a general overview, and concentrate on learning about the Classical period as most of my interview focused on this, even though I stated on my form that my main interest was in later music. Also, brush-up on what you've studied at A-level, and try to have an idea of how many symphonies etc prominent composers composed as I was asked how many Haydn wrote and didn't know! (Profile 165)

[Theology & Religious Studies] When preparing for interview make sure you practice articulating your thoughts, maybe every day if necessary. You only have half an hour to prove yourself so giving clear reasoned answers is very important. Read a few books and familiarise yourself with basic concepts such as good and evil etc but what you should get from this is the ability to think about all new ideas not just specific ones that you have read about. For me, the most important preparation was learning to answer questions clearly and intelligently without going off on random tangents that took up more time and that the interviewer does not want to hear.

Also, make sure you know your submitted work inside out, not only because you might get asked on it, but because you may be able to use some of the content in these essays to answer different questions, and if one of your interviewers haven't read them, then an extensive knowledge of something can be impressive. (Profile 767)

[Economics] Don't write down books you've supposedly read on your PS before you've read them. I had to quickly read Wealth of Nations because of this. Find a topic in Economics you enjoy or find most interesting, and read up on that. It's more pleasurable than reading a massive Economics tome and more productive. It also means that you can show a real passion for the subject in the interview, by displaying an in depth knowledge of a specific area which interests you. (Profile 242)

[Mathematics] The practice interviews really are useful, but only if you prepare for them as if they are the real thing. It doesn't matter how good your interview skills are if you can't remember the formulae for circular motion or whatever the question is on. Revise all your AS work becuse this is probably what the interview questions will be based on- they don't know how much of the A level course you will have studied. I think I made the mistake a couple of times in my interview of trying to do things the hard way when all the questions required was basic C1/C2 knowledge. Most interview questions involveapplying old knowlege in new ways so maths challenge/BMO questions are quite useful preparation for this. Trying out STEP questions can also be a good thing and Oxford admissions tests are good because they are theright standard and questions aren't too long. But the best preparation is definitely practice so badger your school/teachers/family friends/anyone you know who is already at oxbridge to give your a sort of mock interview. Even if you just try to solve a problem in front of a few friends this can be useful as it gets you over the barrier of being embarrassed to say what you're thinking (not sure if boys have this problem but most girls seem to). (Profile 735)

What questions were you asked during your Jesus College interview(s)?

[Engineering] Tutorial: Why engineering Why Cambridge Math: SHM Calculus Derivation of golden ratio other equation formation and manipultion Physics: Projectiles up a slope mechanics of a pull-string car zero gravity combustion (Profile 405)

[Geography] Physical - focused on climate change and the mechanics of it.

Human - focused on the book on global politics I had read, talking mainly about terrorism and religion. Then some questions focused around my human essay, which was about development and culture. Then a little discussion about our favourite authors! It was so funny, Dr Kearns asked me who my favourite modern author was, and I told him thinking he won't have a clue as he's not very well known, and turns out he loves his books too! (Profile 719)

[Mathematics] First Interview (with two maths fellows: one who spoke, one who wrote):

At the time, felt fine about it. Actually after waiting for 3 hours in the Marshall room (JCR), I quite enjoyed it just because it was something to do. The interview went really quickly and I was worried about how few questions I answered and also some of the stupid things I'd said/done, including twice missing a incredibly obvious answer and doing things a much harder way. However, was reassured that I could see the notes one of them was writing and although I only dared take brief glances, I saw he first word was "excellent". So all in all, went to bed feeling quite happy. 

Second interview (with Dr Siklos, director of studies or some other important title):

Was quitely confident after the first interview had gone OK, and even more so after I'd seen the problem we were left to do beforehand and found I could actually do all of it, which I hadn't been expecting. But when I got in, Dr Siklos gave me quite a hard time, questioning everything I said. I couldn't tell if this was because he was trying to push me or because I was getting everything wrong, but it did stress me out more than I would have anticipated and I spent a particularly panicked 2 minutes trying to explain why a straight line crossed the graph y=sin x only in the twice in the range 0-pi/2 when all that was in my head was "because that's what sin x looks like". The only thing I could say was "because it bulges up a bit" which he repeated back to me in a slightly sarcastic way and then let me sweat for a few minutes before saying "I think the word you were looking for is convex". He also asked me one question about Music of the Primes, which I'd put on my personal statement, because apparently everyone does. Annoyingly, I've read the book several times and still didn't answer the question very well. Overall, didn't enjoy that interview as much as the first. (Profile 735)

The history of University College, the oldest of all Oxford colleges is not without intrigue. Most people believe that University College, colloquially known as “Univ”, was founded in 1249 by William of Durham. However, there was a long standing rumour that the college was founded long before that, all the way back in 872 by King Alfred. Regardless of its true finding date, Oxford college remains the oldest college in the Oxford system. 

For those wanting to find out more, A History of University College Oxford, written by Oxford archivist Robin Darwall-Smith and published by Oxford University Press, can be found on Amazon. 

Why did you apply to University College?

I chose Univ because it's one of the larger colleges, I liked the fact that it's the oldest college, and one of the tutors is an expert on Shelley. (Profile 798)

I had visited it a couple of times and felt comfortable there. I liked the location (High Street), the size, the people and the facilities. (Profile 1089)

Supposed to be one of the best for PPE; central location; and it's mid-sized so hopefully won't be too claustrophobic or too impersonal. (Profile 147)

I went to the open day, which helped immensely. I had made a list of those colleges I wanted to visit in advance, based on the website and advice of a family friend who works in Oxford. I visited all of them, there were a couple I really liked, then back home I re-read all prospectuses and picked one. (Profile 1071)

Nice size, location and feel (Profile 207)

What was your general impression of University College and any other colleges you visited?

I really liked Univ - it's a beautiful college and the students were friendly and helpful. However, despite the fact that I was initially upset about being interviewed at St Catherine's (I didn't realise it was a good thing being interviewed at multiple colleges) when I got there, I loved it. Once I got over my initial reaction to the architecture (not the prettiest college), I realised that the atmosphere was actually much friendlier than Univ, the JCR was nice and big, and I got on well with the tutor who interviewed me. (Profile 798)

I really liked the atmosphere, right from when I first entered on the Open Day and during the interview period. I'm very happy with my decision. (Profile 1071)

Nice (but not impressive like Magdalen etc), quite a historical feel though - apparently it's the oldest college. Which is cool in a way. (Profile 147)

Friendly, a number of activities like watching movies were put on by the JCR. (Profile 1085)

A nice, impressive couple of quadrangles with a very convenient location. I didn't see anything of the JCR as I think it was closed when I visited. (Profile 464)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: The accommodation at Univ was fine - large room with a sink, desk, cupboards, chairs etc. An en suite bathroom would have been nice and the room was quite cold at night, but it wasn't too bad.

- Food: Not very nice. I'm a fussy eater, though, and at least there was a decent range of food. (Profile 798)

- Accommodation: Larger rooms then I expected, all rooms have a sink and a fridge plus standard stuff. Kitchens were okay, there were plenty. Shower and toilets were fine as well and again enough.

- Food: Food was better then I expected, plenty of choice and good quality. (Profile 1071)

- Accommodation: I had a large large room during interviews - it was a bit of an anomaly but I was lucky, not all rooms are that size at all. In general, rooms are a fairly good size at Univ.

- Food: I seem to remember it being fine while I was there… (Profile 1089)

- Accommodation: Room was big (compared to London Uni rooms anyway) but so cold I woke up shivering every morning (I think my heating could have been messed up though). Had a washbasin, desk, couple of chairs, standard stuff really.

- Food: Edible but not great (Profile 147)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at University College?

- Tutors: I liked the tutors at Univ but I don't think I got on as well with them as I did with the tutor at St Catherine's. Which is just as well, really...

- Students: I didn't talk to many of them, but they seemed friendly and willing to help. (Profile 798)

- Tutors: Fairly pleasant. I was too nervous myself to really interact with them, but in general they were understanding and co-operative during the interviews.

- Students: The only students around were the JCR helpers as the students had gone home for christmas. They were very pleasant and very helpful, and helped you settle in quickly. Most useful was asking them where the nearest Pizza Hut was of an evening :) (Profile 464)

- Tutors: The tutors were nice during interviews, not at all intimidating. During the talk with all PPE applicants they gave us plenty of time to ask all questions and they really tried to make us relax a bit.

- Students: Those I met were great, as were all other applicants. (Profile 1071)

- Tutors: Really friendly and approachable. They organised a meeting for all of us with as many of them as could make it the morning of the first interviews so we could see their faces beforehand which I think put a lot of us at ease.

- Students: Friendly as well and eager to be of assistance. They looked after us well and were keen for us to enjoy the experience. (Profile 1089)

- Tutors: Friendly, approachable, clever, enthusiastic. No wonder Univ has such a good rep for PPE.

- Students: The students that stuck around to help us were called "sea-daddies" which was a bit off-putting and just seemed like the typical Oxford weirdness I was hoping didn't exist - but they were all nice enough , so I can't really complain. (Profile 147)

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

[English Language and Literature] READ READ READ. Know the writers you've mentioned on your personal statement as well as possible (ie: don't mention Virginia Woolf if you've only read Mrs Dalloway) and read widely. Don't stick exclusively to certain genres or eras, because you'll feel silly if they ask you what Victorian novels you've read and you can't answer. 

Enthusiasm - you may feel the need to restrain yourself at school or at home because you're worried about looking like a nerd, but Oxford want people who are genuinely enthusiastic about their subject. Don't worry about getting carried away or digressing a bit if it means you're showing your enthusiasm.

Be prepared to justify your arguments. Some critical reading might help to give you a few ideas (although remember to avoid regurgitating someone else's argument), but if you have a strong opinion on a certain text or writer, consider /why/ you feel that way. I struggled in one of my interviews when I tried to justify liking Heathcliff. (Profile 798)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] For PPE specifically, prepare for the TSA test! Practice really helps, it made a huge difference for me. For interviews, try to relax a bit (I know it's hard) and just explain what you're thinking. I found my debating experience came in really handy because it had trained me to explain thoughts analytically, so you might try that. (Profile 1071)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] Read widely around your subject and, most importantly, read actively: what is the author trying to say and why? are there holes in the author's argument? what is your own view?

For the TSA: practise, practise, practise...find as many past papers as you can and do them timed. Some of the question types will begin to seem familiar. Do a couple of the essays in one hour to get a sense of how long you have and then I recommend jotting down some ideas for the others or doing essay plans timed (say, five mins?). (Profile 1089)

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

[English Language and Literature] The first interview (poem analysis) was all right, the second interview (general interview) was slightly stressful because the tutor didn't seem to respond that positively to my answers, and the third interview (poem analysis and general interview at St Catherine's) was really enjoyable.

In the second interview I was asked what I'd read recently - I started rambling on about Victorian literature, and for half the interview I talked about Wuthering Heights. I was asked a rather challenging question on Middlemarch, but then the tutor asked me about my thoughts on Shelley, and we discussed Ozymandias and a few other poems, before finishing with a discussion of Eliot's The Waste Land. (Profile 798)

[Law] Not going to lie, it was HELL I think that they tried to get the best out of me. I cried buckets afterwards, but it was those of us who had the bad experiences that were offered places and not the over confident ones. Some were called for secondary interviews which we thought at the time was a good sign, but it wasn't, one of my friends (us interviewees all made friends and keep in touch) had a second & third interview and was rejected. DON’T PANIC, BE NATURAL

Only questions on the case study I was given, quite in depth, wanted recall and analysis I think. (Profile 207)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] Two interviews, one on economics (4 interviewers) and one on politics/philosophy (2 interviewers). In each interview we were given some questions or a passage 20 minutes before the interview to prepare. Asked about the questions/passage. In the case of economics it was game theory. With politics/philosophy we had a discussion on the passage in relation to politics (about jingoism) and then talked through an informal logic problem. (Profile 1085)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] Politics: Given an article 25 mins before and I had to discuss the author's opinion and why I thought this. I had to then come up with a potential solution to the problem and state what some of the issues with this would be.

Philosophy: Given a problem in the interview concerning a group of people. I had to reason what the best course of action for a particular person involved would be and then discuss any assumptions I had made and how the situation could be different.

Economics: I had to work through a game theory style questions 25 mins before concerning two people. The interview consisted of me discussing my answers and the ones I hadn't done yet I did on the spot, with guidance where it was needed. (Profile 1089)

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

[English Language and Literature] I tried to come across as willing to learn, and aware of my limitations particularly academically. I made a joke with the interviewer about my spelling and tried to set a relaxed tone. Don't be over confident, be humble!! However bad or awkward it gets (and it might do as they push you harder) stay calm and DON'T CRY IN FRONT OF THEM!! (Profile 798)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] I really liked the atmosphere, right from when I first entered on the Open Day and during the interview period. I'm very happy with my decision. (Profile 1071)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] Be genuinely interested in all that PPE has to offer and read introductory texts to any of the subjects you haven't studied before, and try to read some more in depth texts as well, there are plenty of appropriate reading lists on the web. You want to show them that you are passionate about these subjects, and reading up on them off your own back, doing it actively and forming reasoned opinions, can only help at interview.

Don't set your heart on it: that way you feel less pressured so are more likely to perform well in the interview.

Be genuinely passionate about the course and do lots of reading (ideally the two should go hand in hand). (Profile 147)

Founded in 1473, St Catharine's College is a welcoming community of students, staff and Fellows in the heart of Cambridge. As a College of the University of Cambridge, we are dedicated to academic excellence and to recruiting the most able students, whatever their backgrounds, to join our teaching and research community.

St Catharine's is committed to academic excellence and success, while maintaining a relaxed and sociable atmosphere. We are fortunate to be located in the centre of Cambridge - within short walking distance of most University departments and numerous historic buildings and collections.

Click here for more information about St Catharine's vast number of clubs and societies.

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Only Cambridge offered straight economics and all economics people in the past from my school had applied to Cambridge. Furthermore, I had visited Cambridge a few times and really liked it (Profile 255)

I was attracted to the individual teaching provided through the supervision system, and I think that the average intelligence and enthusiasm among both lecturers and students there will be greater than other universities. I wanted to study natural sciences rather than pure physics. (Profile 984)

I really liked the atmosphere of the university and the town when I looked around. The Cambridge Nat Sci course offers an unusual amount of flexibility and I liked the idea of the college system (Profile 246)

Why did you apply to St. Catharine’s College?

Because I knew someone who went there, it was really friendly and pleasant to visit, and its close to the engineering department! (Profile 395)

It was a bit random really. It's middle sized, mixed, in the centre of town, did not ask for 'Step' papers, had an even balance of state/private school boys/girls. It also has nice old buildings! Although I still think I have made a good choice, with hindsight, I would have looked around a few more colleges, found out about accommodation and eating arrangements. Catz also has a really cool prospectus. (Profile 246)

Great location - right in the centre of town. Friendly atmosphere and nice building. Also knew someone there already who was doing Economics and had formerly been at my school. (Profile 255)

It's got a good reputation for music, it's medium-sized, on the riverbank and in the centre. Mainly though, I looked up the directors of studies for ASNaC and matched my interests with the director at St Catz (Profile 107)

Location - central cambridge; Size - Small, community feel; Specifics - Very good for Economics (Profile 637)

I had visited the college and met my potential tutor and liked him. I also thought it had an informal atmosphere and it is opposite the English faculty. (Profile 451)

What was your general impression of St. Catharine’s College and any other colleges you visited?

It was small but friendly, just what I was looking for (Profile 395)

I didn't actually go into Catz before I applied, but i really liked it when I went up for the interview. I looked around Corpus Christi, which was a bit too small and antique. I thought that Kings was too big and austere. Clare looked really nice, but i was told that it's a popular college. St.Catz has a very small site which makes the college seem really cozy, and it is very pretty from the front. The road that it is on looks lovely in the dark with all the colleges lit up. (Profile 246)

St. Catharine's was not too big and was very nice overall. I had also visited Selwyn but I thought that it was too far away from the centre of the city. (Profile 255)

It seemed very friendly and the students were lovely. It was also really clean in the rooms that I saw. It is overshadowed a bit by Kings, Queens etc but in some ways I think that's a good thing! (Profile 277)

From what I saw of St. Catharines (I didn't go to an open day there) it seemed really friendly and welcoming - not at all intimidating. Everyone, including the other applicants seemed really nice. I also went to an open day at Peterhouse which I didn't really like - it seemed really traditional and the other people there at the open day didn't seem as friendly. (Profile 234)

Friendly, slightly old-fashioned, but I'm used to that! (Profile 620)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: Saw one room on open day, it was above average and looked more cosy than some other student rooms I'd been in.

- Food: Edible but not great. Both times I visited I was given the same meal - Chicken with new potatoes and gravy! (Profile 395)

- Accommodation: A lot of the rooms in the main St. Catharine's building have en suite bathrooms. The rooms themselves are not that big and probably measure about 4 x 4 metres. (Profile 255)

- Accommodation: I have a very small room at home, so even though I was allocated the one of the smallest rooms in the college, it was still comfortable to me.

- Food: Fairly standard although not amazing. (Profile 546)

- Accommodation: Didn't see any unfortunately. I would advise all applicants to stay in college accommodation if it is offered - I didn't and I wish I had. (Profile 234)

- Accommodation: I stayed in modern accommodation. Ugly but en-suite and good facilities.

- Food: Edible but not great. Curious and fairly unidentifiable. Apparently they recycle the same stuff day after day. (Profile 259)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at St. Catharine’s College?

- Tutors: they were friendly and made me feel relaxed - mostly.

- Students: only met 2, but they were both lovely. (Profile 395)

- Students: I know one person there already so I can't really comment on them but I did meet another student there. He seemed pretty normal - just a run-of-the-mill guy. St. Catharine's doesn't tend to have many snobby students apparently. (Profile 255)

- Tutors: I found my first tutor very talkative, charming and likeable. The second was a bit shy and didn't talk much (however that could have been deliberate).

- Students: Casual, friendly and helpful. (Profile 451)

- Tutors: Distracted but like they could be nice. They seemed really interested in their subject and in thinking deeply into things.

- Students: Really nice and a bit less geeky than those I've met in other colleges. (Profile 277)

- Tutors: The ones that I spoke to were very friendly, although my second interviewer was really tired!

- Students: Nice, friendly, normal people. They didn't have 'I'm a genius' writen all over them and made me feel at home. (Profile 246)

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

[Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic] The form: Write as much as you can in the extra information box - it makes them feel special.

The interview: Try and relax, it is an enjoyable experience, particularly for such an obscure subject, as it's hard to find someone who is interested in and knows what your talking about, but these people do. Also they're really encouraging and not out to get you. Know your personal statement back to front and be prepared to discuss any books you mention in depth. Get the booklist and read as many as you can. Show enthusiasm, as its the main thing they're looking for. Oh and go to an ASNaC open day. (Profile 107)

[Economics] Definitely read The Economist as often as you can and a daily newspaper. Try to read one, two or three books about an area in Economics you are interested in and be sure they know about this so they ask you about it and you can show off some of your knowledge. (Profile 255)

[Engineering] The forms: Try to have something different from everyone else, especially when writing about why you chose the university/course.

The interview(s): There's not much preparation you can do, but mathematically you need to be on the ball, so make sure you are well awake and ready to think! (Profile 395)

[Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic] Don't underestimate the importance of the interview, if your grades aren't all As it's still worth applying. Also go to an open day (did I mention that already?) (Profile 107)

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

[Anglo-Saxon, Norse & Celtic] I had two 20 minute interviews. In the general one I got all the obvious ones like why my subject, why cambridge etc etc. Also a basic review of everything i'd written in my personal statement, such as detaield discussion of a book which i had studied at AS level English lit. Current affairs came up (the firefighter's strike) as well as questions about my hobbies, like what do you think you've gained from being n an orchestra and what's better about classical music than the charts?! In the academic interview I had 2 professors who were both really nice and encouraging. They asked me so much, about how French and German relate to the subject and why dead languages are relevant today. Also discussions about books I'd read, like Beowulf and icelandic sagas and something about archaeology. (Profile 107)

[Economics] How do interest rates affect exchange rates? Is globalisation a good thing? Apply game theory to an economic context? (I brought this up) (Profile 637)

[Economics] In the general one I was asked about various things on my personal statement such as my extra curricular activities. Was also asked about rail privatisation, tackling Cambridge's traffic problems and, strange as it may seem, how water boiled! That last one caught me off guard and there was no way I could have prepared for it. In the economics interview, I was asked various questions about globalisation (such as a definition for it and the issues surrounding it - I had said I was interested in globalisation in my PS). I was also asked: why are rich countries rich and poor countries poor, would more doctors or more lawyers be better in the world, how do you measure happiness, what role should the state play in the economy, what is the political stance of The Economist and what are the arguments for and against the minimum wage? In neither interview was I asked why I wanted to go to Cambridge. Also, in the economics interview, no questions were asked about current affairs (which I thought was quite strange) or about the books I had read (again strange considering one was on his desk at the time and another on a reading list the tutor usually gives out to his undergraduate students). Oh yeah, I was also given a passage to read right before the interview but wasn't asked a thing about that either! (Profile 255)

[Engineering] I was given an article beforehand on telescopes, and asked some questions on the article, mostly mathematical things. Was also asked some questions about my school, my A-levels and the Engineering Education Scheme (which I did in year 12) (Profile 395)

[Natural Sciences, Physical] The 'general' interview was actually completely subject based. I was asked mostly mathematical questions. In the second interview, I was asked to choose an area of maths to talk about. (Profile 984)

[Natural Sciences, Biological] In my general interview I was asked about novels that I had read, and the historical background to the books. I was also questioned on scientific articles that I had read. A few general questions about, why Cambridge, why Catz etc. My second interview really surprised me as it was so short, but my interviewer seemed really happy with it. I was asked about evolution and various causes and results. We didn't really get on to anything very difficult, and I felt that I wasn't really given the opportunity to show what I could do. (Profile 246)

Trinity College, University of Cambridge, was founded by Henry VIII in 1546, when he combined two existing colleges (King’s Hall and Michaelhouse) and seven hostels (Catherine’s, Garratt, Gregory’s, Ovyng’s, Physwick, St Margaret’s, and Tyler’s). Since then, Trinity has flourished and grown, and is now a home to around 600 undergraduates, 300 graduates, and over 180 Fellows.

If you are interested in applying to be a student at Trinity, visit Study at Trinity, where you can find information about the admissions process (for both Prospective Undergraduates and Prospective Graduates).

Before we jump into tips across all courses at Trinity, we wanted to highlight one intrepid applicant, who was kind enough to share a very detailed account of their Economics interview: 

How did you decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Oxford did not offer straight Economics. That was the main reason really, I have no problem with Oxford and was considering applying to Merton for a bit. Also my Head of Sixth Form said that I would be "better suited to Cambridge." (Profile 01)

I like the city of Cambridge more than I like Oxford. It's smaller, everything's close together and everything's really beautiful. Besides, Oxford only offered PPE or E&M and I wanted to do Economics; anything else means you only get to do the basic modules (ie Macro/Micro and maybe a bit more) and I really wanted to do the more interesting stuff we get to in 3rd year. (Profile 189)

I changed my mind several times but eventually the location of Cambridge (it's slightly closer to where I live) and the more varied options in the third year of the course persuaded me. Also, Cambridge interview a higher proportion of candidates. (Profile 247)

The Cambridge maths tripos generally seems to be faster and more advanced than the Oxford maths course. I also prefer Cambridge location-wise, due to its smaller size. (Profile 339)

I took to Cam; better reputation, nicer surroundings. I thought that because of my dodgy GCSEs i would have a better chance at Cam, because they wouldnt REALLY look at my potential rather than grades (which i was sure that Oxford would do) (Profile 365)

Why did you choose Trinity College?

I had several criteria in mind for a college - central, old, big, pretty - and there were several colleges that I liked. However, when I went to the General Open Day, I felt I had the friendliest reception at Trinity, and decided to go for it. (Profile 247)

Well it was one of the few that did not require a Thinking Skills Assessment or written work. The history surrounding the college also greatly appealed to me...Newton, Byron, Marvell, Nehru...what more could one look for?! Also, Trinity admits a large number of students (around 15) for Economics. Students in the past have performed very well there, and I saw that as a reflection of the College's high standards. (Profile 01)

I wanted to be at a big college, and Trinity takes lots of mathematicians. Also a very beautiful and grand college. (Profile 339)

I first decided that I wanted to go for one of the older colleges in town, mostly because I love the architecture there, and then I got the impression that Trinity was the most famous of those, and very beautiful indeed, so I went for there. (Profile 624)

Largest college (size matters). Very impressive, beautiful buildings. Rich (although I didn't know this at the time...). (Profile 235)

What was your general impression of Trinity College and any other colleges you visited?

Trinity: big, grand, beautiful, friendly. 

Fitzwilliam: More modern, lovely chapel, friendly students but it wasn't for me.

Newnham: lovely grounds & nice atmosphere.

I saw lots of other colleges, but these ones I actually officially visited. For me, the best way to find out what colleges I liked was to run round madly at a general open day. I went for Trinity because the people I met there were friendly. (Profile 247)

Grand. Spacious. Impressive. Go visit them yourself, you can't really describe Cambridge colleges in a few lines of text. (Profile 339)

Trinity seemed to be the most beautiful and impressive college. Some others had really nice aspects, often very beautiful too, but Trinity won for me at the end, lthough I did initially have a tough time choosing from my college "shortlist". (Profile 235)

It felt like really grandiose place, especially in daylight. Everybody I met seemed nice and friendly. (Profile 624)

Trinity is grand, and Cambridge itself has a very good student atmosphere. (Profile 503)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: Rooms vary enormously, but are seemingly bigger and better than at other universities; speaking from personal experience, since I have seen rooms in Nottingham, London, Leicester and some others. Some is in new halls, some in medieval buildings. All rooms (I think) will have a wash basin, some have fridges, all have access to cooking facilities that are half decent. Showers and baths generally shared between 5 or so people, but there are also en-suite rooms. At Trinity, college accommodation is guaranteed for the entire duration of your course, and is among the cheapest in Cambridge.

- Food: Good. I don't eat in hall (except the social gatherings that are formal halls) as I like cooking and cater for myself. (Profile 235)

- Accommodation: I was provided accommodation by the college. The bedsit I had seemed okay.

- Food: I actually thought it was quite good. Many people I spoke to said that Trinity's food is generally not so good, but that was not my impression from the food in the days of my interview. (Profile 624)

- Accommodation: The accommodation is basic, but ample. Good-sized desk (could be useful!). The room I stayed in has a shared bathroom, but I believe an en-suite is available. (Profile 503)

- Food: It was okay, I guess, not as nice as the food they provided at the Open Day though! Although, I felt sick with nerves this time, so maybe I can't judge. (Profile 1051)

- Accommodation: Seemed similar to accommodation in halls in other universities. 4/5 individual rooms on a floor, with shared kitchen, bathroom, toilet. Room had a sink, bed (seemed uncomfortable), desk, seating...

- Food: Edible but not great. Runs on ticket system. Ticket for 3 course meal, orange juice counts as a course. (Profile 95)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at Trinity College?

- Tutors: Friendly and seemed keen to meet me and find out what I knew, rather than what I didn't know.

- Students: I didn't really meet many of the college students, but the other applicants I talked to were all approachable, normal people. (Profile 247)

- Tutors: Well, I only met my two interviewers and then only during the interview, but my impression from there was that they were nice and friendly people.

- Students: Just like any all other university students, I guess. None of the stereotypes I've heard about Trinity students proved true. (Profile 624)

- Tutors: Well, I only met one, my interviewer! e seemed like a real thinker and I remember saying to myself, I wish I could have him teaching me. 

- Students: Very academic, seemed a bit like me! (Profile 01)

- Tutors: Generally very helpful, some really go out of their way to assist you.

- Students: Didn't see any at the time of my interview, but now I'm here, we are great! (Profile 235)

- Tutors: They put me at ease and were very friendly. They even offered me tea and cake when I came in (but I declined)!!

- Students: Helpful, friendly, everything they should be. (Profile 503)

How was your interview, in general?

[Economics] I had two interviews for Economics. The first one involved reading and analysing an article which I received an hour prior to my interview. The article was largely concerned with an analysis of the impact of price listing websites e.g. Kelkoo on consumption patterns. The article contained a screen shot of a list of prices and a graph. Although no prior knowledge was assumed, the questions did give you the opportunity to use any economic knowledge that you might have had. 

However, the questions that my interviewer posed were very searching. One of the questions I was initially asked was "What factors do you think influence consumption patterns?" I began by listing the typical factors which affect demand e.g. income, tastes and fashions and the prices of substitute and complementary goods. However, my interviewer, a PhD student, did not appear particularly interested and so I decided to move away from the mundane and discuss some other factors that perhaps would not appear on the first page of a textbook. At this point I received several vigorous nods. At numerous points, my interviewer threw maths questions at me which were related to the article, but which required a more novel approach. I was asked at one point "How much do you think that consumers would save by using such websites?" My initial response was "200 pounds", since this was the difference between the highest and lowest prices listed. I argued that consumers, who would now have access to such websites, would be aware of the high prices that some firms placed upon identical products. I went on to say that price-listing websites would provide consumers with greater knowledge, thereby helping to reduced market imperfections. However, I also stated that perhaps the figure consumers could save would be even higher since they would no longer have to pay for transport, e.g. from the high street shop to their home, and would instead be able to carry out their purchases online. This led my interviewer to comment very favourably, which set an enormous grin on my face!!

I was then asked a question about whether or not I felt it would be correct to state that the existence of such websites led to greater competition in the market. I replied in the negative, citing the article which stated that only 7% of consumers used such websites. I commented that 93% of the market either had no access to such websites or were not interested in using them. By the end of the interview, my interviewer was grinning like a Cheshire Cat, and appeared pleased!!

The interview concluded with an opportunity for me to ask questions. I declined. However, there was a VERY embarrassing final moment, when I failed miserably to open the door, and succeeded in locking myself in!! Nonetheless, I was very pleased and I remember being quite dazed.

However, my second interviewer had something nasty in store for me. This supposedly general interview was with one of the teaching Fellows at the College. He was young-ish. This interview was an utter nightmare, mainly because the interviewer chose to grill me for the full 25 minutes. No questions were asked about my personal statement. I had anticipated a discussion on general economic issues, as Trinity had informed me before hand that this was to be the case. However, my interview was far more technical. I'm not sure why this was, but it could have been because I had specified I was doing AEA Economics on my UCAS form and my interviewer wanted to stretch me. I was first asked "Why Economics?", a question I had anticipated would come up and consequently had prepared a good answer for. This was followed by some questions relating to efficiency and equity, the main microeconomic objectives of the government.

We then went on to discuss whether government intervention was beneficial in the economy. He asked me to cite examples. I decided to talk about whether it would be beneficial to split up a natural monopoly, e.g. coal company owned and operated by the government, given that productive efficiency would not be achieved since a natural monopoly would already be producing at the lowest point on its Long Run Average Cost Curve. In the vast majority of the questions he posed, however, my interviewer seemed far more interested in the "how and why" rather than he what. He asked me what I thought were the main reasons for the market failure caused by monopolies. I replied that I thought it was mainly a problem of information, but he didn't let me stop there, replying "a problem of information on the part of whom?", a rather tricky question since under pressure one may be tempted to say "consumers", when in fact the problem lies, I think, with the government as it possesses inadequate knowledge about consumer tastes. It would therefore fail to achieve allocative efficiency. 

There was also quite an in-depth discussion on the theory of the firm (price/profit maximization, the goals of firms, divorce of ownership from control - manager and behavioural theories - William Baumol). We then moved on to discuss the US current account and fiscal deficits. However rather than allowing me to regurgitate information I might have heard on TV or read in a text book, he proceeded to ask a number of strange questions: "You have just stated that a fiscal deficit is undesirable because it is unsustainable, but people often take loans to finance their education, thereby creating a deficit for themselves; why is that not considered to be a negative thing?" I was stumped here, and proceeded to give a very daft answer "If a person obtains a good university education, then they can get a good job and pay back the deficits that they have created for themselves." This was a VERY stupid thing to say, especially since the interviewer seemed to want to stifle a laugh. (In hindsight I should have seized the opportunity to talk about the importance of savings, consumption and expenditure in the economy.) He then stated that my theory would collapse if he were to cite another example. However, I retorted emphatically, citing my own examples. Strangely, here my interviewer seemed pleased.

The final part of my interview concerned a discussion on externalities. I got the distinct feeling, however, that at this time, he had already reached his decision about me, but didn't want to send me out early in case I took that as a sign of failure and burst into tears. (Profile 01)

What Questions Were Asked During Your Interview?

[Mathematics] Graph sketching, relationships between primes and other number, integrating things like 1/(1-lnx) (Profile 511)

[Medicine] Something about hyperventilating affecting the pH of blood, I was asked to give proof of semi-conservative replication of DNA in an experiment, whose results were drawn out for me by my interviewer. Another question on bacteria and a bowl of soup (sort of weird). Something about furry animals on islands in the pacific, and how would I investigate if there was any relationship between them, and how they might have got from one island to another.(the other weird question). Then my next interviewer asked me something on membranes and the passage of substances across, and an experiment to measure the speed of transmission of nervous impulses along a nerve. Then I was asked something about the HIV virus, in response to something I wrote in my personal statement. Throughout all of this I was actually very much at ease(which surprised me and continues to do so, especially because I was worried they might not understand my accent, but they did), the interviewers were very nice and actually guided me along and got me out if I got a little blank. It was invigorating when it was all over. (Profile 350)

[Medicine] I see you've written a paper on xxx (in my personal statement), tell me more about it. What ways do we have of looking inside the body? (I waffle incoherently so she moves on). Here's a graph of rates of two forms of an illness in a certain area. Describe them. How would you tell if this point was significant? (More incoherent waffling). Why might the rate of this form have increased while the other stays constant? How would you test this? What genetic diseases can you name? What would be the chances of you getting xxxx if your dad had it? Here's a drawing of a microbe, what's this? What does it need it for? When someone's hyperventilating, what do you get them to do? Why? What would happen to blood pH then? Asked to describe the experiment which proves that DNA replicates semi-conservatively. If you were an explorer and you found the same animal on two islands, what might you conclude? Any questions you would like to ask us? (Profile 247)

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

[Mathematics] I think it is a good idea to rather focus on get an idea on how to solve all the questions on the test, rather than write out perfect solutions to a few of them. The reason being, that unless you really mess up the questions you think you have solved on the test, you'll be asked on the questions you didn't solve. And, no matter how nervous you are during the test, you'll be much more nervous during the actual interview (okay, that might be too broad a generalisation to make, it depends on what kind of person you are I guess, but at least it was so for me), so it will be much harder to think properly during the interview, and thus it will be better if you have at least looked through the question during the test when your mind was reasonably clear. Just my two cents! (Profile 624)

[Mathematics] Make sure you're comfortable with the applications procedure, it makes everything easier if you know what you've got to do when. Also, interview-wise, practice a bit of maths (STEP, AEA, whatever) in the few days before, to get your brain into gear. (Profile 339)

[Medicine] Pay attention in year 12 - make sure you know your AS syllabuses inside out. Look up what the BMAT involves and have a little practice before you take it. Also, before the BMAT I think it's advisable to get a GCSE science revision guide covering all the exam boards, because there are topics included in one course but not in others, etc. (Profile 247)

[Mathematics] Practise doing tests and talking someone through it. This can be daunting so the more practise the better!! If you come across something you haven't covered in school; tell them. They won't expect you to know everything! (Profile 503)

St John’s is one of 31 Colleges at the University of Cambridge. Colleges are where students live, eat and socialise, and where they receive small group teaching sessions called supervisions, which are regarded as one of the best teaching models in the world. Colleges are also self-governing; while they are part of the University (subject to University regulations) they select their own students and have their own internal procedures. Although students receive the same outstanding education whichever college they attend, each has its own unique history, environment and identity.

St John's was founded in 1511 and is one of the largest Colleges in Cambridge. Its former students include Nobel prizewinners, Prime Ministers, scientists, artists, and leaders in business and industry. Today it has more than 150 “Fellows” (resident academics who teach and research at St John’s), about 900 students (a mix of undergraduates and postgraduates), and about 250 staff. 

For more information, visit: St. John’s College, Cambridge University

Why did you apply to Oxbridge?

For Law, an Oxbridge education means a lot, given the degree of competition for the top jobs. Cambridge topped the Times league table for Law as well, so it seemed worth a try. I was in two minds about applying though, because it does affect your applications to other institutions when you're applying for the most popular subjects. (Profile 232)

Size and its beautiful settling, considered Trinity but heard that it loves mathematicians where maths isn't the subjects I really like though I'm okay at it. And because they do a written test at interview. So St. John's was chosen at last. (Profile 1081)

Cambridge appears "better" for maths than Oxford. I'd done well in my A/S UMS marks so felt that I would be able to apply to Cambridge. If I had lower UMS I would have applied to Oxford, as they cannot see UMS marks. (Profile 702)

Why did you apply to St. John’s College?

All the usual reasons - big, old, rich, central, large number of Law students. Actually it was pretty much a random choice, made the night before I sent off my form, but it's probably worth thinking about carefully since there is a great deal of difference between the colleges. (Profile 232)

Size and its beautiful settling, considered Trinity but heard that it loves mathematicians where maths isn't the subjects I really like though I'm okay at it. And because they do a written test at interview... so St. John's was chosen at last. (Profile 1081)

It's a big friendly college, I went on an open day and really liked the students at the college, and the tutors. It's well located, brilliant accommodation, loads of facilities and looks awesome. Also it has a really good college spirit. (Profile 702)

Highest number of economics fellows, big, pretty, liked it at open day. Also had very good accommodation and food and was rich (Profile 172)

What was your general impression of  St. John’s College and any other colleges you visited?

On open days I got the impression that the students were friendly, and I genuinely just liked everything about it. It was a little intimidating to visit, but I'm glad I did! (Profile 702)

I saw most of the colleges while I was in Cambridge. The ones in the centre were all fairly similar.

- John's: Gorgeous, old, lovely architecture. The friendliest when I came to look around (I didn't go to an open day). Large - but that's what I wanted. Attracts a lot of tourists, which can be a pain.

- Caius: Beautiful again, and friendly when I went to an open day. Decided it wasn't for me because you have to eat in hall 5 times/week or something, which didn't appeal.

- Queens: Stayed here for a week. Lovely - very friendly, the right size, next to the river. Lots of things going on there, beyond academic stuff. (Profile 232)

It looked really nice, the students were very accommodating and although the porter gave me the wrong key to my room initially, everyone was very helpful. (Profile 87)

I found that St. John's was very pretty and the people were all incredibly friendly. I liked the fact it was so big. I also stayed in Gonville and Cais for a week for the Sutton Trust summer school which also seemed friendly. I wasn't keen on Trinity when I looked round though. (Profile 185)

I really liked my college. It seemed big but friendly which was what I wanted. (Profile 172)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: 

- First year - Cripps. 1960s building but you learn to love it. 4 rooms on a landing (usually single sex with opposite sex on the adjacent landing) sharing kitchen (well 2 hobs, sink and fridge), toilet, shower and bath (all separate). Some of the best accommodation in Cambridge - very big rooms but also quite expensive.

- Second year - much less predictable. If you want to stay in college (as in within the actual walls) which most people do you have to share. You can be a jammy git and get separate bedrooms and sitting room and kitchen (smiles to herself) but you will more usually have to share bedroom and sitting room with one person sleeping in the sitting room. All rooms have kitchens. Some are ensuite. You pay according the the facilities offered. If you don't want to share you have to live out of college but generally only about 5 mins at the most outside college gates and it's college owned accommodation so there's not water rates or electricity bills to pay.

- Third year - Second year accommodation is balloted. Some tutor's reverse this ballot and some don't. Ours does. Basically the majority of people chose to have single rooms in college (3rd years or returning 4th year language people have preference on the ballot) which range from lovely ensuite palaces to penthouses (at the top of and two levels) in Cripps to bedsits above the chaplin. People choosing to share get better double rooms than in the first year but are not guaranteed two bedrooms. You can also live out of college in your third year if you wish.

- Fourth (+) years - accommodation is outside college but in college owned accommodation and I think most people chose to share a house with friends.

- Food: Good. Meant to be some of the best in camb but a bit stody for me so I cook for myself (Profile 172)

- Accommodation: 1st year, big rooms, sharing bath, shower toilet, kitchen with 3 other people. Not the prettiest building, but warm and you're with all the other first years. 2nd and 3rd year, awe inspiring accommodation, a ballot, often shared (if you choose to) in New Court or other places around the college. Option for houses.

- Food: Lovely, got a Christmas dinner on my interview day. (Profile 702)

- Accommodation: The rooms were huge compared to bristol, they were comfortable and had a great view.

 - Food: Excellent. Perfectly edible, quite a wide range available... but you couldn't understand the cooks. (Profile 87)

- Accommodation: My accomodation for my interview was great - sitting room, bedroom, bathroom and kitchen, but that was a third year room! I stayed in a first year room on the open day, and these were fairly big, especially in comparison with what I'd seen in other universities. 

- Food: Good (Profile 185)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at  St. John’s College?

- Tutors: Enthusiastic, seem to really like teaching, and are passionate about their subjects. Brilliant tutors.

- Students: Friendly, a strong college spirit, very jokey. Generally outgoing and fun. (Profile 702)

- Tutors: Quite informal, accommodating and since i was nervous at first, they accommodated for this and i was soon at ease.

- Students: Brilliant guys and gals. The were very truthful, although they didn't slag anything off really. One or two were paid to stay in the JCR and tlk, but others stayed too and were nice. (Profile 87)

- Tutors: Very friendly, the physicist was a little eccentric.

- Students: I didn't see many students, but those I met seemed very down to earth. (Profile 185)

- Tutors: My personal tutor isn't really interested in your welfare which isn't too much of a problem as the senior tutor's great. Basically they're just a mix of people some nice and some not.

- Students: Sporty. Argh. But there are a significant number of people who play no sport. Then there are the people in my year I still haven't seen (Profile 172)

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

[Classics] Parse 'rebus'? How many declensions are there? How many latin cases are there excluding the vocative? Hence deduce how many were in Proto Indo European? Give a few meanings of the word 'Quibus'? What peculiarity does this word possess in the respect of its relation to a certain preposition? Which personal pronouns share this wonderful property? On the subject of personal pronouns, name two intensifying enclitics affixed thereto? Why shouldn't we stack enclitics? What detrimental effects does this have to our Latinity? What do you feel about the lack of distinct aorist form in Latin? "Latin is far from the pristine, perfect, sanctified tongue it is portrayed to be" - using your knowledge of defective verbs, obsolete particles and lack of perfect active participle, comment on this statement? Compare the use of Chinese particles, particularly "ma", "ba" and "le", to that of Latin? Iulius Caesarne invented a particular form of "sum"? Hence deduce this formerly wanting form? Why did you pick St. John's college? (Profile 292)

[Computer Science] My first interview was very informal, he was tired and we just talked about where i was from, why i chose cambridge, extra-curricular activities and the odd thing off my personal statement. The second interview was based on fairly simple P2 maths... such as logs and sequences. I was then asked to spot a pattern and that was pretty much it. I was asked lots of questions which got progressively harder - which is apparently a very good thing.

log(base 2) of 8 = ? + some other equally unchallenging questions. Mathematical induction style qu. Logic/sequence spotting qu'. (Profile 87)

[Economics] In my first interview I was asked to talk about an area of Economics that I was interested in, and to explain an argument from an article I had been sent beforehand. I then had to do a logic question. In my second interview I had to answer all the usual 'Why Cambridge?', 'Why St. John's?', 'Why Economics?'. Then about what I read, what I do in my spare time, and how my friends would describe me. Finally I had to describe a mug! (Profile 185)

[Engineering] Got the 'set' question (a question which was sent out a week prior to interview; for students to solve and show and explain to the interviewers at interview) WRONG!! I was able to get it right after a few prompts however but the fact i got it wrong in the first place does show that they do allow for mistakes (Profile 1063)

[Law] First interview was with two Lawyers. Firstly they wanted to know why French and English were good subjects to prepare for he study of Law. I didn't know. After that we moved on to Law - who should get compensation for the Hillsborough disaster. I made a few comments, they built on that, and I made a few more inane remarks. Then we talked about land rights for natives - e.g. whether aborigines should be compensated for the land that was taken away from them. I went down the wrong track completely, but they took me back and sent me in the right direction. Again, more waffle. Finally they asked a question about the law of homicide, which was legal reasoning - no knowledge assumed. That one was probably the easiest of the three, but in all cases they led you into a trap - watch how they use your words in replying, and think before you speak. The personal interview wasn't informal, but was more relaxed. The tutor (Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic) asked me about why I wanted to do Law, and my future plans. I didn't actually have many so I waffled a bit more about how a Law degree is excellent for a wide range of careers, etc. We also talked about the hobbies I listed on my UCAS form, and my interest in languages, which was fine. We then moved on to some legal/political issues seen from a layman's point of view. I think I was asked what is the greatest injustice in the country at the moment - things like that. I was also very unlucky in that my interview was on the day which the Guardian chose to launch a legal attack on the laws of succession based on the HRA - my first priority that morning had not been to buy a newspaper, so I had to think very quickly. (Profile 232)

What advice do you have for potential applicants based on your experiences?

[Engineering] Become as confident and passionate about the subject. Read lots about it and make the interviewers centre about what YOU like within what you wish to read. Enjoy the time there and don't hide in your room all day revising. I looked at the computing departments website and found something interesting and wrote about that on the form.... but it didn't come up in the interview so it didn't do me any harm... (just make sure if u do this, you know what u wrote down and can expand on it in an interview!) (Profile 1063)

[Computer Science] Know your maths! Although it wasn't too difficult (for someone who's done further maths), if u only do normal maths then you might want to brush up on logs, series and proof by induction. (Profile 87)

[Law] Remember Law is very, very competitive. Try reading a few books beforehand, so that you have some idea of what you may be asked. "Learning the Law" by Brian Simpson was recommended to me, and it's worth skimming through. "How to do Things with Rules" is good as an introduction to legal reasoning.

Get lots of work experience, at courts and with lawyers - it's not difficult to organise. I would also suggest applying to some sort of pre-university taster course - many places run them (I think Nottingham does a weekend every January). I went on the Sutton Trust scheme, and spent a week in Cambridge in the July before applying. It was excellent - if you go to a state school, it's worth looking into. (Profile 232)

Founded in 1263, Balliol is one of Oxford University’s oldest colleges; the oldest academic institution in the English-speaking world still on its original site; and almost certainly the oldest co-founded by a woman anywhere. Balliol is also one of Oxford’s largest colleges. Led by the Master, the Balliol community consists of about 70 Fellows. Many of these are Tutorial Fellows who, with the College Lecturers, teach around 370 undergraduate students; about the same number of students read for graduate degrees. There are also about 120 non-academic staff. The College is run by those Fellows who form its Governing Body, through a system of committees composed of Fellows, students and staff.

Why did you choose Balliol?

For my subject (Law), I had the impression that Oxford had a better reputation and record of results. In addition, after visiting Oxford I found I liked the atmosphere of the city and university. Looking at the information available for the various colleges, and decided what I was looking for (old or new college? large or small? etc). After that, I felt Balliol suited me best. I had heard that applying to a specific college doesn't negatively affect your chances and so I thought it best to make a choice, rather than submit an open application and leave it to fate. (Profile 799)

I made a list of colleges and looked at the following criteria: location [OK, so it may seem superficial - but who wants to be miles away from civilization in LMH?]; number of tutors for my course [more tutors means more tuition can be done in college - more convenient]; number of places [wouldn't like to be the only person doing my course]; applications per place [no point in making things unnecessarily hard; case in point is Keble, which (since it's right next to the Maths Institute) has a stupidly high ratio, totally undeserved by the college as a whole]; size of college [personally, I'd avoid the very small ones]; library [size and opening hours - nothing more frustrating than starting an essay at night and being unable to get the books out]; accommodation [how many years can you live in college? living out can be a hassle (and more expensive, too)].

Having considered all that lot, Balliol emerged at the top. It's great for Philosophy (we have 3 people doing Maths & Philosophy, 5 doing Physics & Philosophy, and many many PPE-ists - about 13, I think.) I have, of course, since found out that Balliol just /is/ the best college. (Profile 472)

I stayed here during the week of the open days. My maths teacher went to Balliol and on my work experience I spoke to the physics tutors and to some students, one in particular who went to my school, he was loving it there and recommended it to me. (Profile 447)

Has the reputation for being the best at PPE and among the top few academically - also has excellent facilities (although the state of the website last year nearly scared me off! Thankfully they've changed it...a bit.) (Profile 114)

What was your general impression of Balliol and any other colleges you visited?

The colleges were very pretty and quaint and I loved the cozy feel of the town. My [mom] dropped me off for my interviews as I'm an international student, and she roamed around the stores while I socialized and interviewed. There were lots of nice coffee shops, some fast food chains and a small shopping centre. Balliol and Hertford are both very close to each other, located right in the centre of Oxford. Balliol was about 100 metres from what seemed to be the main shopping district. (Profile 1044)

Balliol is a good looking college - not as beautiful as Magdalen or Christ Church, but attractive in its own way. The people are very friendly, and there's a nice feeling that just sort of permeates the place. (Profile 114)

A really strange experience being right in the heart of the city, being able to hear the bustle of the street, but being completely blocked from it until you step out the college gate. In general, lovely. Nice comfy JCR, tasty food, big open grassy areas. (Profile 820)

It was a lot more friendly and less intimidating than I had expected. It wasn't cliquey or formal and the atmosphere was pleasant without being condescending. (Profile 799)

Balliol is really cool, JCR is nice and the layout of the grounds is different from most colleges. Balliol is in a great place, really central. Other colleges I liked were Queens and Exeter (Profile 447)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: My room at Balliol was quite big, but basic. It had a large desk, a book case, wardrobe, handbasin, bed, a couple of chairs and a notice board. The shower was on the same floor. Balliol doesn't make you pay for your meals up front, which is good if you're on a tight budget (as most students are!) (Profile 183)

- Food: Canteen service at meal times. Everyone ate together in the big hall (like Harry Potter!). (Profile 820)

- Accomodation: My room was comfortable with a desk, chair and bed - a bit bigger than my room at school and with a sink. There was a shower and loo up the corridor. (Profile 1082)

- Accommodation: From talking to people, it seems that it varied quite a lot. The room I stayed in was slightly larger than an average hotel room, and wasn't en suite but had a wash basin. The bathroom was shared with out five other rooms, and there was also a shared pantry. Some of the other rooms are apparently quite a bit better, and worse. There was a modern canteen next to the main hall, which had a number of choices for every meal, including a vegetarian option. 

- Food: food there was very good. In the Junior Common Room there was another 'pantry' which was open for most of the day. (Profile 799)

- Accommodation: Freshers are mostly housed on the 3 staircases in the crappy-looking 60s-built addition to the college (to make room for which they demolished a Victorian part of the college, methinks). Rooms there are OK, but nothing to write home about. Facilities: the JCR and TV room are being entirely refurbished this Easter at a cost of about £20K, so they should be excellent when that's done. There are three washing machines and three tumble dryers, which doesn't sound like a lot but is actually enough. Our bar is one of, if not the, best in Oxford. It's student-run, so it's not run by tight money-grabbing bar stewards [groan...] like many other college bars are. (Profile 472)

- Food: Apparently it's quite expensive to eat in the halls.. and if you’re like me and you dont think money grows on trees it might be worthwhile to think about other catering choices. (Profile 447)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at Balliol?

- Tutors: All of the interviewers were very welcoming, eager to listen to my ideas, and supportive in case I wasn't sure how to approach a question.

- Students: Very relaxed and welcoming. Happy to chill and have a chat with you. (Profile 1044)

- Tutors: I think the Balliol interviewers (one main tutor along with two lecturers) did everything they could to make the interview process as painless as possible. They were friendly and engaging and were kind enough to be encouraging throughout the interviews. I asked to be reminded of particular passages I couldn't recall immediately and, though I was embarrassed, they were understanding and did not dwell on my mistakes.

- Students: Helpful and informative. (Profile 1082)

- Tutors: Really friendly and easy to get on with. Obviously very enthusiastic about their subject, as all Oxbridge tutors will be! 

- Students: They seemed friendly, although I didn't really see a lot of them. They were all happy to help, or answer any questions. (Profile 183)

- Tutors: Friendly when you saw them around the college and friendly at the beginning and end of the interview, but as soon as we started talking economics, it got serious! 

- Students: Chatty and fun. A real mixture of people. (Profile 820)

Did you have to sit any pre-interview exams?

[Medicine] Yes, BMAT. Any questions I didn't know, I guessed, I ticked all of the ones I didn't know as A, or B etc (even though some of them have more options than others) I think it's better to do that as opposed to randomly ticking boxes, as you're more likely to get some of them right (probability wise). You won't have time to go back to consider any questions you missed out properly so work efficiently and move on if you can't answer a question. Also, do a plan for your essay as you only get one sheet of paper and I ended up filling mine with lots of crossing out! (Profile 882)

[Mathematics and Philosophy] I had to send in two pieces of work, so I gave an essay on Book 1 of Plato's Republic (which I wrote specifically for my application) and an essay I'd written for Greek on the Battle of Thermopylae. I was going on the assumption that my Maths would be OK, and that I needed to show them that I could think and write too. I have since learnt that they admit or reject joint schools Maths people on the basis of their Maths, because you can always change from (say) Maths & Philosophy to straight Maths if you can't hack the Philosophy. But I'd still recommend a couple of decent essays rather than a Maths coursework, so the Philosophy tutor puts in a good word for you. (Profile 472)

[Law] LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law) (Profile 799)

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

[Medicine] I had 4 interviews in total, and on the whole, I thought they had gone ok. This might sound sad, but the interviews are actually really fun, especially problem solving questions. I found my interviews at Balliol a lot more enjoyable and relaxed. They were more 'hands on', giving me graphs to analyse and instruments to look at and play with. My interviews at Worcester (randomly allocated college) were more formal and "interview-style".

I was asked questions to do with respiratory system (Balliol tutor Piers Nye is doing research into things involving respiration) and it involved analysing ECGs and graphs. I was also asked about X rays and how they work. At my second college, there were a few questions about genetics related diseases (tutor specialised in genetics and molecular biology, i think) and about the different types of diabetes and how you might increase your chances of getting it. In terms of ethics, there was a question about whether the NHS should operate on fat people, and what would I say to a patient who needed an operation but was overweight. (Profile 882)

[Biological Science] At Balliol I was questioned as to my favourite area of biology and the discussion centred around that, so I was fortunate in being able to lead the discussion into an area I knew a lot about. I was also given an article the previous night - in the interview I had to sum up the main points of the article. At Keble I was given electron microscope pictures to look at and was questioned on recently featured areas of biology such as BSE. (Profile 183)

[Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)] Asked about I book I had read and something I wrote on my ps. Politics, my interests based. Second one was about the economic crisis. (Profile 1004)

Do you have any advice for future Balliol applicants in terms of preparation?

[Mathematics & Philosophy] Maths: Know your A-Level stuff. Be prepared to work things through in the interview - don't be afraid to write or say something because you think it might be wrong, because they want to see your thought processes: they want to see that you can go about problem-solving. They will handhold you a fair bit, and this doesn't mean they think you're an idiot. And do something outside the curriculum. Perhaps the easiest thing to do would be to find a first-year textbook on Analysis from a library and work through a couple of proofs in it. Make sure you know them thoroughly, so that when it comes to interview you can produce them - but don't, for God's sake, just memorize them. They want to see you /thinking/ as you do it. (The one I happened to have done is the convergence of (1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 +... + 1/n) - ln n to 'gamma', which is about 0.577 IIRC.)

Philosophy: Do whatever you like. If you've done Philosophy A-level, they /will/ ask you specific questions (as happened to a friend of mine). If you haven't, just do some reading (Descartes is very readable, as is Plato's Republic (don't try to read it all; it'd be a waste of time)) to show that you have an interest. ["But," the cynic sneers, "surely if you're that interested in the subject you'll read books on it anyway?" Well, quite.] (Profile 472)

[Law] Look up all deadlines and course requirements well in advance, and comply with them as soon as possible.

If possible, arrange a mock interview with someone you don't know well personally, perhaps a head of Sixth Form. This will prepare you for the format of the interview and should make it easier to deal with the real thing. Unless your mock interviewer has specific knowledge of the Oxbridge admissions system, the actual questions will probably be nothing like the real thing, but it should get you into the right mindset.

Before the interview: Set generous margins for error in all travel arrangements to avoid panic. If you have a long journey it may be best to travel the day before and stay overnight.

Don't worry too much about doing reading in preparation. From my experience, the interviewers don't expect any specific subject knowledge (although this may only apply to subjects like Law that are not commonly done at A-Level) and you won't get much of a chance to use it. Try to relax so you can think clearly.

Have answers ready for 'stock' questions like "Why do you want to study ____?" These are normally asked at the start to put you at your ease, and won't make or break you, but giving a good answer will help calm you down and do better.

For the interview itself: Don't rush. Always allow yourself a little time to think about what you're going to say.

On the other hand, don't be so afraid of being 'wrong' that you don't say anything! You're allowed to change your mind. (Profile 799)

Queens’ College is a lively community of students, fellows and staff located at the heart of the city of Cambridge (for over five centuries!), with good access to University departments and to the town. It is famous for its ancient buildings and riverside site and the Patroness of the College is Her Majesty The Queen.  

The spacious, centrally-located site enables the college to accommodate all undergraduates for three years, creating an active and supportive community. Their academics teach in all the major subjects offered by the University. The graduate student body is a large, lively, international group. Those who join Queens' make life-long friendships and many choose to be actively involved with the College after graduation.

Why did you apply to Queens’ College?

I wanted to go to a college with lots of history and impressive buildings - the thought of actually living in Queens' still fills me with disbelief! - so i looked at the older colleges. I found Kings slightly too formidable, and so looked more at the colleges still in the centre of town, but slightly less imposing. In the end, my shortlist was Caius, Sidney and Queens' and the strong theatre at Queens' settled the decision. (Profile 156)

Mainly because my biggest extra-curricular love is dance, and queens' is where most of the dance is at, they have studio space and stuff! also, it's really, really pretty and picturesque! plus, it's central and not far from the architecture department (Profile 355)

I really liked it when I went to the open day as everyone was so friendly. Also, it is one of the largest colleges, and I knew that I wanted to go to quite a big college. (Profile 260)

Process of elimination: colleges in good location, fairly large, tennis team, music facilities. Also Queens' is renowned for its parties. Perfect! (Profile 1042)

A family friend who had been there (in the '70s) suggested that I would fit in. It has a good academic reputation, but lacks the pretensions of other colleges. I liked the English DoS, whom I met on the Open Day, and decided that I would like to spend three years studying there with him - I think for Arts subjects the people that you'll work with will probably be more important than the college itself. (Profile 541)

What was your general impression of Queens’ College and any other colleges you visited?

It was really beautiful and just a lovely environment to live in. it has a theatre (the rows of seats move back making it into a dance studio!), nice big dining hall, and my favourite bit was the tutor-styley court, it's so lovely! (Profile 355)

I found the atmosphere to be relaxed and friendly, and all the students I met seemed very enthusiastic about being there. I had visited another college previously which nearly put me off Oxbridge totally as it was far more traditional and quite intimidating. (Profile 260)

Very friendly people. Large college but really warm environment. Nice bar! (Profile 1042)

It was lovely, very pretty, even though it was cold and grey. They were undergoing building works so the staff kept reminding us that it wasn't "at its best", but it was still nice. Everyone was friendly but purposeful, which I liked. (Profile 607)

Describe the day-to-day aspects of living in the college. If you stayed in college, how was the accommodation? How about the food?

- Accommodation: The room I stayed in was huge and in the older group of buildings in Queens'. There was a living room and a bedroom with a bathroom shared with the room next to it. The bedroom had a sink and the living room had desks, chairs and closets (but i dunno how much of that belonged to the person occupying).

- Food: Edible but not great (Profile 156)

- Accommodation: Most of [the rooms] are arranged up and down staircases, the rooms are a good size (quite big), they have basins, but loos and showers are shared. (Profile 355)

- Accommodation: Rooms were a reasonable size and standard, but not as luxurious as those that friends of mine had in different colleges. Bathrooms were shared rather than en suite. (Profile 260)

- Accommodation: Only had a brief look at rooms. Seemed, er, 'functional'.

- Food: Edible but not great (Profile 541)

Any thoughts on the tutors/students at Queens’ College?

- Tutors: Very friendly and forthcoming - there was no evasiveness and straight before the interviews, they helpfully reassured us by telling us that most of us wouldn't get in.

- Students: Most of the applicants i met were from state schools which surprised me - i expected more public school people. All very friendly and seemed to be as nervous as i was. (Profile 156)

- Tutors: really lovely! the non-academic tutor at my interview was a bio-chemistry tutor from queens, she was really encouraging and motherly! queens' architecture tutor is Dr James Campbell. he can seem abit sharp at first (i was kinda thrown back when i first spoke to him at the open day), but afterwards he's more encouraging and actually he's really friendly i felt more used to him at the interview after speaking to him at the open day, so maybe that's a good idea, even if only briefly

- Students: the ones I met were all really friendly...(and understanding!..since all us interviewees were white with fear at breakfast!) (Profile 355)

- Tutors: They put me at my ease during the interview and were much more normal than I had expected.

- Students: When I went to the open day, all of the students went out of their way to talk to those of us visiting the college. They were all very friendly, and keen to persuade us to apply to their college. (Profile 260)

- Tutors: I was directed to the door of an office, from which they leapt out... Very friendly, relaxed, unpretentious. But still prepared to ask probing questions.

- Students: I only met two (English) students on the Open Day. Can't really comment in general. (Profile 541)

Do you have any advice for future applicants in terms of preparation?

[Archaeology & Anthropology] 

- The interview: Showing an interest is far more important than knowing details about the subject.

- Make sure that you can confidently and convincingly explain why you want to do a subject that you have probably never studied before.

- Show a willingness to analyse what you hear and draw conclusions from this - be confident enough to suggest what you think, even if it disagrees with the interviewer! (Profile 156)

[Architecture] I was told not to waste time praising cambridge or the course (saying stuff like 'i want to go to cambridge coz it's a best educational institution in the country!!'), they know they're good, just focus on telling them about you. also, don't feel that you need to repeat stuff just to fill up space. (Profile 355)

[Economics] Apply even if you are not sure it's what you want. You don't have to go if you don't want to. Don't be put off by parents or teachers telling you that other universities will reject you if you apply to Oxbridge. I was accepted by all my other universities even the ones that I was told would definitely reject me because I'd applied to Cambridge. (Profile 260)

What questions were you asked during your interview(s)?

[Archaeology & Anthropology] I was asked why i had chosen not to take a gap year (a standard Queens' question this year i hear). Then the conversation turned to my interest in history - i was asked why i wanted to do arch and anth and not just history. The conversation was very much dictated from this point on by the subjects i had chosen to talk about on the Cambridge Supplementary Questionnaire Form - so i would advise you to remember what you wrote and have something to say about each topic! This was mostly about kinship and religion and ritual - the first of which also brought in the admissions tutor in the room, who happened to specialise in biology. Altogether very friendly and interesting! (Profile 156)

[Architecture] I just had one, but with 2 interviewers. I was made to feel really welcome and comfortable right for the start. (It) kicked off with a nice general chat, then looked at my portfolio and discussed it. then the academic tutor showed me some architecture stuff and we talked about it. also discussed some contemporary issues (iconic architecture).There was non-academic stuff as well, they do ask you about your extra-curricular activities, but it was mainly focused on architecture. The tutors push you, but in a nice way!..(they're encouraging). the questions do get challenging, but i felt more like i was being guided through a difficult question, rather than being tested. (Profile 355)

[Economics] I was asked lots of questions about many different aspects of economics, mainly based on topics covered in the A-level economics course. Some were just testing my knowledge of the syllabus, others were more challenging and required more thinking about. They didn't ask me any questions about why I wanted to do the subject, and only a few non-academic questions. Before the interview I was asked to specify particular areas of economics that I was interested in, which helped me when I was preparing for the interview. (Profile 260)

[English] I thought it went quite badly really. One half-hour interview with the two Directors of Studies, who both seemed nice enough but were very quick to pick me up on weak points and challenge my opinions. Discussed a short poem ("Love Song" by William Carlos Williams), talked about things I'd mentioned in my personal statement and supplementary application questionnaire, asked me if I had any questions. One asked questions while the other took notes, and they alternated. The room was lovely though - it had big comfy sofas and hundreds of old books! When I came in, the younger one was bouncing on the sofa. It was a fun atmosphere. (Profile 607)

[Natural Sciences, Biological] Queens' - What are action potentials? How are they generated? How do they pass along the axon? How do synapses work? Asked detailed questions on biology coursework.. Do you want to take a gap year? Queens' are very keen on gap years. Newnham- What areas of science are you interested in? I said neuroscience, so we got talking about mental illnesses(and books I had read recently) Why not medicine?(because of my work experience at Barts') Interview 2 Got asked about my work experience in a stem cell lab, and then about genetics (which we have't done since GCSE)...what is a gene? If i gave you a test tube full of DNA, devise an experiment to show that it contains genes....Why is DNA the genetic code? Why not proteins? Then she showed me an electron micrograph (it might have been a cell from the adipose tissue...) and asked me what it was. (Profile 233)