Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge - Fitzwilliam College - University of ...

Interviews
Be prepared, be candid, but above all, be yourself.
You cannot predict the
precise questions that you will
be asked, however, give some
thought to the topics about
which you would most like to
be questioned. Interviewers
should give you the chance to
tell them what these topics
might be.
For some subjects there is
an additional exercise: reading
a passage in a foreign
language, answering
questions from a short text,
or some other form of written
test. You will be informed in
advance if such an exercise
features as part of an
interview. If it does, it is
designed as much to be a
stimulus to discussion as a
test of knowledge. Even here,
we are less concerned that
you give the 'right' answer
than we are with your
intellectual curiosity, and your
ability to grapple with
problems whose solution you
have not already been taught.
In the course of an interview,
we will help you think
through these problems. In
Science subjects, it is common
for candidates to be given
problems to solve during the
interviews themselves. In
some Humanities subjects we
ask for sample school essays
to be sent to us before your
interview, and pose questions
and arguments provoked by
these. Here again, we will be
asking you to think laterally,
to recognise conflicting
viewpoints, and to suggest
how intellectual debates can
be resolved.
Your General Interview is
likely to be conducted by a
Fellow of the College who
teaches in a subject different
from, but close to, the one
for which you have applied.
You should not be surprised
then, if in this interview you
are asked academic questions
about your subject, and the
reason for your commitment
to it. At Fitzwilliam, the
General Interview may focus
on some of the interests that
you have described on your
application form (reading,
work experience, travel, plans
for a gap year, for example).
You should not, however,
expect it to be less
demanding than the Subject
Interview. A large part of the
General Interview may well
feel like another Subject
Interview, with technical
questions on your school
studies.
These are only general
guidelines, and you should try
to talk to your prospective
Director of Studies about the
special demands of his or her
subject; a College Open Day
provides the best opportunity
for you to do this. This is
likely to be particularly useful
in the case of subjects that
are not commonly studied at
school, eg Anthropology or
Architecture. We would
expect applicants for subjects
like these to have tried to find
out about them, and to have
done some research or
reading that we can then
discuss at interview. One of
the benefits of attending an
Open Day is to get some
suggestions as to what kind
of preparation might be most
helpful.
Remember, an interview is
not a test of smoothness. You
should not try to present a
fictitious self. Dress smartly,
by all means, but don’t wear
clothes that make you feel
stiff or awkward. We want to
find out about you: your
views, your abilities, your
enthusiasms. Try to think out
loud; let us know what is
going on inside your head!
That way we get to see how
your mind is working. Tell us
what you think, rather than
what you guess we might
want to hear. We will try to
give you the chance to do
this, and actually to enjoy
being interviewed.
Tests
Applicants for some
subjects will be
required to take a
test to further aid the
decision-making
process.
For Engineering,
Economics, Computer
Science and Natural
Sciences (Physical),
this will be a
‘thinking skills test’
based on multiple
choice questions,
organised by the
University.
Candidates for
Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine
will be required to sit
the BMAT, and
candidates for Law
the LNAT. BMAT and
LNAT are organised
nationally.
For school-leaving
qualifications other
than A-levels, the
College, advised by
the Cambridge
Admissions Office,
will make offers
based on grades
equivalent to AAA at
A2-level.