Peterhouse Junior Common Room

Applying

Applying to Cambridge is often a pretty daunting prospect – I for one was so terrified about my Peterhouse interview that one concerned interviewer asked if I was recovering from an illness. However it really isn’t at all as bad as it might appear, and some very odd people have even said that they enjoyed the experience once they were there. Some schools offer a lot of advice to their students about applying to Cambridge, but many do not. Therefore below is a step-by-step guide as to how to approach the whole process.

The Application Form

Both Cambridge and Oxford require separate application forms as well as your UCAS personal statement, and many people don’t realise this. Hence the first step is to get your hands on it – your headmaster, head of sixth form or careers teacher should be able to get hold of it for you, and if not you can download it from the University website. It’s basically very similar to the UCAS form with a bit more opportunity to expand on why you want to study your subject, but both the UCAS and Cambridge forms need to be handed in earlier than the normal UCAS deadline, so it’s essential to make sure you hand them both in on time. If you want to find out any more about what its like to study your subject specifically at Peterhouse, have a look at the subjects section of this prospectus. Bear in mind when you are filling the form out that this document will very likely act as the basis for any questions which the interviewers are going to ask you, so its best to show any interests you might have and, more importantly, not mention anything you might not know anything about and might have written down at the time because you thought that it made you sound intellectual. There’s about a £15 charge for processing which is ridiculous but just how it is, and you’ve got to stick a passport photo on it as well.

The Autumn Term before your interview

Start thinking about reading around your subject a bit: if you’re studying history, you could look at areas which appeal to you but which aren’t on the A-level syllabus, or if you’re interested in science, perhaps keep up-to-date with the latest developments in an area which you’re interested in. Local libraries are pretty useful for extra info, as is reading magazines such as New Scientist. At the end of the day, interviewers want to choose people who have a genuine interest in their subject beyond your average sixth former. Whilst vast amounts of knowledge really aren’t necessary, broad awareness of particular fields allows you to show this enthusiasm and demonstrate that you have thought about the issues off your own back, not just because some teacher has told you to. They also give you something to talk about in the interview itself which can really boost your confidence.

You might at this point also be asked by college to send up some school work which you think is reflective of your interests. Chat to teachers about which pieces might be most appropriate and more importantly, concern issues which you can talk about outside the scope of the essay itself. In a similar way to the forms, these are going to act as material which the interviewers could ask you about, so bear that in mind.

The few days before your interview

Make sure you get lots of sleep and most importantly, don’t worry too much. A lot of the interview will be about thinking on your feet, and hence trying to learn the entire history of East Asia in 48 hours probably won’t help at all and is much more likely to stress you out even more. There is no way you could have covered every question that the interviewers could throw at you, so there’s no point worrying. Just make sure that you know your topics well and that you’ve carefully read over your UCAS and Cambridge forms, and also any schoolwork which college might have requested. You’ve got to be confident enough in your knowledge that you can think on the spot. In this way, you can adapt your facts to respond to the questions that the interviewers ask. These questions are probably not going to be particularly obvious, but its well worth having thought about ones like ‘Why Cambridge?’ or ‘Why your subject?’, though don’t learn responses off by heart or anything. You could also try a mock interview, perhaps with a family member or somebody who has gone through the Cambridge application procedure before – even being asked questions such as ‘Why do you want to come to Peterhouse?’ will help you gather your thoughts and speak confidently in an interview environment. However ultimately mocks can only be of limited help, so don’t worry if you don’t do any.

The Interview itself

Again make sure you get lots of sleep before the day itself, and try not to worry. If you’ve done all of the above, you’ll be in excellent shape for your interview anyway. Furthermore, if you’re genuinely interested in your subject, you deserve to get in. You may want a friend or family member to come with you to Cambridge on the day itself. Then again, you may feel more comfortable alone. Do whatever feels best. With regards to dress, many people wear a suit but again it really is down to what you feel most at home in. It’s quite important to be smartish, just to present a good impression, but beyond that there’s no precise standard at all.

When you arrive in Cambridge, go to the porters lodge (next to the entrance to the college – see the map) and let them know you’re here. This is really important if you’re staying the night in college, as the porters will be able to sort you out with keys, instructions on where you’re staying, etc. At Peterhouse, there’s a sheep-dog system whereby present students chaperone applicants to their interview and generally make them feel at home, so feel safe in the knowledge that you’ll be taken care of. You will probably have two interviews at Peterhouse: sometimes one concerns your subject and the other your general interests, but this is not always the case. Treat each one in exactly the same manner and respond to the questions of each in a logical way, and you really will be fine. As already mentioned, the interview itself is more of a discussion than an interrogation: the best advice is to listen very carefully to the questions asked of you, think about your reply before you speak, and be confident in your responses. Despite natural impulses to fill every second of your time in the interview room trying to demonstrate your knowledge, there is nothing wrong with silences in the interview at all. In fact, these are much better than blurting out an answer which is irrelevant and not thought-out. The interviewers themselves are much more interested in how you think rather than fountains of knowledge – they want to measure your potential and enthusiasm rather than merely your fact- learning ability. Don’t be fazed if they challenge you, because they inevitably will – just listen to their points and reply in a logical manner. Whatever happens, don’t worry if you get a question wrong or if you don’t know the answer – just be honest if you are unsure, show that you are willing to try and respond, and they will help you if you get really stuck. You can think of some questions before the interview to ask the interviewers yourself at the end, as they will probably give you the opportunity to do so. However if they have already been answered or seem irrelevant, it is much better to politely say that everything is already clear. Finally, you might very occasionally be asked to take a written test at college for particular subjects. See this page on the main college site for more detials - http://www.pet.cam.ac.uk/admissions/subjects/index.html These tests vary, but often they are designed to assess your skill for the subject rather than any exact knowledge. Hence really don’t worry about them – approach them in the same logical manner that you used in your interview, and you shouldn’t have any problems at all.

After the interview

After the interview there are three possible outcomes:

Your application is unsuccessful: Cambridge receives four applicants to every place, so inevitably many applicants will be unsuccessful, even those with good grades. If you are still in school, you could always consider taking a gap year and reapplying, as many do.
Your application is pooled: this means that college was impressed by your application but doesn’t have enough space for you to study there. If this happens, you will either be asked for another interview at another college or be offered a place without further interview. This second round of interviews takes place at the beginning of January, and you will hear whether you have a place by the end of January. Around one in six applicants are pooled, and of these about one in five are offered a place.
You’ll be made an offer: this will either be conditional if you haven’t taken your A-levels (or equivalent exams) yet, or unconditional if you’ve already taken them (for example if you are on a gap year).