Interviews are just one part of the Cambridge selection process, but there are a lot of myths surrounding them and applicants often get very nervous beforehand. Afterwards, though, almost everyone who has an interview will tell you that it wasn’t as a bad as they thought it might be! Interviews are like mini teaching sessions, and they are a chance for you to have an academic conversation with tutors – lots of people actually enjoy the experience of being able to talk to a top academic about their interests and experiences.

It’s not just down to exam results – you need to apply for a subject that you find genuinely interesting, and explore it in your spare time.

Prospective applicants often worry about doing lots of extra-curricular activities like sports, music or volunteering. While these things are certainly worthwhile and it’s good to have a balance between academic work and activities outside the classroom, extra-curricular activities that aren’t related to your chosen course won’t affect your chances of getting a place at Cambridge. Instead, we focus on “super-curricular” activities: reading, research, taster courses and work experience relevant to your chosen university course.