Modern And Medieval Languages @ Sidney Sussex, Cambridge in 2015

Interview format

2x interview (30 mins); 1x written test

Interview content

First interview: discussed text in German, other questions in English; second interview: discussed text in Spanish, other questions in English. Written exam: textual analysis of an English text, written in target language.

Best preparation

Reading and going over A level material; summer school at the college

Final thoughts

Make sure you know the books on your personal statement well

Remember this advice isn't official. There is no guarantee it will reflect your experience because university applications can change between years. Check the official Cambridge and Oxford websites for more accurate information on this year's application format and the required tests.

Also, someone else's experience may not reflect your own. Most interviews are more like conversations than tests and like, any conversation, they are quite interactive.

Interview Format

I had 2 interviews both with the same structure and both with two fellows. I also had a written exam between the interviews

Interview 1: 10 mins reading time with a German news article, 10 minute discussion in German and 15 minute discussion in English

Interview 2: 10 mins reading time with a Spanish news article, 10 minute discussion in Spanish and 15 minute discussion in English

What happened in your interview? How did you feel?

In my German interview we discussed in German meanings and representations of culture. They also asked me some questions about the text. We then spoke in English about plays. I was really pushed to defend my views and get into a real debate with my interviewer. Looking back, this was just her pushingme to engage with argument.

In my Spanish interview we did the same analysis of the text I'd been given to read in Spanish. In English we discussed translation of poetry. The interviewers were incredibly respectful and encouraging.

The exam was a written response in one of your languages to a text in English with some textual analysis etc.

How did you prepare?

To be honest, the best preparation for my mml interview was talking to my English teacher.So much of the interview, exam, and degree is about analysis and critical thinking and these are very transferable skills from other subjects.

In terms of reading etc I read quite a bit of poetry and read further into the films I was already studying for A-level. The interviewers don't really care about what you've read though, more about why you chose to and what you thought about it.

I'd also been to a languages and English literature summer school at the college and that was a great point for inspiration of what to read/look into and to know what Cambridge is like.

Looking back, what advice would you give to your past self?

Know the books on your personal statement really well and be prepared to discuss them. The interviewers will most likely have read them too.