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Cambridge law interviews

Hey all,

I was just wondering what the interviews at cambridge was like. What kind of questions do they ask?

"Why do you want to study law?" is an important and often asked question particularly as you may not have studied it before.
Probably will get grilled on your personal statement. Anything that you put on it relating to law is likely to be questioned. Any books you have read any particular work experience you may have had.

Some applicants get a lot of logic questions. Others are given some reading to do of a scenario/are given a scenario by the interviewer and are asked questions about it. The interviewer may change the facts often and then ask if your response is any different.

The following is a sample interview problem for Cambridge applicants:
http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/show.php?dowid=151

See also Mr Graham Virgo's Legal Problems talk at a recent Cambridge Law open-day. This gives you a taste of what its like to study law as well:
http://www.law.cam.ac.uk/microsites/openday/transcripts/graham_virgo.pdf

See also the posts made on TSR relating to Law interviews and Law interviews at Oxbridge:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=262863

Reply 2

milly87

I was asked absolutely nothing about my personal statement (thankfully! it's horrible having to justify your own interests!), but had to talk about a legal issue in the press that interested me (and so I stumbled over the Terror Bill, much to my later regret!), read and discuss some legal scenarios (something like Virgo's ones referred to above), read and try to make sense of some quotations, try to explain why I was interested in law, etc. The best advice I can give is to get a really clear idea in your head of why you want to read law, and read a good newspaper running up to the interview so you will at least know a little about current affairs. Even if you just pick out a couple of articles it will help jog your memory as you piece together an argument of some sort, even when you begin to forget your own name! Also, don't worry about it too much afterwards! By the time the letter came I was expecting to be banned from Cambridge for life for my weak and jumbled logic! It's never quite as bad as it seems!

Reply 3

emily87

Both my interviews were legal scenario ones. The 2nd started with a bit of 'oh well done on your A levels' etc to settle me in, but I wasn't asked to answer anything much! That 2nd interview was mostly a long extended scenario question - 'well what if x happened?' 'how about if y happened instead?'. The first interview was just a few shorter ones. Don't worry, it's all fun if you let yourself relax a bit.

Oh, and if there are 2 interviewers, one who talks and another who listens and makes notes, try not to be put off by that! & I'd suggest directing your answers at both people - use eye contact etc etc. My questions were a lot like Mr Virgo's in the link above (well, he was my interviewer!). You don't need any law, they give you any little bits you need.

I did spend the night worrying with my fellow interviewee over news items we thought we might be asked for opinions on - but we were asked nothing of the kind. Colleges probably vary on this though.

And lastly very important - vocalise your thoughts. Instead of sitting there thinking 'hmm well maybe this, but oh maybe no cos of that so maybe this' - say it. They want to see how you think.

Reply 4

tiggerish

Superdillon,

thank you for that link to Mr Virgo's talk. I was beginning to forget for a moment why I applied to do law. *my interest has been restored*

Reply 5

superdillon

tiggerish

Superdillon,

thank you for that link to Mr Virgo's talk. I was beginning to forget for a moment why I applied to do law. *my interest has been restored*

Glad I could help out.

Reply 6

Haineko

thanks for all the advice....frankly tho, just reading this thread makes my palm sweat. -.-

Reply 7

IseethroughWalls

Only 2 things for a successful interview performance IMO.

Put decent things that fire discussion as your interests/on your presonal statements, and be prepared to talk about them at length.

And, above all, be confident and say what you think. Ensure you are constantly arguing with your interviewers. NEVER just agree with them- if you must, add another reason to one they put as to why they are right- but, given how they pose questions, its generally better to clarify/modify/argue against whatever they say. That is how you will impress them.

Reply 8

superdillon

IseethroughWalls

Very true.
Also, interviewers are looking to see if you can spot points that are rarely seen in the legal problems that they often give you. This isn't as difficult as it sounds, you just have to spend some time thinking about it.
As a rule try to be as innovative as you can and don't just settle for what you think is a "good" answer, try to think what you can add to make what you are saying better. Examples of ways to do this is, like as has been suggested, to argue more than one point of view but it is important that you leave "room" for the interviewer to discuss the issues with you as well.
You are likely to get more than one question on a legal problem, so it is important that you don't make the interviewer "dry-up" his questions before s/he has posed them to you.