Cambridge Philosophy Students and Applicants

Arghghh, I haven't got a decision yet, and this thread is taunting me even more.

I loved my interviews. Both were subject-specific; my general interview even more so than my actual subject interview.

I got the chance to meet all of my competition for Philosophy at Caius, so I think I've got a pretty good image of what's on offer.

What books did you read/discuss? I'm endlessly curious.

Reply 2

Yes, I've been pooled for philosophy too, but my original College was Trinity Hall. My interviews were AWFUL, so I suppose I'm glad to have the second chance of the pool (though I will never be pulled out because my interview notes will be terrible). In response to Nickk0, I read so many books/journals/papers, and didn't get a chance to discuss ANY of them in interview.
I'm sure our folders will have passed each other many times by now in the pool, and I look foward to hopefully seeing you (at one of the obscure less good colleges probably!) in 2008.

Reply 3

Have you e-mailed them??? Mind you, knowing you are in the pool is worse than not knowing anything! I just want to know now.

Well I haven't studies Philosophy academically so the books I talked about were mostly introductions like Simon Blackburn's 'Think' and then 'Sophie's World'. But in my general interview we mostly just talked about Peter Singer's 'Practical Ethics' so whether utilitarianism is good or not etc.
In fact I was the same as you because in my academic interview I hardly talked about what I'd read or my own interests at all...it was all logic games!!
I actually found the interviews really tough so I wasn't expecting a yes...but now I would rather have had a straight yes or no just so I know where I stand!!
Plus there were 7 of us going for it in Sidney where they normally only offer 1 or 2 places...so it was always going to be tough.

How about you??

Reply 4

I had the same odds as you at T Hall - quite tough! It's reassuring to know that other philosophy applicants haven't been picked out the pool yet, since some other people (e.g. Law at Magdalene) have been today or yesterday. I am guessing that the philosophy fellows are conforming to the philosopher stereotype and taking their time over it, probably whilst drinking absinthe!

Reply 5

Haha, a former Phil teacher in my school kept telling my class about how philosophical it was to smoke weed..

I have emailed and phoned them. No answer whatsoever.

Anyway, I got to discuss practically everything I had put on my PS in my general interview; every philosopher passed, and we spend loads of time on my 'speciality'. That was nice, at least I knew what I was talking about. Don't get me wrong; they weren't theoretical questions; still opinion + insight questions.

In my subject interview they deliberately chose a topic they knew I had never ever studied (and I know they did that deliberately, because they actually told me so). It was on aesthetics. Which was hard. Especially because I basically had to define aesthetics with no background information at all.

I'm pretty satisfied with my first interview, not so much with my second. The test was ok, haven't got a clue about how I did.

Btw; 9 applicants for (probably) 2 places at Caius.

Reply 6

NickkO

OK that sounds like quite a good interview. Best of luck for when you find out. If you are pooled, I look forward to seeing you there(!), but it sounds like you deserve an offer based on that. My interview wasn't very hard at all, and I STILL managed to mess it up and sound like a complete %%%%%%%%%%%%. I suppose I should be glad with the pool really...

Reply 7

why did it santa the word re_%%%%%%%%?? It's hardly obscene!

Reply 8

Hehe! You gotta admit the santas are quite cute tho!

Reply 9

What did you say? T_ard? Unfortunately it's not you making the decision. :frown:

You're, btw, the first Philosophy applicants I've met on TSR. I hope you get fished out!

Reply 10

Same here! I wish you all the best too. :smile:

Did either of you get interviewed by Arif Ahmed?
Or, in fact, who did you get interviewed by?

Reply 11

No, he's at Girton isn't he? He's supposed to be brilliant, or so I've heard.

I was interviewed by Dr. Oliver (subject), Dr. Vasalou (subject) and Dr. Altham (General).

2 interviewers for subject interview, because, or so I understood, Dr. Vasalou the DoS when Dr. Oliver is unavailable.

Reply 12

Aaaaaaah Dr Oliver is supposed to be amazing too...very into logic though, am I right?

Well yeah I thought Ahmed was just Girton and Robinson but it turns out I had him at Sidney too! He does have an amazing reputation and I cannot say anything bad about him from what I saw...but he did give me some INCREDIBLY hard logiccy questions so I was just wondering if other ppl had similar stuff. I also had Angela Breitenbach in my subject interview (with Ahmed) and then the college chaplain - Revd. Waddell, for my college interview.

Reply 13

Yes!!! He was a bit mean to me though...And yes, he is Girton.
He did seem like he might be quite amazing. Who else did you get interviewed by??

Reply 14

I had Dr. Ciara Fairley too

Reply 15

Oooooo ticos...did you get the questions about medieval definitions???

Reply 16

No, but that sounds hard. I got determinism/fatalism (can't even remember which one I got, since I got them completely confused in the intervie...whoops), and JTB. Did you have the same written test as me? Mine was about Little brother who kept stealing Older Brother's toys.

Reply 17

Yes Dr. Oliver was greaat... No logic-questions though. Probably because I'm more into continental/political/social (etc) philosophy if anything (though I do like logic, otherwhise Cambridge would be a wrong choice), and they did pick up on that. When they asked me "do you have any questions?", I asked them a theoretical question on Nietzsche. They didn't have a clue, but then again - Nietzsche is quite the opposite of Oliver's interests, I suppose.

Reply 18

GAH! I had that test! :biggrin:

Edit: Though I just read a topic on how admissions tutors were angry at applicants for giving away exact interview/test questions on TSR.. So we probably shouldn't elaborate.

Reply 19