Original post by mymelo
i have anxiety and any conversation is so so stressful for me. when i talk to my teachers i burn up turn red and tremble a bit and it's so hard i don't know how i'm going to cope in my cambridge interview does anyone have advice
Hi @mymelo,
I'm sorry to hear that you're undergoing such stress for this interview. To be honest with you, I feel the same way when I prepare for any type of interview as well. Interview anxiety is a lot more common than you think it is.
First off, I think one thing you can do to minimise your anxiety is to prepare the best you can for the interview. Thoroughly research the types of questions you would expect to hear, perhaps you could read up on threads from other Cambridge students who have sat through interviews. The more you prepare yourself for it, the more confident and ready you'll feel. Practice answering these common interview questions, and consider doing mock interviews with a friend or family member.
Shift your focus from trying to be perfect to effectively communicating your qualifications and interest in the your applied course. Concentrate on delivering your character, and showing off your passions rather than obsessing over a perfect performance.
On the day of the interview, practice deep breathing exercises to help calm your nerves. Deep breaths can reduce physiological signs of anxiety. Demonstrating further confidence to the interviewer. I hope you understand that it's completely normal to feel anxious before your interview.
I wish you the best of luck!
Danish
BCU Student Rep
If you're officially diagnosed with anxiety by a doctor and can provide medical evidence (if needed), you can ask your school to inform Cambridge of this so that reasonable adjustments/allowances can be made
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
If you're officially diagnosed with anxiety by a doctor and can provide medical evidence (if needed), you can ask your school to inform Cambridge of this so that reasonable adjustments/allowances can be made
i'm not diagnosed unfortunately, so i can't.
if this sounds like i'm using the term anxiety lightly, i'm not. i've researched it, my parents have researched it, and we all are pretty certain i have it.
i'm hoping they'll be able to tell i'm very anxious and realise that some of my mistakes are down to nerves...
Original post by mymelo
i'm not diagnosed unfortunately, so i can't.
if this sounds like i'm using the term anxiety lightly, i'm not. i've researched it, my parents have researched it, and we all are pretty certain i have it.
i'm hoping they'll be able to tell i'm very anxious and realise that some of my mistakes are down to nerves...
if this sounds like i'm using the term anxiety lightly, i'm not. i've researched it, my parents have researched it, and we all are pretty certain i have it.
i'm hoping they'll be able to tell i'm very anxious and realise that some of my mistakes are down to nerves...
Oh I wasn't meaning to accuse you of using the term lightly - apologies if that's how my post came across
I just meant that diagnosed anxiety counts as a disability, and universities should be informed of disabilities to help them make reasonable adjustments. Cambridge Directors of Studies are no doubt very experienced in interviewing, and will be able to tell the difference between someone who is anxious and therefore struggling to get their point across, and someone who just genuinely has nothing worthwhile/interesting to say/contribute
I know of a case at Oxford where the applicant was given 5 interviews at five different colleges, because they wanted to give him the best chance possible to put his best foot forward 
Good luck
Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd
Oh I wasn't meaning to accuse you of using the term lightly - apologies if that's how my post came across I just meant that diagnosed anxiety counts as a disability, and universities should be informed of disabilities to help them make reasonable adjustments.
Cambridge Directors of Studies are no doubt very experienced in interviewing, and will be able to tell the difference between someone who is anxious and therefore struggling to get their point across, and someone who just genuinely has nothing worthwhile/interesting to say/contribute I know of a case at Oxford where the applicant was given 5 interviews at five different colleges, because they wanted to give him the best chance possible to put his best foot forward
Good luck
I just meant that diagnosed anxiety counts as a disability, and universities should be informed of disabilities to help them make reasonable adjustments. Cambridge Directors of Studies are no doubt very experienced in interviewing, and will be able to tell the difference between someone who is anxious and therefore struggling to get their point across, and someone who just genuinely has nothing worthwhile/interesting to say/contribute
I know of a case at Oxford where the applicant was given 5 interviews at five different colleges, because they wanted to give him the best chance possible to put his best foot forward Good luck
thank you for the advice! 😀 and no it didnt sound like you were accusing me of using it lightly i just wanted to clarify!
Original post by mymelo
thank you for the advice! 😀 and no it didnt sound like you were accusing me of using it lightly i just wanted to clarify!
No worries at all! Wishing you the best of luck. Just try to talk them through your thinking process when answering a question - doesn't matter how slow or stumbled or red-faced you might be
