Cambridge insight

Hi,

Can someone who has gotten into Cambridge or at least had an interview tell me what helped them most In The application process and what thing they did in the interview made them stand out and be picked ? I am in year 12 ( as in September ) but I wanna mentally prepare for what is to come if in were to get an interview ( which is likely based on my grades hopefully) . What do they usually ask in interviews? ( pls reply anonymously if it’s not allowed to reveal interview details) no one seems to say what the interviews are like and i am so lost, is it like a job interview? Why is it heavily gatekeeped ? Thank you so much for your useful advice and insights.

If you search on YouTube, you'll see many examples of mock interviews, including some produced by colleges and departments.
Which subject(s) are you considering?

Hi,
Can someone who has gotten into Cambridge or at least had an interview tell me what helped them most In The application process and what thing they did in the interview made them stand out and be picked ? I am in year 12 ( as in September ) but I wanna mentally prepare for what is to come if in were to get an interview ( which is likely based on my grades hopefully) . What do they usually ask in interviews? ( pls reply anonymously if it’s not allowed to reveal interview details) no one seems to say what the interviews are like and i am so lost, is it like a job interview? Why is it heavily gatekeeped ? Thank you so much for your useful advice and insights.

Medicine

I understand this is a forum rather than formal writing, but are you a native English speaker?

I don’t see the relevance to the post. Care to elaborate?

The relevance is that standards of written English are important if you're a realistic applicant. If your OP is purposefully written in a casual style (because it's a forum post, not formal writing) and/or you're a non-native speaker, then that's one thing. If your post, however, is an example of 'best' writing, then it's quite another. This is designed to help you. I didn't really understand the 'heavily gatekeeped' comment either. Care to elaborate?

Hi,
Can someone who has gotten into Cambridge or at least had an interview tell me what helped them most In The application process and what thing they did in the interview made them stand out and be picked ? I am in year 12 ( as in September ) but I wanna mentally prepare for what is to come if in were to get an interview ( which is likely based on my grades hopefully) . What do they usually ask in interviews? ( pls reply anonymously if it’s not allowed to reveal interview details) no one seems to say what the interviews are like and i am so lost, is it like a job interview? Why is it heavily gatekeeped ? Thank you so much for your useful advice and insights.

If I understand correctly, you're going into year 12 now. In my opinion, that's a bit early to be this worried about the interview stage. I get that the idea of it might be daunting or even nerve-wracking, but hyperfixating on it is only going to make you more anxious. The interview's an important part of the application process, but it's not the only part. Personally, I found it to be less scary or intimidating than I was expecting.
Instead right now, if you want to maximise your chances of getting in, you should focus on getting good (predicted) grades and doing supercurriculars (so not extracurriculars, but things related to your degree like essay contests, volunteering, work experience/shadowing...). This is going to be essential to even get you to the interview stage.
Also: yes, we are not allowed to share too much information about our interviews. People occasionally share a question or two on the internet, but giving a full breakdown of your interview can land you in trouble. Posting anonymously doesn't really change the fact that it's not allowed.
I also don't really think the interview process is as "gatekeeped" as you believe. Of course there's a discrepancy between schools (grammar schools and good state schools tend to organise mock interviews for example), between home students and internationals (home students are generally more familiar with the application process), and lastly, between students from an environment where many people went through interviews and students who don't know anyone like that. These are all things Cambridge doesn't have influence over, so it's hardly "gatekeeping". There are lots of resources online, mock interviews on YouTube, and people sharing their personal interviewing experience (there's even a website for this, someone on this forum will definitely have a link). However, part of how it works is that you're not supposed to know exactly what the interview will be like. They're not trying to trick you, but they will try to see how you handle unexpected questions.

Thank you so much this is the response I needed! Very helpful 😃 thank you soooo much