HSPS interview prep

how are people prepping for an interview? i'm so lost + plsu my school is on break and hardly has any oxbridge applicants so any guidance would be great

Hey folks, fellow Cam alumni here. Flashcards is a great start - I would defo us them and write down questions across the disciplines and literally test myself or have a conversation with a friend about the question itself. As HSPS at Cambridge is a broad spectrum and mix of different subjects, I'd try to be as broad as possible. Read widely about the past year so that you're caught up with recent examples of news items and events that may come in handy during the interview. Now, for all Cambridge interviews, the interviewers are always trying to decipher why you? Why is your take on this matter, worthwhile? They are measuring your potential to think wide and deep about a specific issue, and demonstrating a variety of opinions/perspectives. Be bold in what you say and portray that you can hold a range of contrasting and sometimes contradictory arguments in tension. But make sure you have a take. What I mean by this, is that you demonstrate the ability to make a choice in perspective and are able to back this up. Go through the big questions in the following disciplines: Anthropology, Sociology, Politics, Political Philosophy, History of Science. And when you get to know who your interviewers are, research them - almost everyone in HSPS has a speciality. Read more about them and their research so that you're likely to know what type of questions they may ask. Your friend is not necessarily agreeing with their point of view, your friend is ensuring that you bring something new to the table of discussion. Hope that helps!

Hey folks, fellow Cam alumni here. Flashcards is a great start - I would defo us them and write down questions across the disciplines and literally test myself or have a conversation with a friend about the question itself. As HSPS at Cambridge is a broad spectrum and mix of different subjects, I'd try to be as broad as possible. Read widely about the past year so that you're caught up with recent examples of news items and events that may come in handy during the interview. Now, for all Cambridge interviews, the interviewers are always trying to decipher why you? Why is your take on this matter, worthwhile? They are measuring your potential to think wide and deep about a specific issue, and demonstrating a variety of opinions/perspectives. Be bold in what you say and portray that you can hold a range of contrasting and sometimes contradictory arguments in tension. But make sure you have a take. What I mean by this, is that you demonstrate the ability to make a choice in perspective and are able to back this up. Go through the big questions in the following disciplines: Anthropology, Sociology, Politics, Political Philosophy, History of Science. And when you get to know who your interviewers are, research them - almost everyone in HSPS has a speciality. Read more about them and their research so that you're likely to know what type of questions they may ask. Your friend is not necessarily agreeing with their point of view, your friend is ensuring that you bring something new to the table of discussion. Hope that helps!

so would talking about books/wider reading i have done on each disciple of HSPS be enough? i just don't want the reading i have done to be not enough and under-perform in the interview? also would i have time to do all of that?