Interviewing in: History
Background on subject
History has significant overlap with a variety of courses including English, Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Archaeology, Anthropology and Classics.
The course offers the chance for students to engage with and interrogate the events and accounts of the past. Students have to sit the History Admissions Assessment (Cambridge) or the History Admissions Test (HAT).
Can I interview in this subject?
You do not have to have studied History at university to give a robust and rigorous practice interview in this subject.
Volunteers from the following subjects, or similar, will also be able to deliver History interviews: English, Politics, Philosophy, Economics, Archaelogy, Anthropology and Classics.
Interview types
There are two different types of practice interviews in History, which you may be asked to deliver.
Interview on 'application material' - asking the students' questions about their personal statement, or an essay they will submit as part of their application
Interview on 'unseen material' - asking the students' questions on an article, study, or research paper they have not seen before, testing how they handle new material
SAMPLE Resources
Below you can access a folder of resources for conducting History interviews:
Interview on application material - you can see a sample personal statement, highlighted with examples of questions which could be asked
Interview on unseen material - you can see examples of articles which have previously been given to students, along with questions
These resources are intended for inspiration - to give you an idea of the level, length and themes of the material we use in our practice interviews. However, should you wish to use this material in the practice interviews you deliver, just let us know so we can make sure returning students haven't seen it before!
Meet one of our VOLUNTEER INTERVIEWERS: RACHAEL
I am currently a DPhil student at the University of Oxford, having completed a MPhil in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies (University of Oxford) and a BA in Study of Religions and History (SOAS). My research centers around the autobiography of a prominent eighteenth-century Tibetan lama, and what this work reveals about the socio-political climate of Tibet, Mongolia, and China at the time.
I also work as Junior Dean of St Hilda's College, University of Oxford, and Tutor in Tibetan History at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford
I run History mock interviews with OxFizz to fundraise for Branch Up, a student-run charity that tackles extra-curricular disadvantage in and around Oxford. Also, I believe Oxbridge should be an entitlement for all students, and I feel that volunteering at OxFizz is a way of aiding that.
