劍橋大學招生辦：如何準備劍橋大學面試？（第二篇）

在《劍橋大學招生辦：如何準備劍橋大學面試？（第一篇）》中，我們大致了解了劍橋招生辦為什麼要舉行面試，以及如何準備面試。那麼，劍橋的面試包含了哪些內容，又有什麼額外需要注意的事項呢？下面讓我們來聽聽劍橋招生辦是怎麼說的吧！

面試中都包含了什麼？

劍橋大學的面試在不同學科、不同學院間是有差別的，但以下的信息可以為你提供一份指導，讓你對面試有一個初步的了解。你的學院將會向您發放詳細的信息以及面試建議，解釋如何去面試地點、格式以及對你的期望。如果面試需要你在當地過夜，請不用擔心，學院會為你免費提供住宿和餐飲。

一、面試什麼時候開始？

面試通常會於12月的前三周在劍橋舉行。少數申請人也許會被安排到1月份來參加面試。如果你決定了要申請劍橋，請把這段時間預留出來。另外，學校也會進行一些海外面試，這些面試可能會被安排的更早，並且有更早的申請截止日期。

請記住，雖然面試是申請的最終環節，但這並不是「最後的一關」，並且面試表現不會成為申請最終結果的唯一依據。

二、我將會進行幾輪面試，與誰進行面試？

你將會有1-3輪面試（大多數情況下是2輪），每一輪面試將持續20到45分鐘。不同學科、不同學院的面試形式和時長也不盡相同，需要進行幾輪面試還要看你所申請學院的安排。屆時，我們會提前向你告知相關面試信息。

面試內容主要是偏向於學術性並且與專業相關。你的一、二輪面試將會與你所申請專業的專家交談，專家中有一位通常會是學院研究主任，他將會監督、檢查您在劍橋的學習和進步。此外，可能會有另一個與您的專業沒有直接關係的人參與進你的面試，他也許是負責該學院招生的老師，來與你進行話題更廣泛的面談。

三、我需要參加筆試嗎？

如果你申請的課程需要對你進行筆試評估，你將會在面試當天參加筆試。筆試不需要提前註冊，面試的學院將提供完整信息。如果你對此有任何疑問，請聯繫學院。

四、面試官尋找的是什麼？

面試的核心目的是探討您的學術潛力、動機和對所選課程的適合性。旨在評估你的：

解決問題的能力

2. 新思想和新信息的接收能力

3. 隨機應變和分析推理能力

請你記住，面試官不會故意為難你，他們只是想考驗你獨立思考的能力，看你如何將現有的知識和技能應用到不熟悉的問題上。面試有助於面試官考察你對劍橋大學教學方法的適應性，這在某種程度上與監督管理相似。

五、我將會被問到什麼問題？

面試是以討論為基礎的，主要是與學術和學科相關的，因此您會被問到以下問題：

與您申請的課程相關
關於您在書面申請材料中提供的信息

在所有的專業中，我們尋找的是學識熱情和對於學科獨立思考的能力。

你可能會發現有些問題很有挑戰性，這是由於面試官們的目的是鼓勵你獨立思考，看你如何開展一個論點或解決一個問題。如果你沒有即刻對所問的問題做出回答，也不必驚慌。

請記住：

面試官希望了解您如何思考和應用當前的知識，如何對現有知識進行擴展並將其應用於不熟悉的領域，而不是考察你對該領域了解多少；
對於所問的問題，常常沒有絕對正確或絕對錯誤的答案。一般來說，獲得答案的過程比答案本身更重要；
不要害怕嘗試新的想法，如果你對某件事物不了解，不要羞於啟齒，你完全可以在有需要的時候，請求面試官對問題做出解釋；
用你自己的方式回答問題，面試官希望聽到你對所申請課程的想法；不要只說你認為面試官希望你說的話，或者你的老師或其他人希望你說的話。

六、特定專題面試

本次面試的目的是評估你對所申請專業的理解以及您在劍橋學習的潛力。這將涉及到：

與你所選課程相關的具有挑戰性的討論，其中可能包括你最近的學術工作中涉及的主題，以及在您的書面申請材料中提到的主體（例如更廣泛的閱讀和工作經驗）；
通過討論以前從未遇到過的問題，來考驗來將現有知識應用於新情形下的能力。

如果你申請的是非學校學科（non-school subject），例如醫學或工程學，你應該具備該領域的一些背景及相關知識。

對於某些課程，一些學院可能會要求你閱讀一篇文章/一段文字/散文，並會在面試中與你討論這些內容。如果面試官希望你提前在家裡/來劍橋面試之前閱讀並思考相關資料，學院將在面試邀請函中提供所有細節。亦或是，他們可能會要求您在面試開始前閱讀相關資料。但無論如何，學院都會在邀請函中解釋面試的形式，如果你有任何疑問，請聯繫學院諮詢。

七、一般學術面試

你也可能參加一般性的學術面試，這可能會涉及到：

擴展討論您在個人陳述中提供的信息，以便記錄你所寫的內容；
為什麼你想來劍橋，為什麼你對你想要申請的專業感興趣；
關於你更廣泛的學術工作/興趣，以及未來你所希望從事的職業（如果你在這個階段沒有明確的計劃，也不必擔心）。

八、課外活動是否會被考慮在內？

儘管在某些課外活動中取得的成就可能令人印象深刻，但其並不會影響你的申請。然而，面試官經常會詢問你在申請表中提到的、與你打算學習的課程有關的其他興趣或經驗。如果你在申請材料中對一個作家，或是最近的一篇文章或一個項目，或是你所做過的一些工作或旅行表達了特別的興趣，準備好被問到相關問題。

九、我應該穿什麼？

我們不會對你的衣服或外表進行品評估，所以沒有必要穿得很正式，也沒有必要穿西裝。但是，你可能也不想看起來像是準備去健身房或出去玩一晚的樣子吧！因此，最好的方式是穿你覺得舒服的衣服，不要被其他申請者選擇穿去面試的衣服所耽誤。

Ref：

University of Cambridge. (n.d.). What do interviews involve? Retrieved from

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/interviews/what-do-interviews-involve

【英文原文】

What do interviews involve?

Cambridge interviews vary from subject to subject and from College to College, but the information below provides a guide as to what you can expect.

Your College will send out detailed information and advice about interviews, explaining where to go, the format and what will be expected of you. If you』re asked to stay overnight, the College will normally cover the cost of your accommodation and meals.

When do the interviews take place?

Interviews usually take place in Cambridge during the first three weeks of December. A small number of candidates may be asked to attend a further interview in January. If you decide to apply, keep this time free of any unbreakable commitments!

The University conducts a number of overseas interviews. These may take place earlier and involve an earlier application deadline.

Although interviews take place towards the end of the application process, it』s important to remember that they aren』t a 『final hurdle』 and that performance at interview alone doesn』t determine the outcome of an application.

How many interviews will I have and who will they be with?

Youll have one, two or three interviews (most commonly two), each lasting between 20 and 45 minutes. The exact form and length of interviews vary from College to College and between subjects. How many interviews youll have depends on the College to which you applied/were allocated. However, youll be told what to expect in advance.

Interviews are predominantly academic and subject-related. One or two will be with specialists in the subject youve applied for, one of whom is usually the College Director of Studies who would oversee your academic studies and progress at Cambridge.

There may be another more general interview with someone not directly related to your subject, probably a College Admissions Tutor, the person in charge of admissions for that College.

Will I have to sit a written assessment?

If you』re applying for a course which has an at-interview written assessment you will normally sit this on the same day as your interview(s). No advance registration is required for at-interview written assessments and your interviewing College will provide full information.

If youre in any doubt about what to expect, please contact the College and ask.

What are the interviewers looking for?

The main focus of interviews is to explore your academic potential, motivation and suitability for your chosen course. Questions are designed to assess your:

problem-solving abilities
assimilation of new ideas and information
intellectual flexibility and analytical reasoning

It』s important for you to remember that interviewers won』t be trying to 『catch you out』, but will be challenging you to think for yourself and show how you can apply your existing knowledge and skills laterally to unfamiliar problems.

Interviews help selectors to gauge how you would respond to the teaching methods used at Cambridge. Interviews are similar in many ways to supervisions.

What will I be asked?

Interviews are discussion-based, predominantly academic and subject-related, so youll be asked questions:

relevant to the course youve applied for
about the information you provided in your written application

In all subjects, were looking for informed enthusiasm and an ability to think independently about your subject.

Youll probably find some of the questions quite challenging. Theyre designed to encourage you to think for yourself and develop an argument or tackle a problem. Dont panic if you dont immediately have an answer to a question.

Remember:

interviewers want to find out how you think and apply your current knowledge, how well you can expand on and apply your existing knowledge to unfamiliar problems rather than how much you know.
very often there are no right or wrong answers to the questions asked. Its the process of reaching your answer thats generally of more significance than the answer itself.
dont be afraid to consider new ideas but if you dont understand something, say so and feel free to ask for clarification at any point if you need it.
answer the questions in your own way, the interviewers want to hear what you have to say about your subject; dont just say what you think the interviewers want you to say or what your teachers or others would want you to say.

Subject-specific academic interview

The purpose of this interview is to assess your understanding of your subject and your potential for studying it at Cambridge. You should expect:

a challenging discussion relating to your chosen course, which may include topics covered in your recent academic work and raised in your written application (eg wider reading and work experience)
to be asked to apply your existing knowledge to new situations by discussing problems that youve not previously encountered

If youre applying for a non-school subject such as Medicine or Engineering, you should have some background knowledge of the field and what it involves.

For some courses, some Colleges may ask you to read an article/piece of text/prose which will be discussed in the interview. If this is required and it』s something they want you to read and think about at home/before you come to Cambridge, the College will provide all the details in the letter inviting you to interview. Alternatively, they may ask you to read something just before you go in for your interview. In all cases, the College will explain the format of the interview in the invitation letter and if you have any queries, please contact the College to ask.

General academic interview

You may also have a general academic interview, where you may be asked:

to expand on the information you gave in your personal statement so keep a record of what you wrote
why you want to come to Cambridge, and why youre interested in your subject
about your wider academic work/interests and what you hope to do in the future as a career. However, dont worry if you havent got any definite plans at this stage

Are extra-curricular activities taken into account?

While achievements in particular extra-curricular activities may be impressive, getting an offer of a place isnt influenced by them. However, interviewers often ask about other interests or experience that you mention in your application where theyre of relevance to the course that you intend to study. If youve expressed a particular interest – in an author perhaps, or a recent article or programme, or some work or travelling youve done – be prepared to be asked about it.

What should I wear?

Youre not being assessed on your clothes or appearance so theres no need to dress formally, and its not necessary to wear a suit. On the other hand, you might not want to look as though youre going to the gym or for a night out!

The best rule to follow is to wear whatever you feel comfortable in and dont be put off by what other people choose to wear to their interview.

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