History & joint schools interviews
Thank you for applying to Oxford to study History, History & Politics or History & Modern Languages.
The History interviewing team at Hertford is comprised of Professor David Hopkin, Dr Giora Sternberg, Dr Luke Blaxill, Dr Emily Winkler. Between us, we have a wide range of historical interests. You will normally see two of us at each part of the interview.
Applicants for Single Honours History will have one 30-minute interview, roughly divided into two parts. Joint Schools applicants (History & Politics and History & Modern Languages) will have one 20-minute History interview and a separate interview with their respective subject’s tutors. Please see the Modern Languages section for more information on these interviews.
The History interview will focus in the first instance on the piece of written work you submitted with your application. We will discuss the content of your work and how the work fits into your studies, along with the arguments you have made and your interpretation of the topic at hand. We’re interested in how you develop your ideas beyond those presented in the written work, how you engage with our questions, and how you think on your feet. In the remainder, we may discuss issues raised in your personal statement and your historical interests more broadly.
Take your time, think through your responses, and try to enjoy the opportunity to talk about subjects which fascinate you. Don’t worry about getting everything right: we are looking for potential, not a perfectly polished performance. To some extent, interviews resemble Oxford’s style of tutorial teaching, in which you build upon your independent research in dialogue with your tutor and usually one or two other students. Both tutorials and interviews can be dynamic, intellectually rigorous and enjoyable.
You will need a device with access to Microsoft Teams, a microphone and webcam to take part in the interviews. Take a look at our Online Interviews Technology page to find out more and watch an introductory video. If you have any questions or concerns about the technology set-up, you should email undergraduate.admissions@hertford.ox.ac.uk and we’ll do our best to help.