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, Professor Giora Sternberg, Dr Luke Blaxill and 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 two interviews, the first longer (25–30 minutes), the second shorter (15–20 minutes). Joint Schools applicants (History & Politics and History & Modern Languages) will have one 30-minute History interview and a separate interview with their respective subject’s tutors. Please see the Modern Languages and PPE sections for more information on these interviews.
The longer interview will focus on historical ideas. We will supply you with a text written by a historian – not something we think you’ll have encountered before, so in theory there’s no possibility of preparation. We’ll want to find out, first, what you understand that historian to say, and secondly, what you think of those ideas, whether you’ve encountered them in your own studies, and whether you think they might have any relevance to them. We may also discuss the history you’ve been working on at school, the sources you’ve encountered, and how you engage with the questions they throw up.
In the second interview we will present you with a primary source, and again it will probably be something you’ve not seen before. We’ll ask you how you might interpret that source, and what you think we can learn, as historians, from it. As in the first interview, we’re interested in how you develop your ideas, 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.