Applying to Cambridge might seem daunting and stressful, especially with so many colleges to choose from. To make things easier, here’s some information and advice on what to expect if you decide to apply here.

Can I visit Sidney Sussex before applying?

Of course you can! We hold open days three times a year, in July, April and September. You’ll get to quiz students and tutors on everything you want to know, and have the chance to look around the college itself, including all the facilities and accommodation. Even if you can’t come on an official college open day, visitors are always welcome and if you contact us beforehand we’ll make sure there is a member of staff and, if possible, a student on hand to show you round and answer any questions you might have.

The Application Process

• When filling out your UCAS form online, you’ll also have to specify a college code as well as selecting “Cambridge University” (Sidney is no. 03 although this information will be available on UCAS). The deadline for this is around October 15th, well in advance of the UCAS deadline for other UK universities, so make sure you’re not rushing to get things done the night before!

• Within a month or so of sending your application, you should receive an invite to interview. This letter will also detail any work you need to send in, usually two pieces (generally for arts rather than science subjects). Don’t worry about preparing anything special, just send in something you’ve done as ordinary school or coursework which is unaltered and has been marked by your teacher. This way, interviewers can see exactly what you know and where there’s room for improvement as well as any suggestions your teacher has made.

• Sidney, like all colleges, holds its interviews in the first two weeks of December. For most subjects, you will have two or three interviews, each with more than one academic and at least one with your subject specialist (the person who will most likely supervise you or be your Director of Studies if you study here). Be prepared to be asked difficult questions, but don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers. Interviewers want to see how you think and how much interest you have for your subject, rather than how many obscure facts you can reel off. If you need accommodation the night before or the night of your interview, college provides rooms and breakfast to those travelling some distance, so don’t worry about having to do anything in a rush.

• Many subjects will also make you sit a written test of some kind and/or prepare some material to discuss at your interview. These could involve commenting on a text or source, completing mathematical or scientific exercises or translation a passage into/from a foreign language. These exercises designed to seem harder than what you’re studying at A Level, but will require the same sort of skills so try not to fret over them!

• Interview Content: the interviews will focus mainly on your subject and your passion for it. If you look nervous, you may get asked some warm-up questions, which won’t be counted in your assessment, such as how your journey was. You will NOT, however, be asked anything in relation to why you chose Sidney, as it is unfair to open applicants, so do not worry about finding a good reason for this!