For applicants hoping to study a Humanities subject, given that reading academic material will form the basis of your degree, it’s important you look at a list of Oxbridge interview recommended reading material for topics that might come up.
Getting your reading technique sorted before an Oxbridge interview is a really great advantage. Starting with the Oxbridge interview recommended reading list, you can start preparing the reading topics with the process below.
How to choose from the Oxbridge Interview Recommended Reading List
You might be wondering – how can I choose what material I read so that I am best prepared for the Oxbridge interview questions?
The most obvious answer is to read about what you are interested in. However, being systematic about this as well as selective is, in fact, a really good skill which will prepare you not just for Oxbridge interview questions, but for studying at University itself.
Here are some approaches to building up your reading library and preparing for the unknown at an Oxbridge interview.
- Look at the Oxbridge interview recommended reading lists published online, or which you have collected at an open day.
- Consult past students, including the UniAdmissions tutors!
- Start with articles, and look at their bibliographies or perhaps literature reviews.
- Identify your topic of interest, and then follow blogs, medium profiles, social media, podcasts, videos and lectures etc.
The Next step is to Organise your Reading
In order to best face the dreaded and hardest of Oxbridge interview questions, it is really important to review and organise your reading! Each time you read a new source it is helpful to go through some sort of process to make sure you digest what you’ve read.
As an Oxbridge interview recommended reading strategy, I would suggest you make set up some sort of table or book review which you fill out for each reading. This way, you can keep track and be prepared to use them in answer to any Oxbridge interview questions.
Here is a suggested format:
| Book Title & Author | |
| Date Read | |
| Author’s Main Argument & Key Ideas | Look out for: any points of view which the author supports or challenges. Make note of any new concepts that the author proposes and any key debates with which the author engages. |
| Useful Facts Learnt | Note down any interesting/useful bits of information you picked up. |
| Analysis | In this section think about: Who is the author? Are they known for advocating a particular position? Type of source? What are the limitations of this text as a source? Are there any challenges I make to the author’s argument? How does their argument fit with the time/geography/politics of writing? What might or might not affect any bias of the source? Which bits do I agree a date disagree with? What questions might I like to ask the author? |
Keep a record of these tables and read over them before you go into the interview . It’s especially important to do this for those sources you have mentioned on your personal statement as part of the Oxbridge interview recommended reading.
Highlight those mentioned or stick post-it notes on them so you can find them easily.
You can do this exercise by hand or digitally (however you work best), but make sure you summarise your thoughts as best you can! You really want to show the difference between just reading a source to being able to understand the source you are reading and process the key ideas.
Each subject will also have a slightly different approach to analysing sources.
You’ll get a full non-specimen reading list with UniAdmissions when you enrol on any Programme.
Reading makes up a fair portion of your application and helps Oxbridge admissions tutors understand you as a candidate, as well as proving your interest and passion for the subject.
Discover our Premium Programmes to enrol and become the well-rounded candidate Oxbridge are looking for.
