This page is part of the current applicants section and contains practical information for students with remote interviews and College Assessments (if relevant).

Your interview/s will take place ‘virtually’. There is information about the technology that will be needed in order to attend the interview in the stage 5 information. Below are some useful further pieces of information that you should read carefully before your interviews.

Please read your email on the day of your interview

In case there are any updates we need to get to you, e.g. if your interviewers are running 10 mins late and we are aware, we might send you an email (you should still knock at the same time in case they catch up with a shorter break, but be prepared to wait).
 

On your table as well as laptop etc, you should have:

  • A printed copy of your invitation to interview (with joining details for the first interview highlighted)
  • A photo ID document e.g. passport, provisional drivers licence, school ID
  • Pens and plenty of paper
  • Your mobile phone, on but set to silent (we want you to be able to receive messages from us if needed).
     

If your interview is in Whereby

There are a few really essential points:

  • Please make sure that you open a Chrome browser (Firefox also OK). Don't try to use a different browser - they're not fully supported and can create technical issues. You should check this in advance and download Google Chrome or Firefox if needed.
  • If doing the interviews at school, make sure that the school firewall allows use of Whereby (Whereby says: 'We require that outgoing traffic via TCP and UDP on port 443 is open'. Even if that makes no sense to you, please pass it on to your school's IT person.)
  • have a printed copy of your timetable on the table and highlight the link for your first interview so that you do not mix them up.
     

General information

  • You will not be asked to subscribe to any platforms as part of this process. However, you may be asked to download a free ‘app’ relating to the chosen platform, or invited to join your interview via a weblink. We will advise you of this in your invitation to interview.
     
  • Please make a careful note of any weblinks/passcodes before your interview/s and ensure that you download any apps well before the interview/s, so that you can check that they work.
     
  • For the interviews, please ensure that you have permitted camera and microphone functions on the device you are using, and ensure that you are clearly visible on screen. If you are using two cameras in your interview (if this applies to you, we will have told you in your invitation!!), please remember to mute and turn the volume off on your second device (i.e. smartphone).
     
  • You should also ensure that the device/s you are using for your interviews are fully charged and that you have access to a plug socket to charge your device during the interviews if necessary – please remember that video calls use a lot of power and batteries can run low very quickly.
  • The day before your interview you should check if your device and the browser or app you are using needs to be updated. If there are updates waiting to be installed, install them. 
  • Test in advance - do a practice call in the software you are using, with the device you plan to use and in the location you plan to use it (e.g. home or school). If your internet connection is weaker in your preferred location, try using an ethernet cable rather than wifi.  
     
  • There must not be anyone else in the interview room with you, or online (e.g. family member, other students), except for your interviewers and in some cases admissions staff from Christ's, who may be involved in setting up your interview or observing it in case of technical problems, for example.
     
  • If you have other technology in the room, please ensure it is turned to silent and flight mode, to maximise connectivity and to minimise the chance of interruptions.
     
  • You are not permitted to film or record your interview in any way.
     
  • Once you have either clicked on your weblink or entered your passcode (if relevant), you should wait to be admitted to your interview, following any on-screen prompts. If you have not been admitted to your interview more than five minutes after the scheduled start time, try logging on again, and if this fails, telephone the College Admissions Office for further guidance. If you are being held in a waiting room at this time, remain in the waiting room and ring the College Admissions Office (the number is on your invitation to interview).
     
  • If you are being interviewed in a technical subject where the interview/s may involve ‘workings’ we will tell you this in your invitation to interview, and we will tell you about the set up needed in your subject. Please note that you will not be disadvantaged by the equipment that is available to you.
     
  • If, during the interview, technical problems arise (for example, the screen freezes, or your connection ‘drops off’), in the first instance you should follow instructions from your interviewer/s if you can hear them. If you lose all connectivity, please disconnect and reconnect using the weblink/passcodes provided to you. Try this twice more, and if you are again unable to re-connect, please contact the Admissions Office on the telephone number provided on your invitation to interview. After the interview follow the instructions given to you by the Admissions Office (see What to do if you have a problem below). The interviewers will note disruptions to your interviews and you will not be disadvantaged by these. Please also see below the following bullet point.
     
  • In the event that your interview is subject to substantial technical problems that mean that your interviewer/s do not feel they have enough information to make a judgement on the interviews, the College Admissions Office will normally arrange to re-schedule your interview/s. You will be advised of this if it is the case.
     

What to do in case of problems

If you are ill and cannot attend your interview, please:

  • email the admissions office by 8am on the day of your interview (starting with name, subject, UCAS number) to let us know.
  • Also complete a second interview attendance reply form to confirm that you will not attend your interview and enter the reason.
  • wait to hear back from us (this will not always be immediate).
Interview issues form
Complete the interview issues form if you have problems in your interview.

If you attend your interview but experience technical or other difficulties in the interview or in another element of your timetable, please complete all other parts of your timetable and complete an issues form as soon as you are free to do so. Note: this is for problems of any kind.

If there are other circumstances around the time of interviews that we need to know (e.g. a family member dies, etc.), a member of school staff should send an email to admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk (main inbox this time) explaining the circumstances. They should include your name, subject (including Biological or Physical if Natural Sciences), UCAS number and the date of your interviews. We do not need emails repeating things we have already been told - this is for new things.
 

Contact details

You are asked to provide a phone number on the interview attendance reply form, and it is also a good idea to add your mobile phone number in your UCAS profile if you've not already done so.

The Admissions Office phone number is in your invitation to interview email, in the further notes.

NB At the beginning of the phone call we will want you to tell us your name and subject really clearly. We may also want you to spell your name. Please take time to do this before you tell us what the problem is - we can't help if we don't know who you are.
 

Back to the interviews section on the current applicants page.

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