Practical Arrangements for Interview Candidates

We advise that all candidates bring a bottle of water and wear suitable clothing. You will be walking around the College grounds to get to your interviews, so please ensure you are wearing enough layers on the day - Cambridge can get cold. Those candidates who have pre-interview reading might find it helpful to a bring pen, paper and highlighters in case they wish to make notes. Those candidates applying for Architecture and Design MUST bring their portfolio with them to interview.

Yes, you can bring your phone, but we strongly advise that you switch it off while you are in King’s. This will ensure that it doesn’t vibrate or ring while you are doing pre-reading or in interview, and distract you or other candidates.

There is no dress-code for the interviews. We want you to be as comfortable as possible, so please prioritise personal comfort over everything else. King’s is a very relaxed college, and many of your interviewers will be dressed in very casual clothes.

Yes, our Coffee Shop will be a designated luggage store during interview week. The coffee shop is located right next to the College Bar (where you’ll come for your ID check), so please please speak to the interview helpdesk if you would like to leave your luggage. Please note, the room won’t be kept under surveillance, so you will be leaving your luggage at your own risk and you will be required to remove your luggage promptly after your last interview. No luggage will be held in the coffee shop overnight.

If you are being interviewed in person and your subject requires you to undertake pre-interview reading, you will collect your pre-interview reading from one of our graduate helpers in Chetwynd Room, and will then be expected to read it in silence either in the Chetwynd Room, or Keynes Lecture Hall (the Gradual Helpers will direct you). If you are being interviewed online and one of our graduate helpers, who will monitor you while you undertake the reading. Whether you are being interviewed in person or online, you can highlight the text and make notes, but you should not use your phone or any other device to look-up aspects of what you are reading. It is imperative that candidates do not share the pre-interview reading with anyone else, whether any other candidates and/or family members, friends, and/or the general public.

Absolutely! You are free to leave the College and explore Cambridge between interviews, but please keep an eye on the time to ensure you are back in College promptly and do not arrive late to your interview.

Yes, admissions candidates who have time between interviews and would like a quiet place to study are welcome to use the College Library during opening times when it is staffed (09:00 - 17:15 Monday to Friday). The Library entrance is in Webb’s Court and is marked on the map of King’s College. To gain access you will need to press the buzzer on the left of the door and say that you are an admissions candidate when the Library staff answer. They will then release the door to enable you to enter and go up the stairs into the library.

If you are staying in King’s accommodation, you can eat your evening meal and breakfast in the servery for free (you will be given food vouchers when you collect your accommodation keys, please ensure you take them with you to the College dining hall when you collect your food). For students who are FSM eligible, you can eat your lunch in the servery for free, regardless of whether or not you are staying overnight. When you check in with our student helpers, they will have a list of all those who are eligible for free school meals, and will give you a voucher you can use in the servery. For all other students, you will be unable to use the servery to purchase food during your interview, however there are lots of nice cafes and market stalls a 5/10mins walk away from the College, where you can purchase something to eat. In addition, our student helpers will be running a daily trip to Sainsbury’s, meeting at the Porters’ lodge at 12noon, for anyone who wants this slightly cheaper option. Just show up to the Porters’ Lodge and walk with our student helpers to Sainsbury to purchase the food that you want.

You must attend the interview alone. If you are being interviewed online, you must confirm to the interviewers that you do not have anyone else in the room with you for the duration of the interview (and pre-reading). If you are being interviewed in person, your parents can come with you to the porters’ lodge, but should neither come with you to the interview or pre-reading, or come into King’s grounds to wait for you.

Whilst we are happy for parents/guardians to drop interview candidates off at our Porters Lodge, they are not allowed to accompany the student beyond this point. The interview candidate must attend their interview and/or test rooms alone. We regret that it is not possible for family or supporters to stay overnight in College or to use the King’s servery.

It is very important that you aim to arrive at King’s with a lot of time to spare for your interview, as our ability to re-schedule in-person interviews is very limited. If, however, you do encounter an issue that means that you may be late, please contact undergraduate.admissions@kings.cam.ac.uk as soon as possible.

We will be running a series of online Q&A sessions during the week before interviews, where you can get answers to any questions you may have from current King’s students and a member of the Admissions Team. The times of these sessions, and the links to join, are as follows: Monday 2nd December, 5pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83646471304 Thursday 5th December, 11am: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85706304085 Thursday 5th December, 5pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81621685902

We will have a helpdesk run by student helpers based in the college bar, from 8am - 6pm each day, and from 4pm - 6pm on Sunday 8th December. Our student helpers will be available for any support you might need, from directions around the college to questions you may have about the interviews themselves, or even if you’d just like someone to talk to. Please do make sure to stop by and say hello!

Our student helpers will be located in the College Bar, ready to help you with directions. If you are unsure about where to go, please do consult them – that is what they are there for.

You will receive an email before the interview explaining the measures we have put in place to accommodate your needs. This includes adjustments made to the interview and pre-reading, as well as any additional concerns you asked us to bring up with the interviewers. If this email does not match your expectations, it is imperative that you get in touch with us before the interview, so that we can make sure that all appropriate accommodations are in place.

Please do ask the interviewers to repeat a question if you do not hear it, and/or to reframe it if you do not understand. We want to get the most out of you in the interview, so you need to assist us in doing that. Please also feel free to ask to take some time to think. We realise it’s a very challenging situation and that you might need to take time to think through your responses.

Do not panic. Try to re-connect. If you continue to have difficulties, email the admissions team. If it is not possible to re-connect you, and/or the disruption is significant, they can arrange for another interview for you.