My name is Freddie, and I study Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. It is a rewarding course – the possibilities are many, the faculty welcoming and the facilities excellent.
I vacillated till the very end regarding my choice of subject; ultimately, the flexibility of the Theology course prevailed. It is sometimes assumed that Theology need only be studied by those preparing for ministry. This is not the case: students can approach the degree with varying aspirations – the papers run the gamut from philosophical to sociological perspectives on religion. Those with an interest in language-learning should note that Koine Greek, Hebrew, Qur’anic and Sanskrit are on offer.
A combination of supervisions, lectures, seminars and Sanskrit classes constitute my typical week. The timetable is, by Oxbridge norms, not too demanding: there is rarely more than one hour-long lecture a day.
Language classes – in my case, Sanskrit – are a compulsory element of a Theology undergraduate’s first year, and consequently demand considerable academic focus. Language classes vary in frequency, but five hours of language lessons per week and an equal amount spent on independent study and consolidation is an adequate rule of thumb. Supervisions are a weekly occurrence (generally one per week), too, and generally account for the most intense hour of a theologian’s week. Despite this, the Theology student’s schedule initially appears largely empty. Do not be deceived: many of those unallotted hours are to be spent in the library writing an essay for the week’s supervision. I made the mistake of assuming my first term to be one of leisure, interrupted only sporadically by bursts of academic rigour. I was misguided in that expectation. The pairing of an Oxbridge degree and a humanities subject results in a course that demands a large amount of independent study. This is not to say that Theology is a burdensome subject – it is no more taxing than any other, and my weeks are still less exhausting than those of my STEM counterparts – but rather that it is incumbent on the Theology student to cultivate a habit of independent study.
My interview experience was initially intimidating. This was inevitable – the grandeur of the surroundings made sure of that. My fears, though, were soon allayed by the genial faculty. The stereotype Oxbridge interviewers is one of which we are all aware – that they are contemptuous dons, waiting eagerly for an embarrassing mistake from their interviewees. This is categorically not the case. They were endlessly supportive and largely unobtrusive (though their interjection in an interviewee’s answer is not to be taken as a mistake on the latter’s part – to the contrary, it shows that they are engaged); their goal is to examine your thought process and occasionally provide an encouraging intellectual prod. It is therefore not at all a reason for panic if you cannot discern an answer to a question: a thoughtful examination of why you take the question to be insolvable is often preferable to a binary answer. I had three interviews which varied widely in their subject matter. Two of my three interviews required pre-reading (which consisted of passages of text and related questions), one involved a brief linguistics exercise and one required that I analyse a series of profound philosophical dilemmas. Regardless of the task at hand, it is a comforting truth that a successful interview does not demand a string of correct answers or lofty insights. It is natural to feel dissatisfied after an interview, and to analyse, on a granular level, each answer given. These feelings, though, often bear no correlation to the actual substance of the interview; I came away from my first interview feeling utterly hopeless – I now know I had no good reason to feel demoralised. I would encourage applicants to remind themselves of their passion for their subject prior to each interview and really throw themselves into the discussion – it is unhelpful, and frequently misleading, to attempt to both answer the questions posed and simultaneously scrutinise your own performance and the reaction of your interviewers. Treating the interview as a chance for intellectual discourse and debate is a preferable option – it will illustrate to both you and your interviewers your passion and aptitude for your subject. Theology is a genuinely exciting course which affords its students a flexibility uncommon at Oxbridge. If you are engrossed by matters of faith and philosophy, this is the degree for you!