Ending personal interviews is a victory for the many, not the few

Cambridge’s recent move to end personal interviews at all colleges except Trinity has caused a stir. Leader published in this newspaper last week lamented the decision: it would make the app less reliable and less fair, he argued. The editorial encapsulates the ignorance and elitism espoused by many who are financially stable in distinctly Cambridge Road. Not only is it fundamentally wrong, but it willfully ignores the barriers to learning here. It it smells of privilege.

Rich people go to Cambridge. Rich people have always gone to Cambridge. But many continue to take the places of smarter and more deserving poorer students who simply cannot afford the day off or travel expenses required to attend an in-person interview.

Of course, colleges offer financial reimbursement – ​​but this varies greatly by college and is awarded after the fact, usually only after prospective students fill out intrusive and humiliating forms: humiliating. Also, money is still needed upfront. Not everyone is able to take that gamble in the event that they may be offered a place, one that they may not even be able to accept.

Leader rightly points out that these college inconsistencies are largely to blame, but that’s the root of the problem, not an excuse to ignore it. He also boldly argued that online interviews were “worse in terms of fairness” due to concerns that they could allow students to somehow “cheat” off-screen. But you can’t pass a Cambridge interview with a hidden cheat sheet: it’s not a fact-check or a quiz, but an interaction that’s largely about how you think and who you are as a person.

Finally, the leader asserts that “the interview process has the potential to humanize a place that can be profoundly foreign to students.” On the contrary! This could only have been written by someone intimately familiar with learning while surrounded by medieval architecture and portraits of fluffy old men: for many of us, the hallowed halls of Cambridge are far removed from our everyday surroundings. After two years of scrubbing floors in greasy restaurants, the grandeur of the building I was interviewed in made me feel even more of an outsider.

I enjoyed my personal interview, but the money and time it took to get here, for many, could have been better spent. Consider the experiences of students with disabilities, those who work seamlessly in hospitality or with childcare responsibilities or any other responsibilities that make travel a real hurdle. The Zoom option is incredibly inexpensive and serves as a helping hand that many candidates desperately need.

UniversityThe editorial ended with a veiled threat: “College administrators intend to take a course that almost every student and colleague will oppose.” Everyone student? This student, for example, and in this rare case, strongly agrees with the university. The leader expresses hope that “wiser heads will prevail”. Frankly, me too.

Lotte Brundle studies English in Hughes Hall.

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