Cambridge interview prep

[solimum]

Don't be surprised if you find a six-foot deep trench in your back garden!

[supermummy]

Without getting into the politics of HS2 it maybe worth looking at the work they have done on their archaeological programme.

[Guest55]

Without getting into the politics of HS2 it maybe worth looking at the work they have done on their archaeological programme.

Really?
They are not looking in any 'depth' around the areas I know in Bucks. It seems pretty much 'going through the motions'.
A shallow trench will find nothing of interest.

[supermummy]

It was more around how notions of heritage and preservation can differ for different groups. A valuable site could mean various things and being able to speak to these needs could be useful for an interview.

[Guest55]

From my perspective 'on the ground' - their programme is not impressive.

However, I haven't looked at the website as to what they say they are doing so I will do so but I expect it's all 'show'. The wildlife conservation does seem to be more careful so far.

[Rob Clark]

When they built the new cancer centre at Guy's Hospital in London – which opened last year – the foundations had to work around a buried Roman boat in such a way that (obviously) they had to be totally secure but still allow access to the boat for ongoing archaeological study, and also for the boat to be brought up from below ground level in the future if necessary to preserve it.

Might make an interesting talking point, and could lead on to a wider discussion about the importance of preserving heritage v the need for new buildings (the cancer centre is a revolutionary design, I can go into why if anyone is interested).

Not that I have any personal knowledge of Oxbridge interviews , but that strikes me as the sort of discussion which might be pursued

[PerpetualStudent]

Hi avidskier,

Although I've never done Oxbridge interviews, my experience of interviewing for an archaeology degree began with a basic definition of archaeology. It is amazing how many people do not distinguish it from palaeontology. I also remember questions about the archaeological interpretation of finds but since it was a while ago I don't remember more than discussing how a stapler might be interpreted by a future archaeologist and what kind of preservation might be expected.

If she hasn't already done so get DD to have a look at the Council of British Archaeology website and their publication British Archaeology to get a handle on what is happening in the UK. This also includes details on public lectures and training digs.
http://new.archaeologyuk.org/british-ar ... y-magazine" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Current archaeology and World Archaeology are also useful for awareness.

IIRC you are based in North London/Hertfordshire in which case the Welwyn Archaeological Society might be one of the archaeological societies most accessible to you.
https://welwynarchaeologicalsociety.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I know they do regular Friday lectures but also have active community involvement and are doing geophysical surveys around Hertfordshire.

It is always helpful to have had hands-on experience of a subject and some idea of what it is like in practice. Having had a quick look at the Cambridge archaeology website I see they have links to videos on excavation techniques and the excavation process. Its worth being aware that there can be significant differences in methods and theory used by different countries/universities and on different sites, so the approach taken by the American excavator in one of the first videos shown is unlikely to work well on an urban British site where deposits are a lot deeper and wetter..

Not all archaeology graduates are interested in working in archaeology though. Archaeology is a wonderful blend of the practical and theoretical, high tech and low, and can lead in all sorts of directions. It can involve travelling around the world or straying no further than the library, computer, or lab. I have one acquaintance who got a job in medical research having gone the bioarchaeology/bioanthropology route. She told me that they really liked the fact she had proved, as an archaeologist, that she could rough it in remote areas. The job required coordinating clinical trials internationally and in many third world countries.

HTH
PS

[avidskier]

What a fantastic reply. Thank you Perpetualstudent! I will definitely look in to those things you suggested! My DD is actually really interested in Biological Anthropology but likes the new course at Cambridge as spans across lots of different areas including a lot of lab work. She likes the mix of academics as well as more hands on stuff I think.
We are not too far from Welwyn so I will definitely point out the lectures to her.
Thanks again!

[SteveDH]

And generally, Be prepared for the unexpected there is a chance the interview will be totally different to all the pracrice and possible hypothetical questions etc. and remember even if you totally mess up there's the pool.
There doesn't seem to be much data on Archaeology but what there is implies a pretty high acceptance rate.

https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac. ... statistics

Good Luck

[PerpetualStudent]

Hi avidskier,

If your DD is interested in biological anthropology I will add two more websites for her to look at:

http://www.babao.org.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which is for the British Association for Bioanthropology and Osteoarchaeology

http://physanth.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; which is for the American Association of Physical Anthropologists

Membership for students isn't very much but at this stage just knowing about these organisations and their publications might be helpful.

PS