Think you can get into Oxford? Try cracking these questions
LONDON: Should it be illegal to run a red light in the middle of the night on an empty road? What do we lose if we only read a foreign work of literature in translation? In a world where English is a global language, why learn French?
Thousands of applicants hoping for an undergraduate place at the University of Oxford are preparing to face quirky or confrontational questions during the famed admission interview.
The university has released a fresh set of questions in order to soothe applicants’ nerves and throw more light on what is expected.
The interview challenges applicants to think on their feet and show an ability to apply theory.
“The interview is primarily an academic conversation based on a passage of text, a problem set or a series of technical discussions related to the course students have applied for,” Samina Khan, director of admissions and outreach at Oxford, said.
For example, consider the question: Put these countries in order by their crude mortality (deaths per thousand of the population) — Bangladesh, Japan, South Africa, the UK.
Most people would place Bangladesh in the lead, but the correct answer is Japan.
Tutor Andrew King of Exeter College said: “Interviews for medicine aim to gauge candidates’ understanding of the science underpinning the study of medicine, as well as skills in scientific enquiry.