Oxford University Reveals Horror Questions It Asks Students In Interview Process

Why do lions have manes? Why are both ladybirds and strawberries red? And if the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law? If you can answer any of the above then you may be in with a chance of getting into the University of Oxford. The university, which was recently ranked fifth best in the world, has released sample questions from its interview process in the hope of explaining the reason for even the most bizarre questions. Each brain teaser has been provided directly from the tutors who conduct the interviews. Director of undergraduate admissions Mike Nicholson, who wants to break down myths behind the notoriously difficult and odd questioning technique, said: "The interviews are an important but often misunderstood part of Oxfords admissions process", he said. "We want to show students as much as possible what they are really like so they arent put off by what they might have heard. The interviews are all about giving candidates the chance to show their real ability and potential." Interviewer Steve Roberts of St Edmund Hall favours the question: "How hot does the air have to be in a hot air balloon if I wanted to use it to lift an elephant?" But he has admitted that he does not expect candidates to actually calculate an answer. "We use this sort of question to try to find how materials science applicants think about problems, and how they might operate within a tutorial. Things we are looking for include how readily they can see into the core of a problem."

Olivia, a graduate from Oxford University, shared her experiences with the Huffington Post. She said: "I personally wasn't asked anything I wasn't expecting but I did hear several horror stories. "One of my friends was stopped halfway through her interview and told: 'I would ask you more questions but I doubt you'll know the answer.' Needless to say, she didn't get in." Ouch.

De-mystifying the Oxford interview process

By Hannah Richardson BBC News education
reporter

Ever wondered why lions have manes or why strawberries are red? If you want to get into Oxford University then you should probably start. The university has released some of the thought-provoking questions faced by past candidates. Straight from the tutors' mouths, the questions aim to get potential students to apply their thinking in new and interesting ways. Candidates applying to biological sciences might be asked whether it matters if tigers become extinct. Would-be law students might be asked to assess the justness of a law that punishes illegal parking with a death sentence. Alternatively, those wanting to study materials science might be asked to calculate the temperature in a hot air balloon needed to lift an elephant. 'Park legally or die' Steve Roberts, tutor at St Edmund Hall, says: "When I actually used this question in interviews, no-one actually got as far as an actual 'x degrees C' answer in the 10 minutes or so we allowed for it, nor did we expect them to.

"We use this sort of question to try to find how applicants think about problems, and how they might operate within a tutorial." Those wanting to earn a place at one of England's most prestigious universities are judged on their predicted and attained A-level grades, teacher's reference, aptitude tests - and also by interview. Mike Nicholson, director of undergraduate admissions at Oxford, said: "While the interview is only one part of the application process, for many students it is the part that makes them most anxious. "We hope that seeing the questions will reassure students that tutors aren't trying to see how quickly students get the 'right' answer or demonstrate their specialist knowledge, but how they respond to new ideas." He adds: "We know there are still lots of myths about the Oxford interview, so we put as much information out there for students to see behind the hype to the reality of the process." The university website now features mock interviews online, video diaries made by admissions tutors during the interview process, and lots of example questions to help students. 'No trick questions' Mr Nicholson says interviews are all about giving candidates the chance to show their real ability and potential. "While this may sound intimidating, all it means is that candidates will be pushed to use their knowledge and apply their thinking to new problems in ways that will both challenge them and allow them to shine," he adds. Liora Lazarus, interviewer for law at St Anne's College, posed the question: "If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law?" She says: "Candidates are not meant to give a right or wrong answer to this question. They need to demonstrate that they have recognised the various issues that arise. The candidate who distinguishes between "just" and "effective" does best.

"A just law might not be effective, or vice-versa. The issues of how proportionate the punishment is to the crime refer to the justness of the law. "The answer to its effectiveness is already in the question: 'and therefore nobody did it'." Dr Stephen Goddard, an admissions tutor for French, says: "What we try to do in the interview is enable the candidate to perform to the best of their abilities. "The object of the exercise isn't to trick them, but to give them the chance to show what we're really looking for, which is the ability to think cogently and intelligently."

Oxford hopefuls asked why lions have manes

Why do lions have manes? Would it matter if tigers became extinct? And why are both ladybirds and strawberries red?
These are just some of the interview questions faced by students hoping to win a place at Oxford University. The prestigious institution has released a sample of the conundrums posed by tutors to give an insight into its interview process. Prospective biological science students have been asked to discuss why it matters if tigers become extinct, while those hoping to read materials science have been asked to calculate how hot the air in a hot air balloon would need to be to lift an elephant. The questions have been released just two weeks before the closing date for students to apply to Oxford. Owen Lewis of Brasenose College suggested ''why do lions have manes'' as a question for biological science students.

''Some of the best interview questions do not have a ''right'' or a ''wrong'' answer, and can potentially lead off in all sorts of different directions,'' he said. ''Applicants might have picked up ideas about the function of a lion's mane from independent reading or from watching natural history documentaries. That's fine - but I'd follow up their response by asking how they would test their theory. ''When I've used this question in interviews I've had all sorts of innovative suggestions, including experiments where lions have their manes shaved to investigate whether this influences their chances with the opposite sex or helps them win fights over territory.'' Professor Lewis also suggested: ''Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?'' and ''would it matter if tigers became extinct?'' as other questions. Liora Lazarus of St Anne's College said law candidates have been asked: ''If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law?'' And students hoping to read French at St Catherine's College have been faced with the question: ''In a world where English is a global language, why learn French?'' Tutor Dr Stephen Goddard said: ''I might use this question early in an interview in order to set the candidate thinking, and to elicit some idea of their motivation before moving on to more specific questions.'' Mike Nicholson, director of undergraduate admissions at Oxford said the university's interviews are an ''important but often misunderstood'' part of the institution's admissions process. He said that releasing sample questions helps to show students what the interviews are really like. ''The interviews are all about giving candidates the chance to show their real ability and potential - while this may sound intimidating, all it means is that candidates will be pushed to use their knowledge and apply their thinking to new problems in ways that will both challenge them and allow them to shine,'' he said.