LONDON: Explain why many animals have stripes. Why do humans have two eyes?
Teenagers who can give convincing answers to these posers when they are interviewed for a place at Oxford could be just who the university is looking for, it was revealed yesterday.
Tutors at Oxford lifted the lid on the interview process to explode some of the myths about what is seen as the most nerve-racking aspect of admissions.
“Discuss JK Rowling’s transition from Harry Potter to writing for adults” is an example of one of the questions students are asked in the Oxford examinations.
The university has increasingly come to rely on interviews to identify high-fliers because public exams fail to discriminate between the bright and the exceptional.
Oxford said interviews give candidates the chance to show their “real ability and potential”.
One English literature don said pupils were more likely to be asked about Harry Potter than Shakespeare, at least in initial questioning.
“No all candidates might have the same access to a wide range of literature.” said Lucinda Rumsey, of Mansfield College.
“If I start with Harry Potter, everyone at least has a starting point of recognition.”
History applicants might be asked to imagine how much about the past they could find out simply from historical records of sport.
Applicants for experimental psychology who are asked why humans have two eyes might be expected to discuss the reasons in terms of three dimensional vision.
And the question about striped animals might be thrown at applicants for biological sciences. Martin Speight, of St Anne’s College, said: “There are no right or wrong specific answers – I’m interested in candidates’ speculations about the advantages of having stripes.”
Mike Nicholson, director of admissions at Oxford, said: “The interviews are designed to push students to think, not recite specific facts or answers.” DM
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