9 curious questions Oxford University asks candidates during interviews
Do you know why humans have two eyes? Oxford might be asking you
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Your support makes all the difference.Oxford University is one of the world’s most prestigious universities, with more than 17,000 people applying for undergraduate places each September.
Those students hoping to get into to the institution have just a fortnight to submit their UCAS application - and it should come as no surprise to learn the entry process is designed to really test applicants.
If you do manage to nail your personal statement and get yourself an interview at one of the colleges, these are some of the stranger questions asked of applicants, as revealed by the University.
- What makes a short story different from a novel?
This is a question posed to those wanting to those applying for Modern Languages.
- Imagine we had no records about the past at all, except everything to do with sport – how much of the past could we find out about?
If you want to study History, you’ll have to find a creative way to answer this.
- Why do human beings have two eyes?
Surprisingly not a question for biology students, this is one for the Experimental Psychology course.
- Should poetry be difficult to understand?
This question applies to Modern Languages students.
- Is violence always political? Does 'political' mean something different in different contexts?
History applicants will have to tackle this question
- Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?
Yes – this is an actual question for Biological Sciences candidates.
- If the punishment for parking on double yellow lines were death, and therefore nobody did it, would that be a just and effective law?
Law students may face this question at their Oxford interview.
- Why do you think an English student might be interested in the fact that Coronation Street has been running for 50 years?
This question is asked to those wanting to study English Literature
- What is 'normal' for humans?
One for the Psychology students.
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