Interview questions at Oxford University
Education in England for students from Russia gives many undeniable advantages, and a diploma of Oxford University in general opens all the doors to a bright future and guarantees career growth. The examination process for admission to the best British universities is multi-stage and quite complex.
It’s not enough to finish school in the UK with the brilliance of getting the maximum scores on A-level or IB and to write a convincing motivational letter. So it is necessary to assure the admissions committee in its wealth to become a worthy member of this elitist club – the University of Oxford. About the interview, which is the final stage of the selection of the most worthy candidates are legends, cold blood. At least two interviews are conducted within two weeks. But is it really scary?
The director of the admissions committee, Samina Khan, confirms that there are not very correct ideas about this stage of admission. That is why the management decided to disclose as much information as possible about the procedure of the admissions committee. In his opinion, it will help to instill confidence in students and calm them down a bit.
The University of Oxford has published a list of typical interview questions to help prospective students who plan to pursue higher education in England understand the very essence of what awaits them when communicating with the admissions committee. Among other questions are the characteristic ones “Is war an integral part of politics?” and “How to explain such a significant development of the “Face area” area of the brain, responsible for recognizing the faces of others?”
Associate Professor Matthew Williams of Jesus College explained why it is important for a potential student in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Economics (REP) to understand the relationship between politics and war. In principle, politics can include military action, and one should not try to refute what the whole history of mankind has witnessed. The purpose of this question is to encourage the student to think outside the box. Allow yourself to imagine a kind of policy that is positive, optimistic and will seek to prevent conflict. It is important to show the ability to think outside the framework of conventional patterns.”
The best of the students will notice that the term “war” can mean not only physical acts of violence, but also include cyberattacks or financial piracy. And the fact that policies can be considered at the level of individual regions and territories of one country, or even at the family level.
Nick Jeng of University College, advising candidates for the Department of Psychology, explained what “Face area” is and how facial recognition is stimulated. According to him, recognition is a very useful skill, although we are used to it to such an extent that we take it for granted.
The Commission hopes to see a candidate who is critical of the experiment on this area of the brain. For example, does the experiment have a clear hypothesis and a predictable result? Is it well structured to trust him? Are the methods used adequate? Is there a necessary control in the experiment?
In addition to critical vision, the commission is also interested in creative thinking, suggestions of how to improve the experiment, possible conclusions about how people think, and how our brains generally work.
They may still ask why it is so important to continue learning Italian or French in today’s world, where English is dominant. Beginner engineers may be asked to verbally calculate how the force applied when hitting a ball in the air will affect the speed of its flight.
At the interview there are no insidious questions, which must necessarily baffle the candidate. The purpose of this academic conversation is to understand the course of students’ thoughts and to learn their reactions to new ideas and information received. Non-standard-minded people who know how to go beyond accepted ideas, eager to learn the essence of familiar things, looking at them from a different angle – that’s who can admire even the most strict examiners.