It’s one of the great modern traditions of university life: getting to represent your institute on the television on one of the BBC’s longest-running quiz shows. Although no winner has ever been elevated to celebrity status (at least, not for more than a few weeks) it is highly prestigious. Some take it very seriously but none more so than Manchester University and Magdalen College, Oxford. With four wins each, they lead to way on the best performer on the show.
Through the University
Every Christmas, Granada TV sends a letter to the President of each respective Student Union inviting them to raise a team. How your university selects its team (if it does at all) depends on the Student Union. Most will invite all willing participants into a playoff, usually a general knowledge quiz from which the best performers are chosen. In some cases, players have been known to get through just for turning up when not enough people turned up for the quiz.
How your university runs its competition for the team is at their discretion but if you really want to get onto your University Challenge team, keep a watchful eye after the Christmas break to see if they start advertising. However there are some rules, you must be a student at the time of filming. If you apply in your final undergraduate year intending to do a postgraduate course but then choose not to study a PG course you are no longer eligible.
The TV Application Process
Once your institute has chosen its team, it’s time to follow Granada TV’s strict procedure. With some 200 team applicants, it is their job to whittle down the selection to just 28. How the team performs in the selection process is fundamental to whether you get anywhere near a television camera.
1. The team should fill out the application form with their personal details and photographs, and answer a list of 30 general knowledge questions
2. All teams will then need to attend interviews with Granada TV. This process ensures students won’t crumple under the pressure
3. This will be followed with a written general knowledge test which each contestant will do individually
4. You will discover after a few weeks whether your application has been successful
General Advice
Most previous contestants agree that you can’t really prepare for going on University Challenge. What they do say is to treat it like an exam, but one where you get help. Instead of trying to cram every subject (because you can’t), just focus on improving knowledge and information retention on the areas about which you do know. If the selection process has been thorough, you’ll each have your own different specialist areas. A variety of knowledge wins University Challenge. Having four people with expertise in the same area is a sure way to get knocked out in the early stages.