University Challenge

I was looking on the 'net the other day about how UC is organised, as I'm a fan myself. Yes, invites are sent to every Student Union in the country, and its up to them how they organise it. Some will do proper competitions within the uni, others will just put forward themselves! Then each person will have to sit a test paper, and the good people from that are invited to a local day where they're interviewed (mostly to make sure that they don't crack under pressure and do the rabbit-in-the-headlights thing) and they do a dummy run of UC, someone on a CD asking questions with 40 second gaps inbetween, which you have to write down the answers to. After that, the top four from each uni are put together to form a team, with the top scoring contestant being the captain.

Having said all that... as I understand it, UC producers try to make sure there are teams from a range of regions, and they're not all from Oxbridge or Russell Group universities, and they also grade the teams to make sure that a top ranked team doesn't meet a top ranked team early on. So its quite a lot more manipulated than would obviously appear on the television.

They also refilm things after the show - so if someone mumbled his answer a bit as far as the television was concerned, but not so much that it was unintelligible to Paxman and Co., then they will refilm stuff like that afterwards.

http://lystellion.livejournal.com/84288.html and http://www.blanchflower.org/uc/ may be of interest to UC fans - the first is a behind the scenes glimpse from a contestant a few years back (and where I got a lot of this info from) and the second is a facts and figures site.

Enjoy!

keth
xx

You're so close I don't want to correct you. But, having been through the process myself, I shall.

The union has to organise the team that goes forward. It'll be a team of five players (four plus one reserve) and they choose amongst themselves by whatever method who will be captain. Then just those five do the CD stuff.

You're so close I don't want to correct you. But, having been through the process myself, I shall.

The union has to organise the team that goes forward. It'll be a team of five players (four plus one reserve) and they choose amongst themselves by whatever method who will be captain. Then just those five do the CD stuff.

Well, I suppose they have to make sure a variety of universities or else it would be Oxford V Cambridge nearly every week. Those are good, but I do get frustrated when half the teams are different colleges. I say there should be one for the whole university.

That, would be one intellectual badass team.

Lol I have a lisp too, I can't answer 9-10 questions in a row though! I normally only get 1-2 right per show! Do you try and learn this stuff, like random stuff, ie names of dinosaurs to gain a better general knowledge? I don't know how people know, for instance, the maps or as it were, countries surrounding Germany without ever trying to learn it!

Oxford could be fairly dominant if they fielded a combined team every year. It's probably better for the competition to keep it as separate colleges, even though it means Oxford and Cambridge end up getting more bites of the cherry.

Well dinosaurs were something I used to know when I was five (I was given a huge book by my uncle for Christmas) and I retained it, as for maps and stuff, I have an obsession for cartography and collect world atlases. Over time I manage to retain the location of the countries, capitals and major cities/ mountains, rivers other landmarks.

I never go out of my way simply to find knowlege. I tried forcing myself to learn Mesopotamian history but I couldn't do it. This will be my downfall as I won't learn stuff I'm not interested in, so economists, philosophers, technology, astronomy are all out of the question for me.

The subjects I can usually answer questions on are languages and their origins, political and physical geography, the periodic table (years of being bored in science...), any books I have read, know of.

Although, I'm not on university challenge, just a brainless obsessive. so please don't listen to my ramblings.


In some ways, it'd be good to see the amount of Oxbridge teams cut, but on the other, the winner would practically always be decided by whomever won the match when the two teams would inevitably face each other.

Personally, I think we should do either an international challenge (Cambridge Vs Havard *drools*) or an alumni challenge so we get all the famous scientists on their colleges. I would love to see Stephen Hawkins captain Gonville and Caius, (there may be some slight technical difficulties there actually...) and Paxman can't be a patronising git because he will be by far the intellectual inferior.

In some ways, it'd be good to see the amount of Oxbridge teams cut, but on the other, the winner would practically always be decided by whomever won the match when the two teams would inevitably face each other.

Personally, I think we should do either an international challenge (Cambridge Vs Havard *drools*)

or an alumni challenge so we get all the famous scientists on their colleges. I would love to see Stephen Hawkins captain Gonville and Caius, (there may be some slight technical difficulties there actually...) and Paxman can't be a patronising git because he will be by far the intellectual inferior.

Did you do well in UC?
I'm glad you made the correction there, I was quite put off the idea for a while

One day I'd love to be on UC. If it was done as it was on Starter For 10, my life would be made.

I have a lisp too

Oxford could be fairly dominant if they fielded a combined team every year. It's probably better for the competition to keep it as separate colleges, even though it means Oxford and Cambridge end up getting more bites of the cherry.

Personally, I think we should do either an international challenge (Cambridge Vs Havard *drools*) or an alumni challenge so we get all the famous scientists on their colleges. I would love to see Stephen Hawkins captain Gonville and Caius, (there may be some slight technical difficulties there actually...) and Paxman can't be a patronising git because he will be by far the intellectual inferior.

Maybe other collegiate unis like lancaster should enter numerous teams too....??
You cant say they have lots of teams, because they do but they all had to qualify...



An international challenge sounds good!!!!
The alumni one might be a bit unfair but it would be good!!! Then james may could enter!!!

Maybe other collegiate unis like lancaster should enter numerous teams too....??
You cant say they have lots of teams, because they do but they all had to qualify...

Maybe other collegiate unis like lancaster should enter numerous teams too....??

As I understand it, Universities like Lancaster have colleges for Accommodation only. Oxford and Cambridge are the only two to have a collegiate system for teaching purposes as well, and thats why they're treated differently. *shrugs*. I'm quite happy for someone to correct me, but that's my understanding at present.

keth
xx

I'm not sure, but as ICL, UCL and KCL, are all colleges of the University of London, does that mean they're like the colleges from Oxbridge? Or are they different entirely?