OE Solenne Scholefield Reveals What it's Like to Take Part in BBC TV's University Challenge

"Another Starter Question Now" - What's it like to take part in BBC TV's University Challenge?  OE, Solenne Scholefield reveals all.

We’ve all seen University Challenge on the TV, and felt delighted at answering questions from the safety of the living room sofa. This year, however, I had the exciting and terrifying experience of going on the show myself as a fresher, and trying to answer the same questions on TV while under the intimidating stare of the one and only Jeremy Paxman. We’d been through the application stages – first I’d tried out for the college team, and managed to make it in – and evidently impressed the producers at interview by hinting at our knowledge of cheese and utopian architecture, and in February we found ourselves in the studio under the lights, about to introduce ourselves for the first time. Our experience didn’t end there, as you may have seen us defeat two different Cambridge colleges, Clare and St John’s (which made many at Oxford relieved) to make it to the quarterfinals, something we never expected to do and which makes us immensely proud too.

University Challenge may look like it is all about the quiz and academic knowledge, but really the heart is the people. I’ve got to know my teammates really well over the past year, and couldn’t think of a more lovely group to potentially embarrass myself on TV with. The producers are delightful, from amusing information about the show and Jeremy to conversations about diversity and gender on the show (I’m really proud to have been in a gender balanced team). I’ve stayed in touch with numerous other contestants via group chat, and occasionally we do pub quizzes together and get excited when we’re on TV. But the support from the Oxford Quiz Society has also been brilliant, especially my ex-tutor and an ex-contestant Alex Hardwick, and I’ve gained so much from the experience – friends, knowledge, confidence, support – as well as having been praised by Jeremy Paxman. I would highly recommend trying out to any university student who is interested, as you won’t regret it.
 

Tune in tonight, Monday 18 January to watch Solenne and her Balliol teammates take on King's College, London in the quarter finals on TV's BBC 2 at 8.30pm