Figure 1: The Radcliffe Camera, part of the Bodleian Library of Oxford, and All Souls College
What is the Oxbridge Tutorial?
In addition to lectures and exams, students at Oxford and Cambridge are expected to attend tutorials. These are meetings with one tutor — a college faculty member — and a small group of student, usually two or three. This unique experience is central to the teaching methodology of England’s two most prestigious universities attended by many of the UK’s most powerful and successful people, from politicians to CEOs to comedians and actors.
The tutorial requires a special set of skills not included in exams such as the GCSEs and A levels. Below are some skills aspiring Oxbridge students should practice to succeed in the tutorials — both to impress tutors and to get the most out of their university experience.
Organisation and Self-Motivation
Before you even get to your tutorial, you are expected to prepare an essay on a related subject. Tutors may give suggested topics and reading lists, but students have to be responsible for their own work. This includes choosing the readings that are most helpful, finding new ways to research a topic, and crafting a short essay — usually all within one week.
This kind of project requires good organisational skills, especially time management. You aren’t expected to read all of the suggested materials; instead, you must decide what is most valuable and what can be done in the time that you have. Knowing when to stop reading and start writing is key.
Creating schedules and knowing how long it takes to read and write are both useful skills to learn before university. Pursuing independent research projects on interesting subjects can help you develop your research style, learn to generate research questions, and know how to find relevant information.
Public Speaking
Once in the tutorial, students are expected to engage in a rigorous discussion of the subject. In the small setting of the tutorial, all students must participate and be ready to contribute new ideas. It can often be scary discussing topics with experts but the tutors expect you to speak up!
Speaking in front of people, following a conversation, and articulating complex ideas aren’t easy for everyone but they are skills that can be learned and practiced. In school, you can make a special effort to speak up a certain number of times in class. This is good practice for quiet students, forcing you out of your comfort zone and helping you build confidence. But it’s also useful for talkative students, challenging you to limit your contributions to only the most important comments. Tutors will appreciate a few thoughtful insights more than many unnecessary ones.
Outside of school, you should spend time discussing different topics with different people. It is important to go outside your circle of friends and talk to people from different generations and backgrounds. Structured opportunities for public speaking, such as debate or performance groups or even religious services, can be great practice too.
Debating
In addition to speaking at tutorials, students are expected to contribute new ideas on the topic, not just echo what they have read. Tutors may question or push back on students’ essays or fellow students might challenge ideas voiced in tutorials. Students also can question the tutor: the goal is not to learn the ‘correct’ idea but to come up with your own and defend it with facts.
This can be one of the biggest challenges for new university students, but it’s one of the most important ones. Being able to develop and justify new ideas is necessary for careers in and outside academia. At the postgraduate level and above, success depends on generating novel research. Similarly, being able to express unique ideas is highly valued in job interviews.
Students benefit from being taught early on that there is no one correct idea. You can have different opinions, but you should be expected to justify your answers, both inside and outside school. Playing ‘devil’s advocate’ and arguing both sides of a topic are good practice. Even if it may be easier to ‘agree’ with a prompt on an assessment, learning how to ‘disagree’ can often lead to more insightful answers. However, it is essential to back up any argument with evidence. Reading about lots of different topics — both school-related subjects and history, current affairs, and politics — can help you learn different perspectives and gain the knowledge base needed to develop and support your own ideas. Never say ‘That’s wrong’ — just ask why someone thinks something is true.
It’s OK Not To Know
Ultimately, the tutorial is there to help you learn. It’s thus very important to be able to say that you don’t know or didn’t think of something. This isn’t easy. Oxbridge students are often determined to impress both tutors and fellow students and being able to admit unsurety feels uncomfortable or like a failure. However, it is necessary for the learning process and tutors see it as a real sign of maturity.
A key skill to practice is learning how to ask good questions. Questions are never just about what you don’t know, but also what you do understand and what new pieces of information are needed. In school, you can practice asking thoughtful, targeted questions. Often these questions don’t only clear up confusion, they also move the conversation forward. For example, ‘How does this argument [a student, expert, or tutor’s] apply to [a specific work, fact, or theory]?’
Another useful skill is processing new information. Once a question has been asked or a tutor has explained something that you didn’t understand, how does that change your ideas? It can help to repeat the new information and add another thought. For example, ‘Could you please explain [topic or idea]?’ ‘Thank you. I think that changes my opinion on the topic because [new idea citing evidence from tutor’s answer].’ This shows the tutor that you are not simply confused, but learning and developing new interpretations.
Practice Makes Perfect
All of these skills can be learned and practiced. You can memorise formulas (For example, ‘[Tutor, expert, fellow student] says that [argument]. However, I think that [new idea] because [evidence].’) and use them in school until they feel natural. But don’t worry if you’re not perfect at your first tutorial. The main thing tutors look for is progress as they watch the next generation of leaders grow.
Figure 2: The High Street in Oxford
