Mark Nayler

All Souls is the SAS of academia

A tradition of excellence and eccentricity

  • From Spectator Life
(Getty)

‘What sort of book might Satan write?’ ‘Why do people watch horror films?’ ‘Should we give up hope?’ These were three of the questions faced earlier this year by candidates seeking admission to All Souls College, Oxford, Britain’s most elite academic institution. Founded by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry Chichele, and King Henry VI in 1438, the college takes its name from All Souls’ Day on 2 November, the occasion on which Christians around the world pray for the faithful departed (in Mexico it’s called Día de Muertos, or the Day of the Dead).

The written examination set by this ancient graduate school deserves its reputation as the hardest in the world. As well as two general papers featuring questions that are impossible to revise for (such as the ones above), candidates take a further two in their specialist fields, the options being Classical Studies, Economics, English Literature, History, Law, Politics and Philosophy.

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