Campus Life - Letters from Oxford University The last day of exams By Wahei Aoyama	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
卒業の如何はこのテストに！ 大学の試験といえば、毎学期行なわれるのが普通ですよね？でも、オックスフォード大学は違います。なんと試験は卒業前の一回きり！その試験で、成績と卒業の可否が決定するのです。卒業を控え、ただいま猛勉強中の青山さんが、ユニークなオックスフォードの卒業試験の伝統を紹介します。

試験が行なわれる Examination Schools

In Oxford, nearly all exams take place in one building, called Examination Schools. It's an ancient-looking, spectacular building, and its sight is both awe-inspiring and frightening.

When I first came to Oxford, I found it strange that the university had built a huge building only for taking exams. Perhaps it's a testament to how important exams are for an Oxford student. Here in Oxford, a student's entire degree depends on the results of around nine exams, all taken in a period of approximately 11 days. To call it a demanding schedule is an understatement. Just thinking about this for a minute or so usually makes me feel like jumping off a large cliff.

Surprisingly, Oxford still requires students to take their examinations in subfusc, which is a "uniform" comprised of a dark suit, white shirt, white bowtie, gown and cap. This is compulsory. If finalists don't wear their subfusc to Examination Schools, they won't be allowed into the building and they will not be able to graduate. I shudder at the thought of having to take my examinations in an uncomfortable suit, with a gown on my shoulders and a tight bowtie around my neck, slowly suffocating me.

Another small ritual is to pin a flower on your suit, which indicates how far you have progressed in your exams. The flower should be a white carnation on the first day of exams, a pink carnation during the middle of the exams, and a red carnation on the last and final day.

Tradition has it that these carnations are to be bought for you by your love, yet since many at Oxford are not lucky enough to have such partners, a flower given by a friend must suffice.

It is also tradition to ambush your friends with champagne and anything else you can throw at them as they walk out of Examination Schools after finishing their exams. The mood is very festive. When the first students begin to trickle out of the building, everyone starts to roar and applaud. Champagne flies everywhere, and finalists are quickly drenched in alcohol, shaving cream, glitter and paint.

Last year, I ambushed my good friend who had just finished the last law exam of his life. As he stepped out of Examination Schools, my friends and I quickly spotted him and joyous pandemonium ensued. We popped open a bottle of very cheap champagne and soaked him completely. It was great fun. Filled with both laughter and tears, we headed to our favorite pub.

I think this custom of greeting peers is wonderful. The students feel as if they're being rewarded for their hard work. They feel the sincerity of friendship. They are overcome with joy and relief. Such simple, honest feelings transcend the history of this institution. It just feels great.

At present, however, I'm struggling to survive. I wake in the middle of the night, thinking I'm completely unprepared for my examinations. The pressure is tremendous. Sometimes I feel like giving up. Yet, I know everything will be all right once I step out of Examination Schools to see my friends waiting there for me. With that thought in mind, I hit the books for another day.

Shukan ST: July 4, 2003

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