Institute of the Americas student competes in University Challenge

Josh Mandel (MA United States Studies: History & Politics) took part in series 31 of University Challenge.

Josh was joined by fellow UCL postgraduate students, Callum Jack (MSc Science Communication), Olivia Holtermann Entwistle (Geography PhD), Sanjay Prabhakar (MA Education (Science)) and reserve, Jack Karimi (MSc Democracy and Comparative Politics).

All the episodes were filmed earlier this year, but of course Josh is sworn to secrecy about how well the team did!

Of his experience of the show, Josh said:

"The filming experience was lots of fun, we enjoyed meeting the other teams and Amol and the production team were great. University Challenge has been a life-long ambition for me - I'm a keen quizzer but UC wasn't on when I was an undergraduate in the 1990s, so I'm glad to have the opportunity now. I'm not saying it's the only reason I'm doing an MA, but it's certainly a welcome bonus!"

Josh set the UCL team off on the right foot by buzzing in with the correct answer for the first 'starter for ten' of their first-round match against the Open University. The team narrowly lost that match in the end, but scored highly enough to come back for a repechage match against St Andrews which will be broadcast on Monday 18 November. 

The UCL Student Union is already completing the selection process for next year's team. There are plans to set up a UCL Quiz Society, which will help to train future generations of University Chalenge contestants as well as running other quizzing events. To stay informed about the progress of this society, you can register your interest.

Links

• University Challenge
• Register your interest in a new UCL Quiz Society