Oxford Modern Languages Students and Applicants

Is it better to read anything and everything, or find a genre that you really get into and can rave about?

Well I started reading anything and everything and naturally just gravitated towards a certain genre (existentialist literature). I suppose it's good to have a variety but yes it helps if you eventually find a genre that you can go into in quite some depth.

Also something to note, practise analysing poems in your chosen languages because (though I didn't get one) they are often used. It's worth looking up the prelims list of poetry for your languages because they sometimes use one from there just to see how you'd cope doing the actual course (E.g. Baudelaire for French)

Hello guys,

I'm running a Modern Languages Study Day at University College. The day will be delivered Dr Gerald Moore and will take place on Friday 24 June. You'll even get to try some Russian alongside the French!

Why read Laclos rather than Heat? or: An Introduction to the Novel.

You can find more details and the application form here:
http://www.univ.ox.ac.uk/why_apply/how_can_i_find_out_more/for_teachers/activities_and_events/

Contrary to popular belief, GCSE grades aren't terribly important even when applying for Oxford!

I hear that there is no such a thing as "a college being best for a given subject". .

I am thinking of applying to Oxford to study French and Spanish but I'm not sure if the course is right for me- I love literature but I don't know whether it would be better to go for a course with more variety- On a general note does Oxford put a lot of pressure on its students?

I heard that they are discouraged from getting part time jobs whilst at uni? This might just be a rumour though.

Well if you're applying for two languages you'll have two interviews for each.You'll most likely get a poem/text to read in the language and you'll have 15 or so minutes to analyse it - they give you dictionary (at least at Trinity they do).

HELLO, i do modern languages at Oxford!!
My two cents on a few things:



Hmmm, yes and no. They do look at the applicant as a whole beyond GCSE grades- written work, interviews, entrance tests... so this means that they aren't just looking for straight A* students. It's all considered in the context of your education, i.e. if you're from a state school and you've achieved amazing grades, that's more impressive than if you're from a private school.
However, you probably do need a significant amount of As to get an interview. Not going to give a threshold on it, but they might not invite you for interview if it's not that impressive.


Again, yes and no. Some colleges are, in fact, stronger than others- a good indicator is how many tutors there are. I know someone who does Spanish at one college but they don't have a full-time Spanish tutor, so she comes into all of our classes. Which is fine, but for her, all her classmates are out of her college.



It is VERY literature-based, especially in first year. Within literature, it's extremely varied: translation/prose/poetry/plays... and you do such a fantastic spread of authors/poets/playwrights. But bear it in mind. You can do some modules such as philosophy/linguistics/cinema in 2nd/3rd year so it's not all too bad.

In terms of pressure, the tutors don't 'pressure' you as such- it's up to you how much work you do. But you will have to do the equivalent of a coursework essay a week, which is very tough.


It's true. There are, however, LOADS of grants/bursaries to help you out, and terms are just 8 weeks long so you can get some really good work in the vacation.


Not so elsewhere- but then maybe the texts are harder at Trinity. Interviews (particularly for languages) vary massively across colleges.



This is a great link, qwerty. LOOK ON THE ONLINE HANDBOOKS; THEY ARE THE MOST INFORMATIVE RESOURCE ABOUT COURSES.



good luck and feel free to message me for further advice.

Hi, do you do French?

I was wondering what the best way to start tackling the reading list would be? Do you have to read ALL the books on the prelims course before? Or can you strategically pick the ones that will be studied first?

I was really surprised they gave me a dictionary - I think my friend at Exeter may have got one, but I heard some horror stories of other applicants having to analyse poems on the spot - not too sure about the truth of that though =S

Hey!! Yup, I do. OH MY GOD READ THE READING LIST. READ IT ALL. I didn't read any of the books before I got here (conscientious...) and Michaelmas term was just a nightmare. You really need to read it because for languages, it's the basis of everything else you study and you just physically can't read two books in another language AND write the essay AND have a life. I chose the latter buuuuut it would've been nice not to sacrifice anything else as well.

Also, reading them is the bare minimum, really. The vacation is really the start of term, if that makes sense. (Well, for modern languages anyway...) If you really want to get a good start, underline books as you go, and after you've read them, make brainstorms of themes, read some criticism... because I thought we'd be 'taught' the main themes in tutorials once you get here, and you're not really- that's the discussion bit that's meant to come at the end of all your preparation. DON'T look up every word though.

This might sound a bit daunting, but the more work you do in the vacation when you're at your boring house, the more you can concentrate on making friends/partying/joining societies/playing sports etc when you get here : D

If you're short on time, maybe ask the college which texts you'll study in Michaelmas? We did the short ones first (Cesaire et al). Also, it's worth knowing that for these first 6 shorter texts, you only have to write about 3 in the exam... so if there are 3 that you don't have time to read, then you can skip those. But you will have to write an essay and sit through a tutorial on it... not the best experience...

Also yeah, I had to analyse a piece of French prose on the spot...

Thanks a lot Looks like I have a fun summer ahead...

Well, I did say in the interview that I chose Oxford for the literature...

Ha, my sis is at Edinburgh (second year) and she got a first in French, having never ever read a whole French book. I am annoyed.

hahaaa they put little stars in. Cute.

So what was your interview like? Do you do French Sole?

No, I do also do german. What would you like to know?

Oh wow, okay! I'm applying for German and Spanish...nice to meet another linguist; I believe there are so few of us that we ought to stick together!

How did you structure your PS to be evenly balanced between the two? Did you feel that one of your languages was slightly stronger than the other?

Where were you interviewed? What did you have to do in the interviews?

Ahhh, good choice. Haha, yeah- definitely with you there!

I'm actually just about to do my first year exams (!!!) so if it's alright I'll get back to you in a week or so when they're over, and then I can be a little more detailed. : )

Does anyone who is studying German at Oxford at the moment, or has recently studied German sole there know who teaches the Old Norse module for Paper XII?

I don't qualify on either score, so I may well be talking rubbish, but I'd expect it to be Heather O'Donoghue, since she's the university's Old Norse person...