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Oxford Modern Languages Students and Applicants

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hello !! i successfully applied for french sole at oxford this year (hopefully i will be starting there in october!!). the main thing i would say is that you just indicate the extent of your enthusiasm for literature - they wont have expected you to have yet read lots in the target language so feel free to mention english books or books in translation.

i would recommend reading novels by zola in translation, or some short stories/essays in english/french (maupassant is a good place to start). poetry can be good too - rimbaud & baudelaire can be challenging but are good fun.

if you found camus engaging then i wouldnt worry about being cliché - the most important thing is your personal response to and engagement with what you're reading.

you could make some notes as interesting points come to whilst you are reading, but your personal reaction to your reading will be more interesting to an admissions tutor than in-depth scholarly analysis - what you write about /will/ be brought up at interview so it's best that it's something you are truly passionate/engaged with.

feel free to message me privately if you have any questions - i would be more than happy to recommend you some more books & things if you would like :smile:

good luck !!

p.s. a word of warning: don't mention any long novels in your personal statement unless you are going to be happy re-reading them for your interview... i made the mistake of discussing my hatred for les miserables & then had to suffer through re-reading however many hundred pages in the weeks before my interview...

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 901

Etoile

Hi, does anyone know where the lectures/seminars for modern languages are held? Is all the teaching in the Taylor Institute (other than tutorials)?

Reply 902

Estreth

Original post by Etoile

Hi, does anyone know where the lectures/seminars for modern languages are held? Is all the teaching in the Taylor Institute (other than tutorials)?

Taylor Institution, plus 47 Wellington Square and a handful scattered around the colleges. See last term's lecture list with venues here:

https://weblearn.ox.ac.uk/access/content/group/modlang/general/lectures/index.html

Reply 903

Etoile

Original post by Estreth

That is extremely useful, thank you! Less great news that the Maison Francaise looks like a bit of a walk though...

Reply 904

Mooblymoo:)

Hi I’m thinking of doing French and German at Oxbridge and am wondering what other a levels anyone does with the two languages? Do you need English lit?

Reply 905

username3655170

Original post by Mooblymoo:)

Hi I’m thinking of doing French and German at Oxbridge and am wondering what other a levels anyone does with the two languages? Do you need English lit?

no just the languages unless one is ab initio

Reply 906

Etoile

Original post by Mooblymoo:)

Hi I’m thinking of doing French and German at Oxbridge and am wondering what other a levels anyone does with the two languages? Do you need English lit?

You don't need it, but it would be very useful as the MML courses at Oxbridge are very literature-heavy. If not English lit you would probably want to do another essay-based subject like history, politics or English language. I honestly think English lit is the most useful A-level I did.