UCL English application question

Hi guys!

I've applied to study English at UCL for entry in 2013. I did the whole UCAS thing last year (didn't apply to UCL however) and got into Bristol to study English. For various reasons however I've applied to begin my degree again at UCL. My grades at A Level are A* history, A* French and A English literature, with an A in AS classics and an A* in a literature-based Extended Project.

My only worry is this: will the fact that I don't have an A* in English affect my application? Would I appear a stronger candidate for literature if my A* had been in English instead of say, French? Unfortunately, after having attained high As in all my English A Level modules I kind of blagged the final exam and ended up with B, which meant I couldn't get an A*...

Any thoughts?

Hi there! This shouldn't be a problem at all - I know people in my year (I'm a finalist) here who didn't get an A* in English (or any of their other subjects, in fact). In your case, it seems a solid academic record is a given, so all you need to focus on now is nailing that personal statement and shining at interview. Easier said than done, I know, but the UCL English department puts a lot of emphasis on these two factors.

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Even if it does make me feel terrifically old...

Ah great, thanks a lot! Haven't heard anything back from UCL yet however I did send my application off the day before the UCAS deadline (three weeks or so ago) so I'm not particularly surprised.

I was wondering if you could give me a low-down of the UCL interview experience for English? Is it more relaxed than the Oxford setup? Will I be asked primarily about my A-Level texts or what I discussed on my personal statement (Chaucer, Katherine Mansfield, Swift, Burroughs, Donne and Raymond Carver)?

It really depends on who is interviewing you, though the general impression I've had from what others have said is that our interviewers are a little more accommodating, in the sense that they will do what they can to get the best out of you. They really just want to see that you've thought about what you've read and can talk about it, so you can get the best out of the one-to-one tutorial format we have as part of the degree.

I personally had a somewhat unique interview experience, whereby my interviewers (both really lovely, incidentally) asked me what I wanted to talk about and we moved from there. We ended up covering A-Level texts, a few things I'd put on my personal statement, and general discussion that stemmed from there. I didn't really feel like there was a particular direction in which we were heading; more of a chat about my reading habits, what I found interesting/boring and why. Pretty much everyone else on my course has said something similar. The few who said they felt their interviewers were a bit mean also accompanied this by saying they thought it was because they were trying to push them to think more deeply about something. So, not necessarily a bad thing.

I hope that ramble is of some help!

Thanks, sounds great! I hope I hear about an interview soon. I just got back from visiting a friend who does history at UCL (my second time down in London) and got to see the university precinct this time... it all looks amazing.

What kind of poetry were you set in the written commentary? Anything really oblique?

I was set Auden's 'Lullaby', which was pretty straightforward, but others were set a prose piece about a dog... Either way, they don't particularly care if you get things/interpretations right or wrong, just that you have some thoughts and can express your reasoning behind them clearly in the usual way (examples of language, form etc.). Thinking back to my own commentary, I wrote a lot of really strange things (shockingly, I hadn't read 'Lullaby' before that day...) and I still got in!

They save the weird poetry for the six-hour commentary and analysis paper at the end of your third year...


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Ah yeah I know 'Lullaby', great poem. Think I analysed it in an Oxford interview prep session when I was in college!

Do you remember when you soon after applying you heard about your interview? Sorry to keep on nagging, just really keen to read English at UCL a haha!

I looked at their prospectus and they put a lot of emphases on elaborating on our readings...I was wondering if that puts a weigh on the offer..?

I sent my application in accordance with the Oxbridge deadline (can't remember when that was - early October?), then got an invitation to interview in early November (with the interview taking place in early February).

I don't feel nagged at all! I'm glad to be of some help

Found out this morning that I have an interview on the 27th! It's suddenly real aha.

Started re-reading my A Level texts today, beginning with "Wuthering Heights"... funnily enough I enjoy it now I'm not studying it. With regards to your A Level texts, can you remember how you approached them during the interview? Were you encouraged to think about them in new ways, or were you just expected to talk about themes that interested you about them and support yourself with some quotation? Sorry, weird question but I'd like to know how I should be focussing my reading haha.

Ah congratulations!

I was just asked what I liked/disliked about them and why, and the conversation went from there. Sometimes they would challenge me or say 'but what if you think about it like this' or 'don't you think ____ is true?' and see how I took that. So really a mixture of both seeing how you react to new thought/being challenged and listening to what you have to say. They won't expect quotation as such. Your focus in your reading should be on what interests you. You might find, for example, the role of the narrator in Great Expectations is interesting, so you might collect some thoughts about why that is. That's the best way to go about it really, though I wasn't told any of this and got on just fine

Think of it this way - it's an hour or so of you talking to two people who are as passionate about literature as you are, and know everything there is to know about it (I assure you that's how I feel when in the company of our teaching staff). It's so much more an intelligent conversation than an interrogation. They want to see that the way the department teaches will suit you and that you'll get the best out of it (you probably already know part of our teaching is done through one-to-one tutorials between you and a staff member).

Late reply here but just updating to say I got an unconditional offer today! Thanks for all your advice about the structure of the interview etc. I'm so buzzed for London!