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Is anyone else not entirely happy with the quality of their written work?

OK, we've had personal statements, now written work. Few of us will have had the letters yet but we will be undoubtedly asked for some (depending on the college), and I've looked through past assignments to see what I could possibly send in. We haven't done an essay for A2 yet (but even if we did I don't think I'd know enough about the era to be confident talking about it) and I look at some of my AS-level essays and think, "Sure, that's OK... it's got an A and a good grade... but given that the best people in the country will be sending essays which will undoubtedly be better, I'm really not sure". I would not think about editing them, for that is wrong, but I just wanted to see if anyone shared my insecurity.

Reply 1

nosnibor

What are you applying for?

Reply 2

Chess Piece Face

OP

History. I mean, I make my point well in my essays, I weigh up the evidence, but, looking at them, I just think that I could really be far more polemical and vigorous in my argument.

Reply 3

*Messalina*

Are you guys going to write essays specially to send in to Oxbridge or just submit past work?

Reply 4

Chess Piece Face

OP

They want to know how you work under normal conditions, so I'm submitting past work. You only write things especially for Oxbridge under extreme circumstances or if you haven't been set any proper essays during the year.

Reply 5

spatula01

I don't know if I have anything to send. I finished A-level English last year and I don't think I have any properly marked essays to send. I guess I would have to write one but I don't even know who I would get to mark it

Reply 6

sugar_cane

14

I get set homework every week from my Economics teacher and we had our first essay of the year set a week back, so I'm hoping to hand that in...
I worked for it as I normally would so it should be okay.

Reply 7

Chess Piece Face

OP

All this is well and good, although I'd just like to see people's opinions on what is ultimately the main purpose of this thread, which is to discuss the quality of the written work you plan to send in...

Reply 8

nosnibor

I would use an AS-level essay if I were you - bear in mind you will probably have to discuss it at interview so it should be a topic you know in detail.

You'll probably find that the content of your essay is good but the style of writing needs work. Look at the points you're making and organise your essay into a convincing argument.

Although I don't do History, I'm sure the skills you've learnt at A2 will help you polish that AS essay.

Reply 9

sugar_cane

14

Surely the quality would be relative to your own personal standards. So if it's a good essay in your opinion then that would be subjective.
If we all worked for weeks on end to give Oxford a piece of work then they'd expect so much more from you at interview and they'd know that you obviously had tried a little too hard.

Reply 10

UPsilamba

12

I'm applying for English, post A-level, and my essays are terrible.

I know it's 'subjective', but comparing my English essays to my History, well my History ones are just 100x better, so much well written, so I know my English ones fall below my best standards. In English it was all about jumping through the hoops, ticking all the AO's. My essays were mostly rushed, never redrafted, more passionate and emotional then rational and calm.
It's not good :frown:

Reply 11

I_am_the_mob

1

My essays were As but they just don't seem like my best work! It feels like a completely different ball game to school and obviously, it is! I wish I had more time but perhaps even that wouldn't help :frown:

Reply 12

--

3

Oh for god's sake this is getting stupid, do you really think that anyone is entirely happy with something they have produced? Do you think someone finishes writing a book and thinks 'Yep, that's perfect!'? I think you'd be hard-pushed to find any Oxbridge student who is entirely happy with a piece of written work when they hand it in. Stop fussing. And if you really can't come to accept a piece of A Level written work, then how do you think you're going to cope when you're thrown in at the deep end and told to write an essay in a week in a style completely alien to anything you've written before?

Reply 13

GerardT

Matthew2007

more passionate and emotional then rational and calm.
It's not good :frown:

That's interesting to read - I think my best essays are the ones with the emotion in them. Perhaps it's my writing style but I always seem to convey anger or joy in agreeing or disagreeing with the point I'm discussing... perhaps suited for journalism but not for Oxbridge essays maybe? :s-smilie:

The contrast for me is between History and Politics essays - Politics ones are all about grabbing the marks for examples and everything, but History is much more free to let my writing style come out. I enjoy writing those more and I get better marks in them, but perhaps it's not very good essay technique?

It's pretty irrelevant anyway since for me they are setting the essay themselves - I don't have to pick out something from class to send away.

Reply 14

UPsilamba

12

3232

Oh for god's sake this is getting stupid, do you really think that anyone is entirely happy with something they have produced? Do you think someone finishes writing a book and thinks 'Yep, that's perfect!'? I think you'd be hard-pushed to find any Oxbridge student who is entirely happy with a piece of written work when they hand it in. Stop fussing. And if you really can't come to accept a piece of A Level written work, then how do you think you're going to cope when you're thrown in at the deep end and told to write an essay in a week in a style completely alien to anything you've written before?

No, I doubt anybody thinks their work is perfect but people can draw personal comparisons between their own work from different subjects and notice how it differs.

Reply 15

UPsilamba

12

GerardT

That's interesting to read - I think my best essays are the ones with the emotion in them. Perhaps it's my writing style but I always seem to convey anger or joy in agreeing or disagreeing with the point I'm discussing... perhaps suited for journalism but not for Oxbridge essays maybe? :s-smilie:

The contrast for me is between History and Politics essays - Politics ones are all about grabbing the marks for examples and everything, but History is much more free to let my writing style come out. I enjoy writing those more and I get better marks in them, but perhaps it's not very good essay technique?

It's pretty irrelevant anyway since for me they are setting the essay themselves - I don't have to pick out something from class to send away.

Oh really? What subject are you applying for?

That seems quite fair to me, everyone getting an identical essay title. Though of course some peopels' may still be written more by their teachers than by themselves :rolleyes:

Sometimes I like my passionate essays, but they do always seem worse weeks later. I guess it's about getting a balance between feeling and retaining the intellectual. I probably...hopefully...do manage that but compared to History where it's harder for me to get worked up about something English essays do seem less intelligent. Maybe they're not though.

I also think my handwritten essays are probably the most emotional ones! That's when it all comes pouring forth :P

Interesting you should say that about Politics. My Politics essays were really a case of writing as much as you can in a certain space of time - getting in everything you could think of, including statistis etc. I don't think I ever wrote a 'proper' essay in Politics, only class ones or maybe one or two for homework over two years!

Reply 16

Bumper

Oh for god's sake this is getting stupid, do you really think that anyone is entirely happy with something they have produced? Do you think someone finishes writing a book and thinks 'Yep, that's perfect!'? I think you'd be hard-pushed to find any Oxbridge student who is entirely happy with a piece of written work when they hand it in. Stop fussing. And if you really can't come to accept a piece of A Level written work, then how do you think you're going to cope when you're thrown in at the deep end and told to write an essay in a week in a style completely alien to anything you've written before?

Oooh harsh! :wink:

However, I do agree. I don't think any of us are satisfied with the work we produce - ever! I reckon most of us take our studies seriously, and if you're ambitious, you'll also be critical. It's extremely difficult to view your own essay/work/personal statement/whatever objectively. So I think we should try to chill as much as possible...

Reply 17

Chess Piece Face

OP

3232

Oh for god's sake this is getting stupid, do you really think that anyone is entirely happy with something they have produced? Do you think someone finishes writing a book and thinks 'Yep, that's perfect!'? I think you'd be hard-pushed to find any Oxbridge student who is entirely happy with a piece of written work when they hand it in. Stop fussing. And if you really can't come to accept a piece of A Level written work, then how do you think you're going to cope when you're thrown in at the deep end and told to write an essay in a week in a style completely alien to anything you've written before?

There's something oddly reassuring in your harshness.

Reply 18

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3

Being a Cambridge historian makes you a grumpy cynic. :frown:

Reply 19

Chess Piece Face

OP

3232

Being a Cambridge historian makes you a grumpy cynic. :frown:

I think this might be a chicken and egg thing: are you a grumpy cynic because you are a Cambridge historian, or a Cambridge historian because you are a grumpy cynic? I would think that a certain degree of cynicism would be a prerequisite for any historian...

As for my written work, I suppose there's no reason to worry... admissions tutors know that AS-level working is limiting and that we are likely to have improved since then, and it's not just the quality of the work that's taken into account but the ability to talk about it, and I'd like to think that I have the latter.

Is anyone else not entirely happy with the quality of their written work?

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