Hi
I know that an application for English, especially for Oxford, requires a great deal of dedication outside the curriculum...
I have:
Entered/won numerous writing competitions
Gone on a writing course
Am planning to enter an prestigious essay/dissertation competition organised by my school. Most people submit one entry, but I was hoping to enter several, if it is possible. It would also help with the "readng around" of the subject and enable me to consolidate many of the ideas I might discuss at interview, as I would write a Shakespeare essay, an Evelyn Waugh essay, and a WW1 literature essay. However, do you think that these topics are too main stream/often studied at GCSE level? Perhaps I should explore a new area of literature?
I was planning to submit some travel articles to my school newspaper Features section (I am friends with one of the editors of this section).
Also, my friend (a history candidate) and I were hoping to start writing a satirical historical novel over the summer, but this is tenuous...
Is there anything else that would be useful to do? Work experience at a publisher or a library? Or is this irrelevant? I am worried I won't have enough to put in my personal statement in September or to discuss at interview.
Any ideas? Thanks
Hi
I know that an application for English, especially for Oxford, requires a great deal of dedication outside the curriculum...
I have:
Entered/won numerous writing competitions
Gone on a writing course
Am planning to enter an prestigious essay/dissertation competition organised by my school. Most people submit one entry, but I was hoping to enter several, if it is possible. It would also help with the "readng around" of the subject and enable me to consolidate many of the ideas I might discuss at interview, as I would write a Shakespeare essay, an Evelyn Waugh essay, and a WW1 literature essay. However, do you think that these topics are too main stream/often studied at GCSE level? Perhaps I should explore a new area of literature?
I was planning to submit some travel articles to my school newspaper Features section (I am friends with one of the editors of this section).
Also, my friend (a history candidate) and I were hoping to start writing a satirical historical novel over the summer, but this is tenuous...
Is there anything else that would be useful to do? Work experience at a publisher or a library? Or is this irrelevant? I am worried I won't have enough to put in my personal statement in September or to discuss at interview.
Any ideas? Thanks
Any English-related extra curricular things would be good, and if you could get relevant work experience then that might be worth writing about on your personal statement, but I don't think it's essential. 90% of my personal statement was just rambling on about my interest in English Literature, and the only extra things I mentioned were an interest in creative writing and helping a girl with disabilities in my spare time. So not much. I still got an offer, and I bet the majority of people applying for English at Oxford have done less than you.
I think if you mention the writing competitions and the course would probably be enough. I'd recommend concentrating on reading widely and writing a personal statement that really demonstrates your interest in certain writers and areas of literature.
As for your essay competition, I'd suggest writing about whatever interests you the most. Evelyn Waugh is amazing so that sounds good to me!
Anyway, good luck with your essay and the whole application process. It seems like you're already off to a good start.
Any English-related extra curricular things would be good, and if you could get relevant work experience then that might be worth writing about on your personal statement, but I don't think it's essential. 90% of my personal statement was just rambling on about my interest in English Literature, and the only extra things I mentioned were an interest in creative writing and helping a girl with disabilities in my spare time. So not much. I still got an offer, and I bet the majority of people applying for English at Oxford have done less than you.
I think if you mention the writing competitions and the course would probably be enough. I'd recommend concentrating on reading widely and writing a personal statement that really demonstrates your interest in certain writers and areas of literature.
As for your essay competition, I'd suggest writing about whatever interests you the most. Evelyn Waugh is amazing so that sounds good to me!
Anyway, good luck with your essay and the whole application process. It seems like you're already off to a good start.
Thanks Do you know if they look kindly on unrelated extra curriculars like photography and scuba diving? And is voluntary work important?
Hi
I know that an application for English, especially for Oxford, requires a great deal of dedication outside the curriculum...
I have:
Entered/won numerous writing competitions
Gone on a writing course
Am planning to enter an prestigious essay/dissertation competition organised by my school. Most people submit one entry, but I was hoping to enter several, if it is possible. It would also help with the "readng around" of the subject and enable me to consolidate many of the ideas I might discuss at interview, as I would write a Shakespeare essay, an Evelyn Waugh essay, and a WW1 literature essay. However, do you think that these topics are too main stream/often studied at GCSE level? Perhaps I should explore a new area of literature?
I was planning to submit some travel articles to my school newspaper Features section (I am friends with one of the editors of this section).
Also, my friend (a history candidate) and I were hoping to start writing a satirical historical novel over the summer, but this is tenuous...
Is there anything else that would be useful to do? Work experience at a publisher or a library? Or is this irrelevant? I am worried I won't have enough to put in my personal statement in September or to discuss at interview.
Any ideas? Thanks
All this is great BUT the remainder of your time between now and the interview would be better spent reading, reading, reading. Read broadly, but also concentrate on fields that particularly interest you - eg. Gothic novels, the Brontes, WWI lit as you mention above, so you can put it in your PS and therefore give your interviewers a place to start asking you questions from. They like depth of interest.
Beyond helping to ascertain that you're not a hermit, extra-curricular activities are, as the above post says, irrelevant. The writing is nearer relevancy, but even then, as wadhamite says, you should really be spending lots of time reading. Lots of time.
It's your academic interest in the subject that you should be demonstrating in your personal statement, not your wider range of hobbies.
Thanks Do you know if they look kindly on unrelated extra curriculars like photography and scuba diving? And is voluntary work important?
I think the others have already answered this, but seeing as you already have more relevant extra curriculars you could mention, I would bother referring to photography or scuba diving. With your personal statement you really want to make the most of space. The only reason I mentioned the voluntary work in mine is that I literally couldn't think of any other extra curricular things to mention (don't do any sports, don't play any musical instruments, didn't do Duke of Edinburgh etc). My personal statement was basically "books books books books (and I have a couple of other interests) but mainly BOOKS".
MSB's right - reading as much as possible is the main thing.
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