Reapplying to Oxford; What are my chances of getting in?

The only way to find out is to apply. Make sure you meet the academic requirements, have a strong PS and refs and possibly relevant experience. Did they give you any feedback last time?

Hi,
I applied last year for History and Italian. I was in the same position as you: I loved Italian but was worried the joint course might be too competitive. Having now got an offer, my advice is 100% to go for it - it's not a whole lot more difficult, and it's a million times better to study what you love than to compromise for the sake of getting in.
In terms of colleges, don't bother with an open application as you might end up somewhere you don't like, or even being randomly allocated Balliol again. Pick a pretty college that's not as competitive as where you were before and isn't rammed with posh people. Don't worry about not being a first time applicant; so long as you can show how you've been making good use of your year out nobody cares, and if you do constructive things it will definitely work in your favour.
Your academic record sounds great so I wouldn't worry about that at all, and likewise your English is pretty good.
Going to Vienna is a brilliant idea and will definitely help you out. Start revising grammar as much as you can as well, but if your German's as good as you say then you should be fine.
Apart from that all I can recommend is for you to read like crazy. Pick up as many books in German and English as you can, develop an interest in a particular author or period, pursue it, enjoy it. And make sure you write about it in your personal statement.
Good luck mate!

Thanks for the response. Oh God, it did cross my mind that there was a chance I'd be allocated to Balliol, and that would be awkward, to say the least. D'you have any idea what scores I need to get invited to an interview?

As for the personal statement, I obviously intend to skip the whole 'I've been rejected' thing and focus more on my passion for the subjects and what I've done to pursue them. In my previous PS I feel like I've bragged too much about my achievements, without really saying enough about my interest in the topic. (E&M weren't my absolute favorite subjects either, so I guess that showed through a bit).

What kind of written work am I supposed to give them for the German part?

I reckon you stand a very good chance but yeah don't choose an open application in case you are allocated to Balliol. Your extra curricular activities sound great as do your academic achievements. I will also be applying for a different course this year at Ox so good luck to both of us.

Thanks a lot! What did you apply to last year? And what course do you have in mind for this year? Best of luck anyway

I'm not familiar with the tests for English and German but I imagine they're similar to the ones for History and Italian; they're intentionally hard and you're not expected to get full marks, or even do well. I couldn't answer the last three questions out of 20 on mine and they still complemented me on my score.

Yeah ignore that you were rejected, focus on your passion for the subjects and how you've been acting on it.

For German they'll just want two essays in German, normally on German literature. You can check more precisely on the website though.

Hope that helps

ppe last year, this year law!

Two of them? Oh well, I do have some stuff in which I'm analysing some quotes from German authors, but nothing about an entire work. I wonder if sending them one of these would work..

I just checked the website for you: you need one essay in English for English, then one in English for German and another in German for German.

So that's three essays in total, but they say if you think that you've got one English essay which fits both subjects then just submit two copies.

Depending on how long and complex your analysis of quotes is, you could either submit it as an essay or sit down and write a new one.

I guess it's about time I started doing some actual research on what the course actually entails. I do find it strange that I'm supposed to submit an essay in English for German. I suppose they expect me to see some German literary text analysed in English, right?

And btw, thanks a lot - I really appreciate the help

No problem

I don't think your English essay for German has to be about a German text; it's more that they want to see if you can make sense and create convincing arguments.

Research is always good, but from what you've told me the course sounds perfect for you. Your English is actually pretty impressive - did you just learn it at school, or do you have some kind of English background?

I'll see what I can do about the written work. Thanks, and no, I don't have an English background, but when I was 3 my parents signed me up for kindergarten in English and I've also taken private lessons a few years ago. Oh, and I do enjoy binge watching a lot of shows and stuff, so you know, English has pretty much become close my mother tongue now. That's how I managed to work as a writer for the past two years in the first place.