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Applying for English: Advice from an admissions tutor

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Original post by Sapphire123
for universities like oxford is taking a gap year considered a bad thing?

No. They think you get a bit rusty if you're applying for maths, but it's more time for reading books otherwise.
Original post by Pandora.
Thanks for the brilliant advice on this thread, it's really helpful! :smile:

At AS level I got AAAB, but the B was in English. Naturally I'm gutted as I was hoping to apply to some of the very top unis, but fair enough, I don't mind. Presuming I'm predicted an A in A Level Literature, and As or A*s for the other two subjects, how will the B at AS affect my application? :smile:

I feel a bit 'first world problems' asking this, but I want to pick the right range of choices to maximise my chances. :smile:

The predicted grades are what they look at first. If you're worried, a phone call to admissions will settle your mind.
Thank you, this is really helpful :smile: Christ, I'm slightly scared since the amount of literature I've read really isn't that high...my attention span means it's difficult to get through books :tongue:
Original post by Tweek
This worries me slightly. I'll never be able to speak out against Austen again at this rate. There will be other authors you can have a go at.

This was a very helpful post however, so thank-you for posting.

You're very welcome.
Reply 84
Avatar for Pandora.
Pandora.
15
Original post by carnationlilyrose
The predicted grades are what they look at first. If you're worried, a phone call to admissions will settle your mind.
Thanks a lot! I'll probably get in touch with admissions at some point soon, but that's reassuring to hear. :smile:
Reply 85
Avatar for sofieke15
sofieke15
2
hi there...you've talked on here about being widely read. It does seem obvious to me that you have to show you've read more than harry potter and lord of the rings(actually both series I've never read), even if it that is intellectual snobbery.

In my personal statement I've mentioned Jeffery Eugenides- The Virgin Suicides, Kazuo Ishiguro- Never let me go, Angela Carter-The Bloody Chamber, and Fay Weldon-The lives and loves of a she-devil. Yet I fear my personal statement will appear very restricted to contemporary novels. I can think of some other texts I've read that don't so closely fit that catergory(The Yellow Wallpaper, The picture of Dorian Gray,The Great Gatsby,poems by Larkin and Carol Ann Dufy- still not including any dramatic texts) yet I feel my writing on them wont seem very genuine(and I also think its much better to write a lot about a little, rather than a little about every text under the sun!) ? Should I speedly do some more reading (not that I'm not doing so anyways) to boost my statement/attempt to write about some of the other texts I've mentioned/or stick to writing about the things I feel comfortable writing about?

Is it okay to mention 1 or 2 texts that where on your a-level curriculim, or does every text you mention have to come from wider reading?

Thanks to anyone who reads all that and answers!much appreciated.
Original post by sofieke15
hi there...you've talked on here about being widely read. It does seem obvious to me that you have to show you've read more than harry potter and lord of the rings(actually both series I've never read), even if it that is intellectual snobbery.

In my personal statement I've mentioned Jeffery Eugenides- The Virgin Suicides, Kazuo Ishiguro- Never let me go, Angela Carter-The Bloody Chamber, and Fay Weldon-The lives and loves of a she-devil. Yet I fear my personal statement will appear very restricted to contemporary novels. I can think of some other texts I've read that don't so closely fit that catergory(The Yellow Wallpaper, The picture of Dorian Gray,The Great Gatsby,poems by Larkin and Carol Ann Dufy- still not including any dramatic texts) yet I feel my writing on them wont seem very genuine(and I also think its much better to write a lot about a little, rather than a little about every text under the sun!) ? Should I speedly do some more reading (not that I'm not doing so anyways) to boost my statement/attempt to write about some of the other texts I've mentioned/or stick to writing about the things I feel comfortable writing about?

Is it okay to mention 1 or 2 texts that where on your a-level curriculim, or does every text you mention have to come from wider reading?

Thanks to anyone who reads all that and answers!much appreciated.
You need to show the ability to deal with older texts as well. These are nearly all modern and the two which are a bit older are still very accessible. I suggest aiming to show a programme of reading of your own devising, following an interest beyond the A level syllabus: a particular nationality or genre or style or author or subject. Show the ability to see connections and pursue an independent line of inquiry.
Reply 87
Avatar for sofieke15
sofieke15
2
Original post by carnationlilyrose
You need to show the ability to deal with older texts as well. These are nearly all modern and the two which are a bit older are still very accessible. I suggest aiming to show a programme of reading of your own devising, following an interest beyond the A level syllabus: a particular nationality or genre or style or author or subject. Show the ability to see connections and pursue an independent line of inquiry.


thank you for such a quick reply, though I admit I feel a little daunted. I can think of texts such as Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Jude the Obscure and Tess of the Durbevilles that I read around the age of 15, and thus don't feel very fresh to me and whilst certain things stick out for me about these texts, I don't think I engaged with them so much as others I could write about. I also realise that these still dont pre-date 1800's.
Reply 88
Avatar for IceKidd
IceKidd
Original post by carnationlilyrose
Yesterday I attended a careers advisers' conference at what I'll refer to anonymously as a prestigious Russell Group university in the north of England, and I thought it might be worth posting here what the admissions tutor for English said in a workshop on applying successfully. There's nothing new or revolutionary here if you have a Head of Sixth or a tutor with experience, but not everyone's in that position, so it bears repeating just in case not everyone knows this. Although this was a conference at one specific university, the tutor confirmed that this was standard practice at comparable institutions.

•

If the grade requirements are, as in this case, AAA, there is no point at all in applying if you are not predicted AAA. There is an automatic rejection filter for this. A*AB is not an acceptable alternative either at the application stage or on results day.** See below

•

The personal statement is the most important element of the application after the predicted grades. (It won't get read if you haven't got the grades.)

•

GCSEs don't enter into the equation as long as the basic requirement has been met. Tutors recognise that people develop at different rates.

•

You must focus on the subject you are applying for and show awareness of the course content. An application for English and Theatre Studies which contains no reference to drama will be automatically rejected.

•

You must show a breadth of interest beyond the A level curriculum, and that means reading a wide range of literature in different genres and from different time periods. Only mentioning modern fiction will ensure that they will form the opinion that you are not going to handle the other aspects of the course. Above all, they want you to show a range of literary interests and intellectual curiosity.

•

Show, don't tell. Demonstrate the interest you are claiming to have. Don't make generic statements.

•

Give evidence of critical reflection on your experiences. It does not need to be positive. You can acknowledge the limitations of your experience thus far but use them as a springboard to demonstrate how much you are ready to learn. Don't try to claim you know everything already.

•

Minimise extracurricular content. I will quote the tutor exactly here: 'The more academic subjects, as opposed to vocational ones, at competitive, research-led universities want only minimal extracurricular details, if any at all.'

•

Spelling, punctuation and grammar really matter. A single typo won't get the application thrown out, but they are especially annoyed by applicants who cannot get the names of authors, books or characters right, and anyone spelling Jane Austen's name incorrectly is an automatic reject. (She really wasn't joking about this.)


As I say, nothing earthshatteringly new here, but this is the season for year 12s to start on the preliminary stages of applying and they haven't been through all this before, so it's useful to have a bit of a checklist at this stage.

**Edit: Since results day this year showed quite a different pattern to the previous year, people were much more successful in getting places in Clearing with grades such as A*AB for an AAA offer than had happened the year before. The advice still hasn't changed officially, but it's not black and white. I would still think carefully about having more than one high risk application



you said its predicted grades then ps. do they not look at AS at all. i would have thought that is more important than predicted grades.
Original post by IceKidd
you said its predicted grades then ps. do they not look at AS at all. i would have thought that is more important than predicted grades.

I'm telling you what the admissions tutor said. You have it from the horse's mouth.
Reply 90
Avatar for IceKidd
IceKidd
Original post by carnationlilyrose
I'm telling you what the admissions tutor said. You have it from the horse's mouth.


so did she not mention AS grades at all??
Original post by IceKidd
so did she not mention AS grades at all??

It was 18 months ago, so I can't recall word for word what she said, but they look at the whole application and use the information in the order I wrote. They will use the AS grades to measure how realistic the predicted grades are, just as all other universities will.
Hi there, I've applied for 5 unis for either English/English Language & Literature.

However, I am deciding whether Language or Lit is my preferred subject... My teacher said that on a personal level, I would cope with both subjects comfortably. On the other hand, academically she said I would prefer Language as it's more varied and it is broad in terms of what you study. She said that for Literature, tends to be quite limited in what you can write about and because of this, she thought I would not enjoy literature as much as language.

So I was wondering is it OK to go into a Lit degree and not like every text you study. For example I loathed reading Wuthering Heights for my coursework so I decided to choose Dorian Gray instead. I just detested it and could not get into it. Does this make me a bad A2-level English Lit student?

I mean, I could read it hand-in-hand, but to write about it, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Will things like this become a hurdle at university when studying Lit? I mean, I know all lit students and etc would not like all texts they read. And it's the same for Language, not all topics we had to study I enjoyed but she said I am stronger at Language. My year 11 teacher said that. And 3 years later, my A2 level teacher believes this too.

I don't know if I should re-apply for Classics and English Language or Classics and English Literature. However if I choose Classics and Lit, there are a few modules in the Lit side where I can choose some Language sides such as Origins of English. But you don't get the change to study things which I love like sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and IPA in Phonology.
But, as well if I chose Lang over Lit, I would be able to read very few texts for Classics, BUT I wouldn't be able to choose interesting modules such as Gothic Lit, Shakespeare modules and Post-colonial Literature which I love to study and not just read in my spare time.

My aims in life is to be either a teacher of English, or a book editor some day. But I am thinking of career wise... Classics and English Lit/Lang or English Lang and Lit which one would be most useful and open more doors for me.

Any thoughts? PS the Classics degree is entitled, "Classical Civilisation".
Original post by carnationlilyrose

x


Hi,

Just wondering if I could ask some advice?

I know that the different exam boards are quite different for English A level, and I'm just wondering which ones you think are better than others?

I have a choice between 2 otherwise pretty much identical colleges, but one does OCR and the other WJEC.
I've heard that the WJEC course is easier/ simpler etc, so just wondering whether this is true.

Many thanks
Original post by cheeriosarenice
Hi,

Just wondering if I could ask some advice?

I know that the different exam boards are quite different for English A level, and I'm just wondering which ones you think are better than others?

I have a choice between 2 otherwise pretty much identical colleges, but one does OCR and the other WJEC.
I've heard that the WJEC course is easier/ simpler etc, so just wondering whether this is true.

Many thanks

Sorry, I've been away. I'm afraid I can't help you here, as I've never taught either of these boards. The only advice I can give is to suggest you look at the syllabus and choose the one which has the most of interest to you in it. All A levels are supposed to be the same level of difficulty, btw.
Reply 95
Avatar for AlexKay99
AlexKay99
9
what about those who apply post a level? is there anything different about the process?
Original post by Carnationlilyrose
Yesterday I attended a careers advisers' conference at what I'll refer to anonymously as a prestigious Russell Group university in the north of England, and I thought it might be worth posting here what the admissions tutor for English said in a workshop on applying successfully. There's nothing new or revolutionary here if you have a Head of Sixth or a tutor with experience, but not everyone's in that position, so it bears repeating just in case not everyone knows this. Although this was a conference at one specific university, the tutor confirmed that this was standard practice at comparable institutions.

•

If the grade requirements are, as in this case, AAA, there is no point at all in applying if you are not predicted AAA. There is an automatic rejection filter for this. A*AB is not an acceptable alternative either at the application stage or on results day.** See below

•

The personal statement is the most important element of the application after the predicted grades. (It won't get read if you haven't got the grades.)

•

GCSEs don't enter into the equation as long as the basic requirement has been met. Tutors recognise that people develop at different rates.

•

You must focus on the subject you are applying for and show awareness of the course content. An application for English and Theatre Studies which contains no reference to drama will be automatically rejected.

•

You must show a breadth of interest beyond the A level curriculum, and that means reading a wide range of literature in different genres and from different time periods. Only mentioning modern fiction will ensure that they will form the opinion that you are not going to handle the other aspects of the course. Above all, they want you to show a range of literary interests and intellectual curiosity.

•

Show, don't tell. Demonstrate the interest you are claiming to have. Don't make generic statements.

•

Give evidence of critical reflection on your experiences. It does not need to be positive. You can acknowledge the limitations of your experience thus far but use them as a springboard to demonstrate how much you are ready to learn. Don't try to claim you know everything already.

•

Minimise extracurricular content. I will quote the tutor exactly here: 'The more academic subjects, as opposed to vocational ones, at competitive, research-led universities want only minimal extracurricular details, if any at all.'

•

Spelling, punctuation and grammar really matter. A single typo won't get the application thrown out, but they are especially annoyed by applicants who cannot get the names of authors, books or characters right, and anyone spelling Jane Austen's name incorrectly is an automatic reject. (She really wasn't joking about this.)


As I say, nothing earthshatteringly new here, but this is the season for year 12s to start on the preliminary stages of applying and they haven't been through all this before, so it's useful to have a bit of a checklist at this stage.

**Edit: Since results day this year showed quite a different pattern to the previous year, people were much more successful in getting places in Clearing with grades such as A*AB for an AAA offer than had happened the year before. The advice still hasn't changed officially, but it's not black and white. I would still think carefully about having more than one high risk application


Wow this is really good!!

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by lozasaurus99
Wow this is really good!!

Posted from TSR Mobile
:colondollar:
Reading this thread has made me a bit anxious about my personal statement. I mentioned enjoying the study of Twelfth Night for my Year 12 Coursework and that it lead me to read more Shakespeare plays. I then wrote about how this made me read the Kill Shakespeare series by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery. (I didn't mention that these were a graphic novel series though). I also wrote about reading The Handmaid's Tale for my art coursework (I also later used it for my English coursework, but didn't mention this). Have I mentioned enough/is my selection of novels good? What else could I mention to improve upon my personal statement. I've read some Jane Austen and two Dickens novels too, but I'm uncertain if I should mention them, as it might make my personal statement sound a bit like a book list.
I'm also taking a gap year, so feel free to list some books that I could read in order to get a head start/be more organised for the course. :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)
Reply 99
Avatar for bookowl
bookowl
2
is it possible to switch from a nursing degree to an english degree? I didn't do a levels but have a BTEC extended diploma at D*D*D* I have 6 GCSES at grade C and above including English?

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