Classics at Oxford?

5

Hey, I'm in Year 12 and really want to study Classics at Oxford. I want to do the 4 year course which means I don't have to know a classical language.
I got an A*AA665 at GCSE, the 5 was in Maths and the A* was in English Language. I taught myself my GCSEs because I left school in Year 10 as I suffered/am recovering from depression and anorexia.
I now attend the sixth form of a grammar school and am doing A levels in English Lit, History, Politics and an EPQ.
Do I stand a chance?

Reply 1

Lucilou101

18

It's worth a shot I would say!

GCSE's are important but so is doing well in the Classics Aptitude Test, your Personal Statement and your Reference. The vast majority of candidates are interviewed, so if you are enthusiastic and perform well at interview you stand as good a chance as any of getting an offer. It would be worth getting your extenuating circumstances mentioned in the Reference.

Worth noting that the course is always 4 years at Oxford, whether you come with language knowledge or not!

Best of luck and let me know if you have any more questions :smile:

Reply 2

HeraHope

OP

5

Original post

by Lucilou101

It's worth a shot I would say!

GCSE's are important but so is doing well in the Classics Aptitude Test, your Personal Statement and your Reference. The vast majority of candidates are interviewed, so if you are enthusiastic and perform well at interview you stand as good a chance as any of getting an offer. It would be worth getting your extenuating circumstances mentioned in the Reference.

Worth noting that the course is always 4 years at Oxford, whether you come with language knowledge or not!

Best of luck and let me know if you have any more questions :smile:

Thank's so much for your reply! Do you recommend any books in particular or extra-curricular activities?

Reply 3

Lucilou101

18

Original post

by HeraHope

Thank's so much for your reply! Do you recommend any books in particular or extra-curricular activities?

Extra-curriculars aren't really relevant and won't help your application, but they are worth doing just for yourself to develop skills and make yourself a more rounded person, and it's always good to have hobbies!

Some activities can be super-curricular, such as participating on digs or visiting sites, but obviously most people don't have the chance to do these so they're not at all expected.

I would say it's better to read fewer books in more depth and to focus on ones that actually interest you. It's hard to give recommendations unless I know which kind of areas you like? It might be worth trying a few things, if you haven't already, and seeing what appeals to you! I did the same and found I really enjoyed reading Ancient Greek plays by Aeschylus and Sophocles, and also preferred Greek history and literature overall which made be choose to learn Greek first.

You'll need to choose whether to learn Latin or Greek first when you apply, so it's worth reading more on the side you want to study!

Classics at Oxford?

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