Modern language supercurriculars
Does anyone have any film or literature suggestions for Spanish that could be useful to watch and include in my personal statement?
Does anyone have any film or literature suggestions for Spanish that could be useful to watch and include in my personal statement?
I would say let your interests guide you; however, note that the courses at both Oxford and Cambridge are somewhat literature heavy, if I remember rightly.
Note that if you are applying to Cambridge, you would apply for two languages (one may be done from scratch) so it would be an expectation that you have significant supercurriculars regarding the other language and its cultures, though these can be in translation for ab initio.
Reply 2
Hope this helps
Reply 3
Does anyone have any film or literature suggestions for Spanish that could be useful to watch and include in my personal statement?
Hi!
Final-year Arabic and Economics student here — although I studied a different language, I completely understand the challenge of building strong super-curriculars for Oxbridge.
For Spanish, here are a few high-quality films and literary works that I found that seem to be often recommended for students applying to top unis:
Films:
•
Volver – explores women’s roles in Spanish society
•
Mar Adentro – based on a true story, touches on ethics and life choices
•
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) – set during post-Civil War Spain, combines fantasy and history
•
La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Lorca – about women, control, and tradition
•
Crónica de una muerte anunciada by Gabriel García Márquez – unique structure, based on real events
•
La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende – magical realism and Latin American history
This is by no means the only list, the important thing is you are showing initiative to go above and beyond, you can even try reading/listening to podcasts in Spanish, writing brief reflections, or even starting a little blog/journal in Spanish can show real engagement.
Marjan Karim
SOAS Student Rep
Reply 4
Final-year Arabic and Economics student here — although I studied a different language, I completely understand the challenge of building strong super-curriculars for Oxbridge.
For Spanish, here are a few high-quality films and literary works that I found that seem to be often recommended for students applying to top unis:
Films:
•
Volver – explores women’s roles in Spanish society
•
Mar Adentro – based on a true story, touches on ethics and life choices
•
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) – set during post-Civil War Spain, combines fantasy and history
•
La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Lorca – about women, control, and tradition
•
Crónica de una muerte anunciada by Gabriel García Márquez – unique structure, based on real events
•
La casa de los espíritus by Isabel Allende – magical realism and Latin American history
This is by no means the only list, the important thing is you are showing initiative to go above and beyond, you can even try reading/listening to podcasts in Spanish, writing brief reflections, or even starting a little blog/journal in Spanish can show real engagement.
Marjan Karim
SOAS Student Rep
thank you so much!
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