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Reply 1
Question 1)I want to apply to Oxford to study Hisotry of Art. I would love to go to Oxford , but in this particular subject Oxford doesnt appear on the Time uni Guide top ten? I know it's quite a new subject , but I wondered if anyone knew why this is, taking into account Oxford appears in the top ten for most things.

Question 2) I have all A* and A at GSCE's, AS - 100% marks for Art, 100% in one of my English module and a good A grade, Good A grade for AS History and a B for Maths ( 8 points off an A although I got a 100% in my Stats module!) I am dropping Maths to take an AS in History of Art this year and I am studying Grade 8 piano.
So what is the most important thing re applying, is the grades or is it the personal statement, interview, teachers references ? How important are other activities too. I dont have any great work experience or anything of note to add.

There are only 10 places for this course right across Oxford so it's a gamble I fear
Reply 2
Well no replies yet?? Does anyone know?
Reply 3
1) It doesn't appear on the list at all, which suggests that the Times is unaware of its being a course. This doesn't mean the course is not academically rigorous and/or is not of the same standard as other courses at Oxford.

2) Interview is the most important. The others are less important but still valuable. Irrelevant extracurriculars are, well, irrelevant. Having relevant work experience might help, but I imagine tutors are aware that few applicants will have had the opportunity for it. It's more important to demonstrate that you have a passion for your subject and will be able to cope with the pace and demands of the course at Oxford.

Even though there are only ten places, if Oxford is where you want to study, that's where you should apply.
Reply 4
BJack
1) It doesn't appear on the list at all, which suggests that the Times is unaware of its being a course. This doesn't mean the course is not academically rigorous and/or is not of the same standard as other courses at Oxford.

Or perhaps it's simply too small a subject. Ten students per year is tiny.
Reply 5
Thanks, it may be that it is too small. I have looked up when it started and it was 2004, so it should have had time to show. I would love to study at Oxford (and the smallness of the course is a good thing in my view) , and I will give it my best shot (hence my questions) , if it doesnt happen, then there are other great unis I know, my sister is at St Andrews and I like the look of Warwick. We shall see!

Although the interview worries me to be honest, as I am quite shy ( apart from when I am with my friends, it's weird really as they say I am outgoing, loud etc etc but my tutors at college say I am shy!)
Reply 6
I know two people from my school who are on the course, and they both absolutely love it. I think they said that it's probably one of the most 'cutting edge' courses, whatever that means...! If you want to apply, just go for it - I'm sure it's a reputable and demanding course, regardless of what poorly calculated League Tables show.
Reply 7
madzerenzo


Question 2) I have all A* and A at GSCE's, AS - 100% marks for Art, 100% in one of my English module and a good A grade, Good A grade for AS History and a B for Maths ( 8 points off an A although I got a 100% in my Stats module!) I am dropping Maths to take an AS in History of Art this year and I am studying Grade 8 piano.
So what is the most important thing re applying, is the grades or is it the personal statement, interview, teachers references ? How important are other activities too. I dont have any great work experience or anything of note to add.


This question is hard to answer. One of my tutors told me people overestimate the importance of the interview- GCSE and AS grades, any work you have to submit and teacher references are all likely to be very important factors as well. As someone perviously mentioned irrelevant extracurriculars are irrelevant, but I think you could tie in music to history of art somehow and you can use ECs as an example of how you can balance your time so do mention them.
Reply 8
Thanks for the replies. I keep on getting cold feet, I want to apply and would love to go there. We are going up on Friday to look around , but I am scared ******** of the interview!

I have considered not applying because of it (I dont think I will do well in it as I can be quite shy, and some of the things on the internet you see re the interview make it sound so daunting and scary . They may ask very difficult questions I dont have the answer for)

I am reassured that my grades and other work, reference (my tutor thinks I would be an good candidate) will be just as important. I do hope to get 2 A*'s (Art, English) and one A (History) this year plus the new AS I have started (History of Art) and my AS Maths

I agree I do think my music/piano does have a relevance, it is a creative subject and shows effort to get to Grade 8 , so I will mention it in my PS.

One other question and this sounds a little silly, but I became interested in History of Art ( I have always been interested in Art itself, it has been my passion) when I was about 13 and read the book 'The Davinci Code' It made me think more about the history and meanings behind paintings and so on. Do you think I should mention this in my PS or does it sound stupid and a little shallow? Mmm probably does lol!

The course is EXACTLY what I want to do but with only 10 places....
Reply 9
If you apply for a subject that you have never done ( although I have started an AS in it this year) then what are they likely to ask you in the interview.

I am doing Art, English, History ( I have done an AS in Maths) so do you think it is likely to be history that they will ask about?
Reply 10
.... Or would they expect you to have have a comprehensive knowledge of the subject, although you have never taken it. I am reading hard to gain knowledge and as I said before doing an AS now in the subject.

I have visited art galleries etc in London a few times , but as we are in Cornwall, we cant do that on a regular basis.

Oh I think I am now getting paranoid!!
Reply 11
src
Hi I was just wondering if there are any history of art current or prospective students around? I'm starting at Harris Manchester October 2009 and am full of questions but don't know who to ask!


How are you finding it, has it lived up to your expectations?
Reply 12
Sometimes I feel very isolated on this forum ..... good job I love my subject lol !
hey, where did you find the information about 10 places for the course?
I applied for the MSt. course in HoA & Visual Culture this year. does anybody know how many places do they have on that course?
what do they expect of you and your application?

I have a BA degree from Croatia, hope that won't be considered as "low end", even though my grades have an average of 4.77 out of maximum possible mark of 5.

does a CV play an important role? I've listed two paper presentations at conferences there, published in conference proceedings. I'm not that satisfied with my sample of written work, had better to send but I didn't have time to translate them... :\
Reply 14
BenjaminCroatia
hey, where did you find the information about 10 places for the course?
The online version of the undergraduate prospectus.
I applied for the MSt. course in HoA & Visual Culture this year. does anybody know how many places do they have on that course?

Well, the total number of places for history-related taught courses is 140, there are 13 different strands, and looking at the titles of the others, I'm guessing that History of Art will be one of the smaller ones. So I doubt there will be much more than about 10 places for that course (although I may be wrong, obviously).
what do they expect of you and your application?

That sort of information should be in the prospectus. Anyway, if you've already applied, isn't it rather late for you to be asking this question?:confused:
heh, indeed. thank you for your reply hobnob.
I was hoping somebody who got in on that course will see my post, so i can compare my chances.. I suppose it is just another way of waiting for the letter to come.
how about my average, how would that translate in the british model (2:1, 1:1?)
Reply 16
BenjaminCroatia
heh, indeed. thank you for your reply hobnob.
I was hoping somebody who got in on that course will see my post, so i can compare my chances.. I suppose it is just another way of waiting for the letter to come.
how about my average, how would that translate in the british model (2:1, 1:1?)

I think you'll be more likely to get useful replies if you post in the postgraduate forum. This forum is mostly used by undergraduates, so even the posters from Croatia probably won't know much about the conversion of Croatian (or Croat? I can never remember which is the correct form) undergraduate degrees.
any news on the History of Art programme? :smile:
not isolated anymore.
BenjaminCroatia

I applied for the MSt. course in HoA & Visual Culture this year. does anybody know how many places do they have on that course?
:\


I was recently accepted for an MSt. I asked how many people they take and was told between 20 and 30 people.

Let me know if you plan on going. They will like the fact that you are Croatian.
What is the history of art programme at oxford like?
I have been accepted for philosophy and German but kind of regret not applying for history of art... eek.