This guide will give you a little insight into studying the undergraduate English Language and Literature Course at Teddy Hall, Oxford!
What does a typical day studying English at Teddy Hall look like?
Our English cohort usually has three classes and about one or two tutorials a week. Classes (1 ½ to 2 hours) are group discussions of the works we read and prepare for that week, whereas in tutorials (ca. 1 hour) we discuss our essays in small groups of two to three students and a tutor. They focus on a range of aspects such as writing style and argument development, and vary in style from tutor to tutor–– which leads to a great variety of tutorial experiences! Classes are normally in the afternoon so most of the day can be structured individually, which gives you lots of freedom.
I might start a morning with an online lecture (due to the current pandemic guidelines English lectures are all online) and then work on my tutorial essay(s) for a while before doing reading for the upcoming classes. After class and dinner in college, I will either do some more work on my essay, read, spend time with friends or do social activities. Teddy Hall’s weekly Creative Writing club, usually held on Wednesdays, is a brilliant opportunity for those who love writing to share works with others or simply listen and give constructive feedback. It is open to students in and outside of the college, and people can join independently of their subject. Apart from this, there are many more clubs in Teddy Hall and the university, though, so everyone can find something that matches their interests and hobbies.
Why do you like studying English at Teddy Hall?
Our tutors care deeply about our academic development as critics as well as our enjoyment of the material. We read and think about literature in many different and stimulating ways––we even had an outdoor class once (which the photo shows), on which occasion we walked to Port Meadow to read Hopkins’ “Binsey Poplars” in Binsey! One of the beautiful things about Oxford is that you live your life in a city in which so much culture and literature has happened and can feel a part of it. There's ten of us in the English first year cohort at Teddy Hall, so everyone can bring forth their own ideas and direct the discussions towards aspects meaningful to them. Because you quickly know your cohort quite well the atmosphere is also very comfortable and friendly. Everyone can be who they are, and no one gets judged for more or less participation than another student. Generally, there is always someone in Teddy Hall ready to help you or simply to chat. Because the college space is so small and cosy, you bump into a bunch of people simply by walking around the quad or going to the library or the JCR (junior common room). There are smiling faces everywhere!
Personal Statement
A dear friend of mine from our first year cohort said the following about personal statements: “The most important thing when writing your personal statement is to have an exciting time while writing about the texts you love. Be yourself and stay true to your interests, rather than assuming that there are certain books you have to mention or turns of phrase that you should use. The tutors are looking for real passion and enthusiasm, and the more you can show this, the better. If you have niche interests, this is a real strength and something you should emphasise as much as possible.” Furthermore, try to demonstrate not only how deeply you have read but also how widely, by mentioning works of different literary genres and from different time periods. It will open up your topic in a new way and show super exciting links between your chosen texts!
Also, here are some resources which can help you while working on your personal statement:
Explore the Oxford University Press’ “Very Short Introduction” series –– chances are there will be a book for a topic you explore
Listen to podcasts such as “BBC Radio 4 - In Our Time” –– I’d recommend not only the episodes on authors / literary works, but also about cultural, historical, or scientific events, as these will further broaden your mind
Look for more podcasts on the works you have chosen –– especially when the podcasts discuss the broader cultural or historical backgrounds of the work it can help in opening up one’s thoughts about the work
Browse around on the British Library website –– their online exhibition “Discovering Literature” is good for freshening up knowledge about works / periods
Listen to several Oxford English lectures available on Podcasts, iTunes U, or YouTube –– there are also two talks on YouTube by one of our English tutors Dr Tom MacFaul about Shakespeare and the mind / Shakespeare and animals, as well as a poem discussion of Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice” by another tutor of ours, Dr Erica McAlpine.
Watch other free English Literature lectures from world-class universities –– Yale uploaded some lectures, for example about modernist writers, a few years ago - This is endlessly helpful: search for secondary literature to back up some of your claims in your personal statement via JStor.
Further tips:
Only mention works which you have really read. Tutors will usually ask thought-provoking questions about your statement in interviews, so knowing your texts well will help you feel confident as well as show your best abilities!
In your statement, don’t use cliché or write about events from too long ago. The tutors want to know where you are now in your literary engagement.
Have a look at the English Faculty website for the criteria tutors focus on for all stages of the application This can help you define your application preparation in a targeted way.
Don’t drift off too far into the extracurricular (Oxford suggests to mention ca. 10% extracurricular activities and 90% academic content, i.e. the specific questions and discussions which thrill you in literature). Mention your wider activities which link back to the subject, such as going to the theatre, acting in a theatre club, attending/participating in poetry readings, etc. Most importantly, make sure to mention how these experiences have shaped your approach to literature (for example, how they challenged your views on a certain style of writing).
ELAT – Entrance Exam
The English Literature Admissions Test is the entrance exam Oxford uses for English. Details of it are here: https://www.admissionstesting.org/for-test-takers/elat/about-elat/. The best way to prepare for the ELAT is by doing as many past papers as you can! Being an international student from Germany, I did not have English Literature as a school subject and was completely new to essay-writing. I started my ELAT-preparation in June –– this is early, but it allows for a lot of time for development, building and automatizing skills. If you, too, have little or no experience writing essays, you could start by taking excerpts from texts of different genres and practice close-reading and comparing them. An amazing book about close reading is “Slow Reading in a Hurried Age”, which deals with the questions we can ask texts when analysing them. Generally, reading critics is a great way for improving and finding your own writing style. When you practice with ELAT past papers, make sure to practice enough under real time conditions. Having to write under time pressure contains new difficulties and analysing your weaknesses and strengths after writing the papers is invaluable! Last tip: get acquainted with the actual answer booklet early and learn to fit your essay on the maximum of four pages provided, as this will make sitting the real test more familiar and you will be able to focus more on writing the essay itself.
Interviews
Many people have said this before, but it is just as true: getting invited for interviews at Oxford is a marvellous achievement. Be proud of yourself, and trust your abilities! Now is your time to demonstrate your enthusiasm in front of tutors and experience your first mini-tutorial (the format in which you will discuss your essays with tutors during your Oxford studies).
For Teddy Hall, every English interviewee has two interviews in college (in non-pandemic times) with all the tutors (two tutors per interview). About half an hour before your interview, you will receive an envelope with excerpts from which you must choose and analyse/close read one. This is a skill you will already have developed at school and for the ELAT, so just do your thing and look at what you find particularly intriguing about the passage. In the interview itself, tutors may ask you to talk about this passage in different ways. They might:
Ask you to talk them through the passage. Be confident and say your thoughts about the text out loud –– “take them by the hand”, so to speak, as you show them all your detailed observations.
Ask you thought-provoking questions about the text. Here it is especially helpful to think of the interview as a conversation rather than an interview. (Again, wise words from another cohort-friend of mine.) Listen attentively to understand the question, take time to think before you speak and then, again, share your thoughts. Be open for suggestions––both you and the tutors are contributing to the discussion, after all, so take in their feedback and re-evaluate. Perhaps they suddenly show you a point of view you hadn’t considered before. In that case, you can tell them this fact and explain your shift in thought to them. If you still think differently, argue your position politely but make sure to also acknowledge their suggestions and to explain why you nevertheless disagree.
Some tutors will then ask questions about your personal statement. Remain calm, even if a question throws you off. The tutors are trying to push beyond your limits and find out how you think on the spot. Enjoy that push :)
Some more general tips for both parts of the interview:
Don’t worry about sounding too academic and just talk frankly about what you know.
Remember that the tutors aren’t trying to trick you or make you feel uncomfortable. They are genuinely curious to hear your thoughts, and reminding yourself of that can be a great help and boost.
If you think you have said something “far-fetched” or off, say so! This will show the tutors that you assess your own ideas and try out different “paths”. Similarly, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Admitting that you are stuck and then building on the tutors’ suggestions is much better than just saying “I don’t know”. Again, the tutors will appreciate your honesty and willingness to learn :)
And, most importantly: enjoy! This is a chance to learn from and with top academics, and an experience you will carry with yourself no matter what happens after the interview.