Hello! My name is Hannah, and I’ve just completed my second year studying English Language and Literature here at Corpus.
I can’t say I wasn’t intimidated by Oxford as an academic institution when I was considering my university options, but the course sounded so exciting that I took the plunge and applied – and I’m so glad I did! English here is fantastic. The course offers such a wide breadth of literature to study. From Beowulf, to George Eliot, to Zadie Smith, you get the chance to dip your toe into all styles, genres, and time periods, reading the big names alongside the wonderfully niche. In just two years, I’ve discovered many writers I had no idea existed, as well as excavated a passion for things I had heard of but had no idea could be so interesting.
Another thing that’s so rewarding about the course here at Corpus is how much scope there is for molding it to your own taste. Whilst things are often more structured in your first term, tutors are quick to encourage you to pursue tailored interests and critical approaches to literature in your essays; in my experience at Corpus, the tutorial format fosters plenty of opportunity for picking your own topics and texts. It’s meant that, as well as Chaucer, Spenser and Swift, I’ve written about cookbooks, hunting treatises and early modern chessboards. It also means that, in my third year, I’ll be doing a whole module on folklore and fantasy literature.
In your first year, you can expect to get a good grounding in the English language, literary theory, Old English literature, and writing from 1820 to the present. Initially, I wasn’t too keen on studying Old English, but its challenge soon became my favourite part of the course. One of the brilliant things about English at Oxford is that it allows you to specialize in early medieval literature during your second year, which is unusual among English literature courses. By the end of my first year, I had enjoyed Old English so much that I found it difficult to decide which option to take!
English at Corpus is friendly, encouraging, and inspiring. Not only is the library well-stocked (with a generous 20 book loan-limit), I have never found the academic environment to be excessively competitive; my coursemates have always sought to build one another up, and tutors offer criticism that is helpfully constructive. I’ve seen myself improve radically from week to week, in both academic ability and confidence.
Coming to Corpus has, on top of studying, enabled me to pursue other interests. I have played in a band, run the college Christian Union, participated in arts events and the college Park Run team, and also acted in a Shakespearean garden play.
Please don’t hesitate to drop me an email, should you have any questions!
Resources
Resources for Key Stage 5, applying to Oxford and finding out more about Corpus can be found here.