Monthly Archives: March 2024

Applying to study modern languages, Events and Competitions, French, German, Spanish, Student life, Studying at Oxford

Modern Languages Summer School

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Applications are now open for Wadham College‘s annual five-day Modern Languages Summer School. The residential will take place at the college, based in the centre of Oxford, from 19th to 23rd August 2024.

Summer schools are designed to give UK pupils studying in Year 12 a taste of what it’s like to be an undergraduate studying at the University of Oxford.  Pupils will take part in an academic programme, live in College, meet student ambassadors studying at Oxford, and receive information, advice and guidance on applying to university. Wadham’s Summer Schools are free and the college will provide financial support to pupils to cover their travel costs.

We’re delighted to be able to run these events in-person allowing participants the best experience of life at the university.  The feedback from last year’s Summer Schools was hugely positive with over a third of participants subsequently securing offers to study at the university.

“After the summer school I am much more confident that I would fit in at Oxford and feel like I am more ready to move away from home”

Summer School participant, 2022

For Modern Languages more specifically, pupils will engage in a seminar series led by Wadham’s language tutors, including language classes in their selected language of study (French, German or Spanish) with opportunities to try other languages as beginners (including German, Portuguese and Russian). Students will complete an assignment on a main topic with feedback from tutors. Pupils will also be able to receive support from current undergraduates and from the College on making successful applications to top universities.   

For more information and to apply, click here: Wadham College Summer Schools. Pupils should be studying French, German or Spanish at A-level or equivalent to apply. Applications close at 5pm on 3rd May.

If you have any queries, please contact access@wadham.ox.ac.uk

Applying to study modern languages, Events and Competitions, Literature, Student life, Studying at Oxford

Study Day at New College

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On Saturday 8th June 2024, New College will host a study day for Year 12 state school students who are interested in pursuing a degree at a Russell Group University in either:

  • Modern Languages
  • English Literature
  • A combination of the two
New College Front Quad

This cross-curricular study day will explore the following essay question:

“In reading the literary works of the past, to what extent should we judge them according to our own moral and literary standards?”

The study day will include academic sessions, an essay writing session, lunch in the dining hall, and a tour of the college.

Up to £100 in travel expenses will be paid for by New College.

Following the event, attendees will be encouraged to enter an essay competition which has a £500 cash prize.  In addition, £250 worth of books will be donated to the winner’s school library. 

In order to apply, you must be a Year 12 student in a UK state school or sixth form college.  You should also be considering a degree in either Modern Languages, English Literature or a combination of the two at a Russell Group University.  

You can find out more here and submit your application via this online form.

Applications close at midday on Wednesday 1st May 2024.

Events and Competitions, French, Spanish

Flash Fiction Competitions reminder!

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With just two weeks to go until the deadline, there’s still a chance to enter our Flash Fiction Competitions in French and/or Spanish – don’t miss out on your chance to win £100! A reminder of the competition details and how you can enter can be found below…

Credit: Aaron Burden via Unsplash

What is Flash Fiction?

We’re looking for a complete story, written in French or Spanish, using no more than 100 words.

Did you know that the shortest story in Spanish is only seven words long?

Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí.
(When he woke up, the dinosaur was still there.)

– Augusto Monterroso Bonilla (1921-2003)

What are the judges looking for?

Our judging panel of academics will be looking for imagination and narrative flair, as well as linguistic ability and accuracy. Your use of French or Spanish will be considered in the context of your age and year group: in other words, we will not expect younger pupils to compete against older pupils linguistically. For inspiration, you can read last year’s winning entries for French here, and for Spanish here.

What do I win?

The judges will award a top prize of £100, as well as prizes of £25 to a maximum of two runners up, in each age category. Certificates will also be awarded to pupils who have been highly commended by our judges. Results as well as the winning, runner up, and highly commended stories will be published on this blog, if entrants give us permission to do so.

How do I enter?

You can submit your story via our online forms at the links below.

FrenchSpanish
Years 7-9Years 7-9
Years 10-11Years 10-11
Years 12-13Years 12-13

Click on the links to be taken to the correct submission form for your age/year group.

You may only submit one story per language but you are welcome to submit one story in French AND one story in Spanish if you learn or study both languages. Your submission should be uploaded as a Word document or PDF.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on Wednesday 27th March 2024.

Due to GDPR, teachers cannot enter on their students’ behalf: students must submit their entries themselves.

Please note that the competition has changed slightly this year. We are now only accepting entries from UK secondary school pupils.

If you have any questions, please check our FAQs here. If these still don’t answer your question(s), please email us at schools.liaison@mod-langs.ox.ac.uk.

Bonne chance à tous! ¡Buena suerte a todos!

Events and Competitions, Translation

Big Think Competition

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St Edmund Hall at the University of Oxford is running its annual Big Think Competition!

Every year, The Big Think invites students across the UK to tackle one of our academics’ ‘big’ questions. These questions have been specially designed to challenge you beyond your normal school curriculum – helping you explore the latest breakthroughs in your subject and what it might be like to study it at university. Entering can also help boost your personal statement for university applications.

The competition opened on Friday 1 March. To enter, simply record a video of 5 minutes or less presenting your arguments and opinions. No need for fancy equipment or to show your face if you don’t want – feel free to get creative!

Winners will receive:

  • £100 (First Prize)
  • £50 (Second Prize)
  • £35 (Subject Commendations)

Winners will also all be invited to Oxford for the day where they will get to discuss their entries with subject tutors, tour round with current students and enjoy lunch in our dining hall.

Big Think: Modern Languages

The ‘Big Think’ question for Modern Languages this year is:

Is there such a thing as an untranslatable word?

This question has been set by Dr Holly Langstaff, tutor in Modern Languages at St Edmund Hall. Holly researches and teaches French literature from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. She also runs several outreach initiatives, such as the Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, the Think Like a Linguist project and Bristol Translates Summer School.

The competition will close Wednesday 1 May. To view the full list of questions and enter, visit seh.ac/bigthink. Good luck!