Academic Taster Days are a fantastic opportunity aimed at Year 12 students (or equivalent) to explore a specific subject area, meet tutors and current students, experience a taste of academic teaching at Oxford, and find out more about studying at university.
S Catherine’s College (Catz), Oxford are running a Modern Languages and Linguistics Day on Weds 27th May.
St Catherine’s College (Catz), Oxford
This will include a demonstration interview with a current student and academic session options, including sessions for attendees already studying French, Spanish or German. It also includes beginners’ sessions in Linguistics and German. Details of further beginners’ sessions will be added to our webpage and may include: Czech, Italian, Modern Greek and Portuguese.
All events are free to attend, including any refreshments or lunch. We prioritise students from UK state schools and our link region of Wales.
For further information and to apply, please visit the Catz website.
The deadline for applications is midday on Monday 27 April. If you have any questions about booking or accessibility requirements, please contact outreach@stcatz.ox.ac.uk.
The Faculties of History and Medieval and Modern Languages along with St Anne’s College, Oxford are delighted to be offering a Study Day dedicated to Year 12 state school students looking to study History and a Modern Language at University/Oxford!
This event will take place on Monday 25th May at St Anne’s College.
St Anne’s College, Oxford
The Study Day will offer students the chance to:
experience academic taster sessions in both History and a Modern Language (that they are studying at A-level or in a brand-new language that they might wish to take from scratch* alongside History);
meet and ask questions to current History and Modern Languages students;
hear about the History and Modern Languages course and admissions process;
meet other students who are interested in studying History and a Modern Language at University/Oxford;
visit an Oxford college and learn more about Oxford’s collegiate structure.
Please note, students do not need to be studying History or a Modern Language at A-level in order to attend the event but must have a serious interest in studying the two subjects as a joint degree at University in order to apply.
There is no cost for attending the Study Day and participants will receive a free lunch at the college. We are committed to ensuring that students are not prevented from attending this event due to costs. Therefore, we are pleased to be able to offer financial support to students for reasonable travel expenses to and from Oxford for the Study Day.
Students who are interested in taking part can apply via this form by Sunday 26th April.
In the case of oversubscription to the event, priority will be given to applicants who are currently under-represented in higher education. More information about this and the University’s commitment to increasing access can be found here.
* Our beginners’ languages courses offer an exciting and rare opportunity for students to engage with a new language and culture for the first time, or to pick up a language they studied at GCSE. The courses are challenging yet rewarding, with many designed to bring students up to A-level standard within the first year.
This week’s blog post was written by Emma, a final year German and Linguistics student, about Oxford’s best night out!
At Open Days, one of the most-asked questions is ‘what is the highlight of studying languages at Oxford University?’ Answers tend to range from the world-class teaching on niche aspects of medieval Spanish literature or modern German linguistics to the unforgettable year abroad. While these are undoubtedly highlights, they overlook the biggest night of term for language societies in Oxford: European Night!
Emma and friends at European Night! Photographer: @leopoldine.grl
European Night is an evening characterised by formal attire, cocktails, and Euro anthems. The event takes place towards the end of each term and is well-known for selling out in a matter of seconds. In Michaelmas (autumn) term of this year, the event proved so popular that I was unable to get my hands on a ticket… Getting tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour had felt easier! Fortunately, Hilary (spring) term brought better luck and my friends and I secured tickets on the first release.
European Night is organised by the French Society but is an opportunity for students from all of the language societies to get dressed up and party together. You can expect to meet a wide range of people from the Italian, German, Spanish, Belgian, Scandinavian, Swiss, and Polish societies, just to name a few! Language societies bring native speakers and language learners together and form part of Oxford’s vibrant network of over 400 student societies. Every term, they host a series of exciting events such as cultural celebrations, bar crawls, and pub quizzes. As a languages student attending European Night, you will inevitably bump into friends from your society as well as your college and your subject, making it a highlight of the social calendar!
Oxford Town Hall on European Night
Over the years, European Night has been held in a variety of iconic venues across Oxford. In my first year, I attended the event at Freud, a function space in a converted church. In both my second year and my final year, the event has been held at Oxford Town Hall, a striking location with a main hall that is reminiscent of a ballroom. Last term, the event was even hosted at the Oxford Union! The dress code for the event is black tie, which means a tuxedo with a black bow tie or a long, elegant dress. However, the formal dress code doesn’t stop guests from dancing their hearts out. The town hall was practically bouncing as Swedish House Mafia’s Don’t You Worry Child, Nena’s 99 Luftballons and, of course, ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! blasted from the speakers, every lyric belted out in unison across the packed dance floor.
So, if you’re wondering what makes studying languages at Oxford so appealing, let me propose the following: work hard, play hard. For students who spend their days untangling linguistic nuance in complex texts, European Night is a celebration of multilingualism which serves as a reminder of why we pursue languages in the first place: human connection.
A blog for school students and teachers and anyone else with an interest in Modern Languages and Cultures, written by the staff and students of Oxford University. Updated every Wednesday!
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