Help?

[nemoorange]

I'm a Year 12 student, studying English Language and Literature (Combined course), French, Maths and Computing up in Lancashire. I'm thinking of applying to Balliol or possibly Magdalen College to study English; I was wondering if anyone studying the course could give me some information on it. I've looked at the course outline several times, but

Comments

[anagrammatical]

Surely no matter where you went, you would be able to do creative writing outside your course? So if you don't mind being examined on it, surely that doesn't even enter into your analysis?

I'm not an english student, but I am at magdalen and my impression is strongly that textural analysis is basically the heart and soul of the oxford english course - it has basically no creative writing element at all. And while you have some control over which poet you want to study, a good deal of it will be dictated by your course, so I wouldn't count on having that much control, at least not until finals.

also, 'being constricuted to only thinking one way and that way being through analysis only' - english literature courses across the country generally do focus on analysis...it's about studying literature over history, not creating your own. You can join a night class for that, you don't have to go to university at all! And as others have said, there is plenty of scope in Oxford for doing that via student societies, but then there will be that scope in any university.

From what you've said, I don't think Oxford is the best course for you. I don't want to put you off, but if you genuinely dislike the bulk of analysis, choosing to go on a course which has basically nothing of what you love - creative writing - seems ill-advised. If it's just Oxford's 'history' that attracts you, I would advise you not to go for it. You're going to spend 3 years studying this course, and if you realise you hate it, no amount of pretty architecture will make up for it.