Linguists off to Oxford

Linguists from Year 10 enjoyed a day trip to learn more about studying languages at Oxford University.

Ruby and Maddy write about their day:

‘Accompanied by Mme Hugh, Frau Meyer and Senora Nwoko, 22 students were met by Dr Ryan, the Medieval & Modern Languages Schools Liaison Officer. We learnt about the skill of translation by decoding Louis Carroll’s poem ‘The Jabberwocky’ in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian. Dr Ryan talked to us about studying languages at Oxford, as well as the application process. Our next stop was a visit to Hertford College, a striking college near the centre of town. We were taken around it by three students, who showed us the chapel, library and dining hall, and answered all of our questions to help us understand more about life in Oxford.

In the afternoon, we went punting along the scenic river, in glorious weather, passing Magdalen College School, where our former Head, Miss Pike, is now Headmistress. We asked some of her pupils who were playing next to the river bank to give her our best wishes. We then had some time to walk around the town independently.

Our trip was an amazing experience and gave us an interesting insight into one of the best universities in the country. Doing the translation in a real lecture space was an eye-opening exercise, both about the study of languages in Higher Education and how flexible translation can really be. Walking around the city, we appreciated the incredible architecture in the world-famous city of Oxford, whilst visiting Hertford College gave us a snapshot of a day in the life of a university student. Overall, the visit helped us think about our future plans and the different opportunities that languages could give us in later life.’ 

21% of South Hampstead students have secured Oxbridge offers this year – including eight offers for Oxford – to read a range of subjects: Chemistry to Classics, Economics to English, and Fine Art to Human, Social & Political Sciences. Read more.