What the Oxford English Interview is like (my story)

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Hardcore Literature Lecture Series
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📔Contents Page: cutt.ly/CmNhRY3
🚂 Anna Karenina: cutt.ly/vmNhAWv
💀 Crime and Punishment: cutt.ly/rmNhFt5
⚓ Persuasion: cutt.ly/amNhX7b
☕ In Search of Lost Time: cutt.ly/5mNh8oD
⚔️ The Hero’s Journey: cutt.ly/UmNjrE3
🌸 Siddharta: cutt.ly/YmNjuzi
🎠 Don Quixote: cutt.ly/cmNjoK4
❤️Shakespeare’s Sonnets: cutt.ly/nmNlW7V
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Happy reading!

[@LorraineHess-l6k]

I am 74yrs old, and happened upon your site by accident. I have been watching since then, This one just was so wonderful for so many younger folks who will gain so much. I thank you for sharing your knowledge and love of reading. Unfortunately I did not grow up in a time that encouraged enjoyment in reading. Best wishes.

[@Lucas-yn5ky]

I love this! I hope you are making way through tons of books :-)

[@jonahbabei6883]

Hi Ben, I’m here again - the video that first inspired me to apply to Cambridge! I was offered a place to study English yesterday, and wanted to show my appreciation for these Oxford videos. I owe a lot to the ELAT help which you kindly offered for free to thousands of young people like me. Thank you. 🙏

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow! Congratulations, Jonah! I'm so incredibly proud of you. Well done, my friend! You have such an exciting adventure ahead of you at Cambridge. I would love to hear how you get on! You've completely made my day with this fantastic news!! Thank you so much for letting me know :)

[@mrbill722]

I am new to your vblog. I am very impressed by your content. This one was the best so far. Keep up the good work. I would love to read book or film commentary by you in the future

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Bill. I appreciate having you here, my friend :)

[@stacywebb427]

I love this video. I’ve listened to it several times. You definitely have a talent for story telling. Visualizing the girl clutching her books, the nervous, shaking hands, the painting of Yeats. It feels like reading a short story. Well done.

[@amberroy-stanley8924]

I’m in first year of sixth form right now. I do Latin OCR board, English Lit OCR board and classical civilisation OCR board. I would love to do English literature and want to apply to oxford. Thanks for this video!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Very nice! Wishing you all the best for your application, Amber! :)

[@amberroy-stanley8924]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy thank you !

[@ConnieBach]

Oh my goodness, I so agree with you on the vibes of the Oxford!!!! It's two different vibe compared to the Cambridge!

[@ghost8974]

i'm at york right now doing english lit- i love it. but i always wanted to apply to oxford, and i didn't. i still regret it a lot, but english at york is great. you don't get given essay questions, but you can pick whatever you want, which really helps to preserve your individual passions and develop your interests. but i still can't shake the regret of not applying. it got too late, i got too stressed, and i broke down. i don't know. i wish i could move on, but i can't.

[@ampersandcastle1091]

I’m applying at Oriel for Classics and English and I’m so nervous, especially because I’m from State schools so obviously I’ve never had the chance to study classics or even have a conversation with someone else about classics

[@PennyBluebottle]

Ooh keep us posted! Hope you got in x

[@ampersandcastle1091]

@@PennyBluebottle yes I’m moving in tomorrow!! Still super nervous haha but also excited

[@jonahbabei6883]

@@ampersandcastle1091 I’m so happy for you! As a state school student applying for Cambridge this year, it’s always reassuring hearing successes like yours :) Congrats.

[@PennyBluebottle]

@@ampersandcastle1091 huge congratulations and well done xx

[@jebashikdar2857]

I applied to English at Cambridge, I am patiently waiting for an interview (which I know the college I applied for shall be holding them on 7-9th December). I am having a quandary on whether to do my interview at home or school. After watching your video I am more inclined to do it at my bedroom just because my bookshelf would be in the background! I am so nervous because I know I am giving this my all! The books I mentioned in my personal statement are The Spanish Tragedy, Hamlet, Canon and Contexts, Pablo Neruda Poetry, Candelario Obeso Poetry (he's a columbian poet), Circe by Miller, The Odyssey, and HumanKind by Bregman. However there are so many I am confident to talk about such as Antony and Cleopatra, Titus Andronicus, The Duchess of Malfi, Much Ado, The count of Monte Cristo, Medea, Trojan Women and also Anne of Green Gables.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Hey, Jeba! Sounds like you'll have to weigh up which is the best option. Your bedroom would be great because you have the books, but perhaps your school will help you concentrate more? Perhaps have better internet connection? If it were me, I would choose my bedroom as long as my family could be quiet during that time (might be difficult during lockdown). If you do choose to do the interview at your school, make sure you bring all the books you want to discuss with you :) You've got some great choices of books there. I would look into Kyd and Marlowe's influence upon Shakespeare - by the time we get to Hamlet, Shakespeare has completely worked through his "anxiety of influence", to borrow a phrase from Harold Bloom, and Hamlet is too big for the confines of the stage. We can read that play a thousand times over the years, and we will always find some new depth of humanity in it. It looks like you're into your revenge tragedies too. Titus is a particularly good choice, and I can't imagine many would choose to discuss it (that's a good thing). Look into the performance history, if you haven't already. It's basically unperformable. A nice challenge for an intrepid theatre producer! And it also looks like you could have a fascinating discussion about literature in translation, as you have some great world texts in there :) I've got my fingers crossed for you - and I can tell from your reading list that you would have a wonderful interview. If you would like some more preparation advice, you might want to check out the latest video course, How to Pass the Oxford and Cambridge English Interview. We're running a Black Friday sale for 40% off until this weekend with the discount code BLACKFRIDAY available here: cutt.ly/Ohyrl4H Let me know if you get an invite!! I'm rooting for you :)

[@craigsamuel7320]

Did you get into Cambridge for English Literature?

[@Chloe-ui5hl]

I’m currently waiting for a response from Cambridge, I applied for Japanese - It’s so nerve-racking, I’m constantly checking my emails 😂

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I've got my fingers crossed for you, Chloe! 頑張って！:)

[@PennyBluebottle]

Loved listening to this x

[@patrickellsworth5427]

NYU Dramatic School of Writing rejected me but Juilliard accepted me. One never can tell.

[@saff376]

hey! i have my english literature and language interview at oxford on the 5th december- do you have any tips for tackling an unseen extract in the interview? thank you!

[@aamnainfebruary]

I am watching this a day before MY interview. It isn’t Oxford lol, one of the top universities in just South India at best :’)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Good luck, Aamna!! You've got this :) I'd love to know how you get on!

[@soniasaldarriaga5166]

Dear Ben what you’re missing was the human element you’re a very sensitive Soul !

[@terencemeikle534]

I found the University environment completely toxic. I left after just one term. A loathsome experience.

[@ivorlewis6915]

Get on with it Ben! I’m gonna nip off and read War and Peace, I’ll come back when the interview starts. ;)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thanks, Ivor 😂 Let us know what you make of it!

[@amritarahman830]

Hi I have an English interview at brasenose on Monday! This video really helped calm me down a bit thank u!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm glad to hear that! Good luck on Monday! :)

[@toeys1403]

Do you still need to talk about 7 books for this year's Oxford interview? I've tried to do independent research and checked the emails I received from my college but I don't see anything about it. None of the teachers I practised the interview with have mentioned it either. Is it cancelled this year?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Hey, Toey. Likely not this year. Having seen the invites for many colleges this year, the online interviews seem to have unseen extracts as the pivotal focus of the discussions. I still believe they will probably talk to you about things you mentioned in your personal statement and the course generally. I also think it's not a bad practice to have a handful of books you're keen to talk about at the drop of a hat - so, if it were me, I would still prepare in that direction. But, formally, I don't think you'll be asked to list books.

[@toeys1403]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank you very much!

[@anniee3750]

X

[@samrobinson5761]

Got an interview for philosophy and theology at LMH next week :/ any direct tips?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Well done, Sam :) Yes, I've got an entire video course on the subject, and quite a few free videos on this channel!

[@Azka-Rehman2005]

What were the seven books you chose?

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

On the Road, As I Lay Dying, Heart of Darkness, A Clockwork Orange, The Birth of Tragedy, The Golden Bough, and The Sun Also Rises :)

[@Azka-Rehman2005]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thank you so much!