Busola Femi-Gureje (2nd Year)
What does a typical day studying History at Keble look like?
In first year you tend to study two papers each term at Keble. A general outline History paper for which you have 7 tutorials across the term and Approaches to History for which we are taught 4 classes across the term. In Michaelmas we also have Study Skills classes with our Director of Studies to help us with our transition from studying History at school to studying it at degree level. The faculty organises lectures for each paper but they are non-compulsory so most days are spent reading for essays. For each tutorial or class you will usually have an essay to write, or sometimes a presentation to give. In Trinity term of first year you do an Optional Subject paper which is different to the general outline papers as it is a source based paper with specific set texts.
Second year is very similar to first year in that you tend to have a tutorial and essay to do each week in Michaelmas and Trinity term for your general outline paper (History of the British Isles and European/World History) and a class every fortnight more or less for Disciplines of History for which you have an essay or essay plan to do. In Hilary term of second year you have teaching for your Further Subject which is a source based paper with set texts. This paper is taught through weekly tutorials and slightly bigger classes.
In your third year you study a Special Subject in Michaelmas term and Hilary term is spent working on your thesis, which all History students must write.
For all of these papers there are lots of different options to choose from, which you can find more information about here:
Because there are so few actual contact hours, this means that you are able to organise your time more or less however you want and gives you the scope to get involved in whatever sports teams or societies you like.
Why do you like studying History at Keble?
One of the great things about studying History at Keble, is that because it is one of the bigger colleges, there tends to usually be more History students in a year group than at other colleges and this is one of the main reasons I decided to apply here.
At Keble we’re really lucky in that we aren’t restricted in the first year to only choose papers which are taught in college by Keble fellows. I know at some other colleges this isn’t the case.
The Keble tutors are all really supportive and care a lot about our well-being as well as how we are finding our studies. Both my Director of Studies in first year and for finals regularly arrange meetings with us to check on how we’re doing.
Because we are all able to choose whatever papers we want to study, it is really easy to never do the same paper as someone else at your college doing the same course. At Keble our Director of Studies made sure we had extra classes altogether so that we could get to know each other which I really appreciated.
I also like studying History at Keble because everyone is very laid back and I don’t feel pressured to be perfect all the time and making mistakes and asking questions is actively encouraged.
Personal statement advice
Your personal statement is a great way to highlight your passion for your subject. Try and make sure that you are writing and talking about things that you are actually interested in, not what you think an Oxford tutor wants you to be interested in.
When referencing things you have engaged with whether they be books, articles, documentaries, podcasts, exhibitions, lectures - whatever - try and make sure that you are not just mentioning that you have read them, or just summarising the arguments made. You want to try and evaluate them, make judgements on them, talk about how they have influenced your decision to study history, or why it is you have found them interesting.
Make sure that anything you mention is something you have actually engaged with because if not you will find it difficult to speak about them in an interview setting.
Admissions test advice
History applicants must complete the History Aptitude Test (the HAT). The important thing to remember is that this is an aptitude test and so it is testing historical skills not historical knowledge, so you don’t need to worry about revising everything in History ever as doing so will not be helpful at all.
I would say past papers are your friend! These can be found on the History Faculty website. Look through a mark scheme so you can see what skills it is they are actually looking for and then try and practice doing this yourself. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/tests/hat
Remember that they are not looking for you to pull out one single overarching theme in the text, they want you to draw out as many different points from the source as you can.
Most importantly don’t stress about it and just try your best!
Interview advice
As a History Applicant to Keble I had two interviews, the first one was a conversation about the written work I’d sent in beforehand and my personal statement and the second was focused around a source I was given beforehand.
When preparing for your interview you want to make sure you have gone through your personal statement thoroughly. If you’ve mentioned any books, articles, podcasts etc. make sure you know what they are arguing and think about whether or not you agree with it. If you have made judgements about things in your personal statement, think about whether you still agree with them or not, and why?
Make sure you have also gone through the essay you have sent and that you understand the topic well, and that you have opinions on it, and be prepared to articulate these verbally. Again if you do or don’t agree with any arguments you’ve made think about why and be able to back this up.
I personally asked my family to read my personal statement and ask me questions about it just so that I could have some experience answering questions about history out loud.
Try and practice thinking out loud too, as in the interview, the interviewer will not be able to read your mind and so will only be able to understand your chain of reasoning if you tell them.
When preparing for the source based interview, I would say try your best to understand what the source itself is arguing and then if you have any more information about it, like the nature of the source, who it was written by etc. - try and think about how this could affect your interpretation of it, or the reliability of the source. If you get questions with the source during your time to read it beforehand, make sure you think about answers to these.
In the actual interview, make sure you stay calm. It can seem quite scary if it is something you have never done before but it honestly doesn’t need to be. Remember that you have been invited to interview because the tutors are interested in what you’ve said in your application and just want to get to know you and understand your desire to study your subject more.
Make sure to also head to our YouTube channel for more advice on the interview stage of the admissions process:
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