Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

About Applying
About the Course
About the Joint Schools
About the Students

About Applying

How do I decide on a College?

First. Do not get too stressed about this. Most students at Oxford will tell you that their college is the best; loyalties solidify quickly, but the educational experience does not vary markedly.

There’s quite a lot of information about Colleges on the web. Click here for a list of Colleges.

If you want to find out more, the best thing is to come on an open day. A list of open days can be found in the University Admissions Prospectus. Ask students at the College what it’s like. Talk to the tutors and put them on the spot.

The University prospectus gives useful information about ratios of applications to places for different subjects by College.

If you cannot make your mind up, you can always put in an open application (you will be allocated to a college with a low ratio of applications to places). There is no prejudice against open applications: the tutors do not know whether it’s an open application or not, and in any case, they want the best people.

Am I disadvantaged if I apply to an over-subscribed College?

No. Oxford aims to ensure that candidates’ chances of obtaining a place are not affected by their choice of college. A considerable amount of redistribution takes place between colleges during the admissions process. Some candidates may be reallocated to a different college prior to inteview; others may be offered interviews at other collges during the interivew peirod.

What subjects should I have studied at school?

Our students come with an enormous variety of qualifications. Some have followed largely humanities courses in the British system; others have done mixed humanities and science courses; an increasing number have qualifications like the International Baccalaureate. It is not even essential to have studied History at advanced level, although the tutors will expect to see some concrete evidence of an interest in, and an aptitude for, History.

I really enjoy History, but shouldn’t I be pursuing a more vocational degree course?

If you really enjoy it, that’s what you should be studying at University. By doing History, you are keeping your career options open, and the History degree is widely recognised as offering a range of skills widely in demand in business, media and the arts, teaching and the law. Historians are trained to assimilate and analyse large quantities of information; they are critical and sceptical thinkers; and they have excellent communication skills.

What do tutors look for in candidates?

Details of what tutors are looking for are set out in our selection criteria.

What is the History Aptitude Test?

For full information click here.

How do I decide what work to send in?

Details of the work we want to see are listed in our guidance for candidates. The most important thing is that it should be work that you are prepared to discuss, because it is likely to be talked about at interview. So it might not necessarily be the piece of work on which you got the best grade. Nor should you worry if you have changed your mind about what you have written: tutors like to see evidence that students are still thinking about a piece after it has been written. It is important that all the work you send in is accompanied by the form (which will be sent to your school) specifying that to the teacher’s knowledge, the work was your own. The form also gives teachers an opportunity to say a little more about the circumstances in which the work was produced. If you are in doubt about the type of work to send, phone or e-mail the Tutor for Admissions of the College of preference, and ask.

What happens at interview?

You can get a lot of general advice on interviews from the booklet ‘Interviews at Oxford’ which is sent to all candidates when they are invited to attend (click here for the online version). For some advice on History interviews specifically, click here.

Are there any particular books you would recommend by way of preparation for the interview?

There is no magic formula. What we are interested in is not whether you have mastered a particular body of reading, but whether you have sufficient interest in and enthusiasm for the subject to embark on independent reading. One good way of broadening your historical horizons is to read one of the History magazines: History Today or BBC History. Bully your school into taking out subscriptions. Both have articles on a huge range of topics and are attractively presented. They also make suggestions for further reading, which you can follow up by using your public library. Also, look at the books which are being reviewed in the quality press, and try to get hold of titles that interest you. At the same time, it’s how (and how much) you think, not what you’ve read, that is important to us. Do read widely, but spend time thinking too. It’s also worth getting practice talking about your views, and developing them by discussing them with other people: there will be a lot of that in the interview

How competitive is it?

Standards are high. The normal offer level for those taking A-Levels is AAA; different offers may be made in special circumstances. Candidates for the joint schools should be advised that the ratio of applicants to places in many of these are higher than in the main school. Even so, candidates applying for the joint schools may be given offers in one of the parent subjects if quotas on joint schools are full, or if their performance on the two sides of the joint school is uneven.

What about gap years?

We welcome applications for deferred entry in History, but candidates should be aware that these applicants are less likely to be given interviews by colleges other than their college of first choice. Applicants offered places for deferred entry will generally be among the strongest of the cohort for their subject. Some deferred entry applicants may be offered a non-deferred place instead. Candidates considering an application for deferred entry in the joint schools with History should contact their college of preference or check colleges’ websites for details on their deferred entry policies.

Why does it have to be so complicated?

Oxford puts huge resources into teaching and needs to be sure that these resources are targeted at those who can best take advantage of them. We therefore take into account a variety of pieces of evidence in assessing applicants' potential for the course to ensure that the best candidates are selected. Along with Cambridge and a number of other universities we feel that the interview is a most important element in this selection process.

About the Courses

What do the Colleges do for historians?

Your College will normally have two or three historians who are post-holders (i.e. on the University payroll).They will be responsible for organising your teaching, but that does not mean that you will be taught entirely within College. Although your College tutors may teach you a high proportion of the outline papers, you are likely to be sent out to the appropriate experts for more specialist options, especially in the second and third years. The system combines close supervision by College tutors with an interest in your intellectual development with the flexibility which makes available the extraordinary range of historical talent spread through the University. Colleges all have libraries which supplement the Faculty and Bodleian. Computing facilities are also provided by Colleges. Colleges sometimes run History societies for their students. Many have travel grants and prizes.

What is the work load?

Oxford historians undoubtedly work hard, writing at least one essay a week throughout their course. You would be expected to attend about five lectures per week during the first year, in addition to the regular meetings with tutors to discuss work. But you are very much in charge of your own timetable which means that if you are well organised you can easily fit in all the other activities for which Oxford historians are renowned.

What are tutorials like?

Tutorials are meetings of usually two or three students with a tutor to discuss historical problems. You will usually have prepared a piece of work, and part of the tutorial will be spent discussing the work of the members of the group. Tutorials are an opportunity for students to raise problems they have encountered in researching and writing their essays, to comment on each other’s ideas, as well as to discuss the broader issues raised by the topic under consideration. You are not there to receive information passively but to engage actively with the tutor and with your fellow-students.

How is the degree assessed?

Students take a four-paper exam at the end of the first year (the Preliminary Examination), but it does not count towards the final degree. Finals are taken at the end of the third year and assess work done in the second and third years. All students in the main school write an extended essay on the Special Subject. All main school candidates also write a thesis working from original material, and there is an option to do an additional thesis if you wish. So, two of the seven components of assessment are ‘course work’.

How much chance is there to specialise within the course?

Although you have to do at least one option in each of medieval, early modern, and modern history, thereafter you can choose to specialize in particular periods or areas. For example, if you are interested in North American History, it is possible to take three of the five courses for the final exam in that area, as well as using North American material for an extended essay and in a thesis.

Do the available options differ between Colleges?

Most Colleges will give you free range within the course, but occasionally individual Colleges will lay down a recommended programme in the first year in order to develop an integrated approach to the teaching of the year group. If you are in doubt about College policy, check their publicity materials. The numbers of places on a few of the second and third year options are limited.

Can I take a year out in the middle of the course for study overseas?

No. Oxford’s degrees are not modularised and do not afford opportunities for suspending studies. But we have recently developed an exchange scheme with Princeton University in the United States, which will enable a limited number of students to study abroad for one term.

How different is the course from Cambridge's?

There are many similarities. Cambridge has tutorials, but calls them supervisions. Both courses combine chronological and regional variety. But there are differences too. There are more options at Oxford, especially among the Special Subjects. Oxford also has joint degrees, which Cambridge does not, although at Cambridge you can sometimes arrange to switch between History and another subject at the end of the second year.

Are there any extra costs?

It does not cost any more to study History at Oxford than anywhere else in the UK. Because library resources are good, there is less pressure to buy books than elsewhere. College accommodation is generally at below market rates and the smallness of the city means that travel costs are limited. You may need to buy xeroxes of some of the source materials for the document-based options.

About the Joint Schools

What subjects can I study in conjunction with History?

There are joint degrees with Ancient History, Economics, English, Modern Languages, and Politics. If you don’t want to consider a joint degree, but are very interested in literature, economic history, political ideas, or even if you want to keep a language alive, there are plenty of opportunities to explore these interests within the single-honours course. Several of the Special Subjects require a knowledge of modern or ancient languages, for example, and even our outline courses on British, European and World History offer plenty of chances to go outside the mainstream.

How are the subjects combined?

The two parts of the joint school are studied alongside each other. Students have the opportunity to choose from the extensive menu of options in the parent schools, and they will receive advice from their tutors on appropriate combinations. In the case of History and English there are two tailor-made inter-disciplinary courses, while History and Economics offers a range of economic history papers, and the history of political ideas and institutions can be studied extensively in History and Politics.

Is the work load for a joint school greater?

No. The pattern of tutorial teaching is distributed in such a way as to even out the loading.

Is the application procedure different?

Not in the essentials. There are small differences in the requirements for written work: see notes for guidance. You are likely to have separate interviews for each of the subjects you are proposing to study.

About the Students

What sort of people are students at Oxford?

All sorts of people study History at Oxford. You can meet some of our current students here, and by joining our discussion forum for sixth-formers - History: off the shelf - which can be found on our web-site at http://hots.

Does it matter about the kind of school I have been to?

No. The tutors want the people with the greatest academic potential irrespective of their background. The success rates of independent and state school candidates are about the same (30.8% and 27.7% respectively in the 2007 field and 32.5% and 27% respectively in the 2006 field for the main school).

The History Faculty is keen to extend the range of schools sending applicants, and organises study days for teachers and a summer school for sixth formers from the state sector. To find out more about these schemes, click here.

What about gender?

Slightly more men than women study History at Oxford, but the success rates for men and women are about the same (29% and 33% respectively in the 2007 field, 31% and 32% in the 2006 field, for the main school)

What about mature students?

All colleges are pleased to consider applications from mature students.

The Department for Continuing Education based at Kellogg College offers a two year Foundation Certificate in Modern History; successful students from this course are able to apply for admission to the second year of the undergraduate degree. The Department also provides undergraduate certificate and diploma courses in Archaeology, Local History, Art, and Architectural History. Opportunities for part-time graduate study through the Department include a two years’ Master’s degree in English Local History and a part-time D.Phil. programme also in Local History.

What are the career opportunities?

Although the History degree is not vocational in any strict sense (and many students undertake the course for reasons of sheer intellectual pleasure) it does equip students with a set of transferable skills applicable to many careers. Historians are used to the sifting of large quantities of often conflicting data; they are skilled in the evaluation of differing interpretations; they are trained in presenting complex issues in a lucid and convincing fashion; their verbal and critical skills are highly developed. These qualities have enabled generations of Oxford historians to excel in a wide range of careers. Oxford historians typically move on to careers in the law, investment banking and consultancies, advertising, accountancy, the civil service, publishing, journalism and the media, global charity work, museums, librarianship and archive work, and teaching.