English at University College London This is likely to be typical of any Russell Group institution

1. English at University College London This is likely to be typical of any Russell Group institution

2. Single-subject degree in English Language and Literature UCAS Code Q300 (this year 136 offers for 64 places; around 1300 applicants) 2. Modern Language Plus (new for 2009 entry) UCAS Code RY00 (French, German, Scandinavian Studies or Dutch . . . PLUS English) (8 offers for 4 places) Our courses

3. Neither of our degree programmes are available part time, or by distance learning. For part-time study in London, we recommend Birkbeck College. For distance learning, we recommend the External Degree Department of the University of London.

4. First Year: Narrative Texts all students Criticism Modern Lang plus students choose one of these 2 courses Introduction to Medieval Language and Literature Intellectual and Cultural Sources English students only

5. Second and Third year Compulsory courses Chaucersecond year Shakespeare third year Commentary and Analysismost third years

6. Second and Third year Optional courses (students choose 5) Old IcelandicOld English (I and II) Middle English (I and II) Renaissance Literature The Restoration and Eighteenth Century The Romantic PeriodThe Victorian Period Modern Literature, 1890-1945 Modern Literature, 1945 to present American Literature to 1890Literature in LondonLiterary Representation and the History of Homosexuality History of the Language Modern English Language

7. TEACHING METHODS • Lectures • Seminars • One-to-one tutorial teaching

8. English at UCL student views ‘English at UCL made a great impression on me because of the very high staff to student ratio. Along with the very small year groups, this allows a one-on-one tutorial and small-group seminar system that is unusual outside of collegiate universities, and which I would never relinquish! The fairly small department also results in a friendly atmosphere, as it's very easy to know all your fellow students and most of the staff.’ Jessica Lazar ‘The student of English at UCL benefits immensely from his or her interaction with a faculty of exceptional quality and the unique cultural fabric of London. There is something quite special about discussing Shakespeare with UCL's experts in the classroom by day and hearing plays and lectures at the Globe Theatre by night.’ Christopher Ellis

9. EXAMINING • mostly three-hour question papers • Some courses, such as Chaucer and Shakespeare, are examined by six-hour examinations with plain texts provided of the author's complete works. • A compulsory 6,000-word essay on a 'Special Subject', chosen by you with guidance from the tutor. • It is usually possible to replace 2 of the 3-hour examinations with 8,000-word course essays.

10. A-levels Students taking A levels are normally expected to achieve the following (for both BA English (Q300) and Modern Languages Plus (RY00)): three grades at AAA, to include English (grade A). They will also be required to have a pass in a further subject at AS level, and a foreign language is necessary at GCSE if not offered at A or AS level. The latter can include Latin or Classical Greek. For Modern Languages Plus BA combination English and French, A levels must include French, for English and French, A levels must include German; for combination English and Dutch, or combination English and a Scandinavian language, A levels must include a foreign language (any) at A level.

11. Q. Will I still be considered for the BA courses if I don’t have an additional pass at AS level? A. Yes, if you have a good reason for not having it and you, or preferably your referee, make this clear in your UCAS application. However, the offer you might ultimately receive may reflect this. Q. Can I apply for the BA in English if I don’t have a GCSE in a foreign language? A.Yes, if your other qualifications meet our requirements and your application is generally strong. However, you should let us know, either in the personal statement on the UCAS form or in a separate letter, why you have not obtained this, so that we can take the information into account when considering your application. If you are applying straight from school, it might be useful for your teacher to include the information in the reference.

12. English Lit or Eng Lang? We don’t accept candidates with only an English Language A Level. Candidates taking the combined A level in English Language and Literature are sometimes accepted. However, we regard the English Literature A level, which exposes students to a wider range of literary works, as a better preparation for our very challenging course.

13. Other A-levels: does it matter which? The Department will consider applicants offering a range of A level subjects alongside English Literature. Candidates should always study subjects in which they have a genuine interest, rather than choosing subjects for strategic reasons. The A level subjects studied by our best recent students have included History, French, German, Maths, Chemistry and Latin.

14. Scotland A minimum of three Highers at grades AAB, including A in English, in addition to two A grades at Advanced Higher level OR two A grades at CSYS. Whether you are offering Advanced Highers or CSYS, one of the subjects should be English Literature. Ireland A minimum of four A grades and one B grade in the Irish Leaving Certificate, including an A in English Literature. International Baccalaureate BA English (Q300): 38 points overall, including 6 in English A1 at higher level; Modern Languages Plus BA (RY00): 38 points including grade 6 in English A1 and a foreign language at higher level (which must be French to study English and French, and German to study English and German). Applicants have to have been awarded the Diploma.

15. Adults returning to education We normally require such applicants to have undertaken some form of preparatory course. This will usually involve some recent literary critical study leading to the fulfilment of one of the conditions given below: • Passing one A level (we usually look for a Grade A). This would normally be in English Literature, but if you already have an A in English at A level, and are not able to take a different course in English, you could take History or French or another Arts subject. • Gaining the Literature in English Extra Mural Certificate or Diploma offered by Birkbeck College Faculty of Continuing Education. This may be especially appealing to those who have taken A levels within the last few years and would prefer to take a different type of course as preparation for degree study. • Successful completion of a ‘kite-marked’ Access course in Humanities. These courses are useful for students who left school without gaining many academic qualifications and need a general introduction to academic study. Students who already have some academic qualifications would be best advised to take a course in English Literature instead, as an Access course covers other areas within the Humanities as well and so less literature is studied. • A 60 point Open University course at level one: An Introduction to the Humanities We believe that these various courses of study, though demanding, are helpful to applicants. They enable students to develop their interest in the academic study of literature, and prepare them for the rigours of university coursework.

16. The Personal Statement • We take everything in the application into consideration. The personal statement is looked at carefully for evidence of, and information about, the student’s literary interests. • The Department prefers to see a large part of the personal statement on the UCAS form given to specific details about an applicant’s reading, rather than to information about other extra-curricular activities, gap year plans, etc. • We are not asking candidates to list every book they have read. Rather we are looking for applicants who can explain what it is that they especially admire, or find interesting, about particular books and films. We tend to be more interested in recent reading than childhood favourites!

17. Selection procedures • We receive around 1500 applications every year for the BA in English • We aim to interview or ask for Further Information (for those not available for interview) about a quarter of candidates (this year around 360). No one is made an offer on the basis of the UCAS form alone. • We make around 130-140 offers, with a target intake of 64 (this year) to 70. • This is the first year of the Modern Language Plus Degree. We have had around 150 applications (mostly for French + English) but have a target of only 4.

18. The Interview Candidates are interviewed by two members of the academic staff for twenty-five minutes. They will usually discuss A level texts, and/or the candidate’s private reading and the topics raised in the personal statement. We are looking for applicants who like to think and talk about the books they read. We want our students to listen and consider what we say, but also to be able to weigh up different arguments and to think for themselves. After the interview, candidates are taken to a room with other applicants where they are asked to complete a short piece of critical commentary on a poem or short prose passage, taking no longer than forty minutes. We recognise that some applicants have more experience of this kind of exercise than others and always take that into account.

19. Please write a critical commentary on this complete poem, paying particular attention to language, structure and point of view. You should aim to spend about 40 minutes on your essay. ‘Golden Retrievals’ Fetch? Balls and sticks capture my attentionseconds at a time. Catch? I don’t think so.Bunny, tumbling leaf, a squirrel who’s—ohjoy—actually scared. Sniff the wind, then I’m off again: muck, pond, ditch, residue 5of any thrillingly dead thing. And you?Either you're sunk in the past, half our walk,thinking of what you never can bring back, or else you're off in some fog concerning—tomorrow, is that what you call it? My work: 10to unsnare time’s warp (and woof), retrieving,my haze-headed friend, you. This shining bark, a Zen master's bronzy gong, calls you here,entirely, now: bow-wow, bow-wow, bow-wow.

20. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/english/ • Prospective Students • Undergraduate study • Introductory letter and reading list for full-degree BA students starting in September 2008 • Undergraduate Programmes • Current undergraduate pages • Information for International and Affiliate StudentsIncluding letter to new affiliate students (2009-10) • Further Information and Frequently Asked Questions • Some Recommended Reading for ages 14-18