We celebrate the success of our first 'Wadham Reads' programme

The 'Wadham Reads' programme was aimed at state school students intending to study English and/or Modern Languages at Oxford. Twenty-one students joined us for its final event, a literary day at Wadham on 22 June. This included a tailored admissions talk by members of the Faculties of English and of Medieval and Modern Languages; an academic taster session entitled “Dreams of the Future” from DPhil student, Bethany McAulay; and an interactive lecture from Lecturer in English Literature, Dr Douglas Clark, on “Worlds of Creation in Frankenstein". The Wadham Access Team provided advice on making a competitive application to Oxford and some of our current English and Modern Languages students joined throughout the day to share their on-course experience, lead College tours, and answer questions over lunch in Hall. 

The inaugural Wadham Reads programme launched this year with the aim of bridging the learning gap between A Level and university study. When asked what would have benefitted their Year 12 studies and boosted their confidence to apply to Oxbridge, many of our English undergraduates mentioned the challenge of situating A Level set texts within their historical contexts. Consequently, our Access Team introduced Wadham Reads – a three-part online book club that expanded on familiar authors and literary periods to an audience of around 60 students. The three sessions – prose, drama, and poetry – were hosted by Dr Douglas Clark, Tutor for English, and Dr Catriona Parry, Tutor for Portuguese. Dr Clark gave university-style lectures covering Thomas More’s Utopia and Shakespeare’s As You Like It, while Dr Parry’s session dealt with Portuguese poetry and empire, introducing students to the possibility of studying English alongside a Beginner’s Language.

Following these lectures, attendees were divided into breakout rooms for an academic discussion with student ambassadors in a smaller and more informal environment. One student said:

“I’ve been introduced to new literary concepts and ideas that have enhanced my love for the subject and inspired me to do further research, which has been really fun! It’s also just made doing English at Oxford feel far less intimidating and like something I could actually pursue.”

It was a pleasure to host this year's Wadham Reads cohort. We wish you all well with your future studies.

Find out more about our Schools and Outreach work at Wadham.