It’s no coincidence that linguists are social beings; studying a foreign language is all about communication and appreciating life from a different perspective. There’s a pithy quote often attributed to Charlemagne: "To know another language is to possess another soul." And not only does learning a language give you a different view on the world, it also provides a very tangible and employable set of skills, whatever field you choose to use them in.

So now I’ve convinced you to study languages – why choose Oxford, and particularly Magdalen? Well, Oxford has a strong tradition in the subject, as evidenced by the ridiculously ornate Taylor Institution (the home of most languages lectures), which houses one of the most beautiful libraries in Oxford – one of my friends often pretends she’s a linguist just to go and work there! Magdalen is unique in that it has a whole room within the college devoted to the study of modern languages (the Austin Gill room) which has computer facilities for watching foreign TV and radio, as well as a widescreen TV for watching foreign films, be they course-related or not.

So, how does the course work? You can take either two languages or a language on its own (French or German) or a language with linguistics or alternatively a language with another subject such as English or History. If you’re studying one language, you must have an A-level or equivalent standard before you come up to Oxford. It’s worth saying that the course in Oxford is, to some degree, still quite old-fashioned in outlook; the majority of your work will be taken up (at least at the beginning of your course) by the writing of essays in English on foreign texts. Grammar work focuses much more on the formalities of written translation rather than the spoken, as it is expected that you will master the spoken language on your year abroad.

Good preparation for interview would be to read a couple of books in the language(s) you’re studying at A-level and be ready to chat about them. The tutors are more interested in whether they think you’re teachable rather than how much you know now, but you do have to demonstrate some knowledge and interest in your subject(s), which is far more important than extra-curricular activities. If you’re doing a minority language, you may have departmental interviews as well as or in place of interviews in college, and you will have a short grammar test in your A-level language and you may have a “language aptitude test” if you are starting a language from scratch. Examples are available on the Oxford Admissions website.

Just a quick word or two about Magdalen: it’s very welcoming and friendly, despite its reputation as quite an academic college. It’s also ridiculously pretty. People here are interested in their subject, but they don’t tend to be the kind of students who while away their lives in libraries and lack any kind of social skills – we’re (almost all) very normal people. Magdalenites get up to lots of things outside of their subject, too, with drama and rowing being traditionally very strong, but there’s a ton of other things to do, either on a college or university level. So, no matter what you’re into, you’ll find a group of people that you feel happy with, studying a subject you love – what more can you ask for?