[Jade2009]

(Original post by James Carter)
Yeah I'm in the same position as you. I really do want to do it, just so I can make my personal statement look half good, but on the other hand, standing up in front of a load of people = no thanks. I can just imagine failing so bad when it comes to the questions, but I'm sure it'll be fine.

I think you should just go for it, you'll really regret not doing it if you miss out on a place in uni because you didn't do it. I'm sure you'll be fine as well, and present it perfectly fine! (:

Thanks for the reply I'll probably end up doing it anyway, I just worry too much I think I'm sure you'll be fine too!

[Gallow]

Hi im currently studying at 6th form. im stuck with ideas to choose to study in my extended project could anyone help me with ideas to do with sport

[VickyG166]

(Original post by Ste_2505)
Hey guys, I'm planning on doing the extended project and I want to relate it to Law ( I want to study law at uni) and I need some ideas of what I can base my project on. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks.

I'm doing mine on whether or not juries are still appropriate for use in 2010 (given this year there was the first trial in something like 400 years to take place without a jury)

I also considered something on Lord Dennings impact on the law (but I don't think that would be easy to come up with a good question on) and the differences between our law and *enter former colony/dominion here* since they gained independence. Could be tricky though, it took me ages to come up with one with a suitable question "/

(Original post by MissFanatical)
my teacher who was quite high up (a chief examiner), and wrote loads, explained absolutely everything i did and what i could've done instead etc.

Don't suppose he told you whether you absolutely have to write 5000 words or if less is acceptable? I'm suffering a severe case of writers block and my essay reaching 5000 words is extremely unlikely!!!

[Introverted moron]

(Original post by Jade2009)
I still don't know if I want to do this. I'm doing a research project on forensic psychology but it's the presentation part that's scaring me the most. I just don't want to worry and get worked up over it when it's voluntary... But it's the only thing I can think of putting on the 'extra-curricular' section of my personal statement as I haven't done anything else apart from work experience. I was going to do the EPQ for that reason. Also, I'm scared about the presentation when they ask you 5 minutes worth of questions. I don't want to get a question, not know it and then panic. I'm just wondering whether it's worth going through with it and worrying, or quitting with the fact that I have nothing else to put on my statement.

I'm in the same boat as you; I'm considering undertaking it, but the thought of standing in front of a whole classroom of people and lecturing them about something they probably couldn't give a toss about is rather scary. Though, of course, I actually have other 'reasons' for not wanting to take it. That said, the EPQ does seem to resemble a certain aspect of the independent learning that underpins higher education and I do kind of feel that presentation skills are something we're going to have to develop at uni anyway (whether we like it or not), so this could be useful preparation (or not ). If you plan it out and try and think of possible questions that you could be asked before you do the presentation, then you could think of how to answer it in advance. If any unexpected questions do pop up that you don't know the answer to, then you could always make something up on the spot or spout some rubbish which is so unconvincing that it's laughable. Then people will laugh, your presentation will end on a high note and they will remember what a good presentation it was (or so the story goes).

If you don't want to go ahead with it, then there are always other ways of making your personal statement look good; extra-curriculars obviously help to enhance it, but you should play to your strengths. If you haven't got that many ECs, then no matter, but what should come through is your enthusiasm and passion for the subject you're applying for (which might perhaps stem from interest in your current studies or maybe reading around the subject), and the confidence in your own ability to study for that degree. Personally, I think a personal statement is more about how you say something rather than what you say.

[zee757]

(Original post by Introverted moron)
I'm in the same boat as you; I'm considering undertaking it, but the thought of standing in front of a whole classroom of people and lecturing them about something they probably couldn't give a toss about is rather scary. Though, of course, I actually have other 'reasons' for not wanting to take it. That said, the EPQ does seem to resemble a certain aspect of the independent learning that underpins higher education and I do kind of feel that presentation skills are something we're going to have to develop at uni anyway (whether we like it or not), so this could be useful preparation (or not ). If you plan it out and try and think of possible questions that you could be asked before you do the presentation, then you could think of how to answer it in advance. If any unexpected questions do pop up that you don't know the answer to, then you could always make something up on the spot or spout some rubbish which is so unconvincing that it's laughable. Then people will laugh, your presentation will end on a high note and they will remember what a good presentation it was (or so the story goes).

If you don't want to go ahead with it, then there are always other ways of making your personal statement look good; extra-curriculars obviously help to enhance it, but you should play to your strengths. If you haven't got that many ECs, then no matter, but what should come through is your enthusiasm and passion for the subject you're applying for (which might perhaps stem from interest in your current studies or maybe reading around the subject), and the confidence in your own ability to study for that degree. Personally, I think a personal statement is more about how you say something rather than what you say.

EPQ is really good for building independence and confidence as you are literally chucked in the deep end, because you don't get any help, like you do in mainstream subjects, you literally have to do everything by yourself. It does prepare you for uni as you build on presentation, research, essay writing skills. And you get to do new things, like for example, for research you can make a questionnaire and then approach complete strangers and ask them questions, which is really good because you're acquiring new confidence and gaining new skills.

Issue about presentation, tbh you don't have to present in front of a large audience, you choose the people you want in your presentation. For mine early on this year, I had my tutor and the EPQ lecturer and this one other guy who was waiting to present after me, and it went well.

It's a good thing to do, but if you're doing this so unis accept you, it's seen as an additional thing alongside your a levels and most universities when offering you a place don't necessarily look at the EPQ in a lot of detail.

!

[Jhyzone]

(Original post by zee757)
EPQ is really good for building independence and confidence as you are literally chucked in the deep end, because you don't get any help, like you do in mainstream subjects, you literally have to do everything by yourself. It does prepare you for uni as you build on presentation, research, essay writing skills. And you get to do new things, like for example, for research you can make a questionnaire and then approach complete strangers and ask them questions, which is really good because you're acquiring new confidence and gaining new skills.

Issue about presentation, tbh you don't have to present in front of a large audience, you choose the people you want in your presentation. For mine early on this year, I had my tutor and the EPQ lecturer and this one other guy who was waiting to present after me, and it went well.

It's a good thing to do, but if you're doing this so unis accept you, it's seen as an additional thing alongside your a levels and most universities when offering you a place don't necessarily look at the EPQ in a lot of detail.

!

Thanks for your reassurance.
I'm off to continue working on my EPQ

[zee757]

(Original post by alissasantiago)
So do Universities actually care about the EPQ?

Tbh and in all honesty they might look it and be like 'oh cool' but when it comes to determining if they are going to give you an offer or not they couldn't care less about this lol as its all about a levels or ewquivalents do it anyway its brilliant and can provide you the perfect opportunity to do something that you want to do Instead of some stupid curriculum lol

[T-go]

(Original post by zee757)
Tbh and in all honesty they might look it and be like 'oh cool' but when it comes to determining if they are going to give you an offer or not they couldn't care less about this lol as its all about a levels or ewquivalents do it anyway its brilliant and can provide you the perfect opportunity to do something that you want to do Instead of some stupid curriculum lol

But I'm only doing it because I'm only doing two...What can I do?!

[zee757]

(Original post by alissasantiago)
But I'm only doing it because I'm only doing two...What can I do?!

Important thing is if you are planning on going to uni , see if unis actually accept this or not like is it acceptable? I know somewhere like brunel uni is cool with epq..

[Piandme]

(Original post by Mr M)
Not really. Sorry!

Don't worry, I have now found out from my teacher.

[Jade2009]

(Original post by Introverted moron)
I'm in the same boat as you; I'm considering undertaking it, but the thought of standing in front of a whole classroom of people and lecturing them about something they probably couldn't give a toss about is rather scary. Though, of course, I actually have other 'reasons' for not wanting to take it. That said, the EPQ does seem to resemble a certain aspect of the independent learning that underpins higher education and I do kind of feel that presentation skills are something we're going to have to develop at uni anyway (whether we like it or not), so this could be useful preparation (or not ). If you plan it out and try and think of possible questions that you could be asked before you do the presentation, then you could think of how to answer it in advance. If any unexpected questions do pop up that you don't know the answer to, then you could always make something up on the spot or spout some rubbish which is so unconvincing that it's laughable. Then people will laugh, your presentation will end on a high note and they will remember what a good presentation it was (or so the story goes).

If you don't want to go ahead with it, then there are always other ways of making your personal statement look good; extra-curriculars obviously help to enhance it, but you should play to your strengths. If you haven't got that many ECs, then no matter, but what should come through is your enthusiasm and passion for the subject you're applying for (which might perhaps stem from interest in your current studies or maybe reading around the subject), and the confidence in your own ability to study for that degree. Personally, I think a personal statement is more about how you say something rather than what you say.

Thanks for the advice The EPQ definitely is good preparation for uni, so I think that I'll go ahead and do it (I've already written up the report anyway, so it'll be quite wasted if I decide not to go ahead and do the presentation). And I agree with what you said about the personal statement - I have made sure that my enthusiasm for psychology shows and have mentioned some extra reading on there too. I think I worry too much... everything will probably turn out fine.

[Introverted moron]

(Original post by Jade2009)
Thanks for the advice The EPQ definitely is good preparation for uni, so I think that I'll go ahead and do it (I've already written up the report anyway, so it'll be quite wasted if I decide not to go ahead and do the presentation). And I agree with what you said about the personal statement - I have made sure that my enthusiasm for psychology shows and have mentioned some extra reading on there too. I think I worry too much... everything will probably turn out fine.

It will be fine.

The EPQ is definitely good preparation, but it's not just the planning and execution of the presentation that's putting me off undertaking it, it's also the sheer amount of effort and time that has to go into organising the whole project- from planning your essay, gathering the relevant resources, researching it, assimilating the information and integrating it all to fit the structure and purpose of your essay.....it's a lot of work.....and well, I'm lazy and prone to apathy.

You've done the report already (all 5000 words of it)?! Well, the presentation is very little effort in comparison with that! You've already climbed Everest and all you have to do now is stick your flag triumphantly down.

[JordanUK]

Hi, I am starting an EPQ pretty soon, in the future I want to do a degree in anatomy/ cell biology/ biochemistry (I haven't decided yet)

Can someone recommend me a title or an a current area of interest and research?

I am doing A levels in Chemistry, Biology, Geography, General studies and psychology.

Thank You.

[Jade2009]

(Original post by Introverted moron)
It will be fine.

The EPQ is definitely good preparation, but it's not just the planning and execution of the presentation that's putting me off undertaking it, it's also the sheer amount of effort and time that has to go into organising the whole project- from planning your essay, gathering the relevant resources, researching it, assimilating the information and integrating it all to fit the structure and purpose of your essay.....it's a lot of work.....and well, I'm lazy and prone to apathy.

You've done the report already (all 5000 words of it)?! Well, the presentation is very little effort in comparison with that! You've already climbed Everest and all you have to do now is stick your flag triumphantly down.

Yeah, I have done the report but it's not completely finished yet as changes need to be made (it was like a rough draft). It seems quite a challenge before you get started, but I found that it didn't seem so bad once I got into the flow of it because of my interest in the topic and motivation just to get it over with.

[Jhyzone]

(Original post by JordanUK)
Hi, I am starting an EPQ pretty soon, in the future I want to do a degree in anatomy/ cell biology/ biochemistry (I haven't decided yet)

Can someone recommend me a title or an a current area of interest and research?

I am doing A levels in Chemistry, Biology, Geography, General studies and psychology.

Thank You.

I'm afraid only you would know where your interest and passion lie. You've got quite a broad bioscience interest there thus its really easy to search for. I am thinking you could write about the effectiveness of cancer treatment at the moment if that is something you'd like to do because it ties every aspect of your interest: cancer cells, how they invade other cells (cell biology) - developed through a mutation in DNA (biochemistry) then genes - this can affect the whole body gradually (anatomy), you can talk about how they are treated and assess their effectiveness.

I recommend you read current science and health news and look for something that is currently being developed eg treatment for cystic fibrosis etc then formulating a hypothesis whether this will be effective in the future, looking at the extent of the current situation. Consider economic, social, politcal etc issues... there's loads you can do!

Good luck!

[mellie220]

I was wondering whether anyone could give me some A*/A tips for my EPQ?
Like the volume of research needed, activity log content, presentation layout etc.

Thanks ^^ Any other tips would be really helpful!

[LeChat]

Activity log?

[mellie220]

(Original post by LeChat)
Activity log?

Yeah, basically where you write down every single thing you do and how what you're doing helps you.
I'm wondering how many activity log entries I'm meant to do and how in depth I'm actually meant to go.

[yellowmeringue]

Hi all, thanks for taking the time to read this.

This year, for the first time, my Sixth Form is offering an opportunity to do an Extended Project, in addition to our 4 normal AS's.

However - there are only 15 places, and about double that number of applicants. Each applicant has to write a paragraph explaining why they want to take the EP. The tutors who select students will be taking the paragraphs, GCSE grades and potential into consideration when they make their decision.

I have no idea what to write. I've seen a couple of people's paragraphs, and they sound like they are up their own arses - I do not want to be like that!

I'd like to do the EP on a historical topic, possible the rise and fall of Rome.

Any ideas on what I should write/how I should structure it?

+ rep for good answers.

Thanks

[Junaid16]

If you sound like you know what you're talking you'll get it. Just list everything you plan to do, and the name of resources, DONT just say 'books' list specific books and websites. Why only 15 places? in my college anyone who wants to do it can