Supercurriculars
I'll be starting my junior year of HS and will be applying to Oxford for Law.
Right now, I'm already studying legal studies as a subject in school, doing a free course on jurisprudence, and reading the rule of law, all while frequently visiting courts, reading papers, and watching a lot of suits lol (all of these are not just for the application but because I genuinely enjoy doing all this and I love learning more about law)
I frequently participate in public speaking activities in school and am part of the council.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what supercurriculars I might take up, which may be internships, courses, or activities and what books should I read over the course of these 2 years to enhance and polish my legal knowledge
I'm particularly stressed about this aspect of the application, please help me out
Right now, I'm already studying legal studies as a subject in school, doing a free course on jurisprudence, and reading the rule of law, all while frequently visiting courts, reading papers, and watching a lot of suits lol (all of these are not just for the application but because I genuinely enjoy doing all this and I love learning more about law)
I frequently participate in public speaking activities in school and am part of the council.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what supercurriculars I might take up, which may be internships, courses, or activities and what books should I read over the course of these 2 years to enhance and polish my legal knowledge
I'm particularly stressed about this aspect of the application, please help me out
this is a very british website and as far as im aware supercurriculars are not very prevalent here. id suggest going on youtube for something this niche to see what other international students did outside of class pre oxbridge.
Original post by elletheresa
this is a very british website and as far as im aware supercurriculars are not very prevalent here. id suggest going on youtube for something this niche to see what other international students did outside of class pre oxbridge.
You are mixing up "extracurriculars" with "supercurriculars". The latter are extracurricular activities specifically related to the subject being applied to, such as wider reading, essay competitions etc, and are quite relevant for applying to Oxbridge.
Original post by _janixce12
I'll be starting my junior year of HS and will be applying to Oxford for Law.
Right now, I'm already studying legal studies as a subject in school, doing a free course on jurisprudence, and reading the rule of law, all while frequently visiting courts, reading papers, and watching a lot of suits lol (all of these are not just for the application but because I genuinely enjoy doing all this and I love learning more about law)
I frequently participate in public speaking activities in school and am part of the council.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what supercurriculars I might take up, which may be internships, courses, or activities and what books should I read over the course of these 2 years to enhance and polish my legal knowledge
I'm particularly stressed about this aspect of the application, please help me out
Right now, I'm already studying legal studies as a subject in school, doing a free course on jurisprudence, and reading the rule of law, all while frequently visiting courts, reading papers, and watching a lot of suits lol (all of these are not just for the application but because I genuinely enjoy doing all this and I love learning more about law)
I frequently participate in public speaking activities in school and am part of the council.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what supercurriculars I might take up, which may be internships, courses, or activities and what books should I read over the course of these 2 years to enhance and polish my legal knowledge
I'm particularly stressed about this aspect of the application, please help me out
You're probably pretty much doing everything you can and should be, just read more widely. Beyond that just aim to get excellent grades.
Look at recently published journal articles in different areas of law to see what is currently being researched, read books other than "the rule of law" and "letters to a law student" (those are fine to read as well but pretty much every law applicant reads these...), and if you are outside of the UK maybe look at comparative law and specifically UK law matters to get an understanding of how the legal system here may differ from that of your country. Also actually reflect on what you've read and think about it critically. The point of reading these things and doing these activities is not to just create a list of random stuff you've done, but to reflect on it and discuss that in a critical way in your PS. Unis in the UK don't want to just see you rattle off a long list of activities which you've clearly not paid a second thought to after doing them!
Note that watching "Suits" I don't think would be considered either an extracurricular nor supercurricular activity, and I doubt it's even representative of the professional practice of law in the day to day.
Original post by artful_lounger
You are mixing up "extracurriculars" with "supercurriculars". The latter are extracurricular activities specifically related to the subject being applied to, such as wider reading, essay competitions etc, and are quite relevant for applying to Oxbridge.
You're probably pretty much doing everything you can and should be, just read more widely. Beyond that just aim to get excellent grades.
Look at recently published journal articles in different areas of law to see what is currently being researched, read books other than "the rule of law" and "letters to a law student" (those are fine to read as well but pretty much every law applicant reads these...), and if you are outside of the UK maybe look at comparative law and specifically UK law matters to get an understanding of how the legal system here may differ from that of your country. Also actually reflect on what you've read and think about it critically. The point of reading these things and doing these activities is not to just create a list of random stuff you've done, but to reflect on it and discuss that in a critical way in your PS. Unis in the UK don't want to just see you rattle off a long list of activities which you've clearly not paid a second thought to after doing them!
Note that watching "Suits" I don't think would be considered either an extracurricular nor supercurricular activity, and I doubt it's even representative of the professional practice of law in the day to day.
You're probably pretty much doing everything you can and should be, just read more widely. Beyond that just aim to get excellent grades.
Look at recently published journal articles in different areas of law to see what is currently being researched, read books other than "the rule of law" and "letters to a law student" (those are fine to read as well but pretty much every law applicant reads these...), and if you are outside of the UK maybe look at comparative law and specifically UK law matters to get an understanding of how the legal system here may differ from that of your country. Also actually reflect on what you've read and think about it critically. The point of reading these things and doing these activities is not to just create a list of random stuff you've done, but to reflect on it and discuss that in a critical way in your PS. Unis in the UK don't want to just see you rattle off a long list of activities which you've clearly not paid a second thought to after doing them!
Note that watching "Suits" I don't think would be considered either an extracurricular nor supercurricular activity, and I doubt it's even representative of the professional practice of law in the day to day.
no im not. i know theres a difference. i am simply stating that most people on this site will not be taking supercurriculars or be as familiar with the term as they are with extracurriculars. ik this distinguishment is important, so suggested OP look elsewhere.
Original post by elletheresa
no im not. i know theres a difference. i am simply stating that most people on this site will not be taking supercurriculars or be as familiar with the term as they are with extracurriculars. ik this distinguishment is important, so suggested OP look elsewhere.
If you weren't mixing up the two, then you're just flat wrong.
Original post by elletheresa
no im not. i know theres a difference. i am simply stating that most people on this site will not be taking supercurriculars or be as familiar with the term as they are with extracurriculars. ik this distinguishment is important, so suggested OP look elsewhere.
You think TSR, the website where something like 70% of the users are aiming for Oxbridge/medicine, won't have most of the users familiar with the term "supercurricular"...?
That's certainly not been my experience in the 6 odd years I've been using the site.
Thank you for the advice! I'll definitely look into it and as for the books and the reading material, that is what I was concerned about; the 'spike' which will make me stand out. I'm doing wider reading too, the Kantian as well as the Utilitarian philosophies and am always noting down my reflections about the same. Just one more thing, what exactly makes an applicant of law stand out, apart from the grades and the LNAT score and how can I inculcate a similar drive in me?
(Original post by artful_lounger)You are mixing up "extracurriculars" with "supercurriculars". The latter are extracurricular activities specifically related to the subject being applied to, such as wider reading, essay competitions etc, and are quite relevant for applying to Oxbridge.
You're probably pretty much doing everything you can and should be, just read more widely. Beyond that just aim to get excellent grades.
Look at recently published journal articles in different areas of law to see what is currently being researched, read books other than "the rule of law" and "letters to a law student" (those are fine to read as well but pretty much every law applicant reads these...), and if you are outside of the UK maybe look at comparative law and specifically UK law matters to get an understanding of how the legal system here may differ from that of your country. Also actually reflect on what you've read and think about it critically. The point of reading these things and doing these activities is not to just create a list of random stuff you've done, but to reflect on it and discuss that in a critical way in your PS. Unis in the UK don't want to just see you rattle off a long list of activities which you've clearly not paid a second thought to after doing them!
Note that watching "Suits" I don't think would be considered either an extracurricular nor supercurricular activity, and I doubt it's even representative of the professional practice of law in the day to day.
(Original post by artful_lounger)You are mixing up "extracurriculars" with "supercurriculars". The latter are extracurricular activities specifically related to the subject being applied to, such as wider reading, essay competitions etc, and are quite relevant for applying to Oxbridge.
You're probably pretty much doing everything you can and should be, just read more widely. Beyond that just aim to get excellent grades.
Look at recently published journal articles in different areas of law to see what is currently being researched, read books other than "the rule of law" and "letters to a law student" (those are fine to read as well but pretty much every law applicant reads these...), and if you are outside of the UK maybe look at comparative law and specifically UK law matters to get an understanding of how the legal system here may differ from that of your country. Also actually reflect on what you've read and think about it critically. The point of reading these things and doing these activities is not to just create a list of random stuff you've done, but to reflect on it and discuss that in a critical way in your PS. Unis in the UK don't want to just see you rattle off a long list of activities which you've clearly not paid a second thought to after doing them!
Note that watching "Suits" I don't think would be considered either an extracurricular nor supercurricular activity, and I doubt it's even representative of the professional practice of law in the day to day.
Original post by elletheresa
no im not. i know theres a difference. i am simply stating that most people on this site will not be taking supercurriculars or be as familiar with the term as they are with extracurriculars.
Serious applicants for competitive courses should be. If they are not their schools have seriously let them down.
Original post by _janixce12
Thank you for the advice! I'll definitely look into it and as for the books and the reading material, that is what I was concerned about; the 'spike' which will make me stand out. I'm doing wider reading too, the Kantian as well as the Utilitarian philosophies and am always noting down my reflections about the same. Just one more thing, what exactly makes an applicant of law stand out, apart from the grades and the LNAT score and how can I inculcate a similar drive in me?
To be honest university applications in the UK really aren't about "standing out" - usually if you're "standing out" it's for all the wrong reasons.
You need to just focus on a) making sure you get appropriate predicted grades b) doing well in any relevant admissions assessments and c) reading widely around your subject area to write a compelling PS and to be prepared to discuss critically unfamiliar concepts in your subject area if you are called to interview.
The way you stand out is by meeting all the requirements to get called to interview (for Oxbridge), then discussing the problems presented in interview in a thoughtful and critical way - and being ready to adapt your response in view of new information being given. The interviews are very much them trying to gauge "how you think" to see if you will respond well to the tutorial/supervision format of teaching, which will be very much an academic discussion setting. It's less about getting the "right" answer or knowing certain things in advance.
For non-Oxbridge unis which don't interview you need to try and showcase those skills through your PS by writing a critically analytical PS and not just a list of things that you've done!
(edited 9 months ago)
Original post by _janixce12
I'll be starting my junior year of HS and will be applying to Oxford for Law.
Right now, I'm already studying legal studies as a subject in school, doing a free course on jurisprudence, and reading the rule of law, all while frequently visiting courts, reading papers, and watching a lot of suits lol (all of these are not just for the application but because I genuinely enjoy doing all this and I love learning more about law)
I frequently participate in public speaking activities in school and am part of the council.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what supercurriculars I might take up, which may be internships, courses, or activities and what books should I read over the course of these 2 years to enhance and polish my legal knowledge
I'm particularly stressed about this aspect of the application, please help me out
Right now, I'm already studying legal studies as a subject in school, doing a free course on jurisprudence, and reading the rule of law, all while frequently visiting courts, reading papers, and watching a lot of suits lol (all of these are not just for the application but because I genuinely enjoy doing all this and I love learning more about law)
I frequently participate in public speaking activities in school and am part of the council.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what supercurriculars I might take up, which may be internships, courses, or activities and what books should I read over the course of these 2 years to enhance and polish my legal knowledge
I'm particularly stressed about this aspect of the application, please help me out
A clever thing that you could consider is the rise of technology and its impact on the legal profession. Many jobs will be displaced, replaced or transformed by technology especially professional jobs like law, accountancy etc. Therefore it is important for the industry to understand the role that technology could play in the law of the future. A good example is the rise of ChatGPT and other AI tools. You can start by googling “AI impact on legal profession”.
My suggestion is to see how you can learn/understand the relation and impact of tech in Law. Your super-curricular activities can cover research, internship or persona study. I would suggest that you reach out to local law companies and request work shadowing or mini unpaid internships. There you can use the opportunity to understand the relationship between tech and law.
Trust me, if you can clearly articulate this in your personal statement, I would think that you have a decent chance of having your application considered, as long as other requirements are strong enough e.g. grades, teacher recommendations etc.
Thank me later. Good luck
This is such an interesting idea because just the other day I stumbled upon an article talking about countries using Ai to draft there laws and it was very intriguing. The intersection between law and technology is definitely a concept to have a wider discourse on!
(Original post by Wired_1800)A clever thing that you could consider is the rise of technology and its impact on the legal profession. Many jobs will be displaced, replaced or transformed by technology especially professional jobs like law, accountancy etc. Therefore it is important for the industry to understand the role that technology could play in the law of the future. A good example is the rise of ChatGPT and other AI tools. You can start by googling “AI impact on legal profession”.
My suggestion is to see how you can learn/understand the relation and impact of tech in Law. Your super-curricular activities can cover research, internship or persona study. I would suggest that you reach out to local law companies and request work shadowing or mini unpaid internships. There you can use the opportunity to understand the relationship between tech and law.
Trust me, if you can clearly articulate this in your personal statement, I would think that you have a decent chance of having your application considered, as long as other requirements are strong enough e.g. grades, teacher recommendations etc.
Thank me later. Good luck
(Original post by Wired_1800)A clever thing that you could consider is the rise of technology and its impact on the legal profession. Many jobs will be displaced, replaced or transformed by technology especially professional jobs like law, accountancy etc. Therefore it is important for the industry to understand the role that technology could play in the law of the future. A good example is the rise of ChatGPT and other AI tools. You can start by googling “AI impact on legal profession”.
My suggestion is to see how you can learn/understand the relation and impact of tech in Law. Your super-curricular activities can cover research, internship or persona study. I would suggest that you reach out to local law companies and request work shadowing or mini unpaid internships. There you can use the opportunity to understand the relationship between tech and law.
Trust me, if you can clearly articulate this in your personal statement, I would think that you have a decent chance of having your application considered, as long as other requirements are strong enough e.g. grades, teacher recommendations etc.
Thank me later. Good luck
Original post by Wired_1800
A clever thing that you could consider is the rise of technology and its impact on the legal profession. Many jobs will be displaced, replaced or transformed by technology especially professional jobs like law, accountancy etc. Therefore it is important for the industry to understand the role that technology could play in the law of the future. A good example is the rise of ChatGPT and other AI tools. You can start by googling “AI impact on legal profession”.
My suggestion is to see how you can learn/understand the relation and impact of tech in Law. Your super-curricular activities can cover research, internship or persona study. I would suggest that you reach out to local law companies and request work shadowing or mini unpaid internships. There you can use the opportunity to understand the relationship between tech and law.
Trust me, if you can clearly articulate this in your personal statement, I would think that you have a decent chance of having your application considered, as long as other requirements are strong enough e.g. grades, teacher recommendations etc.
Thank me later. Good luck
My suggestion is to see how you can learn/understand the relation and impact of tech in Law. Your super-curricular activities can cover research, internship or persona study. I would suggest that you reach out to local law companies and request work shadowing or mini unpaid internships. There you can use the opportunity to understand the relationship between tech and law.
Trust me, if you can clearly articulate this in your personal statement, I would think that you have a decent chance of having your application considered, as long as other requirements are strong enough e.g. grades, teacher recommendations etc.
Thank me later. Good luck
(edited 9 months ago)
LawGPT? How AI is Reshaping the Legal Profession - by London School of Economics
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2023/06/08/lawgpt-how-ai-is-reshaping-the-legal-profession/
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2023/06/08/lawgpt-how-ai-is-reshaping-the-legal-profession/
Original post by elletheresa
no im not. i know theres a difference. i am simply stating that most people on this site will not be taking supercurriculars or be as familiar with the term as they are with extracurriculars. ik this distinguishment is important, so suggested OP look elsewhere.
Sorry to tell you….. but you are wrong. Extracurriculars are of little value for a uni application in the UK ( no one care that you have grade 7 flûte if you’re applying for civil engineering) whereas supercurriculars are essential. They provide evidence of a genuine interest in the subject you are applying for, and show that you are capable of investing time and effort outside of the structured school environment to get a better understanding of your chosen course.
(edited 9 months ago)
Super-curriculars by subject from Cambridge - good for all other Unis - https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/sites/www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/files/publications/super-curricular_suggestions.pdf
And listen to some of these podcasts from BBC's 'Law in Action' about current issues - these are the sort of UK Law topics you need to discuss in your Personal Statement - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tgy1/episodes/player
Useful Moocs (short free online courses) -
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/exploring-law-studying-law-at-university
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/inside-the-supreme-court
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/introduction-to-the-rule-of-law
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/incarceration-prisons-suitable-punishment
etc
And listen to some of these podcasts from BBC's 'Law in Action' about current issues - these are the sort of UK Law topics you need to discuss in your Personal Statement - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tgy1/episodes/player
Useful Moocs (short free online courses) -
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/exploring-law-studying-law-at-university
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/inside-the-supreme-court
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/introduction-to-the-rule-of-law
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/incarceration-prisons-suitable-punishment
etc
This is great! Thank you so much for this
Original post by artful_lounger
You think TSR, the website where something like 70% of the users are aiming for Oxbridge/medicine, won't have most of the users familiar with the term "supercurricular"...?
That's certainly not been my experience in the 6 odd years I've been using the site.
That's certainly not been my experience in the 6 odd years I've been using the site.
i must be on the 30% side of the sight. you do you!
Original post by Euapp
Sorry to tell you….. but you are wrong. Extracurriculars are of little value for a uni application in the UK ( no one care that you have grade 7 flûte if you’re applying for civil engineering) whereas supercurriculars are essential. They provide evidence of a genuine interest in the subject you are applying for, and show that you are capable of investing time and effort outside of the structured school environment to get a better understanding of your chosen course.
again, i know the definition. and im not saying that extracurriculars help u get into uni. me, im on the average side of tsr where we dont hear terms such as ones used in this post every bleeding day. thanks.
Original post by elletheresa
again, i know the definition. and im not saying that extracurriculars help u get into uni. me, im on the average side of tsr where we dont hear terms such as ones used in this post every bleeding day. thanks.
In which case don’t give advice to someone about something you know nothing about, because even if your intentions were good it can have important consequences.
(edited 9 months ago)
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