University Applications???

Hi there! I'm in Year 12 right now, or lower sixth if you call it that, so obviously right now I'm supposed to be starting to think about university applications. My school is really good at offering things to do to add to our personal statements. And I know I should be looking for things that show I'm interested in the course I want to apply for at university.
Up until very recently I was sure that I wanted to apply for history, I've loved it for years and years and I'm good at it too. And so to supplement that I offered to help out in lower school history lessons with my teacher. But now I've started all my A Levels I'm really not sure.
I haven't a clue what I want to do when I'm older, there are a lot of things I like the idea of but I'm either not suited to them (e.g. journalism would be a massive problem since I have social anxiety) or I'm not taking the right A Levels. So now I'm considering multiple courses instead of just history.
What are some good things I could do that would be more well rounded and suit other courses (like philosophy, english, law or politics) but still provide me with extra curricular?
I don't do any paid work at the moment (am looking though!) so any suggestions would be really helpful.
Thanks in advance!

Reply 1

SlowlorisIncognito

For academic courses like you are considering, your work experience/extra curriculars really aren't that important. What's important is showing an academic interest in the subject, e.g. by reading around it, going to public lectures, looking at other media relating to the subject and so on. If you're not sure what subject to study, then this is doubly important, as researching the subject will help you make a decision.

Reply 2

restless5oul

Original post by SlowlorisIncognito

Thank you for replying!
I've been told reading around the subject is important. But what does this entail? Like extra textbooks? Or simply just non-fiction books concerning that subject?

Reply 3

Juno

Original post by restless5oul

Thank you for replying!
I've been told reading around the subject is important. But what does this entail? Like extra textbooks? Or simply just non-fiction books concerning that subject?

Reading around is anything that you want it to be, because it's your application and your personal statement. But anything you mention in your PS needs to explain why the reading has helped you to want to study this subject further, so you need to show that you enjoy this subject. You might therefore find textbooks slightly unapproachable, or difficult or boring.

You might be able to find "podcasts" of uni lectures on things like Youtube/iTunes which you could listen to. You might find these interesting - but then again, might not. For history, you could go to talks at museums, or join one of those battle re-enactment companies. There are loads of things to do, but most importantly it should be what *you* want.

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