Extra Curriculars

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

Reply 1

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by skinfade123

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

Sounds like you have done a lot already (then again, I am not applying for CS myself).

Have you consider Harvard's CS50 course? It's usually aimed at beginners in programming. The Odin Project is also said to be a relatively good place to find a few projects.

Reply 2

skinfade123

OP

3

Original post by MindMax2000

Sounds like you have done a lot already (then again, I am not applying for CS myself).

Have you consider Harvard's CS50 course? It's usually aimed at beginners in programming. The Odin Project is also said to be a relatively good place to find a few projects.

Yeah I've heard about it and I was considering doing it but I'm not sure, I'm currently doing an IBM Software Engineering Essentials course which gives an overview of the area and all I need to know about it (but not hands on). I think im going to go in depth with java and try to learn it to the best of my ability and then create a website and make projects on it for a big super curricular project.

Reply 3

MindMax2000

Universities Forum Helper

21

Original post by skinfade123

Yeah I've heard about it and I was considering doing it but I'm not sure, I'm currently doing an IBM Software Engineering Essentials course which gives an overview of the area and all I need to know about it (but not hands on). I think im going to go in depth with java and try to learn it to the best of my ability and then create a website and make projects on it for a big super curricular project.

Sounds good. Unis (as far as I know) like to see your projects on your website.

Just for the heads up, if you want to do a course or certification on Java, I would recommend looking at the real deal as opposed to the introductory courses that you can find on various platforms i.e.
https://education.oracle.com/software/java/pFamily_48
https://education.oracle.com/oracle-certification-path/pFamily_48
(Look for the Programmer and Developer pathways)
This is more credible for job applications and are usually significantly harder than the Java on a computer science degree (unless someone corrects me). I consider this the real deal because:

•

Oracle is the company that created the Java programming language

•

The courses are difficult, is a lot more exhaustive, and goes into far more detail than courses from elsewhere

•

It's significantly more likely that the course material is more up to date

•

Doing the course is generally makes you more proficient than a course from a third party e.g. MOOCs

•

They're recognised in the tech industry, although I doubt it would help much if you want to go into an academic career

The downside are that there is a cost (usually less than £1000) and there's usually a shelf life for the certification (because the industry changes all the time, material needs to continually be updated, and new versions of the language keeps coming out all of the time).

Reply 4

skinfade123

OP

3

Original post by MindMax2000

Sounds good. Unis (as far as I know) like to see your projects on your website.

Just for the heads up, if you want to do a course or certification on Java, I would recommend looking at the real deal as opposed to the introductory courses that you can find on various platforms i.e.
https://education.oracle.com/software/java/pFamily_48
https://education.oracle.com/oracle-certification-path/pFamily_48
(Look for the Programmer and Developer pathways)
This is more credible for job applications and are usually significantly harder than the Java on a computer science degree (unless someone corrects me). I consider this the real deal because:

•

Oracle is the company that created the Java programming language

•

The courses are difficult, is a lot more exhaustive, and goes into far more detail than courses from elsewhere

•

It's significantly more likely that the course material is more up to date

•

Doing the course is generally makes you more proficient than a course from a third party e.g. MOOCs

•

They're recognised in the tech industry, although I doubt it would help much if you want to go into an academic career

The downside are that there is a cost (usually less than £1000) and there's usually a shelf life for the certification (because the industry changes all the time, material needs to continually be updated, and new versions of the language keeps coming out all of the time).

I'll definitely look into the oracle courses, I do have an advantage as my dad is a software engineer already so he can give me access to the courses that have been paid for him if we wishes to learn another language, so I do have access to high level courses for Java if I wish.

I've kind of came up with a plan for what to do based of advice and the Cambridge website:

•

Read a computer science/coding related book

•

Do computer science challenges like the advent of code and bebras competition

•

learn a programming language (I already do Java at a level but I'm going to take it further)

•

and make some projects (possibly put them on a website)

•

possibly learn linux or some type of CLI

•

get work experience or a work placement within the industry

This is all assuming that if Cambridge like it and accept it then other Universities like York would too.
I was thinking about as my kinda big project making a game on something like libGDX, but im not sure if Universities would like this or not as its easier then programming from nothing on a normal IDE.

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 5

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

14

Original post by skinfade123

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

Hiya,

I am Jivanthika, a second year computer science student at the University of Sheffield so I hope I can provide with a good insight on the kind of things that will be goof to mention on your CV. I think it is very important to show your genuine interest and passion in the subject. For example, when I was in y12, I did an EPQ in Artificial Intelligence so I referenced this a lot and showed the skills I learnt from it. While it is good to do extracurriculars, it is also important to reflect on the skills and experience this will equip you with that will be beneficial to your application. Personal projects that can be uploaded onto Github would be a great example to show your passion for the subject and how you have gained skills.

Hope that gives you a little bit more of an idea of what kind of things to engage in.

Let me know if you have any more questions,
Jivanthika :smile:

Reply 6

Lancaster Student Ambassador

Official Rep

15

Original post by skinfade123

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

Hiya,

I'm a third year at Lancaster University. It's great to hear that you're already working on your uni applications and have ideas about where you want to apply to!

I don't study computer science but I would definitely say that work-experience or a part-time job in a related industry to your degree would be highly valued by both universities and employers. Other than that, quality is often more important than quantity. Choose activities that genuinely interest you and align with your career goals. A well-rounded combination of projects, real-world experience, and continuous learning will make your application stand out.

-Beth (Lancaster Student Ambassador)

Reply 7

hussainw1232

4

Original post by University of Sheffield Students

Hiya,

I am Jivanthika, a second year computer science student at the University of Sheffield so I hope I can provide with a good insight on the kind of things that will be goof to mention on your CV. I think it is very important to show your genuine interest and passion in the subject. For example, when I was in y12, I did an EPQ in Artificial Intelligence so I referenced this a lot and showed the skills I learnt from it. While it is good to do extracurriculars, it is also important to reflect on the skills and experience this will equip you with that will be beneficial to your application. Personal projects that can be uploaded onto Github would be a great example to show your passion for the subject and how you have gained skills.

Hope that gives you a little bit more of an idea of what kind of things to engage in.

Let me know if you have any more questions,
Jivanthika :smile:

HI did you do any work experience, if so where did you look for your work experience?

Reply 8

University of Liverpool Student Rep

11

Original post by skinfade123

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

Great to hear that you are interested in applying to the University of Liverpool! Look like you have got a great set of extracurricular activities to talk about in your PS! Best of luck in your applications and studies 🙂

Malachy - University of Liverpool Student Rep

Reply 9

University of Sheffield Students

Official Rep

14

Original post by hussainw1232

HI did you do any work experience, if so where did you look for your work experience?

Hi Hussain,

I think rather than work experience, I took part in insight days and more one day events like that. There are platforms like uptree and unifrog that you can use to find specific opportunities.

Good luck with your application and let me know if you have any other questions!
Jivanthika :smile:

Reply 10

alrobo

1

Original post by skinfade123

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

Not sure about in Software Engineering but CyberFirst Defenders and CyberFirst Advanced are excellent courses in Cyber Security which may contribute to Software Engineering knowhow by knowing what to contend with when programming software.

Reply 11

alrobo

1

Original post by skinfade123

Hi I'm currently doing Maths, Computer Science, Business at a level and I'm year 12, I'm aiming to get A*AA with the A* in Computer Science. I'm thinking of applying to :u:

ni of Liverpool, Lancaster, York, Sheffield, however I was wondering what Extra/Supra Curricular I should do. I've done 80 hours worth of Cisco Courses online and I've had a work experience day at NCC but I know I need to do a lot. Does anyone know of good supra curriculars specifically for software engineering, like Online Courses, Projects in Coding, Books to Read or just any other activities?

How did you contact NCC group to get the Work Experience - I have a contact with them and am considering trying to do some work experience in the summer.

Reply 12

skinfade123

OP

3

Original post by alrobo

How did you contact NCC group to get the Work Experience - I have a contact with them and am considering trying to do some work experience in the summer.

It was posted onto Uptree, so when I found it I just applied then I got an email saying I've been accepted.

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