Supercurriculars for history
Hey, so I'm looking to study history at uni (currently looking at Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Warwick - not sure on my fifth option) and I'm not sure what to do for supercurriculars although I have ideas.
I know lots of people do essay competitions but I'm not sure if it's worth it - any advice on this would be much appreciated
I've got a few books that I've read that I could mention and I plan of visiting a few sites that relate to my specific interests within history.
Other than this I'm a bit lost, I know many people do moocs so I might look into that but I'm lost on what supercurriculars will help me stand out
I know lots of people do essay competitions but I'm not sure if it's worth it - any advice on this would be much appreciated
I've got a few books that I've read that I could mention and I plan of visiting a few sites that relate to my specific interests within history.
Other than this I'm a bit lost, I know many people do moocs so I might look into that but I'm lost on what supercurriculars will help me stand out
Reply 1
20
Follow your interests - what issues intrigue you, what eras / topics do you want to know more about? Suggested reading | History at Leicester | University of Leicester or just go into a big public library, find the History section and pick anything off the shelves that interests you.
Its worth trying to get the grips with what is called Historiography - the changing fashions in the methodology of studying History. Suggestions to start with -
Studying History (Macmillan Study Skills): Amazon.co.uk: Black, Jeremy, MacRaild, Donald: 9781137478597: Books
History: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions): Amazon.co.uk: Arnold, John H.: 9780192853523: Books
Its worth trying to get the grips with what is called Historiography - the changing fashions in the methodology of studying History. Suggestions to start with -
Studying History (Macmillan Study Skills): Amazon.co.uk: Black, Jeremy, MacRaild, Donald: 9781137478597: Books
History: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions): Amazon.co.uk: Arnold, John H.: 9780192853523: Books
Reply 2
12
Original post
by Olivia19756Hey, so I'm looking to study history at uni (currently looking at Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Warwick - not sure on my fifth option) and I'm not sure what to do for supercurriculars although I have ideas.
I know lots of people do essay competitions but I'm not sure if it's worth it - any advice on this would be much appreciated
I've got a few books that I've read that I could mention and I plan of visiting a few sites that relate to my specific interests within history.
Other than this I'm a bit lost, I know many people do moocs so I might look into that but I'm lost on what supercurriculars will help me stand out
I know lots of people do essay competitions but I'm not sure if it's worth it - any advice on this would be much appreciated
I've got a few books that I've read that I could mention and I plan of visiting a few sites that relate to my specific interests within history.
Other than this I'm a bit lost, I know many people do moocs so I might look into that but I'm lost on what supercurriculars will help me stand out
I would recommend doing an essay competition or two, but generally just reading is the best, or similar things like lectures and podcasts
Reply 3
12
Original post
by Olivia19756Hey, so I'm looking to study history at uni (currently looking at Cambridge, LSE, UCL and Warwick - not sure on my fifth option) and I'm not sure what to do for supercurriculars although I have ideas.
I know lots of people do essay competitions but I'm not sure if it's worth it - any advice on this would be much appreciated
I've got a few books that I've read that I could mention and I plan of visiting a few sites that relate to my specific interests within history.
Other than this I'm a bit lost, I know many people do moocs so I might look into that but I'm lost on what supercurriculars will help me stand out
I know lots of people do essay competitions but I'm not sure if it's worth it - any advice on this would be much appreciated
I've got a few books that I've read that I could mention and I plan of visiting a few sites that relate to my specific interests within history.
Other than this I'm a bit lost, I know many people do moocs so I might look into that but I'm lost on what supercurriculars will help me stand out
my supercurricular for history has just been reading books (ie autobiographies) and listening to podcasts-even better if you can tie a book/podcast to another subject you do
Reply 4
Hi.
Something that I recommend that you could mention on your personal statement would be studying the reliability of historical sources. For example, this could include literature, other forms of art, letters, speeches, diaries, ect.
I'm going to apply to uni for English and History next year, so I've done a good bit of research into what to put in a personal statement.
The reliability of sources is something that I've not seen anyone do in history personal statements that I've read online, but I think that it could definitely work really well. You could even make it more niche and look into the reliability of sources during a certain time period (e.g., Russia/the USSR in the 19th and 20th centuries), or how the reliability of certain sources has improved or lessened over time.
A useful website that I've used to look at personal statements is Anyverse. It's allowed me to see what sort of time periods and issues are commonly mentioned, as well as how I should speak about what I've learnt in my personal statement. It's also helped me understand what I've already done and what I can do to build on it between now and next summer.
I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. 😊
Something that I recommend that you could mention on your personal statement would be studying the reliability of historical sources. For example, this could include literature, other forms of art, letters, speeches, diaries, ect.
I'm going to apply to uni for English and History next year, so I've done a good bit of research into what to put in a personal statement.
The reliability of sources is something that I've not seen anyone do in history personal statements that I've read online, but I think that it could definitely work really well. You could even make it more niche and look into the reliability of sources during a certain time period (e.g., Russia/the USSR in the 19th and 20th centuries), or how the reliability of certain sources has improved or lessened over time.
A useful website that I've used to look at personal statements is Anyverse. It's allowed me to see what sort of time periods and issues are commonly mentioned, as well as how I should speak about what I've learnt in my personal statement. It's also helped me understand what I've already done and what I can do to build on it between now and next summer.
I hope this helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me. 😊
Reply 5
Possibly try and get on a free summer school if your eligible a lot of the oxbridge colleges run them xx
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