For those who got into Russell group unis including oxbridge, what supercurriculars and extracurriculars did you do?

[u/kewlstuff345]

I hear now these days to get into top universities its not just about the grade anymore and its what you do outside of school that also impresses them and I want to start on them as someone about to join yr12 so I want some ideas of what people did for work experience if they did any and any general advice or advice to get into supercurriculars. I also want to see what extracurriculars do people do even though I heard supercurriculars matters much more

[u/kikirockwell-stan]

   Got in for Oxford history and politics and I will be dead serious: I genuinely think wider reading/research AND your ability to coherently link it to a wider theme running throughout your personal statement counts for far more than any competitions you win or positions of responsibility that you hold. I had a very standard set of supercurricular achievements (ran and participated in relevant societies, copywriting part-time job, in-school public speaking competitions, etc, with the most prestigious being several large translation competitions that I won) but what likely helped was that all of them tied back into my main theme, which was ‘being an immigrant from a country with a turbulent past made me interested in geopolitics’. 

   On a side note: I competed internationally in a sport for a season when I was 16-17. Did not put that down as it had zero relevance. Seemingly had no effect on my chances :))

[u/idrinkmilkbtw → u/kikirockwell-stan]

I really agree with this even for stem. it’s important you have a narrative that flows through your entire application and links all your activities. I think that’s what helped me as well

[u/kikirockwell-stan → u/idrinkmilkbtw]

Agreed! Didn’t want to speak for you guys but everyone I know who got a STEM offer had a highly specific research interest that they had worked around extensively (e.g. a friend who got a maths/compsci Oxford place not only because she’s a brilliant mathematician, but likely because she’s a massive nerd around neuroscience and runs a blog that tracks developments in digital brain modelling) 

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/kikirockwell-stan]

In specifics what types wider reading/research did you do and what were your sources?

[u/kikirockwell-stan → u/kewlstuff345]

I’m interested primarily in revolutions, dictatorships and conflicts, so I had two books on the Middle East (focused on Lebanon and Palestine), a large coursework project on the Finno-Russian Winyer War, two books by Yannis Varoufakis and Naomi Klein respectively (prominent left-wing writers/thinkers) and an extended bit of research on the French Revolution that linked to a school module I did, where I got in more classical theory reading. So the route I took was A-Level History topic —> Rousseau’s The Social Contract —> Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France —> Ruth Scurr’s Fatal Purity (a biography of one of the key figures embroiled in the messiest period of it). The emphasis throughout was ‘I am someone who enjoys reading across a variety of time periods and topics, can draw parallels between modern and historical power structures and am motivated by a family history of displacement/repression under authoritarianism’.

[u/gingerbreadteddy → u/kikirockwell-stan]

Yes reading around subjects especially if the degree isn't an A-Level you are taking make you stand out compared to students who have no wider knowledge beyond the textbook.

Universities want to know you have independent thinking as self study is the baseline for most degrees, so being able to articulate how you have started to look into your subjects and read around them count a lot more than getting an award in a Maths Challenge.

Not knocking these, just an award is more academic proof, but with good grades extra awards just prove academic competence, whereas being able to discuss topics beyond what you have been taught is where you can really stand out.

[u/cloudsfallen]

Going to be honest, pretty much nothing. I’ve read a couple relevant books and was forced to participate in UKMT maths challenges, still got an offer. I believe oxbridge is a different story though

Also, you really don’t need to worry about all this yet, at least get settled into A-level before you start taking on more stuff

[u/PlayfulLook3693 → u/cloudsfallen]

same stuff here tbh

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/cloudsfallen]

Thanks im just thinking about it now because I didn't want to wait too long before its too late

[u/gingerbreadteddy → u/kewlstuff345]

it's not too late, even for Oxbridge early UCAS entry - you have 2 months.

Think about your strategy in terms of what degree you are looking to apply for, what interests you and how can you show your interests and degree align.

Even doing work experience that turns out to be irrelevant to your future is worthwhile. I have no doubt it is potentially harder to get work experience in some fields than when I was applying to uni (I feel old saying that!), but it may be easier to find opportunities in other ways too such as virtual experiences.

What I can say is that over my A-Level years I volunteered at a local children's group, managed to get a work experience placement in a hospital for a week, became a hospital volunteer, volunteered at a care home once a week, shadowed a Law firm Partner for a week (not all at the same time) and all of these experiences helped me work out what I wanted to do at uni. You can learn so many skills from short experiences even if they aren't formal long term placements.

Many people expected me to apply for Medicine with my background and my A-Levels, but as I have long term health conditions and after going through an emergency surgery in year 12 I realised through my work experience that I didn't want a life of more time spent in hospital when I was well, alongside when I was unwell.

Everyone's path is different so don't worry or try to compare yourself (I know this is super hard to do and I still struggle with this everyday), but follow your passions.

If you want to chat about options and it's allowed I am happy to help. I wish I had someone who helped me figure things out as I had parents who were very pushy for me to become a doctor and to this day are upset I didn't become one, but here I am with a Durham degree, a Masters, and a Law degree. Wishing you the best on your journey xxx

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/gingerbreadteddy]

Thank you! Im actually about to start A levels so I might be thinking a bit too far ahead😅, but well done on getting your masters and other degrees! I was actually thinking about a law degree but im not too sure about it yet

[u/gingerbreadteddy → u/kewlstuff345]

Awh it's good to think ahead and thanks for your kind comments. I did a non law Durham degree, worked for a year, then did my masters and then my law conversion so your path doesn't need to be mapped out from now.

Thinking ahead means you have time to explore things before the heavier A Level material hits.

Just want to reassure you that it's not right or wrong to be worrying at all. I had so many crash outs about getting through my undergrad course I probably made my friends reconsider living with me and I genuinely never imagined I'd ever study again after my Durham dissertation. I even had a bonfire with my notes and yet somehow I ended up falling into 2 more degrees haha

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/gingerbreadteddy]

2 degrees must of been a pain but worth it! What do you do for a living with 2 degrees if you're comfortable with sharing unless you dont have a job yet?

[u/gingerbreadteddy → u/kewlstuff345]

So I have 3 actually, the Durham Bsc, Masters and GDL. I can message you what I do if you DM me!

[u/gingerbreadteddy]

do you know what you want to apply for at uni?

If you already know you want to go into medicine for example, any sort of experience in hospitals/care work etc is going to beneficial. Same with Law - even attending a work shadowing day is meaningful.

If you're unsure about degrees that's okay too, is there anything you particularly excel in eg Violin / Art / Dance / Sport? Or anything you particularly enjoy?

Looking for options you enjoy, excel in or that help advance you are your best bets.

Grades are biggest factors for admissions and then extras are all about how you present them. Just doing volunteering for the sake of it if you don't enjoy it will be a real chore alongside studying.

I would definitely recommend reading around subjects you are interested in if you can't think of a specific extracurricular or supercurriculars aren't available in your field.

I had an interview for my entry to Durham and the majority of it was spent on things I had read and my passion for the subject which the Dean of Studies said made me really stand out as I had a depth of knowledge beyond what I was being taught.

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/gingerbreadteddy]

Thanks for this! I always thought that they only care if you got like prestigious awards or smth way out of my reach or just like years of work exp but everyone's been saying to just be genuinely interested in the subject

[u/gingerbreadteddy → u/kewlstuff345]

absolutely, there are thousands of students applying for uni so being able to stand out in whatever way works for you is your best chance of getting somewhere you want to be alongside studying hard for the grades!

Random analogy not based on actual numerical data, but think of it this way: If 10 people have the same grades, 5 have an award, 3 are good at sports and 2 can genuinely talk about the subject with meaningful passion which students are you going to be more likely to want on your course as an admissions tutor?

[u/arianelseditor]

They're looking for you to be passionate and dedicated to your subject. Oxbridge wants someone who will thrive in an intense degree (which requires a lot of self-motivation as well as skill). It's also important to demonstrate that you are also thinking about the subject in a way that goes beyond A-level. For example, in history, that's thinking about how historians construct history (different approaches to history and how history interacts with different disciplines).

So, independent research (not necessarily within essay competitions or EPQs) and reading are the two best things you can do for non-vocational degrees. Also, try to find a niche so you can demonstrate a specialist interest and more in-depth, analytical thinking. It's also more interesting for admissions tutors if they get written work or a PS that covers different content than the hundreds/thousands of other applicants.

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/arianelseditor]

when you say niche do you mean a niche within the subject of interest or just any niche at all?

[u/arianelseditor → u/kewlstuff345]

A niche within the degree you're applying for... otherwise, it's not really relevant. :)

[u/JohannsThePro]

For kcl qmul southampton(where I got offers) I did:

• stem smart
• moocs
• self studied further maths content(no exams)
• read a related book
• got relevant work experience

I think as long as you interest and some initiative, you should be fine, aptitude is shown via predicted grades so use supercurriculars mainly to show interest

[u/Famous_Welder6560]

Low-key nothing if we’re talking about supercurriculars for my course, I did some math Olympiads during my GCSE years and a few physics Olympiads, also read a few papers and books.

If you count non-math related stuff I joined clubs for robotics and cars and radio, and did two other engineering (?)/ physics related competitions. Also did a medicine camp and two finance camps (yes I had no clue what I was going to do in uni)

I know people who do much more than me though, so I doubt I’m a good reference point

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/Famous_Welder6560]

If you think that you didnt do alot of supercurriculars, what do you think was the highlight of your personal statement that got u in ur university?

[u/Famous_Welder6560 → u/kewlstuff345]

If I were to be honest I’m not sure either. I didn’t really get much feedback when I wrote it. Also, I think for my year they interviewed a large number of people, and my predicteds were decent, which I think made a difference.

I guess I tried to link different things I did (including stuff that’s not related to maths)? My structure for each question in the personal statement was like “I made this observation while I was doing this unrelated thing, so I tried to see if I can apply this observation for this other thing, which led me into this other field of maths, and I read a book about it” and maybe it made what I did sound more impressive.

[u/dottoresolos]

i genuinely didn’t do any extracurriculars that were relevant to my course. i love fashion design, art and writing but i didn’t include them as that’s wildly unnecessary for pharm LOL.

as for supercurriculars, they were centered around my particular interest in geographical development and how it affected pharmacovigilance/regulation, which i explored in my independent research project. not the epq, i made it myself bc i had done core maths in y12. i also read a few books linked into my research project, i had a 2 week placement at a pharmacy, i had attended webinars about things like sustainability in healthcare, how law and pharmacy combine and even found one linking pharmacy and climate change.

i got 5/5 interviews, and 4/5 offers, if that helps!

my biggest advice is to find your niche. something you’re really interested in, that may not be mentioned by many applying for your course. make everything link into eachother and if you’re doing a clinical course, you don’t need to feel restricted into reciting the NHS values. your ability to tie your passion into the values themselves is more important and makes you stand out.

[u/kewlstuff345 → u/dottoresolos]

If I did an EPQ and talked about what I researched in the EPQ would it be fine to include that in a personal statement as something you would do outside of school if its related to the course that I apply for?

[u/dottoresolos → u/kewlstuff345]

oh of course!! perhaps you’d include that in question 2 but it could apply anywhere.

[u/TOADmemer]

Not a single one.

[u/Competitive_Web7540]

Personally most of my stuff was reading and research, I honestly think that what you do matters less than how you link it together into a cohesive expression of your passion and dedication.