Univ’s Staircase12 Book Box project is designed to improve students’ access to physical resources to help them explore their subject interests further.

Up to thirty participating schools will receive a delivery of books which they can loan out to students to support super-curricular exploration. The included books have been specifically recommended by tutors here at Univ to help students engage with their subjects of interest beyond the syllabus. For more information about why exploring your subject interests beyond school is important see our Explore your Subject page.

Each book in the book box is accompanied by a tutor-written review, which seeks to help students get the very most out of their reading. Our reviews contain useful advice on how to engage with the resources, questions that students may wish to consider as they read, and top tips for exploring the subject further. These are designed to complement the online suggestions available on Staircase 12, Univ’s virtual learning hub for students to explore beyond the syllabus.

Books selected as part of the Staircase12 Book Box are aimed at students aged 14 years old and will cover a range of subjects covering Physical, Mathematical and Medical Sciences and Humanities.  They will be useful for students as they consider which subject(s) they would like to apply for at University and to engage with those subjects as they prepare a university application.

These books can be stored anywhere in schools, sixth forms and colleges where students are able to access them. Please note that institutions do not need a library to receive resources from us – having a book box in common areas or storing the books in the relevant subject classrooms would be very suitable.

This project is primarily aimed at state schools in the College’s link regions of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Telford and the Wrekin and Shropshire.  If you are a teacher at a state school and would like to hear more about the Staircase12 Book Box and eligibility criteria please do get in touch – E: Access@univ.ox.ac.uk

Tutors here at University College have provided reviews for some of the books included in our book boxes- feel free to explore the reviews for each of our books below!

• Dr Mirela Ivanova, Junior Research Fellow in Medieval History, reviews John Barton’s A History of the Bible: The Book and Its Faiths.

• Dr Martin Galpin, Supernumerary Fellow and College Lecturer in Mathematics for Chemistry; Deputy Director of Studies in Chemistry, reviews Tim James’s Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything.

• Professor Polly Jones, Schrecker-Barbour Tutorial Fellow in Slavonic and East European Studies; Professor of Russian, reviews Mikhail Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog (1925).

• Professor Nick Yeung, Sir Jules Thorne Tutorial Fellow in Psychology; Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, reviews Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow.

• Professor Trevor Sharp, Radcliffe Medical Tutorial Fellow in Neuroscience, reviews Paul Nurse’s What Is Life? Understand Biology In Five Steps.

The bookshelves of our Reading Bank are packed with book reviews by Univ students (and a few tutors thrown in for good measure.) They’ve chosen books which they either read before they came to Oxford, or they wish they had. Explore the reviews below or select a subject area such as Humanities or Social Sciences, followed by a specific subject (Classics, English, etc.)  Why not explore our Resources Hub too.

You may have been told you need to “read around the subject”, but might not be sure where to start (or just think reading is really boring). If that’s the case then our Reading Bank is for you. It’s full of reviews by Univ students and some tutors too of books that they’d recommend to students considering applying to study their subject at uni.

Here are four of this month’s favourites:

Explore our book reviews for Humanities, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences or take a look at the full range of reviews on our Reading Bank.

Exploring your subject isn’t just about reading. There are resources all over the internet to help you engage with your subject interest and stretch yourself beyond the school syllabus.

Check out our Resource Hub of links for ideas of lectures, podcasts, online courses, articles, blogs and much more. Or explore our specific resources for Humanities, Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences, Medical Sciences or Social Sciences.

If you’re stuck for where to start, here are some of our favourites from this month (each resource opens in a new window):

To help schools and students prepare for applying to university during lockdown, Nelli Univ’s Schools Liaison and Access Officer has recorded the talk she’d usually be delivering in schools this time of year. Watch here and don’t forget to get in touch, either via email (access@univ.ox.ac.uk) or on Twitter if you have questions. We’d also love to hear how you’ve been getting on exploring your subject interests beyond school.

Explore your Subject

To get into a top uni, it’s not enough just to do well at school. Universities want students who are passionate about their subject, who think for themselves and who are independent learners. That means that if you’re thinking about university, finding out what you’re really interested in and developing that interest is a top priority. That’s where “super-curricular” activities come in.

What are super-curricular activities?

You’ve probably heard of “extracurricular activities”, and probably do a few of them yourself. The “extra” refers to an activity being outside of your regular curriculum, e.g. doing a sport or enrolling in a first aid course.

Super-curricular activities are those that take the subjects you study further, beyond that which your teacher has taught you or what you’ve done for homework. You may go into more depth on something you picked up in the classroom or learn about a new topic altogether. You can explore your subject in many ways; for example, by reading, as well as watching videos online, downloading lectures, visiting museums or entering academic competitions.

Why are super-curricular activities important?

To do well at a top university, it is important to have a) enthusiasm and curiosity for your subject and b) the capacity for independent study.
Super-curricular activities can help you:

• Choose a subject to study. Doing something like extra reading or entering an essay competition in your subject are good ways for you to check if you have the passion for your subject that you think you do. If you’re enjoying exploring the subject, even when your homework is done for the week, it’s a positive sign that it’s the right subject for you!
• Provide evidence on a personal statement. Many universities will also look for you having done super-curricular activities because it can indicate that you have the capacity for self-study and can demonstrate how you respond to new ideas that you come across.
• Develop important skills. You can also gain skills from super-curricular activities which can help you do well in future university interviews and admissions tests/assessments. Your ability to think critically, absorb new information, make inferences or consider things from multiple angles, are all things that interviews and admissions tests are geared up to assess. You can use super-curricular exploration to develop these skills in yourself; for example, by pushing yourself to comprehend new information, getting to grips with different concepts, challenging assumptions or uncovering weaknesses in arguments you read/listen to. Asa bonus, these skills will also help you become a successful university student as uni courses often require a lot more self-study than you may have been used to so far.

Some top tips

First things first, exploring your subject is not about filling your head with facts! You will develop important independent study skills more effectively if you are engaging actively with your subject. Here are some top tips for how to explore your subject in ways that help you develop independent study skills (such as how to think critically and flexibly).

• Be open minded. Do not be afraid to try out some things that are different to what you’re used to. You might discover your next new hobby!
• Find connections. Look for links in between different things that you have explored. By doing this you really test how well you’ve understood the ideas and you could even come up with unique ideas of you own. Making comparisons and contrasts is good ways to do this.
• Think actively and ask questions. Don’t just accept the arguments that you come across. Try and challenge them, and think of counter examples. Would it be the same in all situations? Is there another way of solving that problem? What do you really think?
• Pause and reflect. While reading articles or listening to podcasts, stop to think. What is your opinion? You might find it useful to write a short paragraph to practice articulating your own ideas about a subject
• Share and discuss. Always talk about things with people, whether your teacher, parent, or friend. Perhaps you don’t understand something you’ve read or you’d like to debate it further. Conversations such as these provide excellent practice for future interviews.
• And remember to follow your interests. Don’t do an activity just because you think it looks good. Read books and take part in things that you think are genuinely stimulating. This means that you avoid having to try hard to fake interest. Pursuing super-curricular activities should never become a chore.

Don’t forget to explore our Reading Bank and Resource Hub too.