The Importance of Super-Curricular Activities

Have you heard of the term super-curricular? It is commonly bounced around in education and mentioned by universities, but what do they mean when they ask you to take part in super-curricular activities?

What does super-curricular mean?

• • Your curriculum – are topics you have to cover because they will be on your exams and this what you are taught in class.
• • Extra-curricular – are activities that you partake in for fun and your own personal development. These are often hobbies and improve soft skills.
• • Super-curricular – are activities that are academic in nature but outside of your school studies. They improve your knowledge and understanding of topics within your academic field of interest.

Examples of Super-curricular activities:

• • Reading journal articles
• • Listening to podcasts
• • Visiting a museum
• • Essay competitions
• • Maths challenges
• • Starting a club
• • A research project

These are just a few examples; you can pick and choose what activities work for you based on your learning style and subject interest. The most important thing is that you take part in super-curricular activities, here’s why.

Why is it important?

There are three main reasons why super-curricular activities are important:

1. Competitive university application – by taking part in super-curricular activities you improve your chances of getting into a competitive university. Competitive universities have openly said they are looking for students who go above and beyond their school curriculum. By completing super-curricular activities, you evidence to the university that you are capable of studying independently at a high-level and that you have a keen interest and passion for the subject.
2. Understanding of your subject – having a greater understanding of your subject also improves your current studies, as you are able to see what you are learning about in a wider context. Through super-curricular activities you develop important skills for your academic learning, which benefits you now and for all of your educational journey.
3. Confirmation of right path – the beauty of super-curricular activities is that you get to learn more about topics that excite you. Taking part in these activities shouldn’t feel like work, although you will feel challenged and stretched. You should feel a sense of achievement and enjoyment once you understand something new, confirming to you that this is a subject that you want to continue to study at a high-level.

How to get started?

Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start as there are so many options. The nature of super-curricular means that you are learning more about topics you are interested in, so the best place to start is to choose a topic and go from there. Here are a few suggestions of places you can look to find out more:

• • University of Cambridge Super-Curricular Resource List
  • This fantastic document shares a number of super-curricular activities you can look at for each of their courses. These have been hand-selected by their academics as good places to start learning more about that course.
• • University of Oxford Oxplore Big Questions
  • The Oxford team have put together a number of big questions. See if you also have the same questions and follow through the teaching to come to your own answer.
• • BBC Sounds
  • Podcasts are a really easy way to learn more. You can listen to them whilst doing other activities like travel, chores or exercise.
• • TED Talks
  • These are short introductions to topics and a great place to look for new and exciting topics you are interested in.
• • Newspapers and Magazines
  • It is important to keep up to date with new discoveries in your field, so have a look at what is being published and talked about. You can look in:
    • • Nature
    • • New Scientist
    • • National Geographic
    • • The Economist
    • • History Today
    • • And more

When should you do super-curricular activities?

It is never too early to start super-curricular activities. The earlier you start the easier you will find making it part of your routine. The beauty of super-curricular activities is it can be whatever you want it to be, it is about your passions, your interests and your understanding. If you start a topic and you find that it doesn’t interest you then move on, universities want to know what you are passionate about and those areas that make you really excited.

Be careful though not to move on too soon if something is challenging, it is important to improve your learning and your understanding of key topic areas, as well as your areas of interest.

How can CamVision help?

Here at CamVision we are experts in supporting students with their super-curricular activities. We have a number of courses and programmes that will help you get the most out of your experiences.

When you complete super-curricular activities with us you receive direction and guidance from subject tutors who are experts in the field you are interested in. Our resources and advice are then tailored to you and your interests and challenge you to go beneath the surface in your chosen topic.

Often super-curricular activities can feel like a minefield with so much out there to learn about. Our courses offer you support through your learning journey and help you to develop key skills offering structure to your super-curricular learning.

It is important to not waste time reading, listening or watching something to only forget about it tomorrow. Our programmes teach you how to reflect on what you have learnt and to critically analyse what you’re being taught, so that you create a deeper understanding of the topic, which are key skills needed for university level study.

Why CamVision?

1. Be challenged – our subject tutors will challenge you to think outside the box and really push your understanding of a topic.
2. Expert teachers – all our tutors are experts in their academic areas and love to discuss their subject.
3. Learn from others – whether it is from our expert tutors or from other students in a group session. You learn more from each other than you do alone.
4. Structure – enhance your own super-curricular studies through our expert guidance and create structure for your super-curricular learning making sure your time and effort is well spent.
5. Experienced team – our experienced team have helped a number of students improve their academic performance and achieve their dream university offer.

So why not start by trying out our journal club or get in touch to see what other courses could be right for you.