LEARNING WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED

Are exams or revision wearing you out? Are the letters on the websites and pages  dancing in front of your eyes? While the half-term will help you recover, it’s a good idea to also set aside an hour or two during that week to raise your Oxbridge chances.

 

A good way to do that is by exploring your future course subject. Listening to an academic audio talk or discussion will allow you to decide whether it’s indeed right for you. If you’ve already settled on a subject, it will tell you what’s new or interesting there.  As a bonus, you will also get used to the funny way academics speak. All of this will help with your UCAS statement or interview. 

Below are a few inspiring podcasts based on Oxford or Cambridge courses.  Listen carefully, i.e. not while checking your texts, but don’t worry if you don’t understand every word. You just want to get a sense of the excitement academics feel about their discoveries.  With some talks, you even have a choice between audio or video. Skip any lengthy introduction: just go for the real thing.

 

HISTORY

WW1: accident or choice?
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/accident-or-choice-outbreak-first-world-war
 
BIOCHEMISTRY
The role of photosynthesis in the evolution of life on earth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0435jyv

LAW
Do human rights depend on the rule of law?
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/human-rights-and-rule-law-eight-centuries-after-runnymede

BIOLOGY
The origins of genetics and the questions they raise
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005461w

MATHEMATICS
The mystery of prime numbers
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003hyf5
 
PHILOSOPHY
The meaning and uses of Logic
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00vcqcx

PHYSICS
What is Relativity?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b02144gl 
 
EDUCATION/MEDICINE
Learning and the brain
https://www.hayfestival.com/p-5826-trevor-robbins-sarah-jayne-blakemore-paul-howard-jones-and-barbara-sahakian.aspx
 
GEOGRAPHY
How to create a sustainable city
http://www.sms.cam.ac.uk/media/1678503

Time to open your eyes again. You should now feel a little smarter and more confident about the academic world. Enjoy the half term!