HOLIDAY PREP FOR OXBRIDGE HOPEFULS

Enjoying those weeks of marathon sleeps, music, hanging out with friends or making new ones? You've earned it all,  but Oxbridge hopefuls also need to give thought to their UCAS form, whether they are applying this year or next. To be really impressive, your personal statement must show evidence of an active interest in your future subject well beyond what you did at school. Sadly, each year some students discover that you can't create such evidence at the very last minute.

The good news is that that you can get still quite a lot done without leaving your deck chair or bed.  To a student still struggling through their (perhaps very first) academic book,  audio podcasts in which experts reflect on their field offer a gentle transition. Lively and often short, these can painlessly familiarise you with concepts, ideas and issues relevant to your course, as well as conveying the  speaker's excitement about their work.

What you should listen to obviously depends on your course. Academics may use the medium to outline our current knowledge of genetics, interpret economic developments or challenge the accepted causes of a historic event. In any case, try to take in more than just the bare facts. A good listener will note the methods by which the speaker's insights were arrived and perhaps a problem encountered.

There's a growing range of such audio podcasts, found not just on You Tube and TED talks, but also created  by the BBC, literary magazines, science journals, political periodicals and broadsheets. Oxford and Cambridge have put some of their more accessible lectures on iTunes, where you can down-load them for free. Many Oxbridge academics also regularly contribute to other publications or events. Below are a few useful examples:

LAW: SHOULD YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO DELETE YOUR DIGITAL PAST?

http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/delete-0

RELIGIOUS STUDIES: HOW DID THE DEVIL BECOME  A KEY FIGURE IN CHRISTIANITY?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p005494p

CLASSICS: IS THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE TRULY IMPORTANT TO THE STORY OF DEMOCRACY?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p004y278

ENGLISH LITERATURE: IS SHAKESPEARE STILL RELEVANT TODAY? http://www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk/event-recordings

ECONOMICS: WHY HAVE ADAM SMITH AND HIS TREATISE ON "THE WEALTH OF NATION" REMAINED SO INFLUENTIAL?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b052ln55

PHILOSOPHY: WHAT DOES FREE SPEECH MEAN FOR THE MEDIA?

https://www.sms.cam.ac.uk/media/2447806

ARCH & ANT:  WHAT HAS BEEN THE LINK BETWEEN ARCHAEOLOGY AND IMPERIALISM?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9gt

HISTORY: HOW DID A GOVERNMENT DECISION TO KEEP GRAIN PRICES HIGH CHANGE BRITAIN? 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03dvbyk

COMPUTER SCIENCES: HOW MIGHT SOCIAL-MEDIA OBSESSION MAKE US A TARGET FOR CRIME?

https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/how-do-we-stop-our-social-media-obsession-making-us-target-crime

PHYSICS: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF MAKING SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT SPACE-PROOF?

https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/how-do-you-make-scientific-equipment-space-proof

CHEMISTRY: WHY AND HOW WOULD YOU TURN AN ORANGE INTO A GRAPEFRUIT?

http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/how-do-you-turn-orange-grapefruit

MEDICINE: FORGET CSI. WHAT DO PATHOLOGISTS REALLY DO?

http://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/event-recordings (Cambridge Festival Podcast 98)

BIOLOGY: HOW MIGHT SUN EXPOSURE CHANGE YOUR DNA?

http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/light-part-3-how-does-sunlight-damage-dna

Feeling inspired and just a little more confident that you're up to  Oxbridge standards? Great, this means we shall next  week explore some video podcasts  which can move 
you further towards an Oxford or Cambridge place. Meanwhile, you'll find the very best general advice for Oxbridge applicants in OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE THE REAL RULES.