Finding supercurricular activities for your UCAS personal statement
In my last post, I explained how to tackle the first UCAS question:
“Why do you want to study this course or subject?”
A key part of answering this question (and the next one) is showing how you’ve explored your chosen subject outside of the classroom. That’s where supercurricular activities come in. But what exactly counts as a supercurricular, and where can you find them?
What are supercurriculars?
Supercurriculars are activities you do beyond your school syllabus that develop your subject knowledge and show your curiosity.
They’re different from extracurriculars (like clubs or volunteering). Extracurriculars are still valuable, but supercurriculars prove to admissions tutors that you’re genuinely motivated to study your chosen subject in depth and that you have the academic curiosity needed to succeed at university.
Formal activities
Some of the more obvious supercurriculars include:
Academic competitions such as Olympiads, essay contests, or debating challenges.
Extended projects or essays like the EPQ.
Relevant work experience, e.g. a lab placement for a science student, or time in a law firm for an aspiring solicitor.
If you’ve had the chance to do these, that’s fantastic and you should definitely write about them! But don’t worry if you haven’t, as there are plenty of free and accessible options.
Free and accessible supercurricular ideas
Not every student has access to niche competitions and formal work experience placements. The good news? There are countless ways to explore your subject for free. Here are some of the best:
Books and articles - Your local library is a brilliant starting point. If you’re applying for English, borrow a critical text, or if you’re into psychology, look for popular science titles.
Journals and magazines - Many schools offer subscriptions to subject-specific publications. For example, when I was applying for chemistry, I read Chemistry Review (a magazine published by the University of York for post-16 chemists).
YouTube lectures and videos - Institutions like the Royal Society post full-length lectures online. Universities often share public lectures too.
Podcasts - Perfect for exploring topics on the go. Chemistry World’s Chemistry in its element podcast is brilliant for chemistry, but there are equivalents in every field.
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) - Platforms like FutureLearn and Coursera offer free courses created by universities. These can introduce you to areas you haven’t yet studied in school.
The trick is to follow your own curiosity and choose material that genuinely excites you.
Finding curated lists
If you’re still feeling stuck, don’t panic! Several universities and organisations have published excellent subject-by-subject supercurricular guides. Here are a few to look at to get you started:
How to talk about supercurriculars in your personal statement
Simply listing supercurriculars you’ve done isn’t effective. The key is to reflect on what you did.
Ask yourself:
What did I learn from this activity?
Did it change my perspective?
How does it connect to my chosen course?
For example: “Watching a Royal Society lecture on climate modelling helped me understand how mathematics underpins environmental research, and inspired me to investigate differential equations beyond the A-Level syllabus.”
That’s far stronger than “I watched a lecture on climate change.”
Final thoughts
Supercurriculars don’t have to be flashy or expensive. What matters most is that you engage with them deeply and explain your insights clearly in your personal statement.
Start with something accessible (a book, a podcast or a lecture) and let your curiosity lead you further.
In my next post, I’ll show you how to write about supercurriculars effectively in your UCAS answers, so you can turn these experiences into strong evidence of your motivation and ability.
If you’d like expert, personalised feedback on your personal statement draft, you can book a free 15-minute chat with me using the button below to discuss how I might be able to help you.
