1st Class, Ba Economics and Philosophy, University College London (UCL)
CASE STUDY:
HISTORY UNIVERSITY APPLICANT
This is an outline of a bespoke 1:1 tuition programme, suitable for History or combined honours History applicants who enjoy the analytical and intellectual aspects of the subject and desire to push their skills towards academic study.
It is based on academic content taught at Oxford, Cambridge and UCL.
A different student may want a different programme; other subject choices may include a deeper study into one particular period of history, a particular group of historical thinkers or the history of a political or intellectual movement in greater detail.
University application planning
(2 hours)
It is always worth understanding the full process of university admission and the required level of understanding needed to get there. Students will benefit from the ability to develop their own interests at the same time as developing an understanding of broader themes in the study of history.
This module will help you understand the requirements of the history course and the difference between A Level and Academic History, the application process and the academic requirements. Find and discover topics and periods within History of personal interest to the student and begin to develop them as further studies. Build a custom plan around these topics, with a strong emphasis on the historiographical side of the material.
Historiography and the study of history
(4 hours)
Historiography plays a key role in the study of academic history, where students are required to understand the different interpretations of the same event by different historians, and come to their own conclusions from that.
This is an introductory session for the discussion of history as an academic discipline and the various movements within it. We look at how history has developed from a relatively unrigorous discipline, through the various political ideologies that have shaped its study up to the present day. For example, we would look at the Marxist view of history through a study of Marx’s own writings and how they relate to more recent historians such as Eric Hobsbawm. Or similarly, a study of the Whig interpretation of history through Thomas Babington Macaulay and how we see his work continued in the present day by thinkers like Francis Fukuyama. Finally, we apply some of these methods to topics the student is familiar with, or wants to study in greater depth.
Source analysis
(2 hours)
Modern history has a strong emphasis on the use of primary sources, but all sources have strengths and weaknesses as pieces of evidence. This module will allow students to understand how historians reach their conclusions, and will be excellent preparations for interviews and the HAT test, where source analysis inevitably comes up.
This session looks in depth at how historians look at the sources for our understanding of history. Sources can be anything from written accounts of an event, to archaeological evidence and material culture. By looking at a number of different sources, we will work towards understanding how historians evaluate sources and use multiple pieces of evidence, as well as secondary sources from other historians, to reach their own interpretation of a given event or character. For example, students can compare medieval manuscripts, such as those of Geoffrey of Monmouth, and compare their presentation of history to archaeological evidence.
Depth Study
(5 hours)
This course teaches students the fundamentals of essay writing, and is therefore particularly useful for those students completing coursework or studying towards the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
It supplies students with the techniques and expertise to assist in structuring their ideas into work that is thoughtful and unique.
Students also learn how to access the research resources available to them and strategies for organising secondary reading, with a particular focus on bibliographies and methods of citation, including MLA and Harvard. This course will focus on both long-form writing (useful for coursework assignments), and writing under exam conditions.
Mock Interview &
Admission Preparation
(2 hours)
Going into the interview with confidence and excellent application materials is key to success in university admissions and this module is designed to bring all of the other modules into line for this purpose.
Interviews can be the most daunting part of the process of applying to university—but they don’t have to be, with careful and considered preparation.
This course introduces students to the format of academic interviewing and the skills interviewers are looking for. Mock interviews will improve the student’s confidence and technique, through detailed and constructive feedback.
Tutors will coach students through the process of interview preparation by practising answering questions about their personal statements, their written work or their response to unseen materials. This course will maximise the student’s chance of success in their final interviews.
All of our programmes are entirely bespoke: what you saw above was just an example.
Our tutors will speak to you to understand your precise needs, and build a programme that feels right and is exciting.
Please enquire to find out more.
Scheduling
the hours you need
Built around
your degree choice
Studying topics
you love
HAVE YOUR OWN PROGRAMME CREATED FOR YOU