Subject Exploration: a Pathway to Passion
Subject Exploration is a key part of the university pathway at Doxa. It sets us apart from other tutoring agencies and improves every part of a student’s application. Read on to find out why.
Choosing a course is normally the easiest bit of your university application, right? Coming from someone who changed the course they were applying for less than a month before the application deadline, not necessarily. Say you like English. Do you want to study English Literature? English Language? English and American? Creative Writing? The list goes on and on, and that’s not even considering joint honours. Course choice matters; you’re going to be spending three or more years studying this topic, so it’s important to pick one you enjoy. Subject Exploration can help here. Our tutors can guide you through different aspects of your chosen field until you find the particular area that really sparks your interest.
Once you’ve found what you’re passionate about, it’s much easier to write a personal statement. Our mentors can recommend relevant reading, support you in entering academic competitions and suggest other enrichment activities. These are all activities that look great on a personal statement. Additionally, immersing yourself in something you’re passionate about will add a sense of excitement to the personal statement you write. University admissions departments are looking for people who truly love their subject and will therefore excel while studying it for three or more years.
An excellent personal statement (accompanied by good predicted grades) often leads to an interview. Interviews are always nerve-wracking; what will you talk about? What if they ask you questions about things you’ve never heard of? Generally, interviewers will base their questions off what they read in your personal statement. And your personal statement talked about how much you love this particular area of your subject. Which means the majority of the interview will be spent talking about how much you love Dystopian Literature or Cell Division, or whatever grabbed your interest. Suddenly it’s not so scary, right? As a bonus, these people might well know more about the subject than you, so they might be able to teach you something!
Sixth Form is tough. You’re working harder, and for longer than ever before. Finding something you really enjoy can give you a bright spot to look forward to. Additionally, your chosen area is probably related to at least one of your subjects. Teachers who see you expressing enthusiasm for part of their subject are teachers who are happy to help you improve. Finding your passion can also make you feel more confident about your choice of course and university.
Our mentors have helped hundreds of students and are very experienced at guiding you through the different elements of whatever subject you might wish to explore. Doxa values fun in learning, and focusses on helping you learn how to think, rather than what to think. It is this broader view of education that means students who work with us excel. Whatever your university or subject choice, let our mentors help you find your passion.
Author: Ashley - Mentor Manager
Doxa Staff
I’m the Mentor Manager for Doxa. I completed a Secondary English PGCE at Cambridge and have taught at top grammar schools. I recently finished an MEd at Cambridge and am in charge of Doxa’s mentors.
