Due to the spread of Covid-19, lots of students can't go to school at the moment & are having to do their lessons online - which can be a challenge! We are sad that we aren't able to visit schools & colleges right now, but it's important that we all look after ourselves

Since we can't come to visit you in your schools now, we thought we'd share some recommendations for activities that you can do at home to enhance your learning or find out more about studying at @UniofOxford. We'll focus on a few subjects each day... so let's get cracking!

We'll kick things off with MATHS! If you're in Year 12 & aspiring to study Maths (or Computer Science!) at Oxford, then check out this great video by Dr James Munro from @OxUniMaths talking you through the MAT test: - there are practice papers online too!

The @OxUniMaths YouTube page has lots of fab videos & filmed lectures (including one on maths at Christmas - we know it's not really the season for that, but it's really cool!) Why not go beyond your school syllabus and watch one of these for an hour?
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLnGGRG__uGSPLBLzyhg8dQ/videos

We all love a good podcast, so why not try one of these great Maths podcasts from BBC Radio 4? Each one looks at a different mathematician & the links between maths and science (we love that interdisciplinary action!) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes/downloads

That's enough Maths for now - let's look at CLASSICS instead! Give 'Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics' a try! @oxfordclassics & @CamClassics - what are your suggestions for stay at home Classics fun? (not including dressing pets up as charioteers)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b077x8pc

Want to check out some Classical texts but can't go to the library? You'll find plenty of Greco-Roman texts (in English) for free here: http://classics.mit.edu/index.html . Try something from you haven't read before! What about a bit of Plato's philosophy or one of Ovid's love poems?

If you're enjoying studying Ancient History or Classical Civilisation at school, but haven't had the chance to learn to read or write any Latin as part of the curriculum, then why not use this time to have a look at the language? You can now learn Latin (for free!) on @duolingo!

Let's move on to a different subject today: PHYSICS! We can't recommend @isaacphysics highly enough. Stretch yourself & develop your understanding by applying your physics knowledge to some truly tricky problems (all from the comfort of your sofa) https://isaacphysics.org 

The @flashforwardpod series is so funny & gives you real food for thought. Each episode focuses on possible (or not so possible!) future scenarios. So whilst it's primarily a science podcast, expect lots of ethical dilemmas & law/philosophy crossover! https://www.flashforwardpod.com/ 

Exams are a matter of uncertainty at the moment - but if you want to keep your physics knowledge fresh, check out these useful videos. If you haven't started your GCSEs or A-Levels yet, why not challenge yourself by trying some material for next year?
https://www.youtube.com/user/ScienceShorts/videos

We're looking at ENGLISH this afternoon - we'd love to hear your suggestions! Check out @britishlibrary's online collection: https://www.bl.uk/discovering-literature#. There are so many amazing articles - such a great addition to your reading list if you've been set essays to work on at home.

We've just discovered this amazing Twitter account dedicated to Distance Learning English ( @DistanceLearnEn)! Teachers are sharing resources including practice papers & learning packs. It's well worth checking it out whether you're a student or a teacher! https://twitter.com/DistanceLearnEn 

Why settle for one podcast when you can try them ALL?! @PenguinBooks have their own podcast with lots of episodes to listen to. There are conversations with incredible authors, like Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman, & Jacqueline Wilson - we're hooked!
https://www.penguin.co.uk/podcasts/ 

A great suggestion from @QueensLibOx Library Assistant (and star of BBC2's Mastermind!) Dom! Check out the Approaching Shakespeare podcasts - each one critically assesses a different Shakespeare play, allowing you to consider them with a fresh perspective.
https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/approaching-shakespeare

Let's look at BIOLOGY! The fab Biology Heritage website ( https://biologyheritage.rsb.org.uk/bcw ) celebrates the work of great biologists, with interviews to watch & a free app to download. If you're caring for younger siblings too, there are also useful resources for primary school students.

For some super soothing (but still super educational!) podcast vibes, check out The Natural Selection Podcast made by students from @UniofExeter. There are some great episodes on marine biology & conservation (including lots of information about turtles!) https://naturalselectionpodcast.weebly.com 

Another fab podcast to try - this time by the Institute of Zoology ( @ZSLScience) at London Zoo. They look at big issues within the field of biology - addressing questions to do with biodiversity, climate change & conservation. Easy & informative listening!
https://www.zsl.org/zsl-wild-science-podcast

Now on to GEOGRAPHY! What better place to start than with the classic National Geographic?! Their website is full of amazing free articles & podcasts - not to mention stunning photos. Why not use some of these to inspire an EPQ or Personal Statement? https://www.nationalgeographic.com/ 

Lizzie, Outreach Officer from @StEdmundHall (& star of University Challenge!) gave us some great suggestions for Geography podcasts. For Human Geography, why not try The Geopolitics Podcast to deepen your understanding of contemporary geopolitical issues? https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-geopolitics-podcast/id1192847456

Another fab Geography podcast suggestion from Lizzie (with interdisciplinary Biology overlap!) is the Conservation Chronicles. This podcast explores the relationship between humans & wildlife. Each episode even has a reading list to support your listening! https://conservationchronicles.podbean.com/ 

We're back to bring you some more academic inspiration - today we'll be looking at ARCHAEOLOGY! The Archaeology Podcast Network has a huge selection of podcasts, linking archaeology to other key topics. There's a really cool series on Archaeology & Gaming!
https://www.archaeologypodcastnetwork.com/about 

Interested in learning some basic archaeological field skills? The Peterborough Archaeology website has some handy guides that aren't too technical. Why not brush up on your identification skills & do some sketches of any previous archaeological finds? https://peterborougharchaeology.org/archaeology-skills-techniques/

We couldn't focus on Archaeology & not mention Time Team! We'll admit some episodes look a *little* dated now but they give great insight into what an archaeological dig is like. The team excavate sites ranging in date from the Palaeolithic to World War 2! https://www.channel4.com/programmes/time-team/on-demand/16521-001

Let's look at ART! At Oxford you can study Fine Art or History of Art. Plus there are options to look at Art as a discipline within subjects like History or English. Lots of galleries put their works online - try a virtual tour & research some artworks! https://secretldn.com/virtual-tours-museums-galleries/

There are some awesome & funny Art podcasts out there - try The Art Curious Podcast for starters! The podcast explores fascinating & unusual stories of Art History (was a British painter the real Jack the Ripper?!) in an engaging & entertaining way. http://www.artcuriouspodcast.com/artcuriouspodcast

The Art UK website is home to loads of incredible articles, podcasts, interviews & photos! It's a real hub of all things Art so you're sure to find something there of interest. They're determined to keep Art accessible, even when we are all stuck at home. https://artuk.org/ 

Afternoon all - time for some HISTORY! If you don't fancy sitting through a whole documentary, why not look on YouTube for some History channels? We love Invicta for their engaging & entertaining videos - lots of awesome Ancient History content especially! https://www.youtube.com/user/THFEProductions/videos

If you do want to watch something a little longer, we love anything involving the historian Lucy Worsley! She's got a new series out on iPlayer now, looking at how the facts about some key events throughout history may have been manipulated... https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000fzsh/royal-historys-biggest-fibs-with-lucy-worsley-series-1-3-queen-anne-and-the-union

There are so many great History podcasts out there - try The Story podcast for starters! Each episode tells the unknown backstory of an influential person from history. The twist? You don't find out who that person is until the end of the episode...
https://mission.org/thestory/ 

Mornin'! PSYCHOLOGY today - and we have to recommend the amazing 'A History of Delusions' podcast by Oxford's own @ProfDFreeman! This series explores cases of delusion through interviews and case studies - maybe these could be the inspiration for a future Psychology related EPQ?

Reading journal articles is a good way to engage with your chosen subject! PsychCentral ( https://psychcentral.com/ ) is home to many interesting articles on a variety of psychological topics.

Please do be mindful of exploring these if you may find some of the topics triggering.

Freud Museum London ( @FreudMusLondon) have an education section on their website, perfect for Year 11s soon to be taking Psychology A-Level who want an introduction to Freud! We think the Discover Psychoanalysis videos & fact-sheets are particularly good. https://www.freud.org.uk/learn/ 

It's Monday - we're back with more super-curricular suggestions! Try BBC Radio 4's Law in Action, featuring short clips & longer podcast episodes focused on Law in news & popular culture. They unpack the jargon, making Law accessible & understandable. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006tgy1

The First 100 Years Podcast looks at the history of women in Law since 1919, exploring gender stereotypes & diversity. Find out more about the achievements of some of the remarkable women in Law - perhaps this will inspire a further research project? https://first100years.org.uk/digital-museum/podcasts/

Counsel magazine is free online & great for Law! There are lots of articles & opinion pieces on topical issues (yes, that includes Brexit & Covid19 - but it's good to keep up to date!) https://www.counselmagazine.co.uk/ 

PS. Yes, all our Law gifs are Legally Blonde, we like it that way xo

Now - BIOCHEMISTRY! This is another subject that you don't typically study at school, so it may be hard to know where to start to explore the subject. Try these resources to help you get to grips with the essentials & better understand the subject matter! http://www.schoolscience.co.uk/ages-16-to-19/resources/biology/biochemistry

Trying to get your head around some confusing concepts from Biochemistry - such as cloning or the citric acid cycle? Check out Wiley's interactive animations to get to grips with the basics of Biochemistry & discover what areas interest you most!
https://www.wiley.com/legacy/college/boyer/0470003790/animations/animations.htm

Why not watch an Oxford Biochemistry lecture or two? There's a few for you to pick from here. Professor Jane Mellor (one of the amazing academics who works here at Queen's) does a great lecture on epigenetics which we would definitely recommend! https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/keywords/biochemistry

Afternoon all - we're looking at COMPUTER SCIENCE today! If you've got some familiarity with Computer Science as a discipline already, you may like to push yourself further & watch some of Oxford's own public lectures to develop a broader understanding... https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/computer-science

If you're just getting to grips with the wonderful world of Computer Science & hoping to learn some coding skills, try Turtle Online to get started! It gives you a great practical introduction to programming, so have a play around & see what you can do!
https://www.turtle.ox.ac.uk/online/ 

We think this is super cool - try Khan Academy's Pixar in a Box to find out what goes on behind the scenes at Pixar! Watch videos & try interactive activities to find out how the animators use technology to bring the characters we know & love to life. https://www.khanacademy.org/partner-content/pixar

Let's look at THEOLOGY & RELIGION - check out the BBC 4 In Our Time Podcast for starters. Their Religion series explores a variety of different religious movements from history & the influential people who were behind them.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01gvqlg/episodes/downloads

Check out Empires of Faith, a research project & blog run by Oxford University & the British Museum, which looks at religious imagery in the Ancient World. Whilst the exhibition is now over, there are lots of detailed blog posts & resources to explore! https://empiresoffaith.com/ 

Studying the Bible is a key component of studying Theology & Religion at Oxford. Check out the History in the Bible podcast (with helpful accompanying notes, maps & timelines!) to develop your understanding of the Bible & the development of Christianity.
https://www.historyinthebible.com/ 

Today we are looking at PPE - that's PHILOSOPHY, POLITICS & ECONOMICS! At Oxford, undergraduates can study PPE as a course, or they can study Economics & Management if that's their cup of tea. There isn't the option to do either Philosophy or Politics as just one straight course!

*They can do Politics as part of PPE or joint with History.
*They can do Philosophy as part of PPE & it's also a popular option for Joint Schools (where two degrees are combined) - for example, alongside Maths, Physics or Languages.
*They can also do Economics joint with History.

Okay, now we've explained the course options, let's look at super-curriculars for each! As there are three strands to PPE, please buckle yourselves in for a LOT of tweets today! (And if you're interested in any one of the three strands in particular, just check out those tweets!)

Let's begin with PHILOSOPHY! For some light-hearted philosophical musings, listen to BBC Radio 4's The Philosopher's Arms. It's set in a fictional pub & the patrons debate philosophical topics - like swearing, lying and is a Jaffa Cake a cake or a biscuit? https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lyb82

Another fab BBC Radio 4 show is The Moral Maze! This programme explores the moral issues behind the latest news stories (so yes, there will be some coronavirus chat at the moment, we are sorry... but there's an amazing collection of other episodes to try!) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qk11

Philosophy Now is a great magazine with an awesome website containing lots of articles & opinion pieces on philosophical topics (so really no need to pay for a subscription to get the magazine in the post!) You can dip in & out of articles at your leisure. https://philosophynow.org/ 

Let's move on to POLITICS - and check out the great Talking Politics Podcast ( @TPpodcast_) produced at Cambridge University by Professor David Runciman (& special guests!) It's a good way to get your head around all manner of complicated political issues. https://www.talkingpoliticspodcast.com/ 

Dissent Magazine is another good resource, with online articles, blog posts & podcasts all rolled into one. It's a great way to take in lots of different opinions on current affairs - it's so important to engage with news stories as a student of Politics! https://www.dissentmagazine.org/ 

Oxford University Press post some useful blog posts about a variety of political issues. They aren't too wordy (we love a quick read!) - so you can easily look at a few to see which topics interest you most. More inspiration for a future EPQ? We think so! https://blog.oup.com/category/social_sciences/politics-political-science/

On to ECONOMICS! We know it's been said a million times before but The Economist magazine is a great place to start to develop your interest. Yes, you can pay to subscribe if you want to - but there are lots of articles available on their website for free! https://www.economist.com/ 

If this thread has taught us anything, it's that we love Oxford's own podcasts (sorry not sorry...) The Centre for the Study of African Economies have some interesting episodes. Some are quite long so listen & make some notes as you do to take it all in. http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/units/department-economics

Why not try some of the Economics Explained YouTube videos to broaden your subject knowledge? On their channel you can learn more about the economies of different countries & unpick different economic theories in helpful 10 - 20 minute long videos. https://www.youtube.com/user/JitaLounge/featured

On to ENGINEERING! The I Want To Study Engineering website ( https://i-want-to-study-engineering.org/ ) is home to tricky problems that go beyond the A-Level syllabus for subjects like Maths & Physics. It's crucial to get top grades in these subjects if you want to study Engineering at a top uni!

One to inspire younger students - if you want to find out what it takes to be an Engineer & the different jobs that Engineers do, check out the Tomorrow's Engineers website. You may be surprised at all the directions an Engineering degree can take you in! https://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/ 

Crash Course Engineering on YouTube is fab! There are episodes explaining what the main branches of Engineering are (which might help you pick a favourite!) They also explain some challenging scientific principles in an engaging & easy to understand way.

Time for BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES & MEDICINE! We've put the two together as these subjects have many similarities so super-curricular suggestions will also be similar. Try the British Medical Journal for some interesting articles about medicine in practice! https://www.bmj.com/ 

Check out Oxford's own Medical Sciences podcasts! There are hundreds to try out - give some a listen & see if you're more swayed towards Surgical Sciences or persuaded to pursue Pathology. (Why not use some as starting point to begin a Personal Statement?) http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/units/medical-sciences-division

Second Opinion is a great podcast hosted by Dr Christian Jessen. Hard-hitting medical topics are discussed - including issues to do with cancer, fertility & addiction - but the episodes provide an insightful medical perspective on these important subjects. https://play.acast.com/s/secondopinion 

We're looking at CHEMISTRY today! Check out the Chemistry World website for hundreds of articles, podcasts & opinion pieces on all things Chemistry. There are even webinars that you can join if you'd like to hear leading experts discuss their work!
https://www.chemistryworld.com/ 

A good Chemist knows the periodic table inside out! With this interactive periodic table, you can revise the key properties of the different elements, as well as find out about how they were discovered. There are great accompanying videos & podcasts too! https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/ 

We've shared Khan Academy's resources before - they're so useful! The website covers the bases for GCSE and A-Level Chemistry. If you're starting the GCSE or A-Level next academic year, why not use their handy lessons & animations to prepare in advance? https://www.khanacademy.org/science/chemistry

Let's look at EARTH SCIENCES! As well as the ever reliable National Geographic website (which we shared as a Geography super-curricular!) why not try the New Scientist website, particularly their fab Earth section? There are lots of great articles to read! https://www.newscientist.com/subject/earth/ 

The Geological Society have got an awesome website, full of resources! They have some really interesting podcasts, as well as teaching resources & fact-sheets. There's definitely plenty to inspire some research at home, no matter how old you are!
https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/education 

The British Geological Survey have a great website! There are lots of maps & interactive elements to support your learning. Plus there are some cool activities (make your own dinosaur puppets!) which would be fun if you're looking after younger siblings! http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/home.html?src=topNav

Now MUSIC! It's good to explore different musical genres if you want to study Music. But it's important to get to grips with what's behind the music too. The Song Appeal podcast explores the psychology behind music: what makes us like the songs that we do? http://songappealofficial.com 

The Wire is an online music magazine looking at non-mainstream music. It explores the talents & histories of inspiring yet undervalued artists through articles, videos & opinion pieces. A great source of information for a future research project or EPQ!
https://www.thewire.co.uk/ 

The Musical U YouTube channel has some great video interviews with musical experts! Listen to talks on interesting topics that are typically outside of the school curriculum - such as the biology of musicality or composing music for video games!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMvINJvCeFbz0tMeTHfKObQ/videos

Let's go on to MATERIALS SCIENCE: a super inter-disciplinary subject where it's crucial to have a good understanding of both Maths & Physics. Why not watch some of Oxford's own Materials Science lectures to see if this is the dream science subject for you?
http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/units/department-materials

If you're missing doing science experiments at school, watch some of the awesome experiments on Arbor Scientific's CoolStuff Blog to better understand the scientific principles that are so important to Materials Science! (Not all suitable to try at home!)
https://www.arborsci.com/blogs/cool 

One for older students: explore articles & listen to some podcasts on the Materials Today website. This site is dedicated to sharing information about work within the field of Materials Science - a great way to stay up to date with cutting edge research! https://www.materialstoday.com/ 

Up next - ORIENTAL STUDIES! To get a taste of what it may be like to study Oriental Studies at Oxford, watch some of their lectures online. From exploring Egyptology, to better understanding the writing of the Qur'an, there's a good selection to pick from. http://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/units/faculty-oriental-studies

Reorient is an online magazine that celebrates contemporary Middle Eastern arts & culture. Whilst they sadly don't seem to be producing any new issues, there are lots of articles saved to their website, discussing topics such as fashion, film & literature! http://www.reorientmag.com/ 

Currently, one of the courses taken for the first year of Oriental Studies is a paper on the history & culture of the Middle East. Why not get a better idea about what it may be like to study this by listening to lectures from Oxford's Middle East Centre?
https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/series/middle-east-centre

Let's look at HUMAN SCIENCES! This interdisciplinary subject explores the biological, social & cultural aspects of human life. There are lots of avenues to look into - why not start by reading some interesting articles about anthropology on BBC Futures? https://www.bbc.com/future/tags/anthropology

It's a good idea to engage with news stories that are to do with your subject. Human biology is a key part of Human Sciences & there are always new developments being made. Look at ScienceDaily to make sure you don't miss out on any big news stories!
https://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/human_biology/

Develop your interest in sociology by listening to the Thinking Allowed podcast on BBC Radio 4. There are over 600 episodes focused on every topic imaginable - border control, snobbery, skateboarding, conspiracy theories, dating - so many options! https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qy05

Now - LANGUAGES! There are lots of languages that you can study at Oxford & there's often the option to do them in combination with another language or a related subject like History, English or Linguistics. Look at all options carefully before applying! https://www.mod-langs.ox.ac.uk/ 

It's important to listen to conversations in the language(s) you want to study. So get on Netflix & watch a show in that language! And challenge yourself to read the news in your chosen language(s) too - access newspapers in a variety of languages here: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/ 

The Oxford Languages Faculty have a virtual book club! Here's a link to their 2019 episodes, in which Oxford students discuss the texts as they would in a tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqOtbUY7jokn14tq9cykgk9HjB2aEztiB. These are great for Year 12 students. You can contact the Faculty for copies of the texts!

Eurozine is a network of European cultural journals, with articles in 35 languages! As well as testing your language skills by reading articles in a different language, this is also a great way to better understand the politics & culture of said countries.
https://www.eurozine.com/ 

And that concludes our epic list of super-curricular suggestions - some for every undergraduate subject offered at Oxford (it's a long list & we hope we didn't miss any out!) Remember that these are just some suggestions & that there are countless ways to explore your subject!

We would be so grateful if you would share this thread & retweet any of your favourites, as many of you have already done. The more prospective Oxford students who can see that there is no right or wrong way to explore what you love about your subject, the better #OxOutreach