History at UniversityAlan Booth, Head of History, UoE Cornwall Campus: 7 Feb. 2013re

What University History Departments offer

• A modified, extended skill set

• Research-led teaching that extends way beyond A level

• Different teaching patterns, with a growing emphasis on

discussion-based and independent learning

• More extensive range of assessment types, always including the

opportunity for professional historical research

What University Departments value

• Passion for the subject

• Self-reflection

• Evidence of independent research and thinking

• Communication skills

The new fee level and marketisation have created uncertainty• For Russell Group history Departments, the shift from AAB to

ABB open recruitment will make little difference

• Subject league tables and institutional reputation will continue to

demand A*AA-AAB

• GCSE results might become more telling

• Disciplinary requirements vary between universities

The Personal Statement

• Tariff will be the overriding factor

• The personal statement tends to enter the equation at the

margin, when it can be immensely important

• Evidence passion for the subject, self-reflection, ability to work

independently, in professional (non-colloquial), grammatical English

• There are multiple ways of registering these qualities

Areas for improvement - from an academic’s perspective

• Ability to handle primary sources

• Absolute certainty that there are ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ answers

• Communication skills

• Research skills

Current students’ perspectives on the transition1. “The most difficult part of the transition from A-Level to first year UG History was

the notion of actually having to prepare for classes. In A-Level it was normal to just turn up to a lesson without having done any individual research and so when I arrived at university and it was expected that you turned up to seminars having read and actually understood two to three academic articles, this was quite a difficult routine to get in to. Once it became a habit and the language of academic writing (rather than text books) became familiar it wasn't an issue but initially I would say it was quite a daunting task.”

2. “While at A-Level the focus is on learning the events, at degree level the focus is more about why did that happen and what are the debates around this? There is also the aspect of finding our own primary and secondary sources, whereas at A-Level they are usually provided.”

3. “I would say that it was going from having 8:30-4:30 compulsory timetabled lessons everyday to only about five hours a week. It was just really strange having to organise so much free time.”

Advice to applicants

• Get the grades

• Get the grades

• Develop your skill set

• But recognize that History at University will want to develop what

you think you already know