University Information

The purpose of this page is to provide useful AIG (Advice Information and Guidance) if you are considering an undergraduate course in History).

• It is worth being clear that History remains a very popular undergraduate course. In other words you will have a real range of choices whatever your predicted grades. The HotCourses website link here is a good search engine to start your research.
• You should be clear that History as a course differs hugely from one establishment to another. This means what  you study, and how you study. You really should visit the department websites and attend the open days of establishments that you are seriously thinking of applying to. The excellent History on the Web  website ( http://www.history-ontheweb.co.uk ) can help here. They have a good page with many hyperlinks here . They also provide a list to help you with the selection process here .
• You should also think why you want to study History. For me it is, as the late David Thompson put it “the best liberal (note the small “l” please) education that a student can get”; in other words it is, and always was,  the love of the subject in its own right. However I am old,  and in these days of students as consumers you might, if you have no soul, like to look at this page here and here . 
• If you get called to interview, the following link here should help a lot. Beyond this, you might like to read this article by the late great G.R Elton, which asks the question Why History Matters before you write your personal statement. This can help you to reflect on the importance of a discipline that looks back at a time when we are all preparing for a very uncertain future.

Finally, and above all, if you want any help with the process at any stage, do please come and see me to discuss your application. I will help if I can.

Mr Kydd.

 STOP PRESS

Please find here a link to an essay by Ryan entitled “What is the value of a History degree ?” – I would have thought that this is a must for all of you who are writing personal statements at the moment.