UCAS Question 2 Masterclass: How to Showcase Super-Curricular Reading

Reading beyond the curriculum is valuable—but simply listing books won't strengthen your UCAS application. Discover how to turn super-curricular reading into compelling academic reflection with our 3-step framework for Question 2.

With the introduction of the new UCAS personal statement format, applicants now answer three separate questions rather than writing one continuous statement.

Question 2 asks: “How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?”

That makes it an important opportunity to show universities what you have learned through your education and how that learning has prepared you for further study. UCAS suggests discussing relevant skills, projects, essays, specific areas of study, online courses and other evidence of academic preparation.

Super-curricular reading can be particularly powerful here. But there is an important distinction: universities aren't impressed simply because you have read an impressive book. They are interested in what you thought about it, what you learned from it, and how it developed your understanding of your subject.

That is the difference between listing academic engagement and demonstrating it.

What is super-curricular reading?

Super-curricular activities are things you do beyond your normal school syllabus that deepen your understanding of a subject you are considering studying at university.

Reading is one form of super-curricular engagement, but it is certainly not the only one. Depending on your subject, you might explore:

• Academic or subject-specific books

• Essays and articles

• Research papers

• University lectures and public talks

• Podcasts

• Online courses

• Museums, exhibitions or academic events

• Subject competitions

• Independent projects

• Academic debates

• Documentaries or other substantial educational resources

Don't get bogged down thinking "does this look impressive?”. The much more important consideration is “did engaging with this actually develop my understanding?”

UCAS itself encourages applicants to use specific examples of what they have learned and to explain how that learning relates to their chosen subject.

Don't turn your personal statement into a reading list

One of the most common mistakes students make is treating super-curricular reading as a collection exercise.

For example:

“I have read What Is History?, The Prince, The Rule of Law, Sapiens and The Wealth of Nations.”

This may demonstrate enthusiasm, but it tells the reader very little about you.

• What did you find interesting?

• What surprised you?

• Did you disagree with an argument?

• Did it change your understanding of something you had previously studied?

• Did it make you investigate another idea?

• Did it affect the way you approached your own academic work?

Those are much more revealing questions. Depth is usually more valuable than breadth.

You don't need to mention every book, lecture or podcast you have encountered. One idea that you can discuss thoughtfully is often more useful than five titles that you can barely explain.

A simple framework: What? So what? Now what?

A useful way to turn super-curricular reading into meaningful reflection is to think in three stages:

1. What?

Identify the specific idea, argument, theory, question or discovery that caught your attention.

You don't need to summarise the whole book.

For example:

“Reading E.H. Carr's What Is History? made me question the assumption that historical facts can be completely separated from interpretation.”

The book provides the context. The interesting part is the idea you took from it.

2. So what?

Explain why that idea mattered to you.

Perhaps it challenged something you previously believed. Perhaps it introduced you to a debate you hadn't encountered before. Perhaps it made you see something from your A-level course differently.

And remember: critical thinking doesn't necessarily mean disagreeing with the author.

You might:

• challenge an argument;

• compare two competing explanations;

• identify a limitation;

• apply an idea to another context;

• extend an argument;

• discover an unexpected connection;

• or simply change your own mind.

Academic maturity is not about disagreeing for the sake of sounding clever. It is about engaging seriously with ideas.

3. Now what?

This is the step students often overlook. What did you do with the idea afterwards?

Perhaps you read another perspective. Perhaps you researched the question further. Perhaps it changed the way you approached an essay or project. Perhaps it left you with a question you would like to explore at university.

For example:

“Comparing Carr's argument with Elton's emphasis on empirical evidence made me reconsider how I evaluate competing historical interpretations in my own essays.”

Now the reading has become evidence of academic development, rather than simply evidence that you own a particular book.

Subject-specific examples

The following examples illustrate the difference between mentioning an activity and showing what you gained from it.

History

Less effective:

“I read E.H. Carr's What Is History? and found his discussion of historical facts interesting.”

More effective:

“Reading E.H. Carr's What Is History? challenged my assumption that historical facts are entirely objective. Comparing his argument with Elton's emphasis on empirical evidence made me reconsider how historians can use the same evidence to construct competing interpretations.”

The second example doesn't simply prove that the student has read Carr. It demonstrates that they have engaged with a historiographical debate.

Economics

Less effective:

“I listened to a podcast about behavioural economics and learned about how consumers make decisions.”

More effective:

“Exploring Thaler's work on choice architecture made me consider how apparently small changes in the way choices are presented can influence behaviour. I became particularly interested in whether such interventions remain effective when individuals face stronger financial incentives.”

The important thing isn't the name “Thaler”. It is the question that emerged from engaging with his ideas.

Biological Sciences

Less effective:

“I read an article about CRISPR and found gene editing fascinating.”

More effective:

“Learning about CRISPR-Cas9 initially made me view targeted gene editing primarily as a technological breakthrough. Exploring the challenges surrounding off-target effects and the ethics of clinical applications made me appreciate that scientific progress involves not only what is technically possible, but also questions of safety and responsible application.”

This demonstrates development from a simple initial reaction to a more nuanced understanding.

Law

Less effective:

“I read about landmark legal cases and learned how the courts make decisions.”

More effective:

“Reading about the tension between parliamentary sovereignty and judicial review made me question how constitutional principles should be balanced against democratic accountability. Exploring competing arguments showed me that legal questions often cannot be reduced to a straightforward distinction between what is legally possible and what is politically desirable.”

Again, the focus is on the student's intellectual response, rather than the prestige of the source.

You don't have to read the hardest book you can find

There is a common misconception that successful applicants need to read the most intellectually intimidating material possible. They don't.

A book you genuinely understand and can discuss thoughtfully is far more useful than a highly specialised academic text whose arguments you have only partially understood.

The same principle applies to research papers and journals. Academic papers can be excellent sources of further exploration, but there is little value in mentioning a paper simply because it appeared in a prestigious journal. Instead, ask:

What did I actually understand from this?

What question did it raise?

What did I investigate next?

Your intellectual curiosity is more interesting than your ability to name-drop.

Super-curricular reading doesn't have to be a book

This is particularly important because different subjects reward different kinds of exploration.

A future Computer Science student might learn something through an independent programming project.

An aspiring engineer might investigate a problem through a practical project or lecture.

A prospective medical student might explore a particular area of biomedical science through a lecture, article or research paper.

An Economics applicant might analyse a current economic issue using data.

An aspiring History student might compare historians' interpretations of the same event.

The activity itself is far less impressive than how you engaged with it.

Avoid the “impressive-sounding” trap

There is another mistake worth avoiding: trying to make every sentence sound like it came from a university textbook.

For example:

“Exploring the epistemological implications of historiographical subjectivity challenged my conceptual understanding of the ontological status of historical truth.”

This sounds sophisticated. But if you couldn't comfortably explain what the sentence means in conversation, it probably doesn't belong in your statement.

Compare it with:

“Carr made me question whether historians can ever approach the past without imposing their own interpretation on it.”

The second is clearer, more personal and easier to believe.

Don't manufacture intellectual sophistication. Show genuine intellectual curiosity.

A simple observation that you genuinely understand is much stronger than complicated terminology you are using because you think it will impress an admissions tutor.

How much should you write about each book?

There is no magic number of books you need to mention. Instead, think about the quality of the evidence you are providing.

One well-developed example might show:

Reading → reflection → further exploration → academic development

That is much more valuable than:

Reading → reading → reading → reading

If you have explored several ideas, choose the ones that best demonstrate your preparation for the course.

And remember that your overall UCAS personal statement has limited space. The three answers should work together rather than repeating the same evidence.

Common mistakes to avoid

1. The shopping-list effect

“I read X, Y, Z, A and B…”

If there is no room to explain what you gained from them, the titles are doing very little work. Instead: choose fewer examples and develop them.

2. Summarising the book

You don't need to explain everything the author argues. Instead: identify the particular idea that mattered to you.

3. Disagreeing for the sake of it

You don't have to find a flaw in every argument you encounter. Instead: demonstrate genuine engagement—whether that means challenging, extending, applying, comparing or reconsidering an idea.

4. Using material you don't understand

Don't include a research paper, theory or book simply because it sounds impressive. Instead: choose material you can discuss confidently.

5. Copying online summaries

A generic description of a book demonstrates very little about your own intellectual development. Instead: write about what you thought, learned or investigated.

6. Forgetting the connection to your studies

Question 2 is specifically about how your qualifications and studies have prepared you for the course.

Your super-curricular exploration should therefore complement the evidence from your formal education rather than exist as a disconnected reading list.

7. Assuming every question needs the same kind of evidence

The three UCAS questions have different purposes.

Question 1 focuses on why you want to study the subject.

Question 2 focuses on how your qualifications and studies have prepared you.

Question 3 focuses on what else you have done outside education and why those experiences are useful.

Think about the three answers as parts of one application, rather than three opportunities to repeat the same material.

A final checklist

Before including a piece of super-curricular reading in your UCAS application, ask yourself:

• Why did I choose this material?

• What specific idea interested me?

• What did I learn from it?

• Did it challenge, extend or change my thinking?

• Did it lead me to explore anything further?

• Can I explain the idea clearly without relying on jargon?

• Can I connect it to my academic interests or studies?

• Does it tell the university something about how I think?

• Am I including it because I genuinely engaged with it, rather than because it sounds impressive?

• Am I using valuable space that could be better spent on stronger evidence elsewhere in my application?

If you can answer these questions, your reading is much more likely to contribute something meaningful to your personal statement.

The real purpose of super-curricular reading

The best super-curricular activity is not necessarily the most prestigious book, the most difficult research paper or the longest reading list. It is the thing that makes you think.

Universities want evidence that you are ready to engage with the ideas and challenges of your chosen subject. Super-curricular exploration can help demonstrate that — but only when you show what you did with what you encountered.

So don't ask “How many impressive things can I mention?”. Ask “what have I encountered that genuinely changed, challenged or deepened my understanding?”. That will be infinitely more impressive to an admissions tutor.

Strengthen Your University Application with Titanium Tutors

if you are unsure how to turn your academic experiences and super-curricular exploration into a coherent UCAS application, expert feedback can help you identify the strongest evidence, refine your reflection and make sure each of the three questions is doing useful work. Get in touch today to connect with an Oxbridge or Russell Group admissions mentor who can help turn your application into an offer.

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Blog Post Crafted by Joe

Background: Joe Hytner owns and runs Titanium Tutors. He graduated from King’s College, Cambridge in 2009 with a degree in Classics and then trained as a teacher at Queens’ College, Cambridge, graduating in 2010. He has taught Latin on a part-time basis in three schools and has supervised Cambridge University undergraduates.

Fun Fact: Joe has read Harry Potter in Latin from cover to cover.