What Are Super-Curriculars and Why Do They Matter?
Super-curriculars are the activities, projects and experiences that demonstrate your intellectual passion for your subject beyond the school curriculum. For Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, Imperial, UCL and Warwick, super-curriculars are often the decisive factor between a shortlisted and a rejected applicant — particularly when academic records are nearly identical.
The term was coined because these activities go "super" — above and beyond — the standard curriculum. They are evidence that your love of your subject is genuine, self-motivated and deep enough to sustain independent inquiry.
Three Categories of Strong Super-Curriculars
1. Research Projects
Independent research — a paper, an experiment, a data analysis — that you initiated, conducted and can discuss at interview level. For science subjects, this might mean a lab project beyond school facilities. For social sciences and humanities, it might mean a self-designed study with primary data collection. KCS Foundation student partners who track beneficiary outcomes are effectively conducting field research — with real data that can form the basis of academic papers or extended essays.
2. Subject-Related Reading and Academic Engagement
Oxford interviews expect you to discuss books, papers and ideas beyond your syllabus. Reading lists, academic journals, open university lectures, MOOCs — all count. The key is being able to discuss them critically and specifically. "I read Sen's Development as Freedom and then saw its limitations when I tried to apply it to the data from my NGO project in Bihar" is far more compelling than "I have read widely in economics."
3. NGO Projects Aligned with Your Subject
A social impact project that directly connects to your subject of study is one of the most powerful super-curriculars available. The connection must be genuine and academically frameable — here are examples by subject:
- Economics/PPE: Financial literacy or women's empowerment project → development economics analysis
- Medicine: Rural health awareness campaign → public health policy, behavioral change theory
- Engineering: STEM lab implementation → technology access, educational infrastructure
- Law: Community legal rights awareness → constitutional rights, access to justice
- Social Anthropology: Field-based community engagement → ethnographic observation, cultural literacy
- Education: Literacy or curriculum development project → learning theory, assessment design
KCS Foundation helps you design a project in rural Bihar that naturally generates the academic insights, data and questions that form the backbone of a powerful UCAS personal statement for any of the above subjects.
How to Frame Your Project as a Super-Curricular
The framing is everything. Use this structure in your personal statement:
- Action: What you did, specifically (project, organization, duration, scale)
- Observation: A specific, academically interesting finding or challenge that emerged
- Engagement: The book, paper or lecture you engaged with to understand what you observed
- Question: The intellectual question this generated that you want to pursue at university
This transforms your project from an activity into a super-curricular. Start yours today: KCS Foundation Changemaker Program. Also read: UCAS Personal Statement: Social Impact Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a super-curricular for Oxford?
A super-curricular is any academic activity pursued outside the formal school curriculum that demonstrates genuine intellectual engagement with your chosen subject. This includes independent research, papers read, lectures attended, online courses completed, and real-world projects that generate subject-relevant insights.
Does an NGO project count as a super-curricular for LSE?
Yes — if framed academically. An NGO project in economics, development, public health or social policy becomes a super-curricular when you can discuss what you learned about your subject through the experience, what academic literature you engaged with as a result, and what questions it raised that you want to pursue at university.
How many super-curriculars do I need for Oxford?
There is no set number. Oxford wants depth, not breadth. Two or three deeply pursued super-curriculars that you can discuss with genuine academic sophistication are far more impressive than a long list of superficial activities.