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The Academic Discussion Group
19th March 2007
The Academic Discussion Group - a new College initiative this year - aims to develop the academic and intellectual abilities of Hereford Sixth Form College students. It is of particular benefit to students planning for university entry who wish to hone their academic skills.
The group meets fortnightly. Participating students are encouraged to extend and look beyond the subject content of their A level syllabuses, and to gain greater confidence in debating and in interviews by having the chance to answer questions and to express themselves in an academic but supportive environment.
A student who undertakes individual research into an area of subject choice that he or she may wish to study at university, is then given an opportunity to present a formal academic paper to the group for some 10 to 15 minutes.
A lively and active discussion of the paper's findings and hypotheses follows, with the group challenging, testing, and debating the arguments set out in the presenter's paper. All of this is very much along the lines of a university tutorial, and it provides very valuable experience for our students before they start university. More importantly, it gives them an "edge" in university interviews!
Feedback from a number of universities emphasises that gaining a university place - especially to study in highly competitive courses - requires more than simply a handful of "A" grades. Indeed applicants will already have these, and it will be necessary for a student to show what more - what extra - they can offer. It is that little "extra" which makes a student stand out from the crowd. Interviewers will of course look for an applicant's genuine enthusiasm for the subject, and for the flexibility to answer unexpected questions and to think "around" the subject, together with the interpersonal skills to express and convey their knowledge.
Isobel Spring, a first-year student wishing to study medicine, told us of the benefits the group offers: "I gave a short presentation on modern cancer treatments to the Academic Discussion Group. It was really beneficial because, as well as finding out some interesting facts about cancer, it allowed me to practise my public speaking and gain more confidence talking in front of a group of peers."
"Our Academic Discussion Group gives students a great opportunity to express their ideas. No matter what your interests, there is something for everybody! Get involved in a heated debate or simply listen to what others have to say!"
Students who would like to participate are invited to go along to the meetings in Politics Room 125, or they can first e-mail Marco Martinelli, on mmi@hereford.ac.uk. A programme of Academic Discussion Group meetings is posted on the Careers notice-board next to the Oxbridge information (and on our website www.hereford.ac.uk).