If you’re aiming for a place on a competitive Engineering course, strong grades alone are not always enough. Admissions tutors want to see that your interest in the subject goes beyond the curriculum. That’s where super-curricular activities come in. Whether you’re discussing ideas from a book or lecture that inspired you, testing your skills in a competition, or carrying out an independent project, these experiences demonstrate that you are passionate about studying Engineering. They show you can apply concepts in the real world, develop practical skills, and tackle problems with creativity and resilience, exactly the qualities top universities are looking for. Here is our list of super curricular activities for Engineering you might want to consider:
1. Get hands-on with projects where you can design, build and test
There are dozens more great ideas in this link. Here are a few to give you the idea:
- Make your own line-following robot with components from old household electronics: Make the TINIEST Line Follower Robot without a Microcontroller!
- Build a lightweight bridge using spaghetti: Bridge Types: Tensile & Compressive Forces - Activity - TeachEngineering
- Create a micro wind tunnel to test aerofoils at different angles: DIY Wind Tunnel : 35 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
- Design an efficient solar water heater: Solar Water Heater - Activity - TeachEngineering
- Fold the most effective paper aeroplane: Throw a Paper Airplane 100 Feet With NASA
2. Develop relevant computational literacy
Learning a general-purpose coding language allows potential Engineering students to enhance their problem-solving skills and develop innovative programming projects that don’t need any physical materials. Python is the most popular; there are various online courses to learn it listed here. Once you have learned it, try these challenges from Oxford University’s Christ Church college.
For creating and analysing 3D designs, learning to use a computer-aided design (CAD) package. Autodesk Fusion (also known as Fusion 360) is a popular CAD that is free for personal use. There are great online tutorials to help you learn it such as this one.
3. Enter team competitions
- F1 in Schools: Now known as STEM Racing but better recognised under its former name, this team challenge comes highly recommended by Engineering students. Use computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) to master the aerodynamics.
- Greenpower: Team challenge to build the best electric kit car and then race it. Involves both mechanics and electronics.
- VEX Robotics: Problem-solving and systems engineering in various competitive robotics scenarios.
4. Gain a taste of industry experience
- Engineering Development Trust’s Industrial Cadets Award: Develop careers-oriented STEM skills with industry experiences and well recognised accreditation.
- Arkwright Scholarship: Prestigious sponsored mentoring opportunities with national recognition.
5. Practise for admissions tests
- University of Oxford Maths Admissions Test: Past papers, solutions and examiner feedback for the last 17 years (!) are available here.
- The Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) is used by Cambridge, Imperial, Warwick, Durham and UCL. Practice tests and past papers are available here.
- Isaac Physics is a free platform for practising Physics problems, funded by Cambridge University.
- Brilliant hosts interactive problem-solving games in maths, data, computing and science.
- iWantToStudyEngineering hosts problem-solving generators, A-Level question archives and online games to hone your skills.
- See an example Engineering interview for Cambridge here.
6. Subscribe to Engineering YouTube channels
- Real Engineering: Looks at the underlying principles of modern technologies with beautifully informative animations.
- EngineerGuy: Practical demonstrations showing how everyday items work.
- The Efficient Engineer: Computer-animated primers on mechanical and civil engineering concepts.
- Interesting Engineering: Future-oriented primers on recent innovation.
- The Action Lab: Quirky experiments in physics and engineering to answer ‘what would happen if?’
7. Find Engineering inspiration online
These websites come recommended by the University of Cambridge for prospective Engineering students:
- grid.iamkate.com for live data on UK energy usage.
- drawdown.org to explore climate change solutions.
- nasa.gov/stem for a range of NASA resources for students.
- Oxford Sparks for readings, videos and other resources in Engineering and other subjects
- raeng.org.uk to see the latest developments from the Royal Academy of Engineering
8. Read the news like an Engineer
Pick a theme that interests you and follow its developments. For example: offshore wind, HS2, EV batteries. Analyse aspects such as problem solving, quantitative constraints, risks and trade-offs.
9. Read foundational books for broad understanding of the field
Cambridge University have a long list of recommended readings here. These include:
- Engineering: A Beginner’s Guide by Natasha McCarthy (2009): Focuses on the societal impact of engineers’ problem-solving and innovation.
- Think Like An Engineer by Guru Madhavan (2015): Outlines the engineering mindset and its real world applications.
- Structures: Or Why Things Don’t Fall Down by J.E. Gordon (1978): Classic presentation of case studies in the resilience of everything from bridges to clothing.
- The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman (2002): Analysis of user-friendly design and its adaptation to human psychology.
- To Engineer is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design by Henry Petroski (1985): Shows how engineering’s advances are cyclical and that mistakes are essential to the innovation process.
- Cats’ Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People by Steven Vogel (2000): Finds surprising similarities in the mechanics of nature and human engineering.
- Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning through Making by Anna Ploszajski (2021): Looks at the small-scale science of materials through the work of makers and craftspeople.
- Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvellous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World by Mark Miodownik (2014): Reveals the wonder of everyday materials like steel, glass and graphene through personal stories and engaging narratives.
- The Alchemy of Us by Ainissa Ramirez (2020): Examines eight inventions from clocks to silicon chips to show how materials science has shaped human culture and self-understanding.