Brookes Engage is an exciting programme of free activities and events designed to help you learn more about university, and prepare for your future career.
Besides having lots of fun and making some new friends, you'll gain a lot of skills which will really help to give you the leading edge when it comes to applying for university and for jobs.
Applications for 2021-22 are now closed.
“I loved the experience and it definitely helped me with stepping into uni life. I did actually get accepted into my firm choice of uni, I can’t stop smiling!”
Brookes Engage graduate, 2020
Allied Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition
If you’re interested in working in health-related industries, a key skill will be your ability to work as part of a large team, with staff specialised in lots of different areas, to ensure you’re working with and treating patients in the best possible way. Therefore, this brand-new Allied Health, Physical Activity and Nutrition stream will bring together several departments and their academics for you to really understand how these multidisciplinary teams work in practice.
You will explore how physiotherapists, occupational therapists, sports science and nutrition practitioners work with a theoretical patient, seeing them through their recovery and back to full health. This subject stream will give you an insight into different health professions, and the routes into them. You will develop your analytical, communication and reflective skills in the context of current issues affecting the NHS and healthcare industry, all whilst helping to get the patient back to living a healthy life!
Biology
On this stream, you will gain insight into what it’s like to study a Biology related subject at university. You’ll meet and work with staff from the Department of Biological and Medical Sciences, in a range of research and teaching roles. There will be practicals, lectures, discussions and advice, with plenty of time to ask any questions you have. Topics may include:
- Histology and microscopy
- Bioinformatics and digital analysis
- Anti-microbial practical
- Global climate change and entomology
Over the course of your time with us, we will also learn more about how you learn and study at university, the types of assessments that are commonly used, and the careers within research, industry, healthcare and support roles that Biology could lead to!
Business and Management
The Business and Management stream will give you the opportunity to examine the processes involved in developing a new product, and the necessary elements needed to draft a compelling business case. You will be encouraged to ask questions such as “What is the demand for this product/business?”, “Who exactly is this product/business for?”, and “Is this product/business already available on the market?”.
A few topics the programme will look at in more detail include market research, idea generation, marketing your product or business, and analysing market competitors. The sessions will be concluded with the opportunity for you to pitch your new product or business to a panel in a Lion’s Lair scenario!
Creative Industries
The creative arts have been more important than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic. From live-streamed gigs to Netflix Parties, and from collaborative playlists to National Theatre Live, we’ve used creative outputs to keep ourselves entertained and, most importantly, connected. 2020 has given us a new-found appreciation of the arts, and has shown us ways to express our creativity which we may not have considered before!
In the Creative Industries stream you will explore subjects in Art and Design, and the multitude of careers they could lead to. Alongside art, you will get a fresh insight into courses like Photography and Film, and meet people who have used their creative talents in the industry.
English and Languages
On this English Literature and Language stream, you are offered an exciting programme of study that showcases the department’s specialities. In these taster sessions, you will explore literature that compliments your A Level work, but also builds on it by introducing you to university level study. We make our courses relevant by looking at prominent themes in society today that are reflected in fiction, such as race, gender, class, and the environment.
You will think about how novels, plays and poetry are constructed, and explore various genres. We will look at a wide range of writers from different periods (past and present, from Shakespeare to Duffy), and writers of various ethnicities and from different parts of the world. There’s also the possibility you will be able to explore a foreign language. Outside of sessions, any necessary reading will be kept to a minimum, in order not to interfere with your A Level studies. However, if you want to delve further, you will be welcome to!
Law, History and Politics
In this exciting new stream, you will have the opportunity to explore the interdisciplinary topics that bring Law, History and Politics together. If you’re interested in topics such as crime, human rights, international relations, and political movement, but are unsure which of these subjects would suit you best, this stream is right for you. You will gain more experience in and exposure to all these areas, to help make your decision.
This stream uniquely draws on expertise from different departments, each session being led by specialists in their field. By taking part, you’ll have the chance to dive deep into the historical record and have a Q&A with practising barristers, judges, and other industry experts. We will provide you with an introduction to undergraduate level content, giving you an insight into what it's like to study these courses at university.
Social Sciences
How do humans construct, and make sense of, the world around them? How are societies formed? How does place shape who we are - and vice versa, how do peoples' identities shape the places we live in? What barriers and inequalities exist in society today?
This pathway will address these questions, among others, through the lens of two core subjects in Social Sciences which you may not have had an opportunity to explore so far: human geography and social anthropology.
