You’re so deeply focused on the subjects that you need to do well in to get into the university you want that one day you take a breather and realise that you don’t know very much else at all. Say you want to study Engineering, and you’re taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry at AS-level. You’ve memorised more formulae than you can shake a bunsen burner at. You know enough laws named after 17th century scientists to fill an alphabet. You’ve never met a graph you didn’t like. But once your exams are done and the summer holidays roll around, you realise that you haven’t read anything that isn’t a textbook in months and you’re hazy on who the Prime Minister is.
Nor is this a problem restricted to prospective engineers. All subject areas can be similarly prone to this painful intensity of focus. It’s not a bad way to be when you’re deep in exam season. But what happens when you emerge the other side, and decide you want to be a well-rounded human being capable of holding a conversation on topics unrelated to Engineering? We’ve compiled this list of recommended things to read – some magazines, some books, some assorted others – that will bring you up to speed on any topic you might care to think of.
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Fiction’s fun- but there’s plenty out there that’s of genuine use, the sort that sets you apart.
