advice

Physics resources for secondary school students

This page contains some personal recommendations for students interested in physics, particularly those considering Oxbridge applications. These are resources I personally found useful when I was 16/17/18 and thinking about applying to study physics at University. They therefore represent a really random assortment of books and websites so definitely not official advice but I hope it is somewhat helpful!

Online Resources

ISAAC Physics Huge recommendation. A super fun website with problems and resources for physics (and now chemistry, maths and biology) students. They run the Senior Physics Challenge (SPC) - an online competition for Year 12 students that can lead to invitations for their residential physics summer school. When I participated (under the old format), I had no idea about this competition but ended up receiving an email inviting me for a week-long physics camp at Cambridge. This was completely formative for me and I made many good friends which I still have to this day.

BPho The British Physics Olympiad is another great way to boost your physics and problem solving skills. In the past I competed in the Physics and Astro olympiads and found the problems to be really fun. In case your school does not offer this yet then encourage your teachers to sign up as early as possible its completely free and very little admin on their side to set this up for you.

Books

The Feynman Lectures on Physics These books have a special place in my heart. Feynman has a unique gift for giving intuitive pictures. Your school/library probably has a few old copies - really fun to work through each section by section and gives you a great overview of physics.

Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! Just really really fun.

Six Easy Pieces Another excellent Feynman book that distills some of his most accessible lectures into a compact, engaging read.

17 Equations That Changed the World by Ian Stewart An exploration of the mathematical equations that have shaped our understanding of the universe and transformed society.

Professor Povey’s Perplexing Problems by Thomas Povey
Again I just found this really fun - interesting physics/mechanics problems that will help your problem solving skills.

The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra I liked this a lot when I was in school – it explores connections between modern physics and Eastern philosophy.

Oxbridge Interview Advice

If you’re applying to Oxford or Cambridge and would like some advice about the interview process, feel free to reach out by email! I’m happy to share my experience and insights.

Both Cambridge and Oxford run taster days for prospective students - these are really worth going to! They give you a great sense of what studying at these universities is like and help you decide if they’re the right fit for you.

Share Your Resources!

If you have any resources that you’ve found helpful in your physics journey, please reach out and let me know! I’d love to add more recommendations to help future students.