Switchin degree subject

Haha, I have the opposite problem to you. I am about to study Philosophy but want to study English. I have asked everybody under the sun about what to do and I think my best option is to study my current subject and take as many elective modules in English, then try and switch to joint honours in second year. Whether they'll let me do this is another matter, but they've turned me down for everything else! Out of interest, which university are you at? I'm about to start at York.

Well, I have started to change my mind about the whole English thing, for the same reasons as you it would appear. I originally applied for English because I did best in it at A-level (I already had my results) and really enjoyed it. Actually that's a bit of an understatement, I'm quite obsessive and bookish naturally, so English seemed to be the perfect fit. I have never studied Philosophy before but when I only received a single offer from my last choice university, I considered it and applied through ucas extra. After the initial elation at having an offer had worn off however, I began to regret my decision mostly out of fear of not knowing anything and being crap at a subject I was supposed to be best at. Now I'm starting to see what you're getting at! What I would say is if you still want to switch to Philosophy once you've started your course, go to the department with a sympathetic argument and speak to someone in person. I think it's probably easier to speak to an actual human being as it's so easy to brush people off via email, plus they'll know you've given it a chance and have thought things through properly. Also, people are bound to drop out during the first few weeks, so if it's a question of numbers, time could well be your friend. I think the best you can do is try to get excited about your course, I know it's natural to want to get the best possible outcome for yourself, in fact I think it's commendable, but if the worst comes to the worst you'll be studying English for this year at least. If it helps, I've heard from many English undergrads that philosophy forms quite a large part of an English degree and in terms of analysis, reading and thought processes, they're not too different. Plus, as you say you can always do elective modules and join the Philosophy society at Nottingham.

Although this may not be too cheery a thought (I didn't think so when my mum reminded me of it), unless you are planning on further study, the difference between a Philosophy and an English degree is negligable to most employers, especially if it's from an institution like Nottingham where the prestige of the place is most important. If the worst comes to the worst you can always apply for a transfer into second year doing joint honours, whether it be at Nottingham or elsewhere. My friend did this last year and applied for History and Politics when she was doing History and English. She got offers from Glasgow, Queen Mary, Edinburgh and Warwick, so it can be done. Good luck