[whg]

Basically, just to give you some pre background info, I have really struggled through the whole of my secondary school education due to various circumstances. I left school at sixteen with only a few GCSE's and was only going to school 75% of the time. I was also heavily involved in the whole drug scene and have been clinically depressed since eleven. I moved to my dad’s in London when I was sixteen so that I could redo the basic GCSE's such as English and Maths. I got very good results with them, but didn't have the right amount of GCSE's to go to my local sixth form - Islington Sixth Form. I then enrolled at the Islington College of Business and Design, and did a BTEC Level two in Business. My mind set was still focused on the normal teenage social life, but I didn't have a good time at all, feeling like an outsider coming from a middle class family and being the only white kid in my class. I am now in the position of having a place at Kingston University to study a BA in Business, but it isn't what my gut is telling me to go with and I didn't really like the university when I went, but it was the only University that offered me a place I could actually achieve the offer. I'm 19 now and I'm going to be turning 20 next year, so I wanted to know what everyone felt I should do. I am thinking about studying a fast track course in English Lit, but I don't know whether it will be a waste of time or not.

Thank you for taking time to read this.

Regards Will x

[dem503]

You do not have to go to university. No one has to go to university. Don't go just for the sake of going. Take a gap year and get some better qualifications, then re-apply if you want to go but want a better course/uni.

[emilie18]

I'm sorry to hear you've been through a tough time

If you don't feel 100% certain that you want to go to university, then you don't have to go. It's really expensive at the moment, so maybe the best option would be to take a year out until you make up your mind. You said you didn't really like the uni - this rings alarm bells as if you are going to spend 3 or 4 years studying something, you need to like both the subject and the university. If you don't feel that it's right for you, take a step back until you find something that is

You could take the English Lit. course to get a feel for it, work to earn some money, go travelling, see the world a bit before you commit to a course that you are not sure about. Give yourself some time to research possible careers, do some work experience, etc. There's plenty of time, so don't rush into major decisions.

Good luck

[TheWorldEndsWithMe]

If you don't want to do the course there/don't like the area then don't go. Simple. Take another year out, do some A-levels or something and reapply to somewhere you prefer.

[gfunk3]

Hi Will

It sounds like in spite of things that have happened in the past you are trying hard to turn things around and achieve something and you should be proud of this.

From experience i can tell you University is not always the answer. I studied BSc Economiccs at university similar to your BA Business and i never liked it. I enjoyed university but didn't cared about the course, and wish i had done something else. I would not recommend rushing into any course if you are not completely sure. with uni fees so high now and courses lasting 3 years when you come out at 22 you'll have a lot of debt and unless you finsh top (literally top 5) in your class job opportunities in business are very dificult to find. Everyone is after 1st degrees now because so many people are going to university and if you do not feel like you will enjoy it then i can say from personal experience it is very unlikely you will get the best grades possible if your heart is not in it. If this is case then you could just be wasting 3 years.

You still have time over this summer to think about what it is you really want to do. If you are interested in business then you could study something like an AAT qualification (google it). it is a technical business qualification which you can learn at home if you don't want to go to university and i know a lot of firms rate it very highly for entry level jobs (18-20k/year).

If you are not sure about business at all then you neeed to sit down and consider what jobs you would be interested in (rather than courses). Once you have decided on a job you would like then if you cannot get it with the qualifications you have already then look into what courses you could do to get you there. I would not jump into a english lit course spur of the moment if you are not sure where it will lead in the end. friends of mine who studied english are now working in book publishing and teaching, or doing masters degrees. if these types of things don't interest you though then it may not be worth while.

If you sign up to reed.co.uk it is a very good job search site for professional jobs. you can find pretty much every job imaginable there. have a look at what type of things are around if you have no idea. if you see something you like see what experience/qualifications these companies are looking for in their adverts and maybe this can help focus you on what you would like.

Most importantly though don't panic. Take a job as a trainee or an intern just to get some experience if you cannot decide on a university/college. Try different things. if you dont like it after a month you can try something else, eventually you will discover your passion. Remember you can always come back and do uni next year if you find something you really are passionate about.

I hope this helps a little

[whg]

(Original post by dem503)
You do not have to go to university. No one has to go to university. Don't go just for the sake of going. Take a gap year and get some better qualifications, then re-apply if you want to go but want a better course/uni.

From your experience, does going to university when your 20 make any difference for your time there than if you went when you were 19?

[whg]

(Original post by emilie18)
I'm sorry to hear you've been through a tough time

If you don't feel 100% certain that you want to go to university, then you don't have to go. It's really expensive at the moment, so maybe the best option would be to take a year out until you make up your mind. You said you didn't really like the uni - this rings alarm bells as if you are going to spend 3 or 4 years studying something, you need to like both the subject and the university. If you don't feel that it's right for you, take a step back until you find something that is

You could take the English Lit. course to get a feel for it, work to earn some money, go travelling, see the world a bit before you commit to a course that you are not sure about. Give yourself some time to research possible careers, do some work experience, etc. There's plenty of time, so don't rush into major decisions.

Good luck

Thank you. I'm just worried about the fact that if I go. I really have to stick at it and it's something I did purely to be in the local area and make friends. I love English and the creative aspect that goes with it, but there is a stigma I have about to university when I'm 20. I'm rebuilding my academic record, and I just don't feel I have enough qualifications already to survive in this world with, to have the kind of life I want to aspire to have, which is be content and not be on the fringes of society, just scraping by. I'm know that statement seems a bit extreme, but the chances of getting jobs in the future seem almost too daunting to think about with what I have got in qualifications.

[emilie18]

(Original post by whg)
Thank you. I'm just worried about the fact that if I go. I really have to stick at it and it's something I did purely to be in the local area and make friends. I love English and the creative aspect that goes with it, but there is a stigma I have about to university when I'm 20. I'm rebuilding my academic record, and I just don't feel I have enough qualifications already to survive in this world with, to have the kind of life I want to aspire to have, which is be content and not be on the fringes of society, just scraping by. I'm know that statement seems a bit extreme, but the chances of getting jobs in the future seem almost too daunting to think about with what I have got in qualifications.

No problem

So far, you've listed quite a few reasons against going, and none for it. Which really suggests to me that you don't want to go. If you were unsure then you'd have had least balanced pros and cons, at the moment it seems like you can't even see any pros!
It sounds like your real passion is for English, the chances are if you start a Business degree you will lose enthusiasm and motivation and not enjoy yourself. You'll keep thinking "what if..." and wonder if English was the better path. From what you've said, it certainly seems that it is!

There's lots of mature students who go to uni a bit later than usual, 20 is far from old, you'd only be a year or two older than the others which is nothing!

It doesn't sound extreme, it actually sounds well-thought out. It's clear what you truly want to do, my advice is to go for it, and have fun

[dem503]

(Original post by whg)
From your experience, does going to university when your 20 make any difference for your time there than if you went when you were 19?

No, just make sure you plan your gap year properly, if anything being a year older helps when you start uni. Hopefully you'll have more cool anecdotes to dazzle everyone and get more friends!