Have I made a terrible decision?
Hi I recently started an Economics degree at UCL.
However, all the way from applying for it in the first place, I was having doubts about everything, and was torn between Economics and Physics (/NatSci). Last year, this indecision caused me to miss the Oxbridge deadline and led me to not send off my application until Jan 15th.
I find both interesting (and also sometimes horrifically boring!) In ways I find aspects of Physics more interesting, but Economics is so much more applicable to real life and how societies work that I felt it would maybe be a better option.
So leading up to starting, I was still having doubts and thinking about a gap year, as a chance to do something different and get my head straight before uni. On the 24th, they gave me until the 12th (today) before I had to enrol and fully commit myself. I was trying to decide the whole time and still was getting nowhere, and today when it got to the final time, I felt like maybe I could do with the gap year to do something else. I went with the intention of telling them this and when I arrived at the office it had closed 4 minutes earlier and they were stopping dealing with any enrolments so even if at that point I wanted to enrol I wouldn't have been able to. The guy there said that if I was wanting to enrol my only option would be to go and plead my case on Monday morning.
Now I feel like I really could have made a wrong decision though. I'm worried that I could have a really bad year and that it will be pointless and that all this is simply due to my own inability to make decisions. I still don't feel any more sure about which course I would prefer and all the wonderful plans I had for my gap year seem to not be possible due to various complications.
I wanted to travel, but on a budget it seemed the way to do that was to work abroad, but now everything I look at which once seemed like a really good idea is now seeming to look not so good.
I can see myself just working here all year and I am sort of in the process of sorting out something which will lead me to do a boring job here for at least a few months. I feel like by doing this I will have an awful time because all my mates are off at uni and im stuck at home with my family, who i hate living with when im not boarding anyway.
Sorry for the long post im just trying to get what im feeling into some coherent form
However, all the way from applying for it in the first place, I was having doubts about everything, and was torn between Economics and Physics (/NatSci). Last year, this indecision caused me to miss the Oxbridge deadline and led me to not send off my application until Jan 15th.
I find both interesting (and also sometimes horrifically boring!) In ways I find aspects of Physics more interesting, but Economics is so much more applicable to real life and how societies work that I felt it would maybe be a better option.
So leading up to starting, I was still having doubts and thinking about a gap year, as a chance to do something different and get my head straight before uni. On the 24th, they gave me until the 12th (today) before I had to enrol and fully commit myself. I was trying to decide the whole time and still was getting nowhere, and today when it got to the final time, I felt like maybe I could do with the gap year to do something else. I went with the intention of telling them this and when I arrived at the office it had closed 4 minutes earlier and they were stopping dealing with any enrolments so even if at that point I wanted to enrol I wouldn't have been able to. The guy there said that if I was wanting to enrol my only option would be to go and plead my case on Monday morning.
Now I feel like I really could have made a wrong decision though. I'm worried that I could have a really bad year and that it will be pointless and that all this is simply due to my own inability to make decisions. I still don't feel any more sure about which course I would prefer and all the wonderful plans I had for my gap year seem to not be possible due to various complications.
I wanted to travel, but on a budget it seemed the way to do that was to work abroad, but now everything I look at which once seemed like a really good idea is now seeming to look not so good.
I can see myself just working here all year and I am sort of in the process of sorting out something which will lead me to do a boring job here for at least a few months. I feel like by doing this I will have an awful time because all my mates are off at uni and im stuck at home with my family, who i hate living with when im not boarding anyway.
Sorry for the long post im just trying to get what im feeling into some coherent form
I feel like I've thrown away such a good place. I have 4A*s and my department tutor said my chances for next year would be good, but if i don't get it and I've had a wasted year then this will have been such a bad decision.
There is no such thing as a wasted year , it really depends tho financially are your parents able to affoard a REAL gap year? Travel/work experience/learning a language etc?
If you're going to be home playing ps3 and flipping burgers part time at McDonalds like most of the finding yourself gap years then yes it's a bit dumb.
If you're going to be home playing ps3 and flipping burgers part time at McDonalds like most of the finding yourself gap years then yes it's a bit dumb.
My application is supposed to go off tomorrow morning for Physics / NatSci at Cambridge.
I am really worried that this is the wrong thing to do though, as I'm not even sure if I want to do that or Economics. By it not going off though I will have missed out on Cambridge, and I know if Physics / NatSci was the route I wanted to go down then NatSci at Cambridge is really something I would want to apply for..
Should I call up tomorrow morning and say I don't want it to go through??
I am in such a dilemma about this my head is all over the place
I am really worried that this is the wrong thing to do though, as I'm not even sure if I want to do that or Economics. By it not going off though I will have missed out on Cambridge, and I know if Physics / NatSci was the route I wanted to go down then NatSci at Cambridge is really something I would want to apply for..
Should I call up tomorrow morning and say I don't want it to go through??
I am in such a dilemma about this my head is all over the place
What are the chances that in a few weeks time if I decided I really did want to do Economics that the universities I have applied to for Physics would let me change?
Original post by archer2000
What are the chances that in a few weeks time if I decided I really did want to do Economics that the universities I have applied to for Physics would let me change?
I really honestly think you are very indecisive about this, and so you should spend this year, trying to get physics work experience, and economics work experience, and you will be able to see which you like more. You can also get a job, and save up some money so you have some for uni, and so you can go away for a while somewhere.
Dont rush, honestly.
Original post by archer2000
Hi I recently started an Economics degree at UCL.
However, all the way from applying for it in the first place, I was having doubts about everything, and was torn between Economics and Physics (/NatSci). Last year, this indecision caused me to miss the Oxbridge deadline and led me to not send off my application until Jan 15th.
I find both interesting (and also sometimes horrifically boring!) In ways I find aspects of Physics more interesting, but Economics is so much more applicable to real life and how societies work that I felt it would maybe be a better option.
So leading up to starting, I was still having doubts and thinking about a gap year, as a chance to do something different and get my head straight before uni. On the 24th, they gave me until the 12th (today) before I had to enrol and fully commit myself. I was trying to decide the whole time and still was getting nowhere, and today when it got to the final time, I felt like maybe I could do with the gap year to do something else. I went with the intention of telling them this and when I arrived at the office it had closed 4 minutes earlier and they were stopping dealing with any enrolments so even if at that point I wanted to enrol I wouldn't have been able to. The guy there said that if I was wanting to enrol my only option would be to go and plead my case on Monday morning.
Now I feel like I really could have made a wrong decision though. I'm worried that I could have a really bad year and that it will be pointless and that all this is simply due to my own inability to make decisions. I still don't feel any more sure about which course I would prefer and all the wonderful plans I had for my gap year seem to not be possible due to various complications.
I wanted to travel, but on a budget it seemed the way to do that was to work abroad, but now everything I look at which once seemed like a really good idea is now seeming to look not so good.
I can see myself just working here all year and I am sort of in the process of sorting out something which will lead me to do a boring job here for at least a few months. I feel like by doing this I will have an awful time because all my mates are off at uni and im stuck at home with my family, who i hate living with when im not boarding anyway.
Sorry for the long post im just trying to get what im feeling into some coherent form
However, all the way from applying for it in the first place, I was having doubts about everything, and was torn between Economics and Physics (/NatSci). Last year, this indecision caused me to miss the Oxbridge deadline and led me to not send off my application until Jan 15th.
I find both interesting (and also sometimes horrifically boring!) In ways I find aspects of Physics more interesting, but Economics is so much more applicable to real life and how societies work that I felt it would maybe be a better option.
So leading up to starting, I was still having doubts and thinking about a gap year, as a chance to do something different and get my head straight before uni. On the 24th, they gave me until the 12th (today) before I had to enrol and fully commit myself. I was trying to decide the whole time and still was getting nowhere, and today when it got to the final time, I felt like maybe I could do with the gap year to do something else. I went with the intention of telling them this and when I arrived at the office it had closed 4 minutes earlier and they were stopping dealing with any enrolments so even if at that point I wanted to enrol I wouldn't have been able to. The guy there said that if I was wanting to enrol my only option would be to go and plead my case on Monday morning.
Now I feel like I really could have made a wrong decision though. I'm worried that I could have a really bad year and that it will be pointless and that all this is simply due to my own inability to make decisions. I still don't feel any more sure about which course I would prefer and all the wonderful plans I had for my gap year seem to not be possible due to various complications.
I wanted to travel, but on a budget it seemed the way to do that was to work abroad, but now everything I look at which once seemed like a really good idea is now seeming to look not so good.
I can see myself just working here all year and I am sort of in the process of sorting out something which will lead me to do a boring job here for at least a few months. I feel like by doing this I will have an awful time because all my mates are off at uni and im stuck at home with my family, who i hate living with when im not boarding anyway.
Sorry for the long post im just trying to get what im feeling into some coherent form
good to know there are other indecisive people out there like me!
i think my situation is very similar yours, except it was between medicine and physics (and i've already sent my application...though i'm still feeling unsure...)
i've ended up applying for deferred entry to medicine, hoping that i'll be able to keep up my connection with physics as it is a subject i absolutely love
i think a gap year would be good for you, as you could do an open uni course and improve on other skills (like music etc) if nothing else, and you don't HAVE to go abroad for work experience etc
schemes like YINI and internships at places like metaswitch sound really good!
Your in a very similar situation to my brother. He decided to get the best out of both. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering and applying to do masters in the economic field. If I was you I'd so something similar..stick to your physics degree and do your master in economics. Even if you don't want to do your masters or can't afford it you can still start working in the economics field by starting off as an intern in a company. This is what many of my friends are doing and also what you get told on graduate fairs.
Yeah haha I hate being so indecisive it's caused so many problems!
Yeah to be honest I think I have come to terms with the gap year. Earlier I was thinking about trying to get back into UCL which I think would probably be able to happen if I explained my situation as I have been studying the course, but I really think this year to just do some different things and get my head together could be really good.
My only worry is this application which is set to go off tomorrow, meaning I would be commiting to Physics/NatSci. I really am not sure that that is what I want to do so I am not sure whether to phone up my school tomorrow morning and beg them to stop it.
Considering how reluctant my teacher was, as well as the head of year was to send it on such short notice it's fair to say she would be very very pissed off. Especially as I messed them about with indecision last year too :s But obviously what I do for the next years is probably more important.
I'm just so unsure! I want this time to figure out what it is I want to do but if the application goes off tomorrow then that's it.
If I don't send it though then in a few weeks time I may seriously regret that I have missed the chance to apply to Cambridge..
Yeah to be honest I think I have come to terms with the gap year. Earlier I was thinking about trying to get back into UCL which I think would probably be able to happen if I explained my situation as I have been studying the course, but I really think this year to just do some different things and get my head together could be really good.
My only worry is this application which is set to go off tomorrow, meaning I would be commiting to Physics/NatSci. I really am not sure that that is what I want to do so I am not sure whether to phone up my school tomorrow morning and beg them to stop it.
Considering how reluctant my teacher was, as well as the head of year was to send it on such short notice it's fair to say she would be very very pissed off. Especially as I messed them about with indecision last year too :s But obviously what I do for the next years is probably more important.
I'm just so unsure! I want this time to figure out what it is I want to do but if the application goes off tomorrow then that's it.
If I don't send it though then in a few weeks time I may seriously regret that I have missed the chance to apply to Cambridge..
Original post by jenesaispas
Your in a very similar situation to my brother. He decided to get the best out of both. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering and applying to do masters in the economic field. If I was you I'd so something similar..stick to your physics degree and do your master in economics. Even if you don't want to do your masters or can't afford it you can still start working in the economics field by starting off as an intern in a company. This is what many of my friends are doing and also what you get told on graduate fairs.
Ah yeah ok thanks that is definitely something I am considering. My only worry is that if I'm having to do masses of work on Physics and thinking I actually am just waiting to do Economics then I would be really demotivated. In a lot of ways I think I would prefer to just have one goal to work towards.
Although in my current state that may be my only option.
Does anyone have any idea of the chances whether I would be allowed to change to Economics after my application for Physics has gone in. I feel like if my application goes tomorrow then that may ruin the whole point of my gap year as I will again be in the position of being unsure about what I am supposed to be doing. I would much rather be in a position where my head is straight and I know what I want to do before applying but then missing out on Cambridge could be such a big mistake.
Although in honesty there are a lot of reasons why I'm unsure about Cambridge anyway.
I'm not a massive fan of the college system or the 8 week terms, and I think I would maybe find the town a bit dull... I like to go out to clubs and stuff a lot. In a lot of ways if I was doing Physics I would maybe see myself being happier somewhere like Durham or Manchester...
Is it worth getting in my application tomorrow for somewhere I'm not even sure about?
I'm not a massive fan of the college system or the 8 week terms, and I think I would maybe find the town a bit dull... I like to go out to clubs and stuff a lot. In a lot of ways if I was doing Physics I would maybe see myself being happier somewhere like Durham or Manchester...
Is it worth getting in my application tomorrow for somewhere I'm not even sure about?
Although if I missed out and ended up somewhere else I would maybe always be thinking there was a chance I could be somewhere better...
At Cambridge though it would be really hard work I think knowing how good it is would help me get through that.
Sorry for all this incessant rambling my thoughts are just all over the place. Thanks so much for this help.
At Cambridge though it would be really hard work I think knowing how good it is would help me get through that.
Sorry for all this incessant rambling my thoughts are just all over the place. Thanks so much for this help.
That little mention of Oxbridge you slipped in at the start sums it all up really. It's not the course youre unsure about it's the university. You just want another shot at Oxbridge. I know this because if you had done your research you would know that they way the UCL course unit system works is you can gain course units by taking units from a range of other departments if you're on pure econ and if youre on econ and something you are fixed in your choice. This means the only difference between econ and econ and physics is that if you choose the latter they choose your modules for you. Therefore you could have just enrolled on your econ degree and chosen enough physics modules to have virtually switched onto the econ and physics course. You're a fool tbh as UCL econ school is one of the best inthe country and all of econ is ultra competitive. But you threw it all away just to try and study in another university with prettier, older buildings.
I don't like the idea of the prettier, older buildings, and I don't like the way the University does a lot of things to be honest. But the simple fact is that for this course, Cambridge is the best.
So my application has apparently just gone off.
I got an email from UCAS and apparently it was sent off today rather than going tomorrow.
This caused me to seriously stress out because I am really not sure that this is what I want to do.
I checked UCAS though and apparently you can withdraw an application within 7 days, which was a serious relief.
Should I take some more time to think about it before doing so though?
I got an email from UCAS and apparently it was sent off today rather than going tomorrow.
This caused me to seriously stress out because I am really not sure that this is what I want to do.
I checked UCAS though and apparently you can withdraw an application within 7 days, which was a serious relief.
Should I take some more time to think about it before doing so though?
Original post by archer2000
So my application has apparently just gone off.
I got an email from UCAS and apparently it was sent off today rather than going tomorrow.
This caused me to seriously stress out because I am really not sure that this is what I want to do.
I checked UCAS though and apparently you can withdraw an application within 7 days, which was a serious relief.
Should I take some more time to think about it before doing so though?
I got an email from UCAS and apparently it was sent off today rather than going tomorrow.
This caused me to seriously stress out because I am really not sure that this is what I want to do.
I checked UCAS though and apparently you can withdraw an application within 7 days, which was a serious relief.
Should I take some more time to think about it before doing so though?
The worst that can happen is that they make you an offer ... you can always decline it
At least if they are interested you will get an interview and a chance to find out if you are interested up close
Yeah but the thing is I'm not sure I would rather be doing Economics, and by letting this offer go through I then would be unable to apply for it :s
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