The Student Room Group

I am lost in it all.

Ok, so I'm listening to the Mars Volta's Inertiatic ESP, and listening to Cedric bellow "AAAAIII AHHHHMMM LOOOOOOST!" and that's pretty much how I feel at the moment.

Right, so just to add a bit of background, I've just finished school, waiting for my A Level results. Yes, "still". Apparently my lousy school don't release them until the 28th to 29th of August, don't ask why because I don't know. A Levels in History, Spanish, Business and English Lit.

As you can see these 4 offer no real direction, to be honest.

For one, my school offered very little, if any, careers advice to english students like me, they tended to cater to the Spanish kids going to Spanish uni. Thus I have a handful of random A Levels, and no idea what I want to study for uni.

This is the big cinch. I do not have a freaking clue what the hell I want to study. I'm not even sure what I want to be. One day Medicene seems appealing, the next, Graphic Design. Then again, Business Administration seems appealing. But then Film Studies appears. And then Media Technology will come up. Or perhaps Design. Or Product Design.

I have no idea what to concentrate on, which to do, what would suit me best. Ideally, I want a good degree that employers (whatever I may choose, may be in business, may be in graphic design, whatever) will go "hey, this guy's good". But the thing is, most of these prestigious degrees are things like Biochemistry and Maths which I have no desire to study at all.

What my dream scenario would be is to own a....well kinda like Hot Topic style shop, except different and not so OTT and with all these stupid movie brands and "trendy" and stuff. Something like that, but less mainstream and more sorta abstract graphic designery type stuff. I also wanna have a couple of books and films and music projects and all that sorta media stuff like that on the side. I also would like to do the odd freelance design from time to time. And if I figure out what my dream job would be (apparently something I took online tells me it's either design, film/tv/video, business admin or teacher) then I'd do that as well and do the others in my spare time.

I wanna do something that I like, not go through 3 years of a subject I don't even like with low motivation and thus have a degree I don't even like just to look good. I also don't want to do a subject I like just so it can be beaten easily by person X's Degree in Physics whenever I apply for a job.

You see, as far as uni degrees go, I have had two views. There's the "screw what you want, you can learn it later, get a good, if boring, degree that will open doors. It'll be hell for 3 years but you have no choice unless you want some ****e degree that everyone will laugh at" view. There's also the "screw that, do what you want. Even if none of the Russell Group will offer it, then go and do what it is you like, besides employers like the fact that you have a degree more than what it is anyway" view.

Which one of these two views is the true one?

I am thus utterly confused. The only thing I have clear is that I strongly want to go to a London Uni (perhaps not in the east though) especially as how I have two places I could possibly stay there if I can't afford housing, plus I've been to London a few times and loved it.




This brings me to my second dialemma. Due to not having a sodding clue what to do and the school not being much use and worshipping the teacher's pet students instead, I am currently going to begin my gap year. Great! Travel! Well actually, no. I can't afford travel. I'm gonna work. But it is nigh on impossible for a guy like me with my A Levels to do anything in the Spanish system, apart from work in some supermarket chain stacking shelves, and, oh yeah, I'm pretty sure that'll provide me with enough money for london and look good on my CV. :rolleyes:

So the plan is to go to London, live in my Grandma's house in Queens Park, and try and scrounge an earning there, which will be easier than trying to here. Sensible idea or not? Or will I end up morally and financially bankrupt?



Third Dialemma.

With open days in October and finalization of the UCAS stuff in December, now being mid-August and only just figuring out all this uni stuff (again, no thanks school) I feel as if I'm horribly running out of time. Am I being a drama queen here?




But yeah, any help and advice, and perhaps one of those quiz things or a resource where I can actually decide what it is I want to be/to study for uni would be great, thanks.
Reply 1
Don't panic...I can understand that the whole process can be a little more daunting when you will be moving back to England...even if you were born here.
From what you've said, and i've looked at Hot topic (Cheers, i love looking at shops like that) it seems to me you want to something creative as a degree course, now I don't know what is available but maybe some kind of generic design course where you choose your own modules?? I.e. you do what they tell you in first year then in 2nd and 3rd you are given more scope to specialise?? Like one that you can do a bit of clothing design (which could help you with the kind of shop you want to open), graphics (which would help you with video projects) etc etc.... or an art course where you can specialise in design? Like I said i'm not sure whats out there.

As for future career prospects I have been at uni for 2 years, about to enter the 2nd year of my 2nd course, and I still don't know what I want to do with it at the end. Yes as I have recently found out through friends...if you don't choose the right degree it can be so hard for you to find a job in the end...but don't lumber yourself with something you don't want to do...please don't.

Gap year, earning money is a great idea as I know all too well money can be one of the main things that brings you down in your university life.... so having extra money but also being careful with what you do have, is a good idea. And like you said taking a year out to earn the money will show self-discipline, not only on future job applications but also in your university applications..

The best advice I can give you is try and go at your own pace, don't panic...just make sure you meet your deadlines, the last thing you want to do is panic and make the wrong hasty decisons.

Good luck x
Reply 2
Humm....

Well I just feel as if I have no clue about anything really though. I feel as if I spend time taking it slowly, it'll all be gone. Open days are in October and I still have no clue where I wanna go.

I'm still deciding whether I should take a "stronger" degree as it were and leave the design stuff as a part time course while I'm in college or as a technical college or whatever. My parents recently suggested Psychology, so I'm also gonna have a look at that but I dunno if my A Levels will cover that, especially if I were to try Psychology in UCL. ._.

The ideal absolute brilliant thing for me to do would be to have a Psychology/Design/Business Combined Honours in a top-range London uni, but that's absolutely impossible considering all the top league unis don't offer design, and the ones that do in London don't offer half the stuff I wanna do, eschewing it in favour of the classics and languages and history and english lit and all that. And I don't want to go to London Met.

Damn me for not having a clear idea of what I want to do. :frown:

I've come across Centigrade Online. Is it worth the tenner for the results?

Should I get in touch with some sort of careers planning people? Should I look for gap year classes for stuff or foundation things or whatnot?

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