Life decisions/what would you do if you were me

Hey so ive actually posted about this junk before because its been bugging me ages but yeah here we go again
So basically i applied for an english degree this year without really thinking about it because english was my thing or whatever. I did a whole bunch of extra curricular stuff - essay competitions, summer schools, just basically to prove that english is what im about. But then i started having loads of doubts. I was finding english really hard and maths really fun, and i was also feeling like english is kind of a useless subject and stuff. But nonetheless i had uni places. I firmed exeter

On results day i got an a* in maths with over 90% in all my modules. In english, i got a b. While exeter have still kindly saved me a place in their cornwall campus, i missed their offer pretty badly.
Im getting re marks and stuff so i may go up from a B, but the fact of the matter is that the last two years have enjoyed more and done better in maths than english, i just never seriously considered it because maths isnt 'my thing'. Also i dont have further maths.

I do however feel like i have more of a career plan with english, as before all this confusion i wanted to be an academic. I dont know where maths would lead me.

On results day i got an a* in maths with over 90% in all my modules. In english, i got a b. While exeter have still kindly saved me a place in their cornwall campus, i missed their offer pretty badly.

Hey so ive actually posted about this junk before because its been bugging me ages but yeah here we go again
So basically i applied for an english degree this year without really thinking about it because english was my thing or whatever. I did a whole bunch of extra curricular stuff - essay competitions, summer schools, just basically to prove that english is what im about. But then i started having loads of doubts. I was finding english really hard and maths really fun, and i was also feeling like english is kind of a useless subject and stuff. But nonetheless i had uni places. I firmed exeter

On results day i got an a* in maths with over 90% in all my modules. In english, i got a b. While exeter have still kindly saved me a place in their cornwall campus, i missed their offer pretty badly.
Im getting re marks and stuff so i may go up from a B, but the fact of the matter is that the last two years have enjoyed more and done better in maths than english, i just never seriously considered it because maths isnt 'my thing'. Also i dont have further maths.

I do however feel like i have more of a career plan with english, as before all this confusion i wanted to be an academic. I dont know where maths would lead me.

So you suck at English and are great at Maths but prefer English over Maths? Do maths. At least you know you will pass and you don't actually have to do a career in maths.

Join the STEM crew

You obviously like maths, and you're good at it! Why ignore your talent? I think a maths degree would be very useful, especially in finance-related careers (and that's where the money is these days).

If I were you, I would reapply to university next year for a maths course. 😊

If maths isn't your thing, don't do maths. Simple. You have a place to do English, which is what you have always wanted to do. Why change now? Suddenly dumping the thing you know you like to do something which your whole post shouts that you don't want to do is very short sighted. FWIW, I dropped a grade for my English offer (back in the dark ages) and you know what? It turned out just fine.

I would have to think very seriously about being shunted off to the Cornwall campus. Is the course the same as at Streatham? Are the lecturers of similar standing?

they are the same institution and people insist they are of the same quality. the choice of modules is smaller but also can be a little eccentric like tolkien. i still think i wouldnt mind going there if I knew i wanted to do english. that said, it is a whole extra hour away, and according to unistats, gets less 1st's and lower earning starting salaries for what its worth (if you want to take that as a measure of quality)
this could just be because at the moment there are lower grade requirements there. i dunno.

hm i have much thinking to do

People can insist all they like. I looked at the two Exeter History courses (my old subject) and I wouldn't touch the Cornwall version with the proverbial barge pole. Would I advise studying under Jeremy Black and Richard Overy (whose books I know well and admire) and Richard Toye (whose MOOC I am undertaking next month) or academics I haven't heard of?

EDIT: Smaller choice of English modules at Penryn??? You mean no choice at all for the first two years - a result of having far fewer staff.

ok well if i want to do english then it may be the best i can get at least in terms of name considering my B grade, if it doesnt go up.

i would actually be willing to go if i knew english was all i wanted to do
but i dont know that.

like quite a few people have replied to this saying 'maths is more employable' or whatever but like thats no good unless i actually want to do one of them. even if english was only good for like 3 things, say,but i would be happy doing one of those things, then even if maths was good for 1000 things and i didnt want to do any of them then surely i should still do english

besides i actually went to maths open days and they were like 'its not actually maths skills that will get you hired, its transferable skills' which still obviously counts for something but also shows that it wasnt the maths aspect specifically that gets people hired.

urgh i think i kind of wanted to be an academic for a while (for english) because im scared of jobs and working and that would seem like jjust staying in school forever. i dont know. i just really cant imagine ever wanting an actual job, even though obviously i know id have to. i just want to do something that i want to do but i really dont know what i want to do and it sucks. maybe my problem for english this year was just a fluke but maybe it wasnt.

are there any maths jobs that can help people?


bluhh i wish i could get someone to look inside my brain and tell me what to do

If your remark pushes your English grade up to an A, then I would certainly suggest that you can do better than Penryn. Assuming that Exeter wouldn't honour their offer for Streatham for this year, you should be able to get in for 2016.

More generally, I think you might benefit from a gap year. Looking at various posts you have made in the past, your current indecision isn't a one-off. I think you need a period of reflection away from the treadmill of GCSEs/A-Levels/UCAS application/University.

hmm okay, although exeter have given me the impression that they would be able to give me my place back at streatham if my grade goes up. thanks again

ok well if i want to do english then it may be the best i can get at least in terms of name considering my B grade, if it doesnt go up.

i would actually be willing to go if i knew english was all i wanted to do
but i dont know that.

like quite a few people have replied to this saying 'maths is more employable' or whatever but like thats no good unless i actually want to do one of them. even if english was only good for like 3 things, say,but i would be happy doing one of those things, then even if maths was good for 1000 things and i didnt want to do any of them then surely i should still do english

besides i actually went to maths open days and they were like 'its not actually maths skills that will get you hired, its transferable skills' which still obviously counts for something but also shows that it wasnt the maths aspect specifically that gets people hired.

urgh i think i kind of wanted to be an academic for a while (for english) because im scared of jobs and working and that would seem like jjust staying in school forever. i dont know. i just really cant imagine ever wanting an actual job, even though obviously i know id have to. i just want to do something that i want to do but i really dont know what i want to do and it sucks. maybe my problem for english this year was just a fluke but maybe it wasnt.

are there any maths jobs that can help people?


bluhh i wish i could get someone to look inside my brain and tell me what to do

My mistake, I had the wrong impression. If they do, that is good - when will you find out about your remark?

However, that still leaves your original question and your search for an answer.

Hey!

I'm currently in my own university predicament...but what I would say about yours is that you can still remain an academic with maths, perhaps become a maths teacher or lecturer.There are also several jobs in finance and industry that you would be able to do with a maths degree because of the transferable skills you learn.

I on the other hand did better in English than in the sciences yet never doubted wanted to enter the science profession, the fact that you've doubted it shows that perhaps maths would be better for you.

This is just advice though, I completely understand what you are going through because its not just a decision for a year, its four years, but whether you chose english or maths they are both very good degrees.

ALSO i went and talked to my old english teachers today and they were really pumped up about penryn and were saying that i would 'probably' be able to change to the exeter campus after first year if i did well because loads of people change course after first year or something

i dont want to fully believe this in case its totally untrue. it could well be not true at all. but does anyone have any comment on that?

Don't disregard your original offer, if you're more passionate about english - do english. No point changing your career plans over 1 or 2 tests. I didn't do as well as I wanted to in one of my english Literature papers, but that isnt stopping me from continuing my education with it because it was just 1 test and I've done better in the past, could this be a similar situation with you?

I wouldn't go expecting to be able to change. I suggest posting in the Exeter forum and seeing how the current students feel and what they have to say about it.

yeah i wouldnt go expecting any loopholes or whatever to be honest as i probably will be disappointed. ill check it out but the answer is probably no