[UNKN0WN]

I have still no idea what I want to do in University. I have to start applying in September and I know that seems like a long way away but I like to have something to look forward to, to motivate me to work =)

I was thinking something in Chemistry or Maths but I have no idea if I would enjoy the courses so how did you lot decide what you wanted to do?

Did you always know? Was it a gut feeling? Lucky guess? =P

[vector]

It was what I enjoyed, was good at, and knew I could get a job with (maths)

[Olatunde]

What really matters in choosing a university course is 'interest'. I mean what you have passion for! For example, I am studying law at the moment because i have a great passion for it.

[bexi_90]

i looked at what i was good at and then decided whether it interested me. For me personally ive always liked science, especially chemistry. i also looked at my personal interests, at what wud make me happy doing my job and i decided i wanted towork with people, perhaps in healthcare. So this lead me to the conclusion of PHARMACY. A chemistry based degree with a job in healthcare =D xxxxxx

[thejester]

I chose History because its a subject I really enjoy and have a great deal of enthusiasm for. At the end of the day this is going to be a least the next three years of your life, go for something that will keep you interested!

[kellywood_5]

I'm taking French and Spanish. I've known since roughly Year 10 or 11 that I wanted to do French because it was my favourite and best subject, but I really wanted to learn another language as well, mostly because I love them and partly because it will make me more employable as a teacher, so I decided on Spanish because it's similar to French. If you don't know what you want to do, the most important thing is to choose a course you'll enjoy and do well in. Look at what sort of modules you'd be studying in maths/chemistry and talk to your teachers/current students to help you decide.

[Lou_]

I looked at prospectuses to see what was involved in the courses and also going to open days and hearing talks on the subjects really helped as well.

And of course I looked at what subject(s) I enjoyed in school.

[Natcarr88]

I chose wildlife conservation because I have a great passion for conservation and would love to work abroad protecting tropical ecosystems. Definately choose something you're really interested in, as you will do so much better at it and will be studying the subject for at least three years of your life, so you want to enjoy it! I went to an open day at my preferred uni, and was really impressed by what I saw. A teacher went through the course in great detail, which really helped.

[puppy]

I chose mine by accident. I'd always intended on reading natural sciences then it gradually dawned on me that I wouldn't want a job that needed a science degree and I dropped maths at A-level because I hated my teacher and didn't want to do 5 A-levels.

I had no idea what Classics was before I read about it in an alternative prospectus. I'd never done anything like it before so it seemed like a new and interesting challenge. So I just put it on my UCAS form in a moment of madness and the rest is history, as they say. I don't regret it at all, I've really enjoyed my course and am really looking forward to my final year.

That said, there are loads of things I know I'd have probably got in to and enjoyed just as much so that's not to say that I chose the 100% perfect course for me. You just have to decide what you want from your course and from uni.

[sequence123]

Decided Computer science just for a laugh.

[yellow96]

I chose English so that I can converse fluently with the people I meet in the unemployment office.

[Nikuhiru]

When I was at the GCSE stage I planned on doing Comp Sci. However, after various jobs I decided that the life wasn't for me, so I looked towards other degrees. I was one of the top at Maths in my year, so it followed that I'd do something in Maths and I started to really enjoy the more complex things such as calculus.

I looked at doing a Maths, Physics or Engineering degree. I went on a Headstart course at the end of my L6th year (year 12, I think) and really did enjoy the stuff I was taught and the project. However, when it came down to choosing what field of Engineering I wanted to do I thought about what I enjoyed. I am fascinated by the way in which things flys, and fluid mechanics. Aeronautics seemed like the best field for me to pursue my interests, and here I am.

I have examined other possibilities through my first year - such as switching to a Maths degree. However, after the whole year had finished I realised that I don't regret choosing my degree. It's difficult, but I enjoy it which is what mattered to me.

[Hana_1987]

I didnt really know until it came down to applying!! I thought about english or history which i've always really enjoyed. And in the end it boiled down to history, as i didnt think i was good enough to do english, and i was stronger in history anyways. However, it's odd, as i wasn't originally gonna do history GCSE, but then I did, and then I wasnt gonna do history A level, then I did..and i decided that i really did love it! lol..and now here i am!! It also depended on the unis course syllabus!!

[*River]

My parents put me under a lot of pressure to just 'get on with it' and pick a course. Originally I wanted to apply for History and International Relations, but not all that many places to it and I didn't like some of the universities (location, feel etc) that did. My school said that trying to write a personal statement for History and History and International Relations would be stupid, because it wouldn't be specific enough for either course, both of which are competative. Regardless of whether or not that's true, I accepted their advice at the time. This left me with History, which I'm still not entirely sure about, but we'll see what happens in October.

[Agamemnon]

(Original post by *River)
My school said that trying to write a personal statement for History and History and International Relations would be stupid, because it wouldn't be specific enough for either course, both of which are competative. Regardless of whether or not that's true, I accepted their advice at the time. This left me with History, which I'm still not entirely sure about, but we'll see what happens in October.

That's silly, history is an integral part of International Relations, and History would be a suitable partner course to IR in a joint-degree. Does the university you're going to offer IR? If it does you should be able to change to a join IR-History degree if you still wish to, most universities are very accommodating with course change requests.

[louisedotcom]

I chose my course because there are only really 2 careers that I would ever like to persue, one being a Pathologist and the other a clinical Psycholoist.

Now unfortunatly the first one is out of the question for now as I completely gave up with my GCSEs, didnt bother doing coursework etc and as such ended up a few A's a few B's and mostly C's rather than the grades I was predicted = not good enough for med school. I dont even know if given the choice i'd opt for this, pathology is just something im incredibly interested in.

As such im left with clincal psychology and after studying Psych at As level I loved it, and found it so interesting. Im now persuing that route.

I guess what it comes down to when choosing my course was taking my future career into consideration, as well as what I enjoy. I also know its something ill commit to because I genuinly enjoy it, and love the subject.

Some people just do subjects they like rather than ones that may help them in the long run. Personally I think this is a mistake, but equally i think its a mistake to opt for a course that you dont like or have any interest in simply because yuo feel it may be benefitial in the fututre, and you arnt likely to get as much out of the degree as you could do.


its hard, the ideal balance is between something you like and something that would ideally relate to your future career choice.

[Jozeesh]

Well, i don't really like my other 2 A levels [psych and sociology] and law interested me the most out of my choices, plus i know it may lead to good job prospects in the future.

[Ollie87]

always enjoyed english and was my best subject at school. looked at list of english joint honours courses at top unis cos i wanted variety and picked from there.

[Proton Boy]

Couldn't pick between History and Politics so I flipped a coin, heads History, tails Politics. It came up tails.

[Mr Ben]

I started off wanting to be a mathematician, but one of my friends told me that I should have a look at physics because it was "maths with a purpose" (this was in YR11), so I read a few physics books over the summer, mainly Stephen Hawkings physics-for-the-lamen books (e.g. Universe in a Nutshell), and I got really interested so took it a 6th form. My teacher then suggested that I tried the works of Richard Feynman, so I read "Feynman's Lost Lecture" (which is a fantastic read), loved that and bought myself the Feynman Lectures on Physics series, and fell in love with the subject. And the rest, as they say, is history.