The Student Room Group

On the downfalls of British specialisation

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(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Athematica
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If you're not prepared to 'specialise' by studying a specific subject at university, you've got a few options. Quite a lot of UK universities allow you to take dual honours degrees. In most of these cases, the subjects will be related but some universities allow you to take some more unusual combinations so you could combine a science and a humanity that way. These degrees generally allow you to specialise later on so whilst this wouldn't give you quite the same flexibility as say a degree in the US, you'd still be more flexible than by doing a single honours degree. Durham's Natural Sciences degree, despite the name, allows you to take a combination of subjects from the sciences and arts, so that might be worth looking into. Something you definitely should also look at is UCL's Arts & Sciences degree.

If this still isn't enough, look at Scottish universities. If I understand things correctly, they allow you to take a range of subjects (at least in your first year). The final alternative, of course, is to go abroad.
Reply 2
The English system isn't for you. That simple. At what stage are you? Get out as soon as you can. You were made to double major in really disparate fields. In other countries you can do this- and you'll be celebrated for it.

Eta: I agree with the poster below- If you're at that stage, do IB. Then go to a very highly-regardled American/Canadian school where you can study two subjects to a very high level. There is a school that offers scholarships and/or awards for people with disparate interestd - I think it's one of the University of California schools.

Also, there are 4 year options in England/outside of Scotland, if you must stay in the UK.
(edited 7 years ago)
All I can think of is look into colleges that offer IB (international Baccalaureate) If I was sensible when I went to college, I would have taken it, however I am dumb so decided to be stubborn and stick with what was easy!

Spoiler

I think our specialization is an advantage because you have a higher level of understanding than our US counter-parts in a specific subject. Undergraduate degrees should really be preparing you for academia, they need to stay focused enough that a masters or PhD is a feasible follow-up. However I can see how they frustrate most students who aren't on that path.

Most degrees only require 1 or 2 specific subjects so your third a-level choice can provide you another option. I did Maths, Physics and French but to get into my degree I really only needed Maths, I just like Physics. I personally felt more restricted by my grades: by taking French I lost the option for a coveted AAA as French is my worst subject (I got a B). By taking French I restricted my university choices but I was happier. I still learn French as well so it's done me a lot more good than Chemistry ever would!

A joint degree is probably a good option for you: Maths and Philosophy for example. A quick google has revealed they only require Maths (sometimes FM) at plenty of universities. You may enjoy a Scottish uni that has an extra year and generally allows you to take 2 or 3 different subjects in first year (there are other unis in the UK that do this, I just know it's standard in Scottish ones).

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