Having maaaaaaaajor doubts over degree choice...but I've already applied...

Not yet, what sort of stuff did you have listed down that were pros and cons if I may ask?

Well, this is going back a bit, but I'll try to remember at least some of it.

Studying maths

Find maths interesting
Wid career prospects
Already have offers for it (this made me laugh, even then)

Don't like the career prospects
Don't like the uni I've firmed
Only find some parts interesting

Studying optometry

Wanted to do it since I was fourteen
Ideal job for me
Also find it interesting

Will have to give up offers - much riskier
Don't have the qualifications for it
Haven't researched the unis

Reply 41

Melanie-v

10

At Cambridge at least you can still switch to physics for the second year. Does that appeal more?

Reply 42

marshmallowfudgecake

1

Original post by Bananas01

Ok, so I've applied for maths, applied ages ago as I'm applying to Cambridge. I have an interview on the 9th, and it all sounds great. Trouble is that I'm having major doubts about whether I want to study maths. I mean I'm good at it, and somewhat interested in it as in it's the best subject I've studied at school but I'm not sure that the options given in having a maths degree are for me.

Firstly, most of the jobs a maths degree can get are in finance - a job sector I really really really don't want to go into, I just hate the sound of being a numerical analyst or actuary or whatever, frankly it sounds vacuous and awful to me. But this is where most people with a maths degree go on to, I've been told by my friend studying maths at Warwick, where I also have an offer from.

Also, what people say about maths not really meaning anything, where before I'd brush it off saying I enjoy it and it has plenty of uses that they (and, frankly I) don't know about. I'm sure I have the ability to do maths, but it's just a question of whether I want to do it, which at the moment I'm having major doubts about.

The thought of being a vet is beginning to sound appealing to me, but I don't know if I'm just being silly and immature about this, I like the thought of looking after animals as I love them but I really don't know.

Does anyone have any advice about any of this? I'm feeling quite crappy right now, having these doubts, sitting alone on a Friday night and I can't stop thinking about it.

EDIT: I think this vet thing is impossible anyway, I've got no work experience or anything like that, obviously I have good exam results to apply to Cambridge but I feel that vet folk ask for something more in their applications like work experience/UCKAT/whatever.
Also, I didn't apply for vet because my mum kept on wanting me to do it and gets really annoying when she gets drunk and nags, annoys and has a go at everyone. She kept on at me to be a vet and I think I had a mental block against it ever since.

EDIT2:Not teaching either, I don't think I'm the right kind of guy for that.

Don't become a vet. They have high suicide rates and have to kill animals; you are being immature.

It is clear to me you have no idea what you want to do. That is okay, just do maths at cambridge or wherever and you will have so many options open to you.

Most of all, MONEYYYYYYYYYYYY and lots of it. If you change your mind about pursuing a career in finance.

And people would kill to be in your position, stop being a baby and quit whining.

Reply 43

marshmallowfudgecake

1

Original post by asdfg0987

Hah same here, I have an interview for Economics and Management at Oxford but I'd rather read physics tbh. I do enjoy Economics a lot, but I think my skills are more suited to physics and I'd probably enjoy it more. I do want a job in finance though :tongue:

(there's just so much money :eek:

).

YES! money is good :biggrin:

Reply 44

Dr. Manic Mechanic

12

Original post by Bananas01

Ok, so I've applied for maths, applied ages ago as I'm applying to Cambridge. I have an interview on the 9th, and it all sounds great. Trouble is that I'm having major doubts about whether I want to study maths. I mean I'm good at it, and somewhat interested in it as in it's the best subject I've studied at school but I'm not sure that the options given in having a maths degree are for me.

Firstly, most of the jobs a maths degree can get are in finance - a job sector I really really really don't want to go into, I just hate the sound of being a numerical analyst or actuary or whatever, frankly it sounds vacuous and awful to me. But this is where most people with a maths degree go on to, I've been told by my friend studying maths at Warwick, where I also have an offer from.

Also, what people say about maths not really meaning anything, where before I'd brush it off saying I enjoy it and it has plenty of uses that they (and, frankly I) don't know about. I'm sure I have the ability to do maths, but it's just a question of whether I want to do it, which at the moment I'm having major doubts about.

The thought of being a vet is beginning to sound appealing to me, but I don't know if I'm just being silly and immature about this, I like the thought of looking after animals as I love them but I really don't know.

Does anyone have any advice about any of this? I'm feeling quite crappy right now, having these doubts, sitting alone on a Friday night and I can't stop thinking about it.

EDIT: I think this vet thing is impossible anyway, I've got no work experience or anything like that, obviously I have good exam results to apply to Cambridge but I feel that vet folk ask for something more in their applications like work experience/UCKAT/whatever.
Also, I didn't apply for vet because my mum kept on wanting me to do it and gets really annoying when she gets drunk and nags, annoys and has a go at everyone. She kept on at me to be a vet and I think I had a mental block against it ever since.

EDIT2:Not teaching either, I don't think I'm the right kind of guy for that.

You could always switch to an Engineering degree someday after your mathematics degree.

Make something, anything, imagination has to be good, as well as your problem solving and maths.

Reply 45

TheSownRose

16

Original post by Bananas01

What was in the cons list for Maths might I ask? Seeing as that might be more relevant for me :tongue:

I'll try and remember the whole of maths cons...

Don't like the career prospects
Don't like the uni I've firmed
Only find some parts interesting
A lot of it is very abstract
Don't tend to get on with other mathematicians
Will feel demotivated for my degree
Can study maths as a hobby - can't for optometry
Beginning to reach my limit in ability (remember, I was writing this during my A-levels and knew at least one module was going to go wrong at the time)
Only did it for lack of options
Doing it for others

I had a lot of reasons to not want to study maths, although the ones I did have were (mostly) good. The top and last ones were probably the most important; could have got around the others if those hadn't been there, but they were.

Does that help you at all?

Reply 46

W.H.T

15

Original post by Bananas01

Ok, so I've applied for maths, applied ages ago as I'm applying to Cambridge. I have an interview on the 9th, and it all sounds great. Trouble is that I'm having major doubts about whether I want to study maths. I mean I'm good at it, and somewhat interested in it as in it's the best subject I've studied at school but I'm not sure that the options given in having a maths degree are for me.

Firstly, most of the jobs a maths degree can get are in finance - a job sector I really really really don't want to go into, I just hate the sound of being a numerical analyst or actuary or whatever, frankly it sounds vacuous and awful to me. But this is where most people with a maths degree go on to, I've been told by my friend studying maths at Warwick, where I also have an offer from.

Also, what people say about maths not really meaning anything, where before I'd brush it off saying I enjoy it and it has plenty of uses that they (and, frankly I) don't know about. I'm sure I have the ability to do maths, but it's just a question of whether I want to do it, which at the moment I'm having major doubts about.

The thought of being a vet is beginning to sound appealing to me, but I don't know if I'm just being silly and immature about this, I like the thought of looking after animals as I love them but I really don't know.

Does anyone have any advice about any of this? I'm feeling quite crappy right now, having these doubts, sitting alone on a Friday night and I can't stop thinking about it.

EDIT: I think this vet thing is impossible anyway, I've got no work experience or anything like that, obviously I have good exam results to apply to Cambridge but I feel that vet folk ask for something more in their applications like work experience/UCKAT/whatever.
Also, I didn't apply for vet because my mum kept on wanting me to do it and gets really annoying when she gets drunk and nags, annoys and has a go at everyone. She kept on at me to be a vet and I think I had a mental block against it ever since.

EDIT2:Not teaching either, I don't think I'm the right kind of guy for that.

You said you're good at maths and interested in it, so why not consider other degrees which involve a great deal of maths but lead to other exciting careers outside the city-finance area. For example engineering and computer science

And even if you do stick with a maths degree, you can work in the field of crytography - sounds like something restricted to computer science, but trust me, mathematicians are sought after for this field. Have a read of a book called: code book by simon singh. Its fantastic, it shows how many other mathematicians have gone on and made their names in creating or breaking ciphers which have kepted messages secret.

The NSA (intelligence agency for the US govt) hires the most mathematicians out of all organisations in the world. The UK obviously has an equalivalent to the NSA, its called the GCHQ.

Reply 47

W.H.T

15

Original post by asdfg0987

Hah same here, I have an interview for Economics and Management at Oxford but I'd rather read physics tbh. I do enjoy Economics a lot, but I think my skills are more suited to physics and I'd probably enjoy it more. I do want a job in finance though :tongue:

(there's just so much money :eek:

).

I'm pretty sure that if its a city finance job you're after, then investment banks are quite happy to take on board anyone who's done a quantitative degree and Physics is obviously one of them.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 48

Bananas01

OP

Original post by TheSownRose

I'll try and remember the whole of maths cons...

Don't like the career prospects
Don't like the uni I've firmed
Only find some parts interesting
A lot of it is very abstract
Don't tend to get on with other mathematicians
Will feel demotivated for my degree
Can study maths as a hobby - can't for optometry
Beginning to reach my limit in ability (remember, I was writing this during my A-levels and knew at least one module was going to go wrong at the time)
Only did it for lack of options
Doing it for others

I had a lot of reasons to not want to study maths, although the ones I did have were (mostly) good. The top and last ones were probably the most important; could have got around the others if those hadn't been there, but they were.

Does that help you at all?

Yes that is very helpful, I'm having these doubts and nobody knows about them, do you know what I mean? I haven't told family, friends or anyone about this, they think everything's fine and I love maths and I am 100% committed to a maths degree, hopefully at the number 1 Cambridge.

I'd feel bad just coming out with this bombshell now, I mean it could just be a temporary wobble I will get over or it could be something bigger like what you had. I don't want to worry my family, I mean they're not pushing me into maths at all, my mum in fact wanted me to do Vet Med, but I decided for maths and as far as they know that's what I'm going to do, which, in all fairness, is quite right, I applied nearly 2 months ago.

This is beginning to not make much sense so I'll stop this post now, any replies are welcome :smile:

Reply 49

cybergrad

2

It doesn't mean you are going to be limited to finance. You can go on a graduate scheme and become a consultant ie Delloite, Accenture, IBM etc. Another thing that you missed is that many Mathematics graduates move on to programming and I don't mean just creating financial models.

Reply 50

asdfg0987

13

Original post by W.H.T

I'm pretty sure that if its a city finance job you're after, then investment banks are quite happy to take on board anyone who's done a quantitative degree and Physics is obviously one of them.

I know but I didn't have physics when I applied. I'm doing the whole of A Level physics in a year. Plus at the time I was more interested in econ.

Reply 51

MagicNMedicine

20

Original post by asdfg0987

Hmm is it same as this course? http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/earthscienceandengineering/courses/postgraduatecourses/mscgeophysics. But I think it's too late to change majors anyway.

Spoiler

Yes Imperial run a couple of MScs in the area as I understand, and Leeds and Edinburgh, those are the big three. All of them are well connected in the oil industry. One of my mates did it at Leeds, I know Leeds' Geophysics masters courses are rated world class in the industry.

Reply 52

Bananas01

OP

Original post by marshmallowfudgecake

Don't become a vet. They have high suicide rates and have to kill animals; you are being immature.

It is clear to me you have no idea what you want to do. That is okay, just do maths at cambridge or wherever and you will have so many options open to you.

Most of all, MONEYYYYYYYYYYYY and lots of it. If you change your mind about pursuing a career in finance.

And people would kill to be in your position, stop being a baby and quit whining.

Do you not think I know lots of people would love to be in my position? That's what makes it all the harder, I'm in a great position, surely I can't give up on this now, but if I realise I really don't want to do it then I'd have to wouldn't I? Don't be so insensitive, please.

Also, life isn't all about money, to be honest I'd much rather do something I enjoy rather than something that would make me rich.

Reply 53

angelmxxx

14

The majority of graduate jobs require a degree in anything!
So yes, most of your friends in lectures will go into finance/etc but you don't have to!

(Also, you might like some aspects of finance - it's not all accounting and stockbroking! If you like business and decision making, for example, you coul go into the finance side of purchasing, where you decide the risk of selecting certain product lines, work out how much you should buy them for, negotiate the purchase price, work out the markup before selling, etc.)

These are some of the options open:
Business - supply chain/marketing/advertising/purchasing
Sales - anything from cars to medicines to pet insurance (and business-to-business sales too)!
Telecoms - engineering/pricing/project management/strategy
Consultancy - not just city consultancy! Pretty much every industry/sector has some kind of consultants
Law (after a conversion course)
Public sector - so so so soo many things to choose from! From MI5 to education/healthcare/crime/transport
Negotiator/public sector diplomat
PR
Retail (and I don't just mean being a shop assistant in Tesco, not that there's anything wrong with that job!)
Technology - lab work/explaining and selling new technologies/etc
Civil service science & engineering
HR
General management - private sector or the NHS graduate management scheme/etc
Estate agency
Chartered surveying/commercial estate agency - valuations, property management, portfolio structuring advice
You could be an entrepreneur :smile:

Obviously there are so many more options than I can list here, the point is that you don't have to be confined to looking at numbers forever if you don't want to!

(Also about the vet point - I think you'd need to take Biology A level in a gap year, plus get at least 10 - if not many more - weeks' of work experience in a variety of settings, plus some long-term voluntary experience which you could start now, eg. volunteering in a wildlife rescue centre once a week. It's insanely competitive so not something to jump into applying for as if you're not completely and utterly committed and can prove you are because you've researched the realities of a career as a vet, you won't get a uni place. Look at the ved forum for more details on work experience, etc.)

Reply 54

angelmxxx

14

Original post by W.H.T

I'm pretty sure that if its a city finance job you're after, then investment banks are quite happy to take on board anyone who's done a quantitative degree and Physics is obviously one of them.

For lots of IB roles, you don't even need a quantitative degree :smile:

Reply 55

W.H.T

15

Original post by asdfg0987

I know but I didn't have physics when I applied. I'm doing the whole of A Level physics in a year. Plus at the time I was more interested in econ.

OH I remember you, you and I are also doing A-levels in one year.

But surely, when you applied through UCAS, all it matters is for you to have a predicted grade for physics because obviously you wouldn'nt have had an AS grade for it considering you're doing it from scratch.

Reply 56

TheSownRose

16

Original post by Bananas01

Yes that is very helpful, I'm having these doubts and nobody knows about them, do you know what I mean? I haven't told family, friends or anyone about this, they think everything's fine and I love maths and I am 100% committed to a maths degree, hopefully at the number 1 Cambridge.

I'd feel bad just coming out with this bombshell now, I mean it could just be a temporary wobble I will get over or it could be something bigger like what you had. I don't want to worry my family, I mean they're not pushing me into maths at all, my mum in fact wanted me to do Vet Med, but I decided for maths and as far as they know that's what I'm going to do, which, in all fairness, is quite right, I applied nearly 2 months ago.

This is beginning to not make much sense so I'll stop this post now, any replies are welcome :smile:

No, that makes perfect sense - been there before, don't forget. :wink:

Been there before feeling like you're the only one, like you don't know where it's coming from, like you're hiding this big secret. I remember the warm summer night I spent in the garden until midnight, looking up at the stars and drinking lemonade whilst just trying to think it through.

Part of the luxury of having everyone else believe that you have plans is that they leave you alone to figure out what it is you do want; I have no doubt that, had my parents known I was questioning it, they'd have been rushing me to make a decision ... and you can't just do something like that.

Now, the wobble vs. genuine problem is a bigger issue. How long have you been having these doubts for, and can you try and identify where they stem from?

Reply 57

angelmxxx

14

Ok, on the biology for vet issue (also note that the 15th October deadline applies to vet med too so obviously you'd need a gap year):

Cambridge - no biology but I'd imagine they'd ask you Biology questions in the interview...definitely would be worth ringing up colleges to see if not having Biology would hinder you/if they ever accept people without it. You must have Chemistry.

Edinburgh - Need Chemistry and Biology.
AAB from Chemistry (A), Biology and Physics/Maths.

Glasgow - Chemistry at grade A and (Biology or Physics or Mathematics).

Nottingham - Biology at grade A and Chemistry at grade A and Any subject related to the course at grade B.

RVC - Biology and Chemistry.

Liverpool - 3 A levels in Biology, one other academic science-related subject and any other subject, excluding General Studies which is acceptable as the fourth subject at A or AS level. If Chemistry is not offered at A level, grade B at AS level is required. A

Bristol - Chemistry, Biology and one other academic subject.
They do a 6year course for people with the 'wrong' A levels but as you have Chemistry you can't apply for that.

They're the only courses which will qualify you to be a vet.

Reply 58

asdfg0987

13

Original post by W.H.T

OH I remember you, you and I are also doing A-levels in one year.

But surely, when you applied through UCAS, all it matters is for you to have a predicted grade for physics because obviously you wouldn'nt have had an AS grade for it considering you're doing it from scratch.