Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

When did you discover what you wanted to study at uni/career path?

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As title says, when did you know what you wanted to study at university or ''the right career''. I often get criticised for how late I left it, and my parents were getting upset when I told them I didn't know what I wanted to be/study. For me it was at the end of year 10 when I got my first results for my modular exams, most of the good grades were skewed towards the sciences/maths and I always loved studying them, did some research and when I read around medicine the science around it was mesmerizing.

Now you

You melter.

I didnt have a clue the first time i applied to uni and so went for engineering because id always liked maths/science.

I declined all my offers as I realised i didnt want to study it and thought i liked medicine and so got work experience etc applied and now am a first year med student.

Reply 21

Lell

Decided during gap yah on uni course. Decided on career for definite in summer after graduation, but had it in mind since 6th form.

Reply 22

juliewho

I started working in a charity shop for work exp, realised I didn't know anything about what I was raising money for (arthritis) researched lots and now i'm looking into medicine, predictably. Would love to do orthopaedic surgery in the future :smile:

Reply 23

ma3arf

I'm in Year 11 and have absolutely no idea what I'd want to be. Heck, I don't even know which subjects I like!

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 24

RoseRequiem

I've always loved to read, and started to write creatively when I was around eleven or twelve. When I came to high school, I knew I wanted to study English Literature at University, but then I enjoyed RE so much that I opted to take Philosophy and Ethics at A Level. It's such a thought-provoking, controversial and interesting subject that I decided I couldn't part with it, so I'm taking both as a Joint Honours. :smile:

Don't panic. Everyone is different; for a time I thought about studying English with Classics :s-smilie:

(not that there's anything wrong with Classics; it was just a bit of a random interest!) :biggrin:

Reply 25

Charl10

I'd say proberley when I was in year 8 I always loved art and I started getting higher grades in art than people a year or two older than me. Since then I've started drawing, painting more and more putting art before everything else ,I'd say too much my grades in some other subjects used to suffer a bit because of all the countless hours of art but lucky for me the first uni I applied to, to do art offered me a place 10 mins into the interview so the work has payed off finally.

Reply 26

lilGem

Must've been around year 8 I always loved languages and had a passion for business and wanted something that combined both of them. It only really became prominant since I started my A-levels :smile:

Reply 27

alibobs

Well I still don't know for sure what I want to do at the end of it all, have a few ideas but nothing solid. I chose a degree in something I enjoy figuring at least I'll be motivated to do well if it's something I enjoy.

I didn't have a clue while I was at school. I took A Levels when i left at 16 but didn't choose ones I enjoyed, at the time I didn't know what I did enjoy. Actually, I really admire people who know this stuff early, my whole teen years were about getting drunk, meeting guys and having a laugh with my friends. I dropped out of college cos I hated my subjects and got a job instead, to fund my getting drunk and having fun with friends escapades. I think about xmas time last year I was sick to death of my job in admin and couldn't see myself getting anything else or in anything that interested me because I had no A Levels or degree. A lot of jobs I liked that I saw advertised were for graduates so I thought well really I need to get me into uni. So last xmas I decided i was going to quit work and go to college again. I enquired and signed up for A Levels in February, then decided that an access course was a better idea and I left work in August and started college again in Sept. Best choice I ever made so far I think :smile:

Still don't know what I want to be when I grow up though! I just know that it doesn't involve being an incredibly lowly paid dogsbody doing a job any old monkey could do

Reply 28

TheGrandmaster

To quote Bono, 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for'...

Reply 29

xoxAngel_Kxox

I only decided at the beginning of Y13 when I applied- but didn't really "know" that it was what I wanted to do with my life until I was two months into the course. I was ever so unorganised.. but as luck would have it, it was the right choice for me :-)

Reply 30

do-si-do

Original post by ma3arf

I'm in Year 11 and have absolutely no idea what I'd lwant to be. Heck, I don't even know which subjects I like!

exactly like me. Im in year 12 and I've only narrowed it down to something mathsy- physicsy or languages because they're what I got the best results in at GCSE. (before I was considering EVERYTHING) My advice would be to look at universities' course descriptions regardless of whether or not you would consider applying to the university or not.
I'm finding TSR really helpful for information and insight that you don't get on uni websites. this post [http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=557010] was particularly useful for me in trying to find out what studying at university is actually like (if anyone has any more recommendations please post)
Also, it might be worth talking to your teachers about their subjects , as well as any other people you know who have been to, or are at, university (although they may be a bit biased).

Of course I'm not very well qualified to tell other people how to make a decision I haven't managed to make so far myself, but I wanted to help as much as I could, since I know what it's like.

Reply 31

Retrospect

About a year ago. Too bad it was after I'd applied and got offers for an entirely different course.

Reply 32

I'llrunawaywithu

I don't want to be or do anything. I think this is bad and needs to change very soon. Inspiration I need you.

Reply 33

jane94

Still dont really know and in year 12 , year 10 is a good time to decide and not too late.

Reply 34

iwwhty

I think it was my second year of college. I intended to study criminology at university as it sounded interesting but one of my tutors persuaded me to take law instead so I took his advice.

Reply 35

BoroGrecian

I always enjoyed studying history and politics so I was bound to take a History or Politics degree (ended up with History), but it is only now (at my many years!) that I have started to decide on the career I want to persue....Marine Engineering, and retraining accordingly. I don't however regret taking History and would like to study it further and I am still considering the Open University PPE degree at a later date just for interest!

Reply 36

supernova92

Since year 8 I had wanted to do law/become a lawyer. And then during the september of the year that I was applying (so year 13) I decided to do actuarial science (/maths with stats) :smile:

Reply 37

im so academic

Original post by TheGrandmaster

To quote Bono, 'I still haven't found what I'm looking for'...

For me, I guess a few months ago?! :dontknow:

Reply 38

Aphotic Cosmos

It was always going to be geography, but I made my firm decision over English and Computer Science about two weeks before I started writing my UCAS application.

Reply 39

Tabers

In year 9 I decided that I wanted to work with the environment and help to protect it. After work experience in year 10 I decided that I wanted to do this with more of an actual practical aspect and so decided on ecology and conservation.