Uni course: Science or History?

I was in the same boat as you, split between history and a biological course. In the end I have chosen history and will be starting in September (hopefully.) I really didn't know which one to choose, and my decision was purely because I enjoy history a lot more. At the end of year 12, I loved both subjects equally. However in year 13 I found biology got a lot more harder for me personally, so history became my favourite.

My best advice would be to look at careers you would be interested in in the future and maybe go from there. Also, have you looked at universities which offer joint honours degrees? I know leeds and bath university offer a degree in history and biology which could be an option for you?

I've been an Explorer Scout Leader for 5 years and lead Gold DofE Groups so it's totally relevant, just think about how best to talk about it

There's loads of scope for teaching Beavers about history and science and at that age it can be anything you think they'll find super interesting!

Quick ideas I have..

(History)

Teaching them about a couple of planes during a war and how they came about, as part of the Air Activities badge

Find out about a pioneering disabled athlete and how they've affected paralympics and accessible sports as part of the Disability Awareness badge

Show them Morse Code and teach them about the history of the phone or secret messages as part of the Communicator badge

Go exploring somewhere and talk about how it might've been in different eras or the cultures and people that have been there before as part of the Explore badge

(Science)

Anything from the Communicator, Experiment, Space badges seems ideal.

Super basic biology as part of the Healthy Eating badge

Take them round a science museum with disposable cameras and do the Photographer badge

My suggestions are all badge-related as I have no idea what your programme's like. It also has to be part of the Balanced Programme and not just something to enhance your Personal Statement, obviously

I once led a DofE Gold Group who were doing water purity analysis as their Expedition aim. They were so into it that they asked halfway through if they could stay longer and do more; their leader agreed.

Anyway, it sounds like you've got a solid PS base and some great ideas, so good luck

Hi

Firstly it's really great that you're so interested in two subject areas; best of luck with the eventual decision. I'm off to do History next year but had difficulty deciding between History and English (granted that those two subjects aren't as different as History and Science!). A couple of things that might hopefully help you:

Imagine what the decision would be like for you if your dad not wanting you to do History wasn't a factor (he's not taking the degree, after all )

For History you don't need 'work experience' per say. For History academic interest usually does fill up most of the personal statement and not much extra curricular experience is required compared to e.g. medicine or another science subject. For example in my personal statement I mentioned the places I visited that sparked an interest in a particular historical topic or idea (e.g. I went to an extremely nationalist museum exhibit in Gallipoli which led me into talking about the multitude of ways in which the past could be presented/interpreted). Doesn't need to be Turkey or anywhere fancy overseas; even something that got you thinking in your local museum, or anything that's not a book or a TV documentary that got you thinking about History (though obviously mention books and any thought-provoking documentaries aswell ). Also is there a History club at school and if not have you considered setting one up? In my year 13 I co-ran a History club for the younger years (which I called History Society in my PS to make it sound like it wasn't run for year 7s and 8s ).

With personal statements for either History or Science (or anything!) I think the main thing is to write something sensible that shows the reader you have an interest in the subject and tells them why you want to carry it further. Something sensible will probably make a better impression on admissions tutors than a personal statement that tries to 'wow' them, although I agree it's really difficult to get the balance right between wow factor and sensible factor.

It's absolutely not the case that if you choose 1 degree now you'll never be able to come back to the other subject; it's always possible to come back and do another degree! Also I think the Open university lets you do separate modules without taking a whole degree (check their website), if that's more suited to you when you've got a job and less time on your hands. Also finance is another consideration if you're taking more than one degree, but there should hopefully be scholarships and bursaries available. Personally I'm planning to take some English lit modules with the Open University after my History degree, so I'm hoping it's possible otherwise I'm not gonna be able to do that .

Best of luck with the decision; whichever one you choose you'll probably be having such a great time doing something you love that you won't have time to be too sad about not doing the other thing, and remember you can always come back to subjects if you want to badly enough.

Hope this helps and have a great summer

The answer to your question depends on a number of things; I think knowing what kind of job appeals to you is the most important bit. Look into the degrees that interest you and see what kind of job prospects they offer, and more importantly what sort of job it is. Would becoming a researcher interest you? Becoming a scholar/professor? Also look into the variety of different jobs you could take up based on the degree you will eventually obtain.

Volunteering in the Pathology section will help you for either section. History's opened-ended, so showing you've got a drive for anything other than history itself will be a massive plus (everyone applying for history will say they've "loved history", our lecturers made it clear once we'd arrived that we'd been chosen because we'd shown we both had potential and were different).

It's hard to give advice when you're in two minds. You've clearly an affinity to both subjects, so write your personal statement like you've written that post for whichever you decide. Extra-curricular stuff is essential. For science you'll probably want something related to that subject. With history, anything that makes you distinct or gives you different skills would be good. I know of a person who when applying for history made a big point about studying biology at A Level, and how this geared him towards an inquisitive outlook (e.g. how "things" organically work) much like you've implied yourself.

If you want answers a bit more concrete message me maybe, but best of luck choosing. If you did do a BA in one there is nothing stopping you going back and doing a BA in the other. Or if you were to do a BA in one and picked up demonstrable (and noticeable) transferrable skills, you might just be able to jump into a masters in the other subject (you'd need a ton of extra-curricular activities relating to the MA subject, top grades and ideally a lot of, again, demonstrable knowledge in this other subject).

If that wasn't clear, sorry. But best of luck!

Hello, first off, I'm a 16 year old boy in the Summer of going into Sixth Form to do my AS Levels (Biology, Chemistry, History and Government&Politics) - I've picked 2 Sciences and 2 Essay based subjects so as to meet the subject requirements for the eventual Uni course that I decide... whenever that might be!

Anyway, I just cannot, for the life of me, decide which of the 2 to study at University (for Science, it'd more than likely be Molecular Biology or Biochemistry... something like that).

Okay, for as long as I can remember, I've LOVED History, I used to read those Horrible Histories books when I was younger and watched the TV version. I also avidly read History books (e.g. Marr's A History Of The World), Political books like 1984 and Animal Farm and watch History documentaries. I also thoroughly enjoyed History at GCSE and have no doubt that I'll enjoy it at A Level! The only problem is that, well, firstly, my Dad doesn't really want me to study History at Uni, although he is interested in it as well, and the biggest issue I face is some kind of work experience or extra-curricular activity involving History. I have no idea where to go or what to do so I an put it on my personal statement and 'wow' the University if I chose History, as I'm aware that just academic interest is not enough, right?

Now for Science. Once again, I have always been hugely interested and curious as to why things around us work, what makes them work and I often ponder the, still, unanswerable questions such as: what is life? Where did we come from? Who are we? I also often read Science books and watch Science documentaries on TV... because that is the only way to judge interest in a subject! This section of the question may not seem as interesting or as eye-catching, but honestly, I do LOVE Science too, I always have and I'm pretty sure I always will. As for my Sixth Form, because I have opted to do 1+ Science AS Levels, I am automatically enrolled into their Science Academy, which is where they take us out on trips to NHS hospitals, engineering conventions etc, lots of things like that where you can experience Science in industry. Also, work experience wise/extra-curricular, my Mom works at the local NHS hospital and so I could try and work/volunteer there in the Pathology section for a bit and gain some experience. As I imagine that would be very beneficial if I was applying to a Biology course at Uni, right?


Thank you for sitting through this. This question has pervaded my mind incessantly over the last few months, if not the whole year really! I just think that the earlier I have an answer, the Better it'll be!

Lastly, another issue I face is that if I choose one subject, I will NEVER be able to do the other. Is that right? As I believe that it'd hurt a lot just because I have a burning passion for both. Thanks again!

Hello!

I am 17 and will be going to University in September. I was in exactly the same predicament as you are now.
From a very early age I had been very passionate and interested in History. From reading Horrible Histories to going to Museums and flourishing within the department at School. However when I did my first set of exams it became apparent that I was also capable in the sciences (something I didn't really think possible). I became so infatuated with the thought of excelling in science- combined with my enthusiasm for the subject- that I did really well and accomplished grades that would get me into a science-based course. Preferably bio-chemistry, immunology or molecular biology. Anyway so it got to the point where I needed to select which path I would go down when writing my UCAS. It took me about two months and lots of tears but I finally decided on what to go with.

The best advice I can give you is go for the subject or course that gives you the most pleasure and enjoyment as well as ease. Something that you know that in 10 years time you won't be bored of or will not be feeling dis-engaged. Also remember that you have the option to do outside courses too. The uni I am going to are really flexible and I can do whatever I want really... FRom Physics to Archaeology as outside courses. I couldn't bear the thought of giving up certain subjects as the thought of not studying them ever again was horrible. But as I have just said you can re-visit them if you choose. Your time will not be wasted whatever you decide. Also there are societies in uni for every subject basically so again you can continue with subjects that you haven't necessarily picked for your course.

At the end of the day you should be satisfied with the choice that you make. Be happy and enjoy your course

Wow, thank you very much, this was really helpful!
As of a few days ago, I decided to pursue Science.
This may seem rather rushed and not completely thought through, but I have had a lot of time to myself this week and I've got a lot of thinking done.
So much so that I have been 'umming and aahing' over whether to change my A Levels at all and after lots of advice from family, friends and my own ideas, I've decided to swap G+P for Maths on results day. I even got an AS Maths book from the library and I am looking through it quite often to grasp the key concepts. Of course watching Brian Cox has really shown me how useful Maths and Science is in understanding the most fundamental of questions, something I've always wondered, ever since I was a little boy!

I thought you might appreciate the update, that's all! Thanks again!!

Just out of curiosity, what course are you doing at University?
Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll do very well indeed! Oh, and good luck with your A Level results

That's great that you have reached a decision (I am not intending to sound patronising here at all, so apologies if I come across that way). Half the problem with not knowing which course to take is the immense pressure of deciding. Hopefully your mind will now be at ease.

It's good that you are making a head-start and are obviously enthusiastic and interested in Science.

Hahaha in the end I actually chose my course when I sat down and wrote my UCAS Personal Statement. I found it was much easier to portray my love and passion for History and books, despite having hands-on intern-ships at various universities for science. So in September I will be going to the University of Edinburgh to study Social History... I cannot contain my excitement!

Good luck