The Student Room Group

Should I go to Uni?? I really don't know please help?

Hey guys was just looking for some advice as I'm really struggling on making a decision. I left sixth form 2 years ago and I was going to go straight to uni to study Film in London but I then cancelled at the last minute as I didn't want to go and wanted to work/travel/try and get into the industry on my own. So I've done that now and I've realised how dead full time work is and how dead where I live is, so I was going to go to UWE to study Film. But with the pandemic it has thrown me so I don't know whether to go this year now due to the amount of restrictions there will be to my course and nightlife etc. But, I'm not sure if it I would want to take 3 years out like is that too much but is it worth taking it so I do get the full uni experience?
Original post by matt979
Hey guys was just looking for some advice as I'm really struggling on making a decision. I left sixth form 2 years ago and I was going to go straight to uni to study Film in London but I then cancelled at the last minute as I didn't want to go and wanted to work/travel/try and get into the industry on my own. So I've done that now and I've realised how dead full time work is and how dead where I live is, so I was going to go to UWE to study Film. But with the pandemic it has thrown me so I don't know whether to go this year now due to the amount of restrictions there will be to my course and nightlife etc. But, I'm not sure if it I would want to take 3 years out like is that too much but is it worth taking it so I do get the full uni experience?


Hi matt, I think 3 years are too much ! You can take or less !
Reply 2
Original post by matt979
Hey guys was just looking for some advice as I'm really struggling on making a decision. I left sixth form 2 years ago and I was going to go straight to uni to study Film in London but I then cancelled at the last minute as I didn't want to go and wanted to work/travel/try and get into the industry on my own. So I've done that now and I've realised how dead full time work is and how dead where I live is, so I was going to go to UWE to study Film. But with the pandemic it has thrown me so I don't know whether to go this year now due to the amount of restrictions there will be to my course and nightlife etc. But, I'm not sure if it I would want to take 3 years out like is that too much but is it worth taking it so I do get the full uni experience?

Hi, it's super hard right now because everything is so up in the air, we don't know if uni will get back to normal in 3 months, 6 months or a year so it's hard to make a decision on whether you will get the full university experience.. however you have said you want to go to uni because you are finding it hard to get a job in that particular area without a degree, which you will get with or without this pandemic?

So I would write up the pros and cons and the reasons you really want to go to university and then go from there, if it's to focus on getting a degree then definitely go, if it's to have the 'university experience' then maybe right now isn't the best time as you may not get the full experience.. good luck either way!
Reply 3
Original post by Noahjack99
Hi matt, I think 3 years are too much ! You can take or less !

How come you think 3 years out is too much man?
Reply 4
Original post by Abzzz57
Hi, it's super hard right now because everything is so up in the air, we don't know if uni will get back to normal in 3 months, 6 months or a year so it's hard to make a decision on whether you will get the full university experience.. however you have said you want to go to uni because you are finding it hard to get a job in that particular area without a degree, which you will get with or without this pandemic?

So I would write up the pros and cons and the reasons you really want to go to university and then go from there, if it's to focus on getting a degree then definitely go, if it's to have the 'university experience' then maybe right now isn't the best time as you may not get the full experience.. good luck either way!

Hey thanks for the advice! Yeah that is very true, I would say its about 50/50, the degree and the uni experience are equally important for me so there would definitely be a reason to defer. However, I hate my current job and am so bored of my hometown right now and wanted a mix up and a change of environment. So yeah, it is a difficult one.
Reply 5
Original post by matt979
Hey thanks for the advice! Yeah that is very true, I would say its about 50/50, the degree and the uni experience are equally important for me so there would definitely be a reason to defer. However, I hate my current job and am so bored of my hometown right now and wanted a mix up and a change of environment. So yeah, it is a difficult one.

Ah okay! Yeah if they are both equal then it's a hard one.. have you already applied and been excepted or would you need to apply through clearing? Thing is even if first year is online you would still have 2 years to go out and enjoy uni life but then again I think first year is meant to be the best!
Reply 6
Original post by Abzzz57
Ah okay! Yeah if they are both equal then it's a hard one.. have you already applied and been excepted or would you need to apply through clearing? Thing is even if first year is online you would still have 2 years to go out and enjoy uni life but then again I think first year is meant to be the best!

Yeah it is so hard to decide and the time to decide is running out! Yeah all applied for, got an unconditional and have applied for accommodation and everything. Yeah exactly first year is the year for socialising and going out and everything and that probably wouldn't be possible if I went this year.
If you've got an offer to go this year, I would just go this year tbh. We've got no idea when all the corona stuff is going to calm down, we don't know when there'll be a vaccine or how effective it'll be. There could be an even stricter lock down this time next year that means most people can't move to uni.
Idk about your uni and course, but mine is remaining largely the same, especially practical elements. I'm sure you'll still be able to go into see lecturers if you need to, and there should be SOME in-person teaching.
And as for freshers week, it is not worth taking a gap year (or 3 for that matter), which is likely to be pretty uneventful due to restrictions on travelling and most places aren't really hiring for workers or people looking for experience, for the sake of one week. I know a lot of freshers it to be incredible, and for many, it will be really fun, but there will be many more opportunities to have fun.
Reply 8
Original post by remussjhj01
If you've got an offer to go this year, I would just go this year tbh. We've got no idea when all the corona stuff is going to calm down, we don't know when there'll be a vaccine or how effective it'll be. There could be an even stricter lock down this time next year that means most people can't move to uni.
Idk about your uni and course, but mine is remaining largely the same, especially practical elements. I'm sure you'll still be able to go into see lecturers if you need to, and there should be SOME in-person teaching.
And as for freshers week, it is not worth taking a gap year (or 3 for that matter), which is likely to be pretty uneventful due to restrictions on travelling and most places aren't really hiring for workers or people looking for experience, for the sake of one week. I know a lot of freshers it to be incredible, and for many, it will be really fun, but there will be many more opportunities to have fun.

Yeah that is true I definitely agree with what you're saying that's why I'm in this predicament hahaha I literally can't decide either way. I would be doing Film Production at UWE Bristol so the course would be impacted quite a lot because it would mainly be in the studios and being on set so i'm not sure how it would work. But i do think that the situation will be a lot better and more normal by next September and the social side is a big thing for me. Plus, if there is a second wave of Covid then I wouldn't really want to be at uni when that happens. Hmmm.
Original post by matt979
Hey guys was just looking for some advice as I'm really struggling on making a decision. I left sixth form 2 years ago and I was going to go straight to uni to study Film in London but I then cancelled at the last minute as I didn't want to go and wanted to work/travel/try and get into the industry on my own. So I've done that now and I've realised how dead full time work is and how dead where I live is, so I was going to go to UWE to study Film. But with the pandemic it has thrown me so I don't know whether to go this year now due to the amount of restrictions there will be to my course and nightlife etc. But, I'm not sure if it I would want to take 3 years out like is that too much but is it worth taking it so I do get the full uni experience?

Hi Matt,

Firstly, there is no "right answer". When making a decision like whether to go to university or not, I would write down your priorities. What is it that you want? When I was in your place after sixth form, I wanted to continue learning, and know more about business (the area I wanted to progress in).

I would recommend making a pros and cons list, maybe even speak to family and friends. If the pros either outweigh or maybe outnumber the cons, then the university may be a great choice for you. But if you feel that you can achieve your career goals in alternative ways, that for you, are more attractive and beneficial then go ahead with those. From my personal experience, university was more than just a degree, it was also about student life, meeting people from very diverse backgrounds, learning, and opting for study abroad options. But it is an investment of your time and money for the next few years.

Good luck :smile:

Ishani
Original post by matt979
Yeah that is true I definitely agree with what you're saying that's why I'm in this predicament hahaha I literally can't decide either way. I would be doing Film Production at UWE Bristol so the course would be impacted quite a lot because it would mainly be in the studios and being on set so i'm not sure how it would work. But i do think that the situation will be a lot better and more normal by next September and the social side is a big thing for me. Plus, if there is a second wave of Covid then I wouldn't really want to be at uni when that happens. Hmmm.

Well, because you NEED to do the studio work, they'll probably either do that as planned, but with smaller classes and socially distanced, sort you into bubbles, or move the modules that require that kind of thing to later in the year.
It's likely you will have a mixed freshers, with some online stuff, and some in person stuff, unless you have a particularly big uni. As I said, deferring because of freshers is just not worth it. You're not going to be totally isolated, you will still have opportunities to make friends.
Fair enough not wanting to be up there if there's another wave, but we don't know if a second wave will be big enough to warrant another lock down or anything, and many students travelled home during the last lock down, if that's what you're worried about.
At the end of the day, you can do what you want, I just personally don't think it's worth deferring.

Quick Reply

Latest