The Student Room Group

How do I pick a degree?

I'm in year 12 and I still have no idea what I want to do! I want to keep my options still fairly wide open... I do biology, history, maths and psychology and think I'll be able to get A*AAa. I'd love to go to Durham... not sure why haha it's just my favourite I've seen :biggrin:

Any advice on what / how I could go about picking a degree?
Get hold of three or four Uni prospectuses (school careers office should have them) and just flick through them and look for courses that interest you. Dont forget to look at courses with 'different' names to standard subjects that might be new to you - American Studies, Development Studies, Criminology etc etc. Its better to look at subject first rather than specific University.

Think about what interests you - not just at school but stuff you do outside school. Do you want to do a straight forward academic subject like History, or something a bit more 'applied' like Clinical Psychology? ie. do you want to do an 'essay' subject or something that involves people?

This is just how you start to narrow down the choices a bit. Going on some Open Days (you can go now, it doesnt have to be the year you apply) to any University (even if it isnt one you might apply to) is always a good idea - it gives you an idea of what 'going to University' might be like.

Finally, if you arent sure that University is for you, or just 'not yet', then step back a bit and take a year out to think things through. With 'known' results and a more focused idea of what you might want to do in life, decisions like this get easier. Remember, you can go to Uni at any stage in your adult life - it doesnt *have* to be as soon as you leave school. so dont just panic and follow the crowd.
Reply 2
Original post by returnmigrant
Get hold of three or four Uni prospectuses (school careers office should have them) and just flick through them and look for courses that interest you. Dont forget to look at courses with 'different' names to standard subjects that might be new to you - American Studies, Development Studies, Criminology etc etc. Its better to look at subject first rather than specific University.

Think about what interests you - not just at school but stuff you do outside school. Do you want to do a straight forward academic subject like History, or something a bit more 'applied' like Clinical Psychology? ie. do you want to do an 'essay' subject or something that involves people?

This is just how you start to narrow down the choices a bit. Going on some Open Days (you can go now, it doesnt have to be the year you apply) to any University (even if it isnt one you might apply to) is always a good idea - it gives you an idea of what 'going to University' might be like.

Finally, if you arent sure that University is for you, or just 'not yet', then step back a bit and take a year out to think things through. With 'known' results and a more focused idea of what you might want to do in life, decisions like this get easier. Remember, you can go to Uni at any stage in your adult life - it doesnt *have* to be as soon as you leave school. so dont just panic and follow the crowd.



I've tried looking through loads of different courses to see which ones I'd like but my subjects seem really limiting :frown:
Original post by dav22
I've tried looking through loads of different courses to see which ones I'd like but my subjects seem really limiting :frown:

In what way? (Given that you have a mixture of 3 sciences and 1 arts subject.)
Not trying to sound harsh here but you should really pick a course, before picking a university. You might not get in to Durham, it's a really good university and is really competitive to get in. You should choose 5 universities to give you the best chance of actually getting a degree.

Think about what interests you, what subjects you like at the moment, what you'd like to study. Go on to UCAS.co.uk and check out their course search for idea's. You could also look at some of the universities you don't want to go to, as they offer free seminars and lectures in specific area's that might interest you - go to open days too as you'll be able to go to subject specific talks.

If you're in year 12 and still don't know, you should possibly look at taking a gap year, as you'll start applying to universities in just 6 months time, at least that'll give you time to get some work experience in different fields etc.
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by dav22
I've tried looking through loads of different courses to see which ones I'd like but my subjects seem really limiting :frown:



Original post by ageshallnot
In what way? (Given that you have a mixture of 3 sciences and 1 arts subject.)


agreed

history is a good humanities subject offering excellent skills
maths is well regarded with many subjects
biology provides the strong science element
psychology is considered science for some courses and provides a range of skills

most courses would consider you to have a strong selection

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