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

Please please help me find a course for Uni

I am currently nearing the end of my AS levels without a clue as to what I wish to pursue at university as is evident by my A Level choices (Economics, English Language, Biology). The only thing that I know for sure is that I want to go to a university in Manchester but have no clue which course to choose.

Any possible suggestions would be very much appreciated even though it is probably hard to find a respectable degree with these subjects. Once again I would be very thankful if you could help me and I'm willing to answer any questions.

Reply 1

Blue56

There's nothing wrong with mixed A-Level choices at all. There's no use in merely throwing courses at you that you could do - there's too many with those combinations of A-Levels.

What are your interests is a clear route to go down first? Are you looking to write a lot of essays and go down the BA route? Or do you enjoy Biology more, and would you consider a BSc route?

The Manchester unis I know of are: University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Salford and University of Bolton. Depending on what your AS results are you can narrow it down!

One thing i'd say is the application process starts very early on in A2 - don't rush it. If you don't know what course you want to do, take a gap year and apply in that gap year. Honestly, don't let anyone rush you either.

Reply 2

AmyAintDead

UKCourseFinder is an amazing tool that gives you a quiz on your personal interests and then shows you courses you may want to do in Uni. It's helped out a few friends of mine. You also out what courses you're doing on the quiz so you know what course you can attend and how many UCAS points you need.

http://www.ukcoursefinder.com/default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fquestionnaire.aspx

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Reply 3

TenOfThem

Original post by orangesauce

....

My daughter was in a similar position 12 months ago

This is the process we went through

Read through EVERY single degree title on UCAS and not anything that took her fancy

Look at the university sites for the courses of interest and check if the course content matched the initial interest

We narrowed down to 3 or 4 courses and then went on some university open days attending lectures on each of these and talking to the staff etc

She narrowed her choice after that and was able to focus on picking universities

Good luck

Reply 4

You!Me!Dancing!

Agree with the above. Also sometimes it helps thinking about the kind of career you want, and what skills are needed for it. But if you're still not 100% sure, you can always take a gap year. It's better than signing up for a course that you end up regretting :smile:

Reply 5

returnmigrant

A few things to do:

1. Get hold of 3 or 4 Uni prospectuses (or websites) and go through them, reading the details of any courses that interest you regardless of the A levels you are currently doing. Dont forget to look at joint subject courses or those with unfamiliar names like Development Studies, Social Anthropolgy, Forensic Science, Environmental Studies, Economic History, Human Biology etc etc. Also, look at Unis beyond Manchester - you may find different courses that Manchester doesnt offer. Also think about the chance of doing a course that has a Year Abroad or a work placement - which Unis offer this?

2. Think about what things you like doing outside school. Do they involve lots of 'people contact' or more 'on my own'. This gives you a clue about whether you want to do something 'applied' (real life situations) or more abstract (academic study for its own sake). An example of this is 'Allied Health' like Physiotherapy compared to straight 'Biology'.

3. Go to some Open Days. There will be some at most Unis in June/July and everyone thinking of going to Uni is welcome. Look at local Uni websites and book yourself a place. Just 'seeing' a Uni can sometimes help you focus on why you want to go/what interests you.

4. A useful website: www.whatuni.com You can search on a general subject and get a list of all the Unis that offer courses that involve that subject. There there are also filters where you can limit the search to an area of the country or your expected A level grades/points.

5. Look also at www.notgoingtouni.com This will give you ideas about alternatives to Uni/Gap Year while you think about what you want to do at Uni without the pressure of A levels & school. Remember you dont have to go to Uni straight from school - if you arent entirely sure about a subject this can sometimes be better that just picking a 'maybe' subject and not actually enjoying it.

6. Whatever you decide to do, remember that you dont have to make a firm decision about your 5 UCAS choices until January 2014. DONT panic and apply too early - lots of people do and then have the drama of trying to 'unpick' their application to make changes.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 6

orangesauce

Thanks a lot for the tips guys. I have an interest in creative writing (but decided against going down that route due to employability). I was thinking about BA Economics but not sure what it would be like. Any other course suggestions would be appreciated!

Reply 7

ageshallnot

How about something that covers different disciplines, such as http://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate-study/degrees/ubbascsing05 ?

Reply 8

returnmigrant

Creative Writing - dont do this as a 'named' degree. It sounds like something you do at Primary School and yes, employers dont take it seriously. If you look at most 'Engllsh' or 'English Literature' degrees, they include CW units - but the degree name sounds far more respectable.

Economics - look at courses called Development Economics or Development Studies or International Development. Study of economics-type issues for Developing countries. Many courses include either a Year Abroad or a work placement. More 'people' focussed than straight Economics. Example : http://www.uea.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/degree/detail/ba-international-development-with-economics-with-overseas-experience

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 9

Collosopede

You've had some great advice here. Sounds like you're not aiming towards Biology anyway, but if you do have the inclination, check out course entry requirements carefully as many, if not most, ask for chemistry somewhere along the line...

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