Can't make up my mind help!

Ok so its coming up on the deadline and i still can't decide whether or not to go to Uni (law and criminology at brighton is what i'm booked on) i'm honestly thinking about deferring for another year if i can. On one hand i don't want to put myself in debt and be broke for a few years but on the other hand i don't want to never go and miss out on what sounds like a very unique experience- could anybody tell me if it's actually worth it? Preferably anyone who's completed it/near the end of their course

Reply 1

midwolf

You could defer and go into a related apprenticeship for a year to help you decide? With an apprenticeship you get a helpful qualification and paid whilst you do it. And of course work experience. I don't mean to sound like an advert but I don't think people really entertain the possibility of apprenticeships.

If you decide to go to uni, great, you can use the money you've earned to make yourself more comfy at uni, or pay off your debt. If you don't decide you want to go to university, that's fine too, you might be hired full time after your apprenticeship.

Personally I'm going along the route of level 4 (foundation degree) and so on via apprenticeships. Avoiding the debt and getting equivalent qualifications.

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Reply 2

BoxyJr

Go to Uni. Never let debt sway your decision. See it as a graduate tax, not a debt overhang.

Reply 3

username901698

Don't go if you don't want to/you're not sure. I deferred my place and then went to uni because I wanted to leave home and move to London and i wasn't sure what else to do - the course itself (Social Anthropology) was barely on my mind. I struggled to engage with the course and so struggled to complete all the reading (which was a big deal at my uni) so I wasn't doing very well which took a huge toll on my self-esteem. I quit on the day of my first exam after Easter, having got so depressed that I hadn't left my room for about 2 weeks. This is not to scare you, but it's just to say you should be sure that you want it. I ended up with £11,000 of debt and a course of counselling.

A year later, having worked as a teaching assistant, I'm now going to do a Primary Teaching degree. I'd worked as a TA on my gap year and missed working with kids while I was at uni (my halls were right next to a primary school which kept it in my mind hah!). And there is a huge difference about how I feel now. Yes I want to go because I want to move to Brighton and meet interesting people, and yes I'm excited to put stuff up in my little halls room and find some nice societies to join. But I'm also really quite genuinely excited to learn about child development and how to improve as a teacher and what the best ways are to teach children with special needs. YOU know if you really want this or not. And it's not the be-all and end-all if you don't go this year. If you are really interested, you'll come back to it.

The other thing is flip a coin, heads to go, tails to defer. Are you hoping one way or the other? Are you disappointed when it says you should take a year?

Good luck with your choice, I hope you make the best one for you!

Reply 4

jamesmb97

Hey guys just an update i deferred for another year while i thought it over- i don't think i will go in the near future- on one hand i worked hard to get on this course and it'd irk me to cancel my spot, but at the end of the day i don't think law holds the same attraction to me that it did when i first applied, and seeing as practically every person in law has told me law is very demanding, ultimately i think the best thing for me right now would be to leave it for now (i'll cancel my place closer to the time) and reapply later on (probably in my early 20's) if there's a course i like the look of,as there's no point me doing a demanding course if my heart isn't really in it.

Reply 5

BeccaRendell

Original post by jamesmb97

If it doesn't feel right for you at the moment there is no shame in that :smile:

Universities will understand! I didn't completely know what i wanted to study until about 8 months ago. If i had decided to go to university when i was 18 i would of ended up on a course that i may notof wanted to peruse later on in life.

Instead i worked as many different things until i started my business apprenticeship, where i found my passion for leadership. I then spent 3 years working full time for 2 different companies and studying with the OU.

I'm 21 now and am starting at OUB Eastbourne this September, now i feel ready for university and have the real life knowledge to cope with finances ect.

Overall you just have to do what's right for you :smile: