Should I go to university? Stressed about the future.
I'm about to go into Year 13, and I'm taking A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and History. I have no idea what to do when I leave. I know I'm taking a gap year, but is it even worth going to university?
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Original post by chloebeauchamp
I'm about to go into Year 13, and I'm taking A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and History. I have no idea what to do when I leave. I know I'm taking a gap year, but is it even worth going to university?
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
I had similar concerns about this, but decided to go to university. The loans system is setup such that if you earn less than £25,000 you do not have to repay your tuition fees during that time. It is also a fixed 9% of your salary you have to pay when you earn above £25,000, the system is often described as an extra tax for graduates, it is not a normal sort of debt as such.
What is important to evaluate is if you would 1. enjoy going to university and 2. if the career you want to go into requires a degree.
Original post by chloebeauchamp
I'm about to go into Year 13, and I'm taking A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and History. I have no idea what to do when I leave. I know I'm taking a gap year, but is it even worth going to university?
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
If you're taking a gap year, chances are you will figure what you want to do, as you can seek out work experience in fields you are interested in.
The debt is honestly nothing to worry about- you won't pay anything back until you can afford to, and it just feels like tax coming out of your wages. If you don't pay everything back, it gets written off after 30 years. It's not like commercial debt and nothing to be afraid of.
Most people in the UK do manage to live comfortably, especially if they're able to avoid living in a city with high housing costs. Medicine or another healthcare job would be good in that you're not tied to a specific location.
You don't have to do a degree straight away though. If you enjoy maths, have you thought about accountancy- which has many non-degree routes in.
Hi, hope you are well. I am a student currently studying at UCLan going to my final year. I was in your position 3 years ago and I have not regretted it one bit since I have been here. I think a lot of people have these fears about going to university so you're not on your own.
As the person above has mentioned I would suggest during your gap year trying to see whether the job you wish to go onto requires a degree or not, as this will help you to make your decision. You could also consider looking into degree apprenticeships as lots of universities offer these and some are funded. It might be worth doing some work experience in your gap year, ideally in the areas you wish to go into as this will help you to decide if you like it or not.
Ultimately, this is your decision (and it is a big one!). But, as a current university student I thought it might be useful for me to go through some of the pros of university.
For Uni
- Graduates generally earn more money in the long run.
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Graduates-more-likely-to-be-in-employment-and-earn-more-than-non-graduates-new-statistics.aspx
- The life experience is really valuable (things like the opportunity to live away from home, freedom, and independence)
- Meet new amazing people and friends
- Learn in depth about something you are interested in.
- Gain a degree, which is always valuable to any future employer.
In terms of the debt, have you tried looking at Student Finance England website?
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance
There is lots of information on there about repaying your loan, etc.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any questions about university life that you might have (we do offer engineering, medicine and maths courses at UCLan)
Thank you
Saal
As the person above has mentioned I would suggest during your gap year trying to see whether the job you wish to go onto requires a degree or not, as this will help you to make your decision. You could also consider looking into degree apprenticeships as lots of universities offer these and some are funded. It might be worth doing some work experience in your gap year, ideally in the areas you wish to go into as this will help you to decide if you like it or not.
Ultimately, this is your decision (and it is a big one!). But, as a current university student I thought it might be useful for me to go through some of the pros of university.
For Uni
- Graduates generally earn more money in the long run.
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Graduates-more-likely-to-be-in-employment-and-earn-more-than-non-graduates-new-statistics.aspx
- The life experience is really valuable (things like the opportunity to live away from home, freedom, and independence)
- Meet new amazing people and friends
- Learn in depth about something you are interested in.
- Gain a degree, which is always valuable to any future employer.
In terms of the debt, have you tried looking at Student Finance England website?
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance
There is lots of information on there about repaying your loan, etc.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any questions about university life that you might have (we do offer engineering, medicine and maths courses at UCLan)
Thank you
Saal
Original post by chloebeauchamp
I'm about to go into Year 13, and I'm taking A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and History. I have no idea what to do when I leave. I know I'm taking a gap year, but is it even worth going to university?
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
U should have a talk with ur career department when summer holiday ends
Original post by alws
I had similar concerns about this, but decided to go to university. The loans system is setup such that if you earn less than £25,000 you do not have to repay your tuition fees during that time. It is also a fixed 9% of your salary you have to pay when you earn above £25,000, the system is often described as an extra tax for graduates, it is not a normal sort of debt as such.
What is important to evaluate is if you would 1. enjoy going to university and 2. if the career you want to go into requires a degree.
What is important to evaluate is if you would 1. enjoy going to university and 2. if the career you want to go into requires a degree.
All of the information on tuition fees is really helpful. It doesn't seem like so much of a problem anymore, I'll take my year out to consider which field I want to go into and if a degree will be necessary. Thank you!
Original post by chloebeauchamp
All of the information on tuition fees is really helpful. It doesn't seem like so much of a problem anymore, I'll take my year out to consider which field I want to go into and if a degree will be necessary. Thank you!
No problem!
I really hope you are happy with whatever you choose in the end and that everything works out. Good luck and enjoy your gap year!Original post by SarcAndSpark
If you're taking a gap year, chances are you will figure what you want to do, as you can seek out work experience in fields you are interested in.
The debt is honestly nothing to worry about- you won't pay anything back until you can afford to, and it just feels like tax coming out of your wages. If you don't pay everything back, it gets written off after 30 years. It's not like commercial debt and nothing to be afraid of.
Most people in the UK do manage to live comfortably, especially if they're able to avoid living in a city with high housing costs. Medicine or another healthcare job would be good in that you're not tied to a specific location.
You don't have to do a degree straight away though. If you enjoy maths, have you thought about accountancy- which has many non-degree routes in.
The debt is honestly nothing to worry about- you won't pay anything back until you can afford to, and it just feels like tax coming out of your wages. If you don't pay everything back, it gets written off after 30 years. It's not like commercial debt and nothing to be afraid of.
Most people in the UK do manage to live comfortably, especially if they're able to avoid living in a city with high housing costs. Medicine or another healthcare job would be good in that you're not tied to a specific location.
You don't have to do a degree straight away though. If you enjoy maths, have you thought about accountancy- which has many non-degree routes in.
Yes, I'm going to get work experience in a few different areas before applying to figure out the career I want to go into. The tuition fees don't seem like that big a problem anymore, and I'll take my year out to decide if a degree route is necessary. Thank you for all of the information!
Original post by UCLan Ambassador
Hi, hope you are well. I am a student currently studying at UCLan going to my final year. I was in your position 3 years ago and I have not regretted it one bit since I have been here. I think a lot of people have these fears about going to university so you're not on your own.
As the person above has mentioned I would suggest during your gap year trying to see whether the job you wish to go onto requires a degree or not, as this will help you to make your decision. You could also consider looking into degree apprenticeships as lots of universities offer these and some are funded. It might be worth doing some work experience in your gap year, ideally in the areas you wish to go into as this will help you to decide if you like it or not.
Ultimately, this is your decision (and it is a big one!). But, as a current university student I thought it might be useful for me to go through some of the pros of university.
For Uni
- Graduates generally earn more money in the long run.
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Graduates-more-likely-to-be-in-employment-and-earn-more-than-non-graduates-new-statistics.aspx
- The life experience is really valuable (things like the opportunity to live away from home, freedom, and independence)
- Meet new amazing people and friends
- Learn in depth about something you are interested in.
- Gain a degree, which is always valuable to any future employer.
In terms of the debt, have you tried looking at Student Finance England website?
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance
There is lots of information on there about repaying your loan, etc.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any questions about university life that you might have (we do offer engineering, medicine and maths courses at UCLan)
Thank you
Saal
As the person above has mentioned I would suggest during your gap year trying to see whether the job you wish to go onto requires a degree or not, as this will help you to make your decision. You could also consider looking into degree apprenticeships as lots of universities offer these and some are funded. It might be worth doing some work experience in your gap year, ideally in the areas you wish to go into as this will help you to decide if you like it or not.
Ultimately, this is your decision (and it is a big one!). But, as a current university student I thought it might be useful for me to go through some of the pros of university.
For Uni
- Graduates generally earn more money in the long run.
https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/news/Pages/Graduates-more-likely-to-be-in-employment-and-earn-more-than-non-graduates-new-statistics.aspx
- The life experience is really valuable (things like the opportunity to live away from home, freedom, and independence)
- Meet new amazing people and friends
- Learn in depth about something you are interested in.
- Gain a degree, which is always valuable to any future employer.
In terms of the debt, have you tried looking at Student Finance England website?
https://www.gov.uk/browse/education/student-finance
There is lots of information on there about repaying your loan, etc.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to ask any questions about university life that you might have (we do offer engineering, medicine and maths courses at UCLan)
Thank you
Saal
I'll definitely find work experience in areas I'm interested in during my gap year, I think this will help me decide upon a career choice. Thank you for the information on degree apprenticeships, I never really considered that as an option but will definitely look into it now. It seems like it is worth going to university if I decide on a career that requires a degree, and the information on tuition fees is really helpful. Thanks again!
Original post by 17fungl
U should have a talk with ur career department when summer holiday ends
Yes, I definitely will. Hopefully they can help me decide which fields to look into. Thanks!
When I first started year 13 I was sure I wasn’t gunna go to uni but I still applied, no harm in that and you have months to accept offers etc, and I’m so glad I did because I decided I want to go and found the course I want to have a career in, apply, talk to the mentors at your sixth form and careers advisors, there is no harm in apply during your gap year for 2 years time and most people don’t end up paying off their student loan. Also we had a massive seminar at my college about how it is paid off and it’s only like £2 a month when you start earning £20,000 (think that’s changing to £25,000 now though), then like £12 when you start earn £50,000 it’s a very slow process and won’t put you in debt don’t worry, it literally comes off in the smaller amounts then gets written off after a certain amount of time think it’s 50 years so don’t worry about the debt. Only thing is maintenance loan if you live at uni but if you live at home there is none of that
It’s not a bad idea at all to take a gap year and figure out what you want to do in the future
Original post by chloebeauchamp
Yes, I'm going to get work experience in a few different areas before applying to figure out the career I want to go into. The tuition fees don't seem like that big a problem anymore, and I'll take my year out to decide if a degree route is necessary. Thank you for all of the information!
No problem. Sounds like you have good plans for your gap year- good luck!
What you could try to do in these situations, is ask yourself what skills do you have and which degree route (if a degree) would help you utilise those skills to make the biggest difference you can to society. I have a pretty broad range of interests and so that's how I narrowed it down.
Also, with Medicine and Maths you're guaranteed a job at the end. And with the way the world is now, engineers are in high demand, and this demand will only increase as technology progresses. So if it's down to those three, don't worry about not getting a job at the end of it.
Also, with Medicine and Maths you're guaranteed a job at the end. And with the way the world is now, engineers are in high demand, and this demand will only increase as technology progresses. So if it's down to those three, don't worry about not getting a job at the end of it.
(edited 5 years ago)
Other subject options could include Earth Sciences (e.g. Geology, Oceaography, etc) Computer Science, or Economics. This is even before considering the subjects which don't require any specific background such as Anthropology, Archaeology, Psychology, most other Social Sciences, most Business courses, and a number of other humanities subjects...I would note a few Maths courses require Further Maths to at least AS (or sometimes full A-level), and even for those that don't, if you wanted to pursue that angle it would be helpful to pursue FM during your gap year, both to prepare you better for the degree and also to avoid the potential to "go rusty" during your gap year - one reason gap years are often less well regarded for applying to Maths (some universities actively discourage potential Maths applicants to take a gap year if they aren't doing something mathematically related in it).
It's also worth thinking about longer term career options, and realising that most don't require a specific degree subject/background to go into. A few, however do - Law, Medicine, Engineering; most allied health professions, and Vet Med/Dentistry are the main ones, although there are potentially other routes into these through graduate courses. A lot of STEM roles require some STEM background, but it doesn't always need to be in an exact subject. There are a fair few software development roles which will take on graduates from any numerate degree (normally STEM subjects and Economics, although some other degrees may qualify, and some within the STEM realm, particularly biosciences, may not be suitably quantitative). However, for business/finance/banking/accounting generally (as well as other more generalist positions in e.g. NGOs, media, etc), no specific subject is necessary as there are grad schemes which accept any background, provided you do well enough and go to a good uni (for banking roles specifically this applies).
So, don't assume you're now going to be making the decision which will determine the rest of your life - focus on choosing something you genuinely enjoy and want to study, and pursue that as far as you continue enjoying it. If you find nothing really appeals in terms of studying it, then maybe look at apprenticeships and jobs and spend some time working. You may find you want to stick with that route, and if you decide you do want to go to uni after all, it's still there as an option. It's better to take some time out and figure out what you want to do (albeit, while doing productive things like working or maybe trying some OU modules in different areas) then apply, then go blindly into something you aren't committed to because it's expected for you to go to uni, but you have no idea to what end. If for no other reason, than to preserve your SFE funding, which is finite and can present pretty major difficulties in going back to uni if you start on the wrong subject and then don't leave/change until two or more years into the course, or if you change course several times.
On this last point, I am speaking from experience of someone who did just go to uni as described
It's also worth thinking about longer term career options, and realising that most don't require a specific degree subject/background to go into. A few, however do - Law, Medicine, Engineering; most allied health professions, and Vet Med/Dentistry are the main ones, although there are potentially other routes into these through graduate courses. A lot of STEM roles require some STEM background, but it doesn't always need to be in an exact subject. There are a fair few software development roles which will take on graduates from any numerate degree (normally STEM subjects and Economics, although some other degrees may qualify, and some within the STEM realm, particularly biosciences, may not be suitably quantitative). However, for business/finance/banking/accounting generally (as well as other more generalist positions in e.g. NGOs, media, etc), no specific subject is necessary as there are grad schemes which accept any background, provided you do well enough and go to a good uni (for banking roles specifically this applies).
So, don't assume you're now going to be making the decision which will determine the rest of your life - focus on choosing something you genuinely enjoy and want to study, and pursue that as far as you continue enjoying it. If you find nothing really appeals in terms of studying it, then maybe look at apprenticeships and jobs and spend some time working. You may find you want to stick with that route, and if you decide you do want to go to uni after all, it's still there as an option. It's better to take some time out and figure out what you want to do (albeit, while doing productive things like working or maybe trying some OU modules in different areas) then apply, then go blindly into something you aren't committed to because it's expected for you to go to uni, but you have no idea to what end. If for no other reason, than to preserve your SFE funding, which is finite and can present pretty major difficulties in going back to uni if you start on the wrong subject and then don't leave/change until two or more years into the course, or if you change course several times.
On this last point, I am speaking from experience of someone who did just go to uni as described
Original post by chloebeauchamp
I'm about to go into Year 13, and I'm taking A Levels in Maths, Chemistry and History. I have no idea what to do when I leave. I know I'm taking a gap year, but is it even worth going to university?
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Possible Degrees:
- Maths
- Engineering
- Medicine?
I've always wanted to go, but I'm not sure its worth getting into so much debt when I'm not even guaranteed a high earning job at the end of it. I'm literally losing sleep over the thought of not being able to live comfortably in the future, I have no idea what to do. Please help!
Hi Chloe,
My name is Kat and I very recently graduated from uni. I was in the exact same shoes as you - I liked a range of subjects and didn't necessarily want to narrow it down. It's very easy to get overwhelmed at the thought of deciding your whole future with one choice!
My advice to you is to visit lots of university Open Days. Once you attend an open day, you're able to get a feel for different courses on offer at each institution. You can organise your day to attend a number of different subject talks in one day, meaning you can compare Maths and Engineering and see which one you get a better feel for.
At Open Days you can also speak to course leaders about your concerns, meet possible future course mates, and get a feel for the city and campus.
When I was visiting open days I was attending talks in Maths, Art and Geography (weird mix of subjects!!!), but meeting course leaders and knowing what the courses had to offer at each different university really helped me to refine my decision.
I hope this helps in your search for the ideal course! Go to open days! It's worth it!
Good luck
KatQuick Reply
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