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Should I study classics and ancient history?

Hello, I come from Hong Kong and I am going to apply for UK universities. I am really interested in classics and ancient history but I've never learned anything related to it before. Also, many of my friends are going to study business, medical and architecture, which are very popular in hk. Some of them even never heard of classics before. Do you think I should apply for this course in uni?

Reply 1

If you are interested and passionate about it then go for it! I studied Classics at A-Level, and it was HARD. It is quite a difficult subject, a combination of languages (Ancient Greek and Latin), architecture, arts, history, politics and philosphy! Although, it was fascinating to learn and I did really enjoy it. I obviously don't know how this would compare to doing it at university, but I'm sure if you read more about the courses that you are interested in then you can find more details about these particular courses :smile: Also consider what you'd like to do in the future, as jobs within these subjects are quite limited, but if you wish to do one of these jobs then that is fine.

Good luck!
If you're interested in the subject and motivated to pursue, it's certainly worth going for. Medicine and Architecture are specific vocational courses, so if you don't want to go into those vocations they aren't worth comparing. Business may seem like a vocation oriented course, but in reality it isn't (at least in the UK/US) until MBA level (which doesn't require a business degree to pursue).

Generally business (and finance) roles in the UK/US/similar will accept any degree background to go into, except some roles which may prefer/require a numerate background (e.g. from pursuing a STEM subject). However the vast majority will accept any degree background, and if they have any preference it's usually regarding where you get your degree rather than what you get it in. Thus a Classics background is acceptable for the majority of graduate roles in the business realm anyway (especially if you go to e.g. Oxbridge/UCL or similar...).

As above though, it isn't an easy degree (although most employers are likely to recognise this and may consider that favourably) but as with any course you're actually interested in and/or able and willing to engage with, it's undoubtedly rewarding in itself.

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