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Unsure whether computer science is for me?

Hi there,

So at the moment I am studying A Level maths, further maths, physics and economics. I recently sent off my UCAS application for university and have applied for computer science at all my universities.

Leading up to me wanting to study computer science, I was very unsure about what I wanted to study. I started off thinking of doing engineering in early June (as this was a subject that many of my friends in my classes were going to do). After looking around the engineering department of some universities, I didn't like the practical side of the courses - I enjoy the problem solving of maths and physics problems but not the practical side of making cars, etc. I also couldn't imagine myself working for engineering companies at construction sites, developed cars, or engines, etc.

So, I then thought I could do joint physics and maths, as it combines both problem solving and my interest in topics such as astronomy (which I may have specialised into later). By doing this I thought I would have a lot of options open, as most universities allow you to switch to doing one of the two you've selected in the second year (or keep on both).If for whatever reason I found the physics too hard I could switch to just the maths. In the end, I was put off doing this as I thought doing just physics would leave me with bad job prospects compared to studying another STEM subject.

Later, as I got back to school after the summer holidays the difficultly of the further maths content increased and I began to struggle with it. More recently, I've been grasping concepts a lot easier, but at the time I felt like studying maths was no longer for me. So, I had a look at computer science. Computer science felt good as it has both maths and (unlike the "labs" in physics and engineering) more programming modules. I've done some programming previously in Python and HTML, so I knew that these were things that I was interested in. Computer science also has great graduate prospects so that's always a plus.

So it comes to the end of November and I've written my personal statement for computer science and then submitted it off on UCAS after getting teachers to look at it, etc.

Once again, I'm now unsure whether computer science is for me. Looking at the CS courses I've applied for, they don't seem to have as much maths as I perhaps would have liked, and focus more on the hardware and software of computer science (topics which I am less interested in). Having not studied computer science at A Level, I feel as though my previous experiences with computer science have been changed by myself over time due to having done it when I was a lot younger (and therefore learning stuff that was easier) and also it being a long time ago (and so my memory of it is less clear).

Overall, I am really stressed about having actually applied and now having doubts as to whether this is the subject that I am actually wanting to study. Can anyone provide any advice, or experience of there own that might help me?

Thank you!

Edit: Despite that it may seem from reading this, I have done an absolute tonne of research into courses, universities, etc. I think maybe one think that has contributed to me being so unsure is overanalysing what universities and courses say.
(edited 5 years ago)
Some CS degrees have a lot of IT content, but some of them have a more flexible structure in that you can pick and choose nearly all your modules (especially in third year) so you can probably avoid quite a bit of the practical stuff
Reply 2
Original post by ambiplasma
Some CS degrees have a lot of IT content, but some of them have a more flexible structure in that you can pick and choose nearly all your modules (especially in third year) so you can probably avoid quite a bit of the practical stuff


Thanks for the reply! I'll have a look at the unis that I have applied to and choose out of those the one that is most flexible probably!
I'd note, not all engineers work directly on cars, construction sites etc - in fact, I'd wager the majority don't. A lot of engineering is just sitting in an office writing MATLAB code, or working on various other modelling softwares. Engineers aren't technicians or mechanics - they don't "put things together" unless they choose to generally. They focus on the underlying design and theory of the systems in question, and when they are doing "practical" stuff it's usually from an experimental perspective (testing new things and getting data from these tests to analyse and use in the design process to make changes and improvements). Similarly while civil engineers will go on site visits, they aren't going to be doing carpentry and welding while they are there (unless they want to maybe). Such visits are usually focused a lot more on the management side of things, making sure the project is running correctly and seeing first hand any issues that may arise (technical or managerial) so they can then go away and look for ways to remedy those.

That aside, the hardware and software stuff you reference is...computer science. It's framed in a mathematical format typically and you'll develop mathematical skills to support that, but the point is you're learning about the science of computers - which is that, how hardware and software interact and how to develop the two sides separately and together. While again, you aren't learning to be a "technician" and will be focusing on the fundamental theory underlying the design and implementation of these things, you are still going to be learning about computers, that is sort of the point.

Perhaps you could consider taking a gap year and applying to a degree in mathematics (or a joint honours in maths and CS) if you are mainly interested in the theoretical perspectives?

, @Doonesbury and @Blue_Cow might have some more thoughts as they know more about the CS side than me :tongue:
(edited 5 years ago)
Original post by ArcticSnows
Hi there,

So at the moment I am studying A Level maths, further maths, physics and economics. I recently sent off my UCAS application for university and have applied for computer science at all my universities.

Leading up to me wanting to study computer science, I was very unsure about what I wanted to study. I started off thinking of doing engineering in early June (as this was a subject that many of my friends in my classes were going to do). After looking around the engineering department of some universities, I didn't like the practical side of the courses - I enjoy the problem solving of maths and physics problems but not the practical side of making cars, etc. I also couldn't imagine myself working for engineering companies at construction sites, developed cars, or engines, etc.

So, I then thought I could do joint physics and maths, as it combines both problem solving and my interest in topics such as astronomy (which I may have specialised into later). By doing this I thought I would have a lot of options open, as most universities allow you to switch to doing one of the two you've selected in the second year (or keep on both).If for whatever reason I found the physics too hard I could switch to just the maths. In the end, I was put off doing this as I thought doing just physics would leave me with bad job prospects compared to studying another STEM subject.

Later, as I got back to school after the summer holidays the difficultly of the further maths content increased and I began to struggle with it. More recently, I've been grasping concepts a lot easier, but at the time I felt like studying maths was no longer for me. So, I had a look at computer science. Computer science felt good as it has both maths and (unlike the "labs" in physics and engineering) more programming modules. I've done some programming previously in Python and HTML, so I knew that these were things that I was interested in. Computer science also has great graduate prospects so that's always a plus.

So it comes to the end of November and I've written my personal statement for computer science and then submitted it off on UCAS after getting teachers to look at it, etc.

Once again, I'm now unsure whether computer science is for me. Looking at the CS courses I've applied for, they don't seem to have as much maths as I perhaps would have liked, and focus more on the hardware and software of computer science (topics which I am less interested in). Having not studied computer science at A Level, I feel as though my previous experiences with computer science have been changed by myself over time due to having done it when I was a lot younger (and therefore learning stuff that was easier) and also it being a long time ago (and so my memory of it is less clear).

Overall, I am really stressed about having actually applied and now having doubts as to whether this is the subject that I am actually wanting to study. Can anyone provide any advice, or experience of there own that might help me?

Thank you!

Edit: Despite that it may seem from reading this, I have done an absolute tonne of research into courses, universities, etc. I think maybe one think that has contributed to me being so unsure is overanalysing what universities and courses say.


I wouldn't worry about forgetting previous knowledge/experience with CS/Technology. The degrees are taught from the ground up and you seem mathematically able so you should succeed in a CS degree without any problems. Where did you apply, out of curiosity? The 'traditional' universities tend to have more 'traditional' CS courses i.e. more maths than actual programming/engineering.

It's not too late to take a gap year and re-apply to CS courses that are more suitable to your tastes if you still want to pursue CS, albeit at a university that offers a more mathematically oriented course.

I also think nerves are having a big factor here. You're about to embark on a new chapter of your life (cheesy, but true) and it's perfectly normal to question your choices.

Re: Job prospects. I'm pretty sure CS actually has a quite high unemployment rate compared to graduates of other fields. You can still enter a lot of CS-type jobs with a physics degree (or any degree for that matter) or do an MSc conversion if you feel that dedicating 3/4 years of your life doing a BSc in CS would be too much.

@artful_lounger Thanks for the tag and I agree with what you've written as per usual :ta: :borat:
Reply 5
Original post by artful_lounger
I'd note, not all engineers work directly on cars, construction sites etc - in fact, I'd wager the majority don't. A lot of engineering is just sitting in an office writing MATLAB code, or working on various other modelling softwares. Engineers aren't technicians or mechanics - they don't "put things together" unless they choose to generally. They focus on the underlying design and theory of the systems in question, and when they are doing "practical" stuff it's usually from an experimental perspective (testing new things and getting data from these tests to analyse and use in the design process to make changes and improvements). Similarly while civil engineers will go on site visits, they aren't going to be doing carpentry and welding while they are there (unless they want to maybe). Such visits are usually focused a lot more on the management side of things, making sure the project is running correctly and seeing first hand any issues that may arise (technical or managerial) so they can then go away and look for ways to remedy those.

That aside, the hardware and software stuff you reference is...computer science. It's framed in a mathematical format typically and you'll develop mathematical skills to support that, but the point is you're learning about the science of computers - which is that, how hardware and software interact and how to develop the two sides separately and together. While again, you aren't learning to be a "technician" and will be focusing on the fundamental theory underlying the design and implementation of these things, you are still going to be learning about computers, that is sort of the point.

Perhaps you could consider taking a gap year and applying to a degree in mathematics (or a joint honours in maths and CS) if you are mainly interested in the theoretical perspectives?

@Acsel, @Doonesbury and @Blue_Cow might have some more thoughts as they know more about the CS side than me :tongue:


Thanks for the reply! I'd quite like to not have to take a gap year but if it comes to it I might. Only other option is coming to terms with what ill be learning in computer science. If I was to apply for another course I don't know what I would apply for... I don't know whether I'm being too picky, but going from choosing 4 subjects at A Level to one at university is proving to be very tough for me haha
Hardware and software, that's kinda the point of computer science. Also, so many people are going into computer science nowadays, the market might be saturated by the time you're out of college. Although your problem solving might make you stand out among applicants, I wouldn't bet on it, unless you're really passionate about cs. Curiously, every project I've done regarding cs which resembled a real life job did not require any kind of maths whatsoever, just a good knowledge of languages and frameworks.
As for engineers, a lot of them actually do design, the practical things might be just for verifying that things work/are going according to plan.

I am going through the same dilemma as you. I thought I could do computer science, but when I tried to pursue it on my own at home, it became an endless fountain of frustration (damn that missing ; ) However since I've started enjoying taking electronics apart and seeing the circuits (yass physics) I think I'm taking a turn for electrical engineering.

Conclusion: you won't know what fits you simply from the subjects you study at school. Most of the times, they do not resemble what you would encounter in a work environment. The only solution is to pursue these things in your free time until you find what fits you best.
Reply 7
Original post by Blue_Cow
I wouldn't worry about forgetting previous knowledge/experience with CS/Technology. The degrees are taught from the ground up and you seem mathematically able so you should succeed in a CS degree without any problems. Where did you apply, out of curiosity? The 'traditional' universities tend to have more 'traditional' CS courses i.e. more maths than actual programming/engineering.

It's not too late to take a gap year and re-apply to CS courses that are more suitable to your tastes if you still want to pursue CS, albeit at a university that offers a more mathematically oriented course.

I also think nerves are having a big factor here. You're about to embark on a new chapter of your life (cheesy, but true) and it's perfectly normal to question your choices.

Re: Job prospects. I'm pretty sure CS actually has a quite high unemployment rate compared to graduates of other fields. You can still enter a lot of CS-type jobs with a physics degree (or any degree for that matter) or do an MSc conversion if you feel that dedicating 3/4 years of your life doing a BSc in CS would be too much.

@artful_lounger Thanks for the tag and I agree with what you've written as per usual :ta: :borat:

I've applied to Durham, Bath, Bristol, Southampton and Nottingham. I wasn't planning on taking a gap year but if I end up deciding for sure what course I would like to do, then I might if it isn't computer science. Also, thanks for the reassurances about questioning myself, that's definitely been a major factor in not being able to make up my mind. I just want to make sure that I'm gong to a university that I like, studying a course that I enjoy. So far its been tough to be sure of that. If I end up reapplying next year I'll be sure to try out some of those week courses that you can do at some unis to get an idea of the course (I didn't realise these were a thing until end of academic year in July so I missed out on most of those).
Reply 8
Original post by Mirai609
Hardware and software, that's kinda the point of computer science. Also, so many people are going into computer science nowadays, the market might be saturated by the time you're out of college. Although your problem solving might make you stand out among applicants, I wouldn't bet on it, unless you're really passionate about cs. Curiously, every project I've done regarding cs which resembled a real life job did not require any kind of maths whatsoever, just a good knowledge of languages and frameworks.
As for engineers, a lot of them actually do design, the practical things might be just for verifying that things work/are going according to plan.

I am going through the same dilemma as you. I thought I could do computer science, but when I tried to pursue it on my own at home, it became an endless fountain of frustration (damn that missing ; ) However since I've started enjoying taking electronics apart and seeing the circuits (yass physics) I think I'm taking a turn for electrical engineering.

Conclusion: you won't know what fits you simply from the subjects you study at school. Most of the times, they do not resemble what you would encounter in a work environment. The only solution is to pursue these things in your free time until you find what fits you best.


If you don't mind me asking, you are studying computer science at the moment, right? I'm assuming you continued on with it as you talked about electronics, or did you move to electrical engineering? Thanks for the advice!
Original post by ArcticSnows
If you don't mind me asking, you are studying computer science at the moment, right? I'm assuming you continued on with it as you talked about electronics, or did you move to electrical engineering? Thanks for the advice!


I'm still in highschool lmao, but I've gone to a few robotics competitions which involved university level programming and electronics, and also tried to study those by myself to see which fits best.
Original post by Mirai609
I'm still in highschool lmao, but I've gone to a few robotics competitions which involved university level programming and electronics, and also tried to study those by myself to see which fits best.


Oh right haha my mistake! Well, I'm pleased that you've got an idea of what you want to study in the future!
Oh, thanks a lot! I didn't know about this.
Rather than going by the degree name, I'll choose by looking into the course and contents anyways :biggrin:
Thanks for the reply!

In terms of engineering, I'm not sure which type I would prefer. When I went to look around universities for open days earlier this year (around June/July) I had a look around the engineering departments. The idea of using maths and physics interested me, while the "labs" side I found less interesting - things like testing the properties of materials, or measuring the flow of fluids around a car/plane, etc. I think if I did go for engineering I would apply for either general engineering (at places I like that offer it) or mechanical engineering (it seems to be the most open of the specialised engineering courses).

I'm interested in problem solving because I like the process of going from a question, applying formulae and using concepts in a way I haven't thought about previously. When it comes to doing problem solving in maths classes I enjoy going from a single line, opening it out by working on it until I get back to a nice answer. I'd say that I prefer problem solving when it involves writing (like in maths classes) more than programming a computer to complete the question for me.

I've always loved the idea of astronomy. I've actually recently started learning about astrophysics and cosmology in my A Level physics classes and I love it. I'd say the reason for this would be the scale of the ideas that we are dealing with, and how in comparison we are so insignificant. I've read a lot about it in my free time. However, when looking around at courses at universities, many start off as a general physics degree and I really don't like some aspects of physics. For example: magnetic and electric fields, electricity and circuits, and experiments (I'm fine grasping concepts via a diagram and equations but can never seem to replicate it when doing an experiment). I think it would be best for me to keep astronomy as a hobby rather than doing it as a degree.

Previously I've done a GCSE in Computing and before this some programming in Python and HTML. I learnt this mainly three or four years ago at a programming club at a previous school. I spent my time there building small text-based adventure games and creating the foundations for a website. I think it was this memory of creating games that lead me to think about studying CS. Software was something that didn't stand out to me as interesting when studying Computing at GCSE, same with hardware. Looking back at it, that's probably the main reason why I ended up not doing it for A Level.

Honestly, I've got no idea what I want to do as a career. The idea of being a games developer was something I thought about for a while, and this was what initially got me to think about maybe studying computer science. Now, I'm not sure whether that was a realistic goal.

Once again, thanks for the help. I know I'm probably being very picky but help from someone who has been in a similar situation is very helpful. :smile:
Original post by ArcticSnows
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As far as physics/astrophysics goes, circuit electronics isn't really a major part of the course. You aren't studying electronic engineering there, so it's unlikely you'll cover anything much more sophisticated than the electronics option(s) in some exam board's physics syllabuses, which is unlikely to be examinable material so much as to support your labs in doing experiments generally. EM is less critical for astrophysics, although still a core subject in any physics degree - but bear in mind, on any degree there is likely to be something you dislike.

For experimental stuff, that is pretty standard in physics degrees, although some theoretical physics oriented courses might have less of it (for example Physics & Philosophy at Oxford, which replaces all the labs and "applied" physics content with philosophy [of physics/science primarily] except a basic introduction in first year). However if you abhor the idea of doing anything practically or physically, then you may want to consider e.g. a maths degree instead...it's sort of part and parcel of any physics/engineering/CS course to have some practical elements (be it programming labs, experimental physics, or engineering projects).
(edited 5 years ago)

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