Geology and Earth Science Applicants 2020

Post below with details about your...

Specific Course:
Universities you're applying to:
A level / IB / Higher grades:
GCSE grades:
Favourite Rock...

What college at Oxford have you applied for?

Specific Course: Geology (Bsc or Msc haven't decided)
Universities you're applying to: Exeter (Penryn campus), Imperial Colledge London, Southampton, Plymouth, Cardiff
IB grades: HL Geo 7, Chem 6, Phys 5; SL French 6, Maths Studies 7, English 6. Predicted 38/39 overall.
GCSE grades: 999988888A*
Favourite Rock: Divided between labradorite and seraphinite.... gonna go with labradorite.

Hi! I'm Emma and I'm super undecided about Geology but I'm going with my gut - I've never been interested in anything else except possibly being an author, which you don't need a degree for, but I've never shown extreme interest... feels a little wrong when my frends are going for high-flying jobs in medicine and law.
Possibly going to take a gap year and go for oxford if I exceed my grades.

Decided to post here to try and reach out to anyone going to my Uni choices doing Geology / Geology in general. Exeter for Geology is my main choice, seems the perfect place to do Geology since its right in the thick of it!

What made you choose Geology? There's absolutely no obligation for you to do a degree if you don't want to do one (peer pressure isn't really a justification for spending £60,000 on a degree you don't need/want) but Geology/Earth Sciences is a great degree to study if you're curious about how the Earth really works and you're interested in a degree (and possibly career) involving lots of travel and fieldwork.

I guess it's just a natural progression from a childhood interest, I enjoy physical geography and my sciences (and the outdoors) but I'm not sure if it will hold my interest for an extended and intense period. I don't have many options for life paths and this one seems to give the most positive outcome in terms of quality of life and happiness in my job (if that makes sense).

My favourite rock is labradorite at I like the colour it gives of when exposed to the light.

You're probably aware of this but I'd like to stress that geology is not physical geography - they're very different subjects. In any case, the best way to find out for yourself whether it'll be able to hold your interest is by reading. There are lots of great popular science books on Geology/Earth Sciences like my personal favourite The Two-Mile Time Machine (Alley) and all of the books by Jan Zalasiewicz. There's also a very good book called How to Build a Habitable Planet which is a challenging read but it's probably the best overview you'll find of the modern Earth Sciences. Also, if you're still really unsure then consider taking a gap year. It's better to do that than start a very expensive degree you could end up regretting.

@Bosgal

I'd just like to reiterate this point. Currently at Imperial doing Geology - I had never studied it, wasn't sure, but it seemed very interesting and came with good employability.
I'm no reapplying for humanities-focussed degrees at different unis. I always knew I was taking a stab in the dark but my first term was extensively depressing and I really wished I had taken a gap year just to work out what I really, actually enjoyed doing; now I'm caught in a very complicated place.
I would advise this: take @Plagioclase's suggestion and read those books(I read How to Build a Habitable Planet in preparation myself), but even after that consider if you really think you could truly immerse yourself in the subject you're applying for. I was interested in fossils and rocks from the moment I could read about them; I lapped up the idea that I could formally study these things at such a prestigious institution, finally. What I didn't realise was that for however interested I was, I was not fascinated, and certainly not in adoration of the subject - nor did it really function with my skillset. The intensity of my A-Level years didn't give me a chance to think about it properly. I seriously regret what I've done as a result.

Just as an aside, perhaps if it makes it clearer, I would love more than anything to become an author myself...so, I can wholeheartedly tell you from my experiences that a STEM degree with 20-25 contact hrs/week is not something you can do on the side, especially not at somewhere like Imperial, even if it is (reputedly easier) Geology...

@Bosgal

I'd just like to reiterate this point. Currently at Imperial doing Geology - I had never studied it, wasn't sure, but it seemed very interesting and came with good employability.
I'm no reapplying for humanities-focussed degrees at different unis. I always knew I was taking a stab in the dark but my first term was extensively depressing and I really wished I had taken a gap year just to work out what I really, actually enjoyed doing; now I'm caught in a very complicated place.
I would advise this: take @Plagioclase's suggestion and read those books(I read How to Build a Habitable Planet in preparation myself), but even after that consider if you really think you could truly immerse yourself in the subject you're applying for. I was interested in fossils and rocks from the moment I could read about them; I lapped up the idea that I could formally study these things at such a prestigious institution, finally. What I didn't realise was that for however interested I was, I was not fascinated, and certainly not in adoration of the subject - nor did it really function with my skillset. The intensity of my A-Level years didn't give me a chance to think about it properly. I seriously regret what I've done as a result.

Just as an aside, perhaps if it makes it clearer, I would love more than anything to become an author myself...so, I can wholeheartedly tell you from my experiences that a STEM degree with 20-25 contact hrs/week is not something you can do on the side, especially not at somewhere like Imperial, even if it is (reputedly easier) Geology...