The Student Room Group

Second undergrad Bsc as an international student?

Hey TSR. So I'm currently a 2nd year PPE student (top-10 uni) who's quite miserable because I've recently lost most of my interest in my degree. Prior to joining the course, I was under the impression that it was fairly prestigious and rigorous, however, I underestimated the damage a lack of specialization has on future prospects (i.e. it's useless unless you pursue further study in one of the three fields). More importantly, I'm starting to feel an itch to return to tech/stem as I miss creating things and I miss the 'practical' aspect of learning that comes with it (yes I know CS is also very theoretical). I'm also at a significant disadvantage since it is likely I will graduate without an internship or any sort of work experience under my belt. Undertaking a second Bsc will hopefully give me more time to get the relevant work experience. So all this considered, I have been seriously contemplating a second Bsc in Computer Science as I have always loved technology/computers and more recently, programming. So my question is, should I pursue this second bachelors (considering all of the above, and the fact that I'm international), or should I go for a Msc CS conversion (e.g. Imperial/UCL/Bath). I have considered the latter, however, I feel that the tradeoffs seem to put a Bsc over a Msc.

That is:

Second Bachelors CS
+ more depth and (presumably) less intensive
+ can buy time for internships/work experience
+ often more respected by employers compared to conversion Msc
+ more time to develop interest in specific field (in my case ML/data)
- much more expensive long term (esp. for internationals)
- might signal unreliability/lack of confidence
- will only graduate when I'm 24
- potentially disastrous decision if I fall out of love yet again (not likely but should still consider)

Masters CS
+ less expensive overall
+ gets me into the job market quicker
+ not as disastrous if I decide to part ways again
- less depth and much more intensive (esp. Imperial)
- not the complete experience (i.e. lacks full engineering/mathematical foundations)
- may or may not be respected by employers
- only one year full-time so less time/opportunity for internships

Let me know what you guys think.
Could you not stop your current course, ie, not go into 3rd year, and ask the uni to swap to another degree? If you have all the correct ALevels or equivalent to their entry requirements, usually unis are quite happy to work with a student to swap them, and depending on your skills etc, you could go straight into second year. Even if they made you restart year 1, that's only adding 2 years, rather than finishing a degree you don't enjoy and then starting another. Worth a call to ask.

If you know you don't enjoy your degree, why finish it to then start again? It makes no sense having 2 undergrad degrees, so if you want to finish your degree I would then do a Masters rather than start again. Plus, you'd have even more debts by starting this next year when you don't enjoy it or plan to use the degree in future. If you'd happily restart now I'd simply call your uni and others you would be interested in studying Cs at. So if you ask other unis if they have space on the courses and they do, apply now as there is still time, and see if you get a place. If you don't or can't swap at your uni, I'd do the Masters.

BTW, being 24 at graduation isn't a minus. It's a 3 year difference between you and the 'normal' graduate, and if I put you and 10 normal students in a line up, that 3 years wouldn't be visible. Employers look at your skills, interviews, cover letters, degree, not your age. Even in class, being 21 when you start wouldn't be noticed. Think of that 3 year difference as maturity, you've had more time to learn to work well with others, better time management and more time to improve skills. Some employers prefer slightly older candidates and some universities are the same.
Reply 2
Original post by Lizzillo
Could you not stop your current course, ie, not go into 3rd year, and ask the uni to swap to another degree? If you have all the correct ALevels or equivalent to their entry requirements, usually unis are quite happy to work with a student to swap them, and depending on your skills etc, you could go straight into second year. Even if they made you restart year 1, that's only adding 2 years, rather than finishing a degree you don't enjoy and then starting another. Worth a call to ask.

If you know you don't enjoy your degree, why finish it to then start again? It makes no sense having 2 undergrad degrees, so if you want to finish your degree I would then do a Masters rather than start again. Plus, you'd have even more debts by starting this next year when you don't enjoy it or plan to use the degree in future. If you'd happily restart now I'd simply call your uni and others you would be interested in studying Cs at. So if you ask other unis if they have space on the courses and they do, apply now as there is still time, and see if you get a place. If you don't or can't swap at your uni, I'd do the Masters.

BTW, being 24 at graduation isn't a minus. It's a 3 year difference between you and the 'normal' graduate, and if I put you and 10 normal students in a line up, that 3 years wouldn't be visible. Employers look at your skills, interviews, cover letters, degree, not your age. Even in class, being 21 when you start wouldn't be noticed. Think of that 3 year difference as maturity, you've had more time to learn to work well with others, better time management and more time to improve skills. Some employers prefer slightly older candidates and some universities are the same.

No, unfortunately I don't think I'd qualify for that. The reason I'm hesitant about dropping my degree entirely is because it isn't entirely useless. My degree is 2/3 economics so it's still useful if I happen to go into business/finance. And it's not that I hate my current course, just that I'm itching to do more 'practical' work, but that's just how I always am. I did my A-levels (well, IB) mainly in the sciences (Bio + Chem), yet here I am doing PPE. I just can't seem to stick to one thing. Anyway, I think I've severely underestimated the difficulties that come with a second Bsc... A masters is beginning to look like the correct answer after all. Thanks for the insight.

Quick Reply

Latest