THE most useful Advice for Clearing 2024 - so you don’t regret….

Advice:
Some degrees are better not to get them unless you just want a “graduation ceremony photo” or “uni experience”

Myths vs Reality:
- uni rankings mean nothing (except Oxbridge) - which subject you choose matters more
- don’t waste time searching on google “most demand jobs, highest paying degree”
Other than social work/health-related/teaching - all other courses are useless.
- choosing valuable degree puts you in control opposed to your boss in control of you.
- in life, knowledge and skills are two most important things to succeed
- remember you only Iive once, do things that make you happy - even that means not going uni - don’t always follow the crowd - example: some of the richest people weren’t hence they’re better than the rest
- when you have useful degree, GCSE, Alevel means nothing down the career path.
- don’t just research courses, research what you can be after you finish that course I.e look for useful accreditations and also research how valuable in uk but also internationally
- check the drop out rate for your course
- aim to get a first (you need to make lectures your ‘friend’) as they’re the ones marking and giving grades - stay with them after lectures - have meaningful conversations etc….
- don’t believe others words - research your own - you have internet on the top of your finger - use it
- make good friends, they’ll help you out - you help them too - so don’t be afraid to talk to many people as possible for info
- don’t waste time in foundation year - go to lower ranked uni to start from year 1 - trust me you’ll save so much stress, effort and money - some unis offer you even you have lower grade than what they advertise on web
- search for most secure jobs for the future - you need to think about the future - think what industry will still last after 10-20 years down the line or even more
- learn interview tricks - like don’t put down “I love to play football” - instead say - “I like to go to the gym as it keeps me fit both mentally and physically to do well on my studies”
Don’t say “I listen to music” - say “I read self-development books to improve myself”
- talk to people find course mates before going to uni if you can

If someone advised this to me 10 years ago I would be so much well off by now…

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Original post by Anonymous

Advice:
Some degrees are better not to get them unless you just want a “graduation ceremony photo” or “uni experience”
Myths vs Reality:
- uni rankings mean nothing (except Oxbridge) - which subject you choose matters more
- don’t waste time searching on google “most demand jobs, highest paying degree”
Other than social work/health-related/teaching - all other courses are useless.
- choosing valuable degree puts you in control opposed to your boss in control of you.
- in life, knowledge and skills are two most important things to succeed
- remember you only Iive once, do things that make you happy - even that means not going uni - don’t always follow the crowd - example: some of the richest people weren’t hence they’re better than the rest
- when you have useful degree, GCSE, Alevel means nothing down the career path.
- don’t just research courses, research what you can be after you finish that course I.e look for useful accreditations and also research how valuable in uk but also internationally
- check the drop out rate for your course
- aim to get a first (you need to make lectures your ‘friend’) as they’re the ones marking and giving grades - stay with them after lectures - have meaningful conversations etc….
- don’t believe others words - research your own - you have internet on the top of your finger - use it
- make good friends, they’ll help you out - you help them too - so don’t be afraid to talk to many people as possible for info
- don’t waste time in foundation year - go to lower ranked uni to start from year 1 - trust me you’ll save so much stress, effort and money - some unis offer you even you have lower grade than what they advertise on web
- search for most secure jobs for the future - you need to think about the future - think what industry will still last after 10-20 years down the line or even more
- learn interview tricks - like don’t put down “I love to play football” - instead say - “I like to go to the gym as it keeps me fit both mentally and physically to do well on my studies”
Don’t say “I listen to music” - say “I read self-development books to improve myself”
- talk to people find course mates before going to uni if you can
If someone advised this to me 10 years ago I would be so much well off by now…

Other than social work/health-related/teaching - all other courses are useless.
Would slightly disagree with you in this area:

•

Jobs in academia will require degrees in relevant subjects

•

Accredited degrees in architecture will be recognised by architect firms

•

Engineering degrees are generally recognised for engineering roles

•

(Quantitative) Economics degrees are generally recognised for roles in economics

•

Science degrees are accepted for roles in scientific research and engineering

•

LLBs are recognised for work in law

Whilst you can also get into a number of the above roles via apprenticeships, the degrees you sometimes do does help in some capacity (albeit not a lot).

some of the richest people weren’t hence they’re better than the rest
Not entirely sure what you meant by this. Did you want to elaborate?

- make good friends, they’ll help you out - you help them too - so don’t be afraid to talk to many people as possible for info
They're good for networking as well

- don’t waste time in foundation year - go to lower ranked uni to start from year 1 - trust me you’ll save so much stress, effort and money - some unis offer you even you have lower grade than what they advertise on web
I would argue it depends on the individual subject. Foundation years in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary science for example tend to be good gateways if you don't have the right qualifications (and sometimes grades). As many of these unis will be asking for similar grades, it's sometimes otherwise difficult to get into these areas without a foundation year.

- search for most secure jobs for the future - you need to think about the future - think what industry will still last after 10-20 years down the line or even more
Nobody has a crystal ball good enough to predict the future accurately. Most people struggle to predict what will happen in the next 12 months, let alone in the next 5 years. Instead, I would say do what makes you happy first, then come up with a backup plan just in case things don't pan out.

- learn interview tricks - like don’t put down “I love to play football” - instead say - “I like to go to the gym as it keeps me fit both mentally and physically to do well on my studies” Don’t say “I listen to music” - say “I read self-development books to improve myself”
Interview tips, yes. However, elaborating on how you like to go to the gym isn't going to help much. I think it's more appropriate to link why it's relevant to the interview more than being descriptive i.e. I doubt employers would care all that much about why you like going to the gym as opposed getting a better idea of who you are as a person.
Similarly, I don't think saying that you read self development books is going to help that much as opposed to listening to music. Unless you're applying for a sales role and you're saying that you read books on sales techniques to improve yourself, it's generally not too big of a factor in interview decisions.

- talk to people find course mates before going to uni if you can
Not always possible. Also, most people don't meet their coursemates until they are in lectures or seminars. It's also more difficult to suss people out when you don't meet them in person.
I think it's more constructive to talk to as many people as you can once you get to uni. It's a hotspot for networking with people.

If someone advised this to me 10 years ago I would be so much well off by now…
Sorry to hear. I too kind of wished someone advised me with the above when I first went to uni.