Now that the exam season is coming to an end, many of you will be starting to put your mind to life after sixth-form. When you go back to school, the focus will suddenly switch from revision and exams, to personal statements and UCAS applications. While this is very exciting, here are some things to bear in mind:
- Try and start by working out what subject you might like to study further, rather than beginning by deciding whether or not you want to go to uni. Hopefully this will help you to avoid picking a subject just for the sake of it, purely because you've got your heart set on going to university.
- If you know what career you're interested in, do some research and find out about the different pathways you could take to get there. For example, some fields may recommend a degree, while others may suggest apprenticeships or internships.
- If there's not a specific subject that is needed for your chosen career, but you know that having a degree would be useful, you should think very carefully. If you're really interested in a particular area, then great; you know which direction to look in. But, if you're unsure of your interests and strengths, having a year out to discover these may be beneficial.
- Many of you will be like I was; completely clueless as to what career you want, or what subject you want to study for 3 or 4 years. In fact, I think the majority of people actually feel like this. In most cases, people just pick something they found bearable at school and go on to have a fantastic time at university, thanks to the many social opportunities. But you have to ask yourself this: is it really worth £9,000 tuition fees per year? If all you want to do is move away from home and have a lot of fun, then you could find yourself a job, or go travelling. Do you really want to be spending that amount of money on lectures and seminars that you may not even attend?
- Alternatively, you may know that you want to get a good degree, but just not be sure on the subject. If this is you, I would personally advise taking a year off to get some experiences and find out what it is that you want to do in life. This is what I've ended up doing (after leaving university 5 weeks into the first term!) and I'm now thinking I might like to study English Literature, with the intention of going into journalism. Before I went to uni the first time, I had no idea what I was interested in and just chose French and Italian because I was quite good at languages. That was a huge mistake!!
- Don't feel as though you have to go to university! Because of the rise in fees, there are so many intelligent and successful people who are choosing to take a more direct route into their future. Being smart doesn't necessarily mean that uni life is for you. And in the same way, not being 'academic' doesn't mean you shouldn't go.
- If you've decided on a subject and you plan on going to university, have a think about the following things: the distance you want to be from home, whether you want a campus, city, or collegiate uni, which facilities are important to you (e.g. nearby running track or pool), whether you want to be catered or self-catered, the price you're willing to pay for accommodation and whether or not you're bothered by the league tables. When looking at these table, such as this one, it's important to remember that the rankings are different depending on the subject; while one uni may be high up overall, it may be quite low down for Business, for example.
I hope this brief list has given you a few things to think about when you come to planning your future! You may feel more than ready to move away and get on with things, but never underestimate the value of taking some time out and stepping back for a moment; you might discover new and exciting things about yourself.
Keep smiling!
(http://ilovefunnyanimal.blogspot.co.uk/)
Harriet
No comments:
Post a Comment