CHOOSING A COURSE
There are thousands of university courses available and narrowing these down to five on your university application can seem difficult but it doesn’ t have to be. Start by thinking about what you enjoy doing, where your skills lie and what you’ re passionate about. Could you see yourself learning about this subject for the next three or four years and can you envisage yourself embarking on a career that is related to it? Choose a vocational degree course if you want to go into professions such as teaching, medicine, law or engineering. Do consider that for a majority of jobs beyond this sphere, employers are looking for graduates with good communication skills and an accurate grasp of literacy and numeracy, that can adapt quickly to new situations and have the confidence and tenacity to succeed. Add a good class of degree and relevant work experience and there are any number of jobs that you would be qualified for. It’ s perfectly alright to be unsure about the exact career you want to embark on, just make sure that the course you choose is one that you are interested in and that you think you can excel at if given the right help and guidance. Research is key in finding out which courses are out there so spend as much time as possible looking at university websites to get a feel for what kinds of courses are available and which of those might appeal to you.
If, for example, you would like to study history but also have an interest in education then look into whether any universities offer a joint honors degree in Education and History and what doing this degree would entail.
The back of this guide has a useful list of available degree courses and the careers that these could lead on to.
Research what the entry requirements are like for the courses you are considering, this will include the UCAS points required to get onto the course, what FE qualifications they accept, and if you have to study a particular subject at FE to gain entry onto the course. Also, have a look at what types of courses universities are offering. Consider whether you would like your course to have any added elements such as a year in industry or a year abroad. If you are torn between wanting to study two different subjects, check university websites to see whether there is the possibility of doing a joint honours degree which would allow you to study two subjects rather than just one.
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