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Not sure what to study in univ

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
edited March 27 in Work & Study
My first year will be starting this september and I applied to basically business management/administration programs. I'm pretty sure I'll get in because my marks are good, but the thing is I'm not sure if that's really what I want to do. I seem to like many different things but maybe not be good at it. For example philosophy really interests me but if you asked me to defend a philosophical thesis I came up with, I wouldn't do such a good job. I like technology, and building things but I don't think I'm smart enough to get into engineering plus I don't have the prerequisites.

Basically what I'm asking, is how do I figure out for sure that what I pick is right for me (and trust me I've spent a lot of time researching all the areas and I still can't come to a conclusion)? I just don't want to get into a program and then realize I don't like it as much because that would be a waste of 4 years. Thanks for any input.
Post edited by JustV on

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Stamford Test?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you don't HAVE to go to uni just for the sake of it, which is what everyone seems to think these days thanks to tony's great "education initiative", if nothing grabs you there's nothing wrong with waiting, like you said you don't want to waste 4 years of your life........nothing stopping you doing it a year or even a few down the line......
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Senor Miguel wrote:
    you don't HAVE to go to uni just for the sake of it, which is what everyone seems to think these days thanks to tony's great "education initiative", if nothing grabs you there's nothing wrong with waiting, like you said you don't want to waste 4 years of your life........nothing stopping you doing it a year or even a few down the line......

    This I agree with.
    I like technology, and building things but I don't think I'm smart enough to get into engineering plus I don't have the prerequisites.

    Is it not possible to an NVQ in Engineering first? Or get some work experience related to this area of interest?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    infinity5x wrote:
    For example philosophy really interests me but if you asked me to defend a philosophical thesis I came up with, I wouldn't do such a good job.
    In my experience of Philosophy (Philosophy of Science) you are largely learning what certain philosophers thought about various issues rather than being asked to develop your own philosophy to challenge the greats.

    Do what you enjoy.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Senor Miguel wrote:
    you don't HAVE to go to uni just for the sake of it, which is what everyone seems to think these days thanks to tony's great "education initiative", if nothing grabs you there's nothing wrong with waiting...
    That's absolutely right. If you go to college these days, people are put under intolerable pressure to apply for university. I am extremely glad I waited three years before starting (I start in September this year) and frankly, I would recommend it to anyone.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    not always the way, i was never put under any pressure to go to uni. not by anyone. my college supported you whatever your choice. :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lucifer devil wrote:
    not always the way, i was never put under any pressure to go to uni. not by anyone. my college supported you whatever your choice. :)
    Your college must have had a very different system to mine. Mine were total bastards. At one point, I felt that the careers adviser was stalking me. I'd already spurned the idea THREE times. He came to the library one afternoon saying "ah, there you are, I wanted to talk to you about uni". In my head, I was just going 'Oh, fuck off already!' - some people just couldn't take no for an answer. They kept saying "but you're brilliant, you're completely suited for uni, blah blah blah...". I have never come across such a bunch of unhelpful tossers.

    Yes, maybe my advice was based partly on personal experiences, but I stand by it. I'd recommend a gap between college and university for anyone. Frankly, after four years of studying GCSEs and A-Levels non-stop, anyone could do with a break. I have no regrets, but I look forward now to starting in just over five months time.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i guess it looks good on them when it's another student who's gone into uni. i guess if someone shows as having gone straight into work after a-levels then it might look like they hadn't achieved the necessary grades. bit silly really.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lucifer devil wrote:
    i guess it looks good on them when it's another student who's gone into uni. i guess if someone shows as having gone straight into work after a-levels then it might look like they hadn't achieved the necessary grades. bit silly really.
    Why? You're the one who set the attack dog on me when I criticised people in the past for taking gap years. Have you now changed your mind? Are you somehow suggesting that someone who has not gone straight to university is a failure?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    Why? You're the one who set the attack dog on me when I criticised people in the past for taking gap years. Have you now changed your mind? Are you somehow suggesting that someone who has not gone straight to university is a failure?


    no, i never once said it was MY personal opinion. :)

    eta: though i perhaps could've made myself clearer. i guess THEY think it makes them... :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    lucifer devil wrote:
    no, i never once said it was MY personal opinion. :)

    eta: though i perhaps could've made myself clearer. i guess THEY think it makes them... :p
    Wow, someone or other thinks I'm a total failure for not going to uni at the age of 18. Can't help but feel offended at being trashed in that way.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    That's absolutely right. If you go to college these days, people are put under intolerable pressure to apply for university. I am extremely glad I waited three years before starting (I start in September this year) and frankly, I would recommend it to anyone.

    I've found that I'm under alot of pressure to either go to uni or make up my mind as to what I want to do when I leave school. I've basically been forced within a matter of days to make up my mind because I've messed up in my January exams. It's always 'talk to the careers adviser' even when I said I KNEW exactly what it was I want to do after I've finished Year 12. Then there's all the uni talks which we seem to have most weeks during the period when we're meant to be with our tutor. I don't think that many people want to go to uni or interested in all these talks,. I for one am not interested in them. I already know what I'm doing, but can't really do anything until I'm about 20, because I need an NVQ in Level 3 to study what I want to study at uni.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sofie wrote:
    I've found that I'm under alot of pressure to either go to uni or make up my mind as to what I want to do when I leave school. I've basically been forced within a matter of days to make up my mind because I've messed up in my January exams. It's always 'talk to the careers adviser' even when I said I KNEW exactly what it was I want to do after I've finished Year 12.
    This is precisely why I worry that too many people are going into universities for the wrong reasons. Have you seen the drop-out rates at some of these places? Some London universities, for instance, have drop-out rates of up to 30%, which is a bloody disgrace. Such high drop-out rates clearly indicate things are not right, that there are people there who should not be.

    There is absolutely no shame whatsoever in saying "right, I'm not going to uni yet and stuff what the college thinks". Frankly, the decision has to be the one that's right for you, and you only. That was one of many reasons why I waited, and anyone who implies that those who do not go to university straight away are failures (the brush Lucifer Devil just tried to tar me with) are fruitcakes.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    This is precisely why I worry that too many people are going into universities for the wrong reasons. Have you seen the drop-out rates at some of these places? Some London universities, for instance, have drop-out rates of up to 30%, which is a bloody disgrace. Such high drop-out rates clearly indicate things are not right, that there are people there who should not be.

    There is absolutely no shame whatsoever in saying "right, I'm not going to uni yet and stuff what the college thinks". Frankly, the decision has to be the one that's right for you, and you only. That was one of many reasons why I waited, and anyone who implies that those who do not go to university straight away are failures (the brush Lucifer Devil just tried to tar me with) are fruitcakes.

    damn SG stop taking stuff so personally, noone tried to tar you with any brush, she was just trying to say colleges like to have more of their students go on to uni because it makes them look better statistically than if everyone went off to find jobs, purely from a higher educational point of view, seeing as college is a stepping stone to uni for most, i would never have gone to college if i wasn't going to bother with uni.........

    as for people going to university who have no place being there, lol yeah most of the people i bumped into in the first year i never saw again, and i know a lot of people still trapped in there repeating various modules and years, some people just aren't cut out for it but made to feel lesser for not going so the pressure is definitely there........
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Senor Miguel wrote:
    damn SG stop taking stuff so personally, noone tried to tar you with any brush, she was just trying to say colleges like to have more of their students go on to uni because it makes them look better statistically than if everyone went off to find jobs, purely from a higher educational point of view, seeing as college is a stepping stone to uni for most, i would never have gone to college if i wasn't going to bother with uni...
    Ah, that would explain it. Apparently, if colleges don't get a certain percentage of their students into university, they lose funding. When did I find this out? At my old college when I visited last year, from the very same careers adviser that had been giving me a hard time three years previously. Let's just say he'd "softened" his stance since...
    as for people going to university who have no place being there, lol yeah most of the people i bumped into in the first year i never saw again, and i know a lot of people still trapped in there repeating various modules and years, some people just aren't cut out for it but made to feel lesser for not going so the pressure is definitely there...
    University is not for everyone. Academia is not for everyone. It's simply a fact of life. My sister, for instance, is definitely going to university, she knows that already. My brother probably won't - he hates school, he'll probably go and do an apprenticeship later on. Me, I'm somewhere between the two.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    At my school you were politely asked to leave if you mentioned that you wern't sure you wanted to go to univeristy - which did mean that some people got pushed into going on courses that they didn't really want to do - however very few of them actually dropped out.

    TBh i'm really not sure what the big deal about going to univeristy unless you really like what your going to study - we don't necessarily need 3 million people who have a 2:2 in media studies and then discovere that they cant' get a job in the media - i've loads of friend who earn far more than me despite having never been to university.

    I think the obsession with everyone having to go is a bit unhealthy - not everyone in the world is academic nor do we need them to be - I think instead of pushing everyone to go to uni we should instead be celebrating the fact that we are all different and that everyone is just as valuable in society, becuase lets face ti someone with a BA in history isnt' necessarily going to be equipped to help you mend a burst pipe.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wyetry wrote:
    I think the obsession with everyone having to go is a bit unhealthy - not everyone in the world is academic nor do we need them to be - I think instead of pushing everyone to go to uni we should instead be celebrating the fact that we are all different and that everyone is just as valuable in society, becuase lets face ti someone with a BA in history isnt' necessarily going to be equipped to help you mend a burst pipe.
    The Government has a target that 50% of 18-30 year olds should go to university. This is one of the most damaging targets that exists in Britain today. It means many people are being forced into courses which they are not suited for, and it raises questions about the integrity and value of a degree. The figure is currently around 43%, and it has been stuck at this for some time. However, our useless Labour government still believes education is somehow a way out of poverty for young people, and will not withdraw its stupid target.

    Many people are made to feel that, if they do not go to university, that they have somehow failed. This is ludicrous nonsense. Many of our best-known businessmen in this country did not go to university. For example, Sir Alan Sugar founded Amstrad from scratch and is now worth millions. Or take Sir Richard Branson. He did not spend three years doing a useless degree in something like Social Studies. Rather, he founded Virgin, and he has made his billions. All without a degree, and all with excellent, intuitive brains.

    For many people, university simply is not necessary. If you wish to go into teaching, or the law, then there is clearly a strong case for a university education there. However, for many career paths, the value of a degree is highly questionable. And before anyone says it, yes, I do worry that the degree I am about to take might be even less useful than a chocolate teapot. I do worry that I will not be able to get a job at the end of it. Am I alone in this, however? I suspect not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    unless you know what you want to go into, and know that it requires going to uni....then there's no point in going. Theres more qualifications than just degrees.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote:
    unless you know what you want to go into, and know that it requires going to uni....then there's no point in going. Theres more qualifications than just degrees.
    The real question is, at the ages of 17-18, how many people truly know what they want to be doing for the rest of their lives? I'm 21 now, and still have no idea. My uncle is approaching 40, and he still doesn't know. Neither, he tells me, do any of his mates, some of which went to uni, some didn't.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    stargalaxy wrote:
    The real question is, at the ages of 17-18, how many people truly know what they want to be doing for the rest of their lives? I'm 21 now, and still have no idea. My uncle is approaching 40, and he still doesn't know. Neither, he tells me, do any of his mates, some of which went to uni, some didn't.
    exactly...theres too much pressure to go straight off to uni, why can't we just take a few years to work and get better ideas of what we want?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote:
    exactly...theres too much pressure to go straight off to uni, why can't we just take a few years to work and get better ideas of what we want?
    Which is exactly what I have done. I don't regret it for a second, and I would recommend this course of action to anyone. (waits for Lucifer Devil to come along and berate me for saying this)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ballerina wrote:
    exactly...theres too much pressure to go straight off to uni, why can't we just take a few years to work and get better ideas of what we want?

    This what I'm going to do - I meesed up my A Levels and am doing an NVQ in September. I'm going to do that for 3 years, take a year out (maybe to get a job in the field I want to work in) then go off to uni.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I went to uni and it is the worst decision in my life.... but ive done totally the wrong A levels to go for something vocational. I would advise you CAREFULLY consider if you want to go. Its shite compared to school and doing a good vocational course can earn you a fortune eg plumbing
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey I am doing philosophy at the moment, and I absolutely love it. The only thing is that when you do sit down with hume or kant for the first time, it does seem like it is unbelievabley hard. I would reccommend reading illusions, and jonathon livingston seagull by richard bach, cos those are the books that made me decide i wanted to do it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    and sorry about all the crazy commas - i am having a bad day,,,,,,,,,
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Wyetry wrote:
    At my school you were politely asked to leave if you mentioned that you wern't sure you wanted to go to univeristy - which did mean that some people got pushed into going on courses that they didn't really want to do - however very few of them actually dropped out.

    That's just rubbish.
    TBh i'm really not sure what the big deal about going to univeristy unless you really like what your going to study - we don't necessarily need 3 million people who have a 2:2 in media studies and then discovere that they cant' get a job in the media - i've loads of friend who earn far more than me despite having never been to university.

    Agreed
    I think the obsession with everyone having to go is a bit unhealthy - not everyone in the world is academic nor do we need them to be - I think instead of pushing everyone to go to uni we should instead be celebrating the fact that we are all different and that everyone is just as valuable in society, becuase lets face ti someone with a BA in history isnt' necessarily going to be equipped to help you mend a burst pipe.

    Indeed. And if the Government insits that everyone (or nearly everyone) should go to ni, then surely THEY should pay for us to study? (well, scrap the tution fees)
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