Sometimes having too many choices is worse than having none at all, and when it comes to choosing a uni course, there’s definitely a lot of choice! We've thought of some easy ways to narrow down your options and figure out what you want to study.
1) Think about what you enjoy
It really is that simple - what makes you happy? If studying chemistry at A-level makes you miserable, then studying something related to chemistry probably isn't the best idea.
If you study something you'll enjoy, you're sure to succeed as you'll be excited to start your course, go to lectures and find out more about your chosen subject. If you're reading about a course and it sounds exciting to you, then that's probably a sign to go for it!
2) Work your way backwards
Start with your end goal, think about the career or job you want to get into. If you're still a bit unsure on this one, think about what type of role suits you - do you have good people skills? Writing or creative skills? Starting here can help you figure out the start of a career path and which courses can get you there.
3) Research, research, research!
Use UCAS, university websites and social media to figure out if a course is for you. Most universities will have pages dedicated to their facilities so you can see where you'll be learning. Plus, make sure to read student stories, so you find out what others like about your chosen courses.
4) Make a course shortlist
When you think you've figured out what you want to study, you'll need to whittle your choices down to five courses to put down in your UCAS application. That means really scrutinising those course pages on university websites and paying attention to things like:
- What facilities you’ll have access to
- What the teaching is like
- If there are placement opportunities
- Success rates for the course
- Student reviews
- Employability rates for the course.
Once you start to get an idea of these things, it'll be more clear which ones will make the final five. Compare the courses on your list i.e. will this course give me as much access to industry-standard facilities as this other course? Have the lecturers worked in the industry their teaching about? And so on.
5) Attend Open Days
Now that you’ve got your final five, it’s time to attend some open days to experience what those universities have to offer. The great thing about attending an open day is that you can really get a feel for a university and you can also ask any questions you have about the course to both students and lecturers.
If you’re interested in multiple courses at the same university, attending an open day is also a good way to figure out which course is for you. You’ll be able to ask lecturers how one course differs from another, and how the career opportunities differ from course to course.