With over 50,000 undergraduate courses and over 300 providers in the UK, this can be one of the hardest decisions you have to make for a while. This section tries to help you break down that choice and think about the options available to you. The first piece of advice for you is to use people around you, including your careers service!
Why am I going to university?
This can be the most tricky thing to answer. What is your end goal from university?
A clear career goal? A love of the subject? Or still not quite sure what you want to do yet? All reasons are valid but one of the most important things is to love the course you choose. You will be studying for at least 3 years so make sure you do your research. At the bottom of the page are links to a range of resources you can use including Unifrog, UCAS, Prospects and OpenDays to help you.
A clear career goal? A love of the subject? Or still not quite sure what you want to do yet? All reasons are valid but one of the most important things is to love the course you choose. You will be studying for at least 3 years so make sure you do your research. At the bottom of the page are links to a range of resources you can use including Unifrog, UCAS, Prospects and OpenDays to help you.
Which course?
You will likely be at one of three stages
No idea what you want to do - This is often the hardest stage to get through. But don't worry, you aren't alone. Lets think of some practical things you can do to help you move forward
Deciding between a few subjects - This can also be a tricky decision. You may be split about two subjects that are completely unrelated. So how do you decide?
Specific career in mind - great news you know what career you want to go in. The question is how you make sure you get on the right course.
No idea what you want to do - This is often the hardest stage to get through. But don't worry, you aren't alone. Lets think of some practical things you can do to help you move forward
- Think about subjects you like. You probably know loads of things you don't enjoy so much but think about what you actually enjoy doing. Also, this doesn't necessarily have to be related to the subjects you are studying. At this stage we are blue sky thinking.
- Use online resources. There are lots of resources aimed at helping you explore different degrees you can study. These aren't the 'right' answer but may help you think of things you haven't considered. Have a look at Unifrog - Subjects library. A tool which suggests degrees based on subjects you enjoy.
- Explore the suggested courses. Keep an open mind. You can use the Unifrog website, or alternatively look at some university websites for courses. Often the universities will offer similar courses with different elements, for example a year in industry or study abroad.
- What can you do after your degree? It can be useful to look at where your degree may lead. Have a look at the Prospects - What can I do with my degree? link to explore related careers, skills gained, what graduates in that subject go on to do.
Deciding between a few subjects - This can also be a tricky decision. You may be split about two subjects that are completely unrelated. So how do you decide?
- Make a list. Think about the pros and cons of each course (maybe use some of the resources above) and write them down. Remember that each positive or negative are not weighted equally. So rank them. Often writing this down can help you see more clearly.
- Speak to people. While these thoughts are going round your head, the answer may be right in front of you. Talking to people about this can help you think about your priorities. Speak to different people but make sure not to take their opinion as fact. Speak to people who know you well (parents, friends) and people who don't (careers advisers) to get a range of advice.
- Look at universities - Many university open days are really interactive and you get the full university experience but specifically in the courses you are interested in. You can ask questions to tutors, students and other staff. Look at the OpenDays website. Alternatively some universities offer summer programmes, have a look at The University of Manchester's Discovery Days.
Specific career in mind - great news you know what career you want to go in. The question is how you make sure you get on the right course.
- Look at career and job profiles. Look at either the Unifrog or Prospects websites and look at their job profiles. They will give you information on entry requirements for specific careers.
- Speak to the experts. If there is a professional body for the career you want to go into, they should have a list of accredited courses. Make sure and make sure again. Get your careers adviser to check it for you.
Which university?
Once you have decided on the course you want to do, the next stage is to think about where you want to study? There are so many choices available to you and it can feel overwhelming, but this is one of the biggest decisions you have made to date so try to embrace it, it can be fun! To help you get started here are 3 things you can do to help you narrow down.
Make a list. What are the most important things to you when deciding on a university? There are so many factors and each specific to you. Making a list and ranking them in order of importance can help in the next 2 stages. These could include checking the course – content, structure, modules, sandwich year options or employment rates. Also think about the quality of the university, do you want a city or a campus, student accommodation, what is on offer from the university outside of the course, for example clubs and societies.
Research online. There are almost as many websites and search tools as there are universities so work out which ones are most useful for you and use these to help you narrow down to between 5-10 universities. Some useful websites include:
Go and see them for yourself. Once you have made a shortlist THE most important thing is to go and visit. You wouldn’t buy a car without getting in and driving it so apply the same theory to your university. Make a list of questions you want to ask course leaders or student ambassadors, have a look round the campus and visit the city. This can really help you feel confident you have made the right decision.
Make a list. What are the most important things to you when deciding on a university? There are so many factors and each specific to you. Making a list and ranking them in order of importance can help in the next 2 stages. These could include checking the course – content, structure, modules, sandwich year options or employment rates. Also think about the quality of the university, do you want a city or a campus, student accommodation, what is on offer from the university outside of the course, for example clubs and societies.
Research online. There are almost as many websites and search tools as there are universities so work out which ones are most useful for you and use these to help you narrow down to between 5-10 universities. Some useful websites include:
- Unifrog – you can search for your chosen course and rank them on various things including student satisfaction, rankings, distance from home and more.
- Unistats – this is a really useful tool that breaks down the student satisfaction survey answers and allows you to compare courses.
- University Guide rankings – there are various websites you can look at that have their own rankings including The Complete University Guide, The Times and The Guardian.
Go and see them for yourself. Once you have made a shortlist THE most important thing is to go and visit. You wouldn’t buy a car without getting in and driving it so apply the same theory to your university. Make a list of questions you want to ask course leaders or student ambassadors, have a look round the campus and visit the city. This can really help you feel confident you have made the right decision.
