Choosing the Right University Course | The Student Pocket Guide
by Amy Rule
Choosing the right university course is one of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make throughout the whole higher education process. It’s best to choose a course that interests you; doing something that bores you will eventually make you lose interest which in turn could harm your quality of work…
When picking a course, you need to ensure that you look at the entry requirements. Sometimes it may be that you need to secure yourself certain grades, or you need to submit an example piece of work. Make sure you don’t apply for a course that requires something you don’t have.
From experience, I would pick out a range of courses that interest you, and then list the pros and cons of each. If you weigh up each course, it will help you to see the ones that appeal to you the most.
Another important point is that you need to think about which universities you would like to study at. To do this you need to consider whether you want to move to another part of the country or stay at home. Each university will offer something different, so you need to think where you would like to be. If you choose to move to somewhere you don’t know very well or have never been, be sure to research the location so you can find out what it can offer you. The course may sound great but does the university have the right facilities for you? Does it have enough student support to help you through the course? If you can’t answer either of these two questions, you need to research what the university has to offer before you commit to studying there. You don’t want to go in blind and get overwhelmed by the number of courses available!
Open days are extremely important to attend. If you are interested in a certain university, be sure to check out when its open days are and have a good look around. Open days usually offer subject talks, tours of the campus and facilities, and it gives you the chance to talk to students and staff. Personally, going to a university open day completely changed my mind on a certain university; it really shows you how important they are.
Unistats is a great website to check out as it helps you to gather more information about courses and different universities. For any advice or further information, I recommend speaking to the university you are interested in and to students who are studying or have studied the course you want to apply for; they will be able to tell you from a more relatable perspective the pros and cons of the course. You should speak to family and friends too as they may be able to help you make a decision. As scary as the whole process may seem, once you know what you want to study and where, the rest of it all falls into place. Good luck!
