uni courses ! help required !

[Swafe]

hey people, i need your help

form tutors being an arse and getting me to do all this ucas rubbish, and ive told her time after time, but ive got NO IDEA whatsoever what to do

so thought some of me forum buddies could give me a hand? well maybe

currently doing a2 chemistry, maths and computing, and have an AS in business, oh doin general studies a level as well

now ive got 10 ucas points from some rubbish business thing, and 40 from my C in AS business. in the other 3 ive got bs, so 300 there if i carry on, and in general studies im aiming for about the same, so in total, hopefully nearing the 400 ucas point mark, maybe a few more, so points arnt really an issue, i just need something to do !


now, chemistry, at degree level i think would be hard, but i do enjoy it, but being in a lab coat 9-5 for 3 years isnt too appealing, maths ouch is all i can say, im sure this will be impossible at degree, i find it hard at a level, and computing, i hate the coursework, its 40% and we got 7 months to do it, i hate coursework projects especially when your not a 1337 god at programming.


my problem is to find something ill enjoy, yet will be something decent, anyonres got any questions? suggestions? or even recommendations to what i could do?



ANYTHING will be aprreciated, as i said, im not too keen on doin anything im doin now, but i dont really have much choice so will probably be somewhat related to one of them, other subjects such as forensics i could do, but with no proir knowledge would be hard, anyway

help thanks in advance

[daverobev]

Did a Chemistry degree at Durham uni, and basically I'd say...don't. It has about the longest hours (about as bad as Engineering) - we're talking 14 hours lectures plus same-ish in labs. PLUS work outside if you can be arsed. I couldn't. I didn't drop out, but I kinda wish I had at the end of the first year and done natural sciences or something....

I would honestly say this: The government is pushing people into uni. If you don't know what you want to do, don't go. The debts, assuming you're not wealthy enough to not take the loan, will be with you EVEN WITH A WELL PAID JOB until your mid thirties. (Wild estimation there, but probably not too far off...).

Take a year out, get a job, see how it works out. You may find yourself in that year, discover you really want to do something in particular....but I'd say don't do uni just because everyone else you know it.

However, you could try a fun course (unlike chemistry...), psychology sounded kinda fun....without the exactness of a "proper" science (please don't tell any psychologists I said that )

Personally I reckon I should have done different a-levels and done a maths degree, or just done computing (but yeah, computer studies a-level was just DULL).

Chemistry...is okay if you have the work ethic. I've done okay, got myself a decentish job in a totally unrelated and non-degree-requiring place. Degrees are very much overrated for most jobs, but common sense and prior experience isn't.

I dunno what you want to do. If computing, I'd say do a MCSE course or two, and a part time job to fund yoursself.....maybe.

I hope you get what I'm trying to say...!

[Swafe]

thanks mate, summed up what i already thought, i know people who have doone chemistry and hated it, mainly for the hours, but also for the hardness, i wouldnt mind pshycology, but the problem is i havnt done it at a level, so id be screwed if i did it at degree level with no background knowledge

i have to say, chemistrys important and highly looked upon, but really i dont think id like it

does anyone know about joint courses? such as say chemistry and maths? maybe that would lighten the load as maths isnt like chemistry, sure you have to go to lessons, but chemistrys supposedly horrendous

[Elmo]

i applied to do chemistry with medicinal chemistry for my degree (i can chang eit if i want) but it's not all 9-5 in lab coats! i do 2 labs a week, 2-5, and 4 1 hour lectures. The rest is taken up by biology (my fall back subject)

Now, when i was at school, i liked chemistry up till standard grade (GCSE to you english people) but after that, i didnt really enjoy it (dont ask why i applied to do it at uni, cos i dunno) - Anyways, since i've been doing it at uni, i've enjoyed it so much! Everything suddenly makes a whole lot of sense and labs are soooooo much fun! maybe that's just in Glasgow uni (we have a pretty good reputation for teaching etc) but everyone on my course is loving it....

I did maths in 1st year, and my GOD i hated it.

As for joint courses, as far as Glasgow uni is concerned, they're just the same as normal single degrees. In first yr you take 3 general subjects i.e Maths, Chemistry and Biology... Then in 2nd yr you take as many modules as you like in any combination (but only for 2 of the subjects you took in 1st year) relating to your course, amounting to 120 credits for the whole year. after that you specialise and you get given the specific modules to do.

It sounds really complicated, but it's quite straightforward once you get ur head around it....

[Swafe]

ah, your chemistry sounds good, probably depends what course your on, but as daverobev said, and a few people i know who did it said it sucked

im a bit like you elmo, but the other way round, i didnt like chemistry at gcse, but was forced by the admin at college to do it, as my other option was media, i got a C in english and a A in double science, so they made me, and im glad they did ! id have been useless at media and since i started, ive really enjoyed chemistry, i just know from here on in its gonna get hard, andtheres gonna be a bugger of a lot to learn !

[Anders]

I did Computing at Leeds and it was a hell of a lot of work because they gave us so much coursework, I didn’t find anyone else at Leeds who had anywhere near as much work as the people on my course. At Leeds there were three computing related courses. Computer Science, which involved a lot of Maths and heavy on the theory work, Computing which was a little maths, theory and practical skills such as Java, C++, SQL, etc, and Information Systems, which was mostly business orientated. It was felt that Information Systems was the easiest course, and people who couldn’t cut it on Computer Science or Computing dropped down to Information Systems. Personally I’m glad I did Computing.

My housemate did joint-honours Economics and Geography, and he had sweet FA work, so maybe Economics or Business Studies could be an easy course? At Leeds if you did joint honours you didn’t have to do a final year project, you could just take more modules, not sure this makes it easier though.

As for places, Leeds is great, as is Manchester. I found Sheffield a bit of a dump (sorry to anyone I’ve offended ) and I’m glad I didn’t go there. I’m also glad I didn’t go to London because it doesn’t really cater for students in the same way other places do. A couple of mates went to Norwich (UEA) and surprisingly Norwich actually had an okay-ish nightlife, although I suppose if you live there it might get boring. Plymouth also has a good nightlife, but I’m not sure about the quality of the university there.

Thing is my course was a lot of work, but you get out what you put in, so while I had to work my butt off, I feel that I learnt a lot more than others I know who did degrees involving less work. I’d advise you to go because university is such a great time and it generally changes people for the best. I’m not sure about this, but I always thought that some places didn’t count General Studies to be worth anything, but that might have changed now?

[Swafe]

i know how u mean, the coursework on a2 computing is just SILLY, its worth 40% of the a2, and overall 20% of a whole a level, basically, if you screw it up, you lose 2 grades overall.

i really dont want to do computing as i said, i know how much work they will pile on, and really, i dont want to be stuck in not partying over some C++ that im going to hate

[spikegifted]

I read chemistry as my first degree at King's College, London (graduated 1992). My major concentration was organic chemistry because I had a great time doing organic chemistry in the lab and also going to the classes. I hated physical chemistry (too much physics and maths) and I was indifferent towards inorganic.

On the whole, chemistry was one degree that I could do without working too hard... I had a part-time job (working over 24 hours per week), I played rugby for KCL, a very healthy social life and was playing in various bands. I guess you can tell that I didn't actually spend much time doing chemistry...

[orgasmo]

i know this slightly off subject but im in my 3rd year at uni now and im doing "New Media" which is basically media studies and an ecuse to play on the internet lots then do all the work in the last 2 weeks, i have to say i have enjoyed it because it not a heavy work load and you get to do practical projects.

I'm studying at Edge Hill uni in lancashire which is a really small uni but everyone i know enjoys it because its all on one capmus which is about 5 mins walk from one side to the other (not including all the fields).

The course has now change to be even better, check out what it involves here

hope this gives you some ideas, good luck!

[ACiD303]

I wish I could go back and take a year out. Or perhaps not started uni at all. I didnt know what the hell I was doing with Uni.

I started doing Electrical Engineering - passed 1st year thinking "this is f'ing boring, dont want to be doing this for the next 3 years and living my life being a spark!" So I changed my course - and same thing happened.

If you find something you really want to do when you're young, and able to do it, then you're quite lucky I reckon.

[Aaron]

If you're not sure then taking a year out to work may be the best idea, IMO.

If you like the job then you can keep with it, if it doesn't then you can go to uni. At least then you'll have all of your grades already and you'll be able to pick and choose your course without worrying about whether you'll get the grades or not.

And choose a course that you actually enjoy and sounds interesting. Don't choose something soley because you're good at it or because the job prospects are good. 3 years is a long time if you don't like something.

I must say that university was the best days of my life. I was doing a pretty dull subject (physics with finance) but the social side of things more than made up for it. Lots of booze and lots of attractive young women.

[Gubs]

I did Natural Sciences which is great if you don't know exactly what you want to do - you take four subjects in the first year, then narrow down to three (or two in some cases) in the second year, and then specialise in just one field for the remaining one/two years. It also gives you the chance to try something that you haven't done at school - I did geology for a year which sounded as if it would be pretty dull, but actually turned out to be the most fun subject I've ever studied.

As others have said, a year out might be a good idea if you're really stuck for ideas. I would say don't just write off uni because you're not sure what course to do - you don't go just to study! And ACiD303 is right - if someone DOES know what they want to do, they're lucky. Most of my friends at uni (myself included) didn't have anything planned out - they just chose the course that they'd enjoy most, or was the most natural step from their A-levels.

Have you got any ideas where you might apply to, if you decide that uni is right for you?

[ACiD303]

I know this is probably inferred from the above posts, but you also may find once you pick a subject you think you're going to enjoy, things can somewhat change over uni. Checking the syllabus is probably the best thing - if more than 1/3 of the course is making you squint - forget about it.

A lot of my mates, who have now graduated either wish they left uni earlier to do something else, or wish they didnt have to go into graduate jobs, or cant get a graduate job. Lol, yeah I know Im surrounded by lowlife

Uni is no doubt the best fun you're gonna have, but if I were to go back to Uni now, I know what my priorities would be.

[spikegifted]

Originally posted by Gubs
I did Natural Sciences which is great if you don't know exactly what you want to do - you take four subjects in the first year, then narrow down to three (or two in some cases) in the second year, and then specialise in just one field for the remaining one/two years. It also gives you the chance to try something that you haven't done at school - I did geology for a year which sounded as if it would be pretty dull, but actually turned out to be the most fun subject I've ever studied.

You went to Cambridge?

[Gubs]

Yeah, just graduated. Other places do NatSci as well though; Durham off the top of my head, probably more.

[Swafe]

well chemistry, not too sure on, anyone know any o amths courses? or maybe even something computing based?

as long as its nots too hard, i know maths generally hard but id sooner something slightly easier as at times i can struggle with maths