To uni or not to uni
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This time of year students are getting ready to head off to uni, and although it may seem AGES away — if you’re wondering about whether or not to go next September, now is the time to get thinking about it. I’ve broken down the UCAS process here, and as you can see it’s not something you can leave to the last minute.
I think there can be an expactation that uni is just what you do after college/sixth form. At my sixth form there wasn’t really any other options. In terms of what we were told about, it was uni or nothing.
Going to uni is such a big decision and I think sometimes when you don’t know your other options some people end up going just for the sake of going. It’s a very expensive thing to do, and if you’re not 100% sure it’s right for you, I think you should explore what else is out there before you fill out that UCAS form.
I always knew uni was what I wanted to do. I did an English degree and then completed my journalism studies. Check out my uni-related pieces here:
If you’re unsure about whether to go to uni, here’s some accounts of people that did and didn’t go:
Did go to uni: Ayesha
Currently — Psychological wellbeing practitioner (PWP)
Previously studied — University of Surrey (BSc Psychology)
Ayesha said at the time of choosing what to do, she felt like uni was the only option for getting a job.
“I went to uni to study more psychology as I only did it at AS level and wanted to learn more, also I thought I couldn’t get a job without going to uni to be honest! But I think most importantly I did it to gain independence, to live life on my own a bit and all that!
“I thought with psychology I had quite a few options — I had the whole route of clinical psychology and if that wasn’t for me then I could still get into the HR/business-y kind of path, as well as research.”
In terms of how she ended up at Surrey, Ayesha looked at how it ranked for psychology, as well as location, and how the campus felt.
“Location was great — not in a city but close enough if I wanted to visit London (35 minute train). I was also very happy that it was a campus uni so it felt quite secluded from everything else.”
