JotCast | Year 12 Webchat 3 - Choosing Your Degree

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Year 12 Webchat 3 - Choosing Your Degree

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Diana F

4:13

Hi, if I want to do a degree in a subject I have never studied before should I do some research beforehand so that I am not behind other students who have studied it at A-level?

Zara

4:13

Thanks Molly :)

Molly

4:16

@Lucie - it's really about whether or not you think you are interested in the other side of the course. You should also look at career progression from these joint honours courses too - do they improve your career prospects or does it not matter? If you are only interested in the criminology side then there's not much point applying for the joint honours, but if you look at the course content and find that you are wanting to know more about both sides of the joint honours degree then it;s definitely worth applying to one! I would also be thinking about where I wanted to study more generally, and looking at both uni/location in combination with course content.

Haaroon

4:17

@Diana, yes we always encourage all students to do extra reading around their chosen course. It would be in your best interest to have researched the subject as much as possible before starting it. Having said that, if it doesn't have A-level requirements specific to a subject then the teaching will be at beginners level

olivia S

4:17

If the degree you're thinking of doing wants 2 specific a level's and you have one of them but not the other can you not apply?

Molly

4:18

And to answer your other question @Lucie, you can typically switch to another course fairly easily in your first semester of uni, but beyond that it gets quite tricky. You would need to have conversations with your original faculty/school and the one that you wanted to move to before any decisions would be made, but it's not impossible.

Lucie

4:18

okay, thank you!

Guest

4:18

olivia S

4:18

hi!

asiyahkhan

4:18

Zara

4:19

When is the latest point that you can change your degree course?

Guest

4:19

Hi would we be able to change our course if we reckon half way through it is not right?

Molly

4:20

@Zara and @Guest - see my answer to Lucie above for info about changing course :)

Sayem Howlader

4:20

What other subjects would be a better choice if you want to apply for medicine and keep a safe subject for last?

Haaroon

4:20

@Olivia, if the course directly states it wants 2 subject specific A levels then unfortunately you are going to have to need both A-levels and not just one. The same course may have different entry requirements at a different university so have a look around

Alan Jose

4:21

Would you say that it is satisfying to get a job once you have completed your degree?

Molly

4:21

@Sayem there are loads of options! Students usually go for something science/healthcare related, such as biomedical sciences, biochemistry, pharmacy, psychology, chemistry, biology, etc. It's really about what you think you would enjoy the most if you were not able to study medicine - your 5th option still has to be something you'd enjoy doing!

Ebrima J

4:21

@Molly, I have done taster lectures in both and I’m sort of leaning towards one from these, however I would have to do a conversion course afterwards to do the career I want to.

Haaroon

4:23

@Alan, it is satisfying to get a job after you complete you degree because all your hard work has paid off, you may have a graduate scheme offer from a company, it's a very exciting time. But also it is fine to not have a job immediately lined up. You don't have to jump into a job straight away and there's nothing wrong with taking your time. There's so many options available, you could take an year out etc

Fathima Sajeeha Mohamad Lameer

4:24

hello, I want to do medicine. As I can't choose a medicine course for my fifth choice, would a course that isn't linked at all to medicine be allowed as well for my fifth choice or does it have to link to medicine?

Molly

4:24

@Ebrima - that's actually quite common, plenty of people study a postgraduate qualification in order to progress onto their chosen profession. Things like Law conversion courses, the PGCE for teaching, and lots of journalism/publishing related post grads are very popular options for students, so if you are leaning towards one but being put off by that worry alone then I would say go for it!

Mehroz

4:24

Hi would we be able to change our course half way if we reckon it is not right?

Molly

4:24

Hi @Mehroz, see my answer to Lucie above for info about changing course :)

Olivia S

4:25

Can u apply to a course when you only have 1 of the specific a level requirements needed? (Sorry if I have sent this many times- it keeps playing up!)

Haaroon

4:25

Molly

4:26

Hi @all - please be patient with our responses and try not to send things multiple times. We are going as quick as we can and need to individually publish each of your messages in order to reply to them!

Luanna

4:26

how many degrees can you apply for? I was thinking of doing two but I'm not sure if there is a minimum or a maximum

Haaroon

4:27

@Fathima, yes your 5th choice does need to be medicine related. It cannot be totally unrelated because you would not be able to tailor your personal statement towards it

Molly

4:28

Hey @Luanna - you can apply for any combination of degrees and universities on your UCAS form to fill your five choices, but I would recommend sticking to things that are in a similar field if you are planning to apply to more than one different subject.

asiyah

4:28

Hi, i would like to study psychology to go on to be a child psycho-therapist but there are lots of different courses such as clinical psychology, biological psychology etc. so im not sure which one would be right for me. Which one should i choose ?

Eleanor W

4:28

do you think a history degree is a good route to becoming a journalist (or something similar)?

Haaroon

4:30

@asiyah, I would find out what the difference is between all of those courses. Find out a bit more about each of those courses you have listed by attending Open Days and doing taster sessions and attending events. This will help you identify which course you will enjoy the most, and later on you can specialise in your chosen field

sanya hussain

4:30

if you do a foundation year can you take a year out?

Haaroon

4:30

@Sanya, yes you can

Diana F

4:30

@haaroon thank you

Guest

4:30

Do different degrees mean different lecture sizes

Molly

4:31

@Eleanor - absolutely! People often study a wide range of courses before going on to become journalists. The most useful qualification for journalism is the NCTJ certificate, which you can get before, after, or alongside your degree, so your options are super open with a History degree

Sayed Howlader

4:31

If you're applying for a specific degree is it wise to apply for related degrees in your UCAS or can you apply for diverse degrees according to your interest?

Fathima Sajeeha Mohamad Lameer

4:31

@Haaroon Thank you for answering my question

Ebrima J

4:31

@Molly, Thank you!

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