Shall i go to uni?

Megahurtz400

Megahurtz400

Megahurtz400

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Im really stuck at the moment guys, and am turning to you :)

Basically, in my 2nd year of sixth form, getting by, im not going to get brilliant grades, i mean, all B's would be awesome for me.

Now i dont know if i want to go to uni or not, and if i do what i want to do :(

I get the feeling if i dont go to Uni, ill be missing out on loads of fun, and i might end up working at Bennetts (Part time job) for the rest of my life.

If i do, i feel i might come out with a degree thats cost me LOADS and doesnt really get me anywhere :(

So basically, bit of a rant, but just after some ideas of courses that you guys do, at the moment i thinking architectural design, as ive always loved the designs of old buildings and the way theyre built etc.

Anyway, throw some ideas at me please,

Cheers,
Dan
 
My honest advice, don't go to Uni unless you are sure you want to do that specific course. Or you will end up regretting it.

If you are pretty sure, do it. You'll have the time of your life ;)
 
You can always do conversion courses afterward; try and get on a good course from at least a half decent uni. Uni was free in my day so of course I went and has got me into my current profession.

There are lots of opportunities without a degree which you can look into doing with 'on the job' training if you can’t make up your mind.

There are career guidance books which may help you out and give you some ideas. Perhaps try getting some work experience and send some letters off; a lot of companies might take you on for a week or so for a taster. It depends how much effort you put into it.
 
If you go to uni then do a course which will help you get a job. If it does then the debt won't be that important and in the long term you are likely to be better off.

I have no idea but is architectural design the course people would do to become architects or is the course that people who can't get on the real architecture course do? I have no idea in this case but there are lots of examples of things like that which you should watch out for. If you're not sure whether a specific course will be useful then just ask on here as loads of people end up on rubbish courses and do waste money. On the flip side, if you do a good course then not only will you earn more afterwards but you'll also have a great time at uni so it's win win!
 
I'm in your same situation really Megahurtz. Applying for a Uni in my local area with several choices such as Police Studies, Buisness/ICT Management and Film + TV Production.

I chose degree courses which I feel will pay off afterwards. Looking through the prospectus for my Uni/Unis of choice there are a noticeable amount of degrees which to me look dead end, such as Music Festival Management, that's not going to get the undergrad really into anything worthwhile. I feel it's better to look for more generic degrees that will be more applicable in more areas, however these are set as my 2nd,3rd,4th choice courses, and Police Studies because my career aim is to make it into the Police Force after I finish my Btec ND at College. It's good to have solid choices to fall back on at the end of the day.

But I would say Hurtz, do your best and try and get into the Uni of your choice, I doubt you will regret it and as others have said it'll be a great time socially and life experience wise, and if you pick a degree you want to do and feel it's worthwhile doing then I see no reason for you to succeed and finish Uni with your Degree in hand! :D
 
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Lysander said:
My honest advice, do a course you half like the sound of and have an amazing time socially.
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Indeed. However, if you are going to do this, I would take a more traditional degree that might be seen as more respectable, history over media studies, for example. It will look better to the average employer.

Hold on, shouldn't you have applied for university already? If not, the deadline must be soon.
 
Architectural Technology?

Architecture (Although you will need a portfolio for a strictly architecture course)

Civil Engineering (Maths!)

Structural Engineering

If you like buildings you will probably be better off in the Built Environment part of a University
 
i went for an apprenticeship at ITPS and i couldnt be happier, altho it may be different for you. if you have a course you love, then go for it.
 
Duke said:
And huge debt?

No point going unless you get a worthwhile degree.
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This. Uni isn't guaranteed brilliance for everyone - a lot of people drop out and waste time and money doing so, not to mention those who stay but don't enjoy things all that much.
 
It's up to you. It depends on what area you want to have a career in. You need to research to see what entry oppurtunities there are into your future profession. Mine, for example, I could have gone to uni and done Mechanical Engineering. Instead I did an apprenticeship with a large company, and have come out down the ladder slightly compared to a graduate, but I don't have £10k+ debt to contend with. The competition for graduate places is also, from what i've learnt at the company I'm with, higher than at the apprenticeship level.

Remember what everyone has said about the social aspect, you can make friends there you'll keep for the rest of your life. I do wish sometimes that I had gone to uni as most of my old school friends buggered off, so most of my friends are work colleagues now :p
 
If you're thinking architectural design then I would scrap that and go for architecture. Architectural design will limit you in what you can do, you'll just end up a CAD monkey.

Architecture is a long time to be at uni (7 years with two years in practice) but if you're passionate about it and are willing to work that little bit harder then it's very rewarding, it's an incredibly interesting subject, and will teach you not just about architecture but about culture, history, environment, technology, structure...

I'm back at uni now after my year out (now in 5th year) I got a job just before the recession and it was really easy, Architecture definately encourages you to get a job because it's part of the course - all practices will take on graduates at different levels because that's how the profession is structured.

So... Definitely enjoy uni and make the most of your time (architects have a lot of fun!) but make sure you're doing something worthwhile, and make sure you'll still think it's worthwile after 5 years..!
 
Only go if you know where you want to be in 5-10years time though.

I went because I had nothing else to do and it's taken me 3years of wasted finances to realise where I'm heading.

Ha, yeh the social side is great, but really don't go just because of that you will regret it.

I'm just glad I know what I want to do now and it can be done without a degree
 
I think you need to be phunky to be an architect :p

It's a bit like product design, you need to be flamboyant with your imagination to stand out :)

Being designy is a way of life most of the time you need to completely immerse yourself in culture and history.

If you like pictures and shapes do architecture, if you like to know why and how things are do a more engineering based construction course :)
 
A degree is better than no degree.
95% of the time nowadays you need some form of qualification to get a good job.

I'm doing business and administration, hopefully going on to do my masters as well. Plymouth uni (I've been to stay with mates down there, it's awesome)
 
Nitefly said:
Hold on, shouldn't you have applied for university already? If not, the deadline must be soon.
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15th Jan for Sept Admissions unless you are applying for Oxford, Cambridge or Medicine or Vetinary Science. In which case the boat has been missed.

Not that I am filling in a UCAS form or anything at the moment, damn personal statements...
 
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