If you are getting close to making decisions about university how will you decide what you will study? Are you going for a subject you love? Maybe you’re choosing something  you know you are really good at? Or perhaps something you know you want to build a career in?

We all know the job market is tough at the moment with 2.5 million people out of work. The graduate job market is now fiercely competitive, with those fresh out of university applying for the same jobs as those who have years of experience. Recent reports suggest that students are shunning traditional subjects – like English and Maths – in favour of practical degrees that will give them a better chance of securing a job at the end.

Applications for medicine degrees have risen by 12% in the last five years, while business and management degree students have risen by 9%. On the flip side applications to study English were down by 11% and European languages have dropped by 13%.

It would be great if we had a crystal ball and could predict what the job market would be like in 3 or 4 years time but instead we’ll give you some top tips on choosing a degree that suits you.

1. Think about what you enjoy – you’ll be studying for at least 3 years so it’s best to choose something that you at least think you’ll be interested in.
2. Although ‘practical’ degrees can seem like a safer future career choice you never know where a traditional degree like English or languages could take you. There are lots of careers that don’t require a specific degree. If you aren’t sure what job you want after uni then a non-specific degree might be a better bet.
3. Whatever degree you choose you’ll gain a lot of soft skills that matter in most jobs – analysis of information, ability to present work, acting as a team. Most employers will be looking for those skills as well as your chosen subject area.
4. If you do want to go into a specific field after graduation (such as law or medicine) then do choose the right degree – speak to a university admissions tutor or someone at your college or school for advice.

If you need academic tutoring or support during your A Levels or when you get to University 121 Home Tutors can help with most subjects (we cover Manchester and Cheshire including Hale, Heaton Moor and Didsbury).

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 29th, 2013 at 10:59 am and is filed under University, university admissions, which university?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.