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Decisions…

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes worry about getting old and grey. I used to worry that I’d skate through life and before I knew it, I’d be sat replaying my yesterdays wishing I had done things differently.

Before I came to EHU I was clueless about what to do after my Sociology degree. If I’m being honest, I’m still not 100% sure of my life plan, but I’m getting there. EHU has opened doors that I never even knew could be opened. I used to think I had limited options with my degree, but after talking to my lecturers and staff members I’m literally blown away with the range of choices I have. From working in the social sector such as in the police institute, social work or teaching, all the way to graduate jobs in retail, administration and charity organisations. I’ve been advised to take my time making decisions and not to jump head first into a job I’m not going to love.

Thankfully decisions don’t have to be made over night, so I have all summer to work things out… But I’m glad I have EHU to fall back on when I need help understanding my options and making decisions.

Until next time…:)

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How to decide on what university to go to.

By now you should have a good idea about what university you want to go to in September, i.e. you have decided upon your firm choice  and insurance choice (plan b) universities. Incase you haven’t, this blog post will outline some things you should consider when making that decisions

What is your course department like?

One of the most important things to take into account is what is the department your course belongs is like. The big difference between Edge Hill’s psychology department and Bradford’s is that Edge Hill Psychology department is actually in it’s own building (the social and psychological sciences building) whereas Bradford’s was down a corridor in one of the big buildings on campus. I also liked how the staff at Edge Hill were easy to talk to and welcoming to applicants.

What is the accommodation like?

More likely than not when you’re in your first year at university you’ll be living in halls of residence. One of the things I liked about Edge Hill is the accommodation and whilst I didn’t get my first choice of halls I did get a really good bargain with main halls (I got my food included in the price of my rent) Also in some instances the halls of residence for a university might be a bus ride away. Both Edge Hill and Bradford’s purpose built halls were on campus.

What are the local amenities like?

As well as any services your university has (Edge Hill has an on site laundrette and two shops that students regularly use) it’s worth thinking about what services there are in the near by town (or within the city if it’s a city based university) such as supermarkets, restaurants, post office, banks etc.

Do you feel at home there? 

By far the biggest thing to consider is would you be comfortable spending three (or more) years of your life there? Edge Hill won me over because it felt so homely. I felt like I’d be safe studying and living at Edge Hill and since starting my degree I now consider Edge Hill a second home (even though I live off campus). I’m really going to miss Edge Hill after graduation for this reason.

Anyway I hope you have found this post helpful and I wish you luck in your continuing studies and what remains of your university application process.

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Other Courses and why Psychology was the right one for me.

With the UCAS deadline rapidly approaching (January 15th is the deadline for applications for the majority of courses) I thought I’d reflect on the other courses I considered when applying to university.

History

My 1st choice of degree course for a long time (right the way through high school) was history. I’ve always been a history buff and got an A in it at GCSE and C at A-level. So I looked at the history courses at a number of universities including UCLAN (University of Central Lancashire), York, Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan and Bradford. But then I failed my AS history first time around and whilst my teacher let me re-sit, he did tell me I needed another choice (a plan b) of degree course when applying to university.

Archaeology 

This coincided with my love of History and I grew up watching the program Time Team (a group of archaeologists who go around the country digging up various sites of archaeological interest) so I looked at archaeology at UCLAN, York and both Manchester universities. However I decided it was not for me when I read the first few pages of an A-level textbook my dad bought me to help me decided whether it was really for me. Needless to say I wouldn’t have enjoyed being on my hands and knees digging up fields in all weathers.

Why Psychology?

This then brings me onto the course I of course ended up studying at degree level. Psychology. Psychology was the right course for me. I’ve widened my knowledge of psychology in terms of theory and research methodologies since starting at Edge Hill 2 1/2 years ago (almost) and more importantly my career choices are so much wider than if I’d done History or Archaeology because I’ve picked up skills like research skills, data analysis as well as enhanced my oral and written communication, time management, team work and organisation skills. All of which are prized by employers and if all goes according to plan I should be working full time this time next year 🙂

Anyway this is my last blog as a twenty year old (I turn twenty one on wednesday!) but in the meantime make sure the course your applying for is the right one for you. You don’t want to end up picking a course only to regret it later on.