What should I study at university ?

What subjects interest you?

The first piece of advice is to definitely consider what subjects interest you and that you are happy to study in the long term. You may have a range of different subjects that you enjoy, but it is helpful to narrow these down and then do some research on what the courses entail. You can find module information and how the course is taught and assessed on the Leeds Beckett website and in the course guides. As you will be studying the subject for a long period of time, you want to make sure you understand what the course is and that it is something that interests you.

For example, when I chose that I wanted to study law, I knew that I was always fascinated by the subject and started properly studying law when I was 16. I studied it for two years at college before deciding that this was the subject I wanted my degree to be in. It may be helpful to have a feel for the subject before choosing it as a degree, but even if you did not study it at A-Level there are Open Days and Applicant Days at the university where you can get a chance to talk to the course leaders and students of all different years to get a feel for what it is really like to study that subject. I participated in these events myself before deciding and I would definitely recommend this to anyone whether you have your heart set on a course already or you are still deciding. Make the most of the resources and information available to you. 

Current education and career paths

It is not vital to have already studied the subject you are choosing to do your degree in. There are many people on my course who are doing a Law degree but did not study Law beforehand. It is however helpful to be studying subjects in your current education that will help you in your university experience. It is worth looking at the course guides to see what A-level subjects are useful to have studied before your degree (some do have specific courses as entry requirements, so watch out for those). As well as this, it is also helpful to have an idea of your career goals. This doesn’t have to be set in stone and there’s no pressure on this one but it’s useful to have a think about a few options that you might like to progress to when you finish your degree, to help guide you. By no means do you have to plan your whole life out before you decide but give yourself the best preparation by putting some time in to figure out what you want to achieve.

Structure of the courses

Even if there is a subject you want to study, I highly recommend looking how you will be assessed, which you can find information of on the Leeds Beckett website. Different people are comfortable with different types of assessment whether it be essay based or coursework. You will know which one you are more comfortable with, so look into this before deciding! As well as this, there are also combined courses. If you are struggling to decide on one, look on the website as there are courses which combine two subjects. For example, I study pure Law meaning that it is just that subject, but whilst I was looking in the course guide there was combined courses like Law with Criminology, Law with Business Management etc, if this is something that interests you.

A little bit about Leeds Beckett

When deciding on your course, you should also look at what extra opportunities each course has. Whether it be a leadership role or working alongside a professional and placement links, each course has many opportunities to expand your knowledge and is exciting to be involved in. For example, my law course has a volunteer opportunity called “support through court” where you are supervised by a professional to give real legal advice to a client-which also looks great on CV’s! We also have many study opportunities if you are struggling with content on your course, and although university is a very independent experience compared to school, there is always support from staff if you are struggling. Leeds Beckett is a great place to study, with many different courses located in a great city with lots of things to do, including a huge library or more relaxed study spaces where you can meet up with friends and grab a bite to eat. Open Days are a great way to get a feel for the university and look what we have to offer.

Overall, I can confidently say that Leeds Beckett was a great option to study my degree, there are many courses available and although this may be a tough decision, the key pieces of advice to remember are to come for Open Days and Applicant Days, make the most of the website and course guides to see how the courses are structured and how they are assessed, and most of all make sure you pick something that you enjoy and see a future with.

I hope this blog was useful in pointing you in the right direction of how to help to choose your course, thankyou for reading and good luck!