To ask if you could study any university degree, what would it be?

[Theda13]

Cost aside, of course. I’d choose to study History and Sociology.

This was my original choice, but my family said it would be useless in terms of job prospects.

If you could choose to study any course, what would it be?

Psychology to lead onto forensic psychology. I did languages but wanted to do French and psychology and my mum told me I couldn’t. And I accepted that. Some psychology to analyse right there!

I wanted to study Egyptology. In the end I studied History. My parents were probably right that it was the better option but who knows, perhaps I could have ended up becoming the next Howard Carter and having a photo of my beaming face next to Smenkhkare’s displayed mummy in a museum somewhere.

Rather than study a degree in Egyptology now though I think I’d just like three years to do nothing but read lots of books about Ancient Egypt, learn to read hieroglyphs, go on field trips to look at tombs, and collect ushabtis. You can keep the exams and dissertations.

If I were an 18 year old now I'd choose data science or geography.

Sociology. I’m an academic in nursing, my MSc is in public health and sociology of health fascinates me. I am currently working towards a PhD in a sociology field, though sociology of education, rather than health and I wish I’d done it right from undergraduate level

I did French, and that was a good choice for me at the time. I enjoyed it and have a life long love of France.

But quite often, when you're 17 or 18, you don't really know where your interests will end up. Now, I'd do Mediaeval History. Plenty of France to be found there too!

Literature, journalism, criminology or law.
My DM discouraged me from going; I ended up being promoted into a job that requires a degree but I still massively regret not going to university.
My friend recently completed her PhD after her 3 DC left home. What an inspiration. I wish I could find a way to afford it.

I did BSc, work related, so this time something arty. English Lit, or History. No way I'd pay what it costs now though!

Philosophy - no hesitation. But I am in my 70's so just for my own pleasure.

I’m about a third of the way through a forensic psychology degree.
I didn’t start it until I was 30.

I would love to do a Maths degree. It was always my favourite subject at school. There weren't the same obvious links to careers as other subjects so I did a different stem course with links to industry but didn't finish because it wasn't right for me.

I now work in heathcare but have always wondered what would have happened if I'd have carried on studying the thing I was best at!

I would now be studying for myself so definitely philosophy or philosophy and ethics. And if they wouldnt accept me for those - history of art.

I never did a degree - I went straight into an apprenticeship after a BTEC and a dreadful secondary school. But had I, I would have liked to have been good enough to study maths or economics.

I wanted to do History and Politics. I was told that a woman who looked like me would never be taken seriously, so was put off. I did do a SW BA and loved the Sociology modules, I'm sorry I didn't stick with just Sociology. I was in CP and the service was serving no-one. The jobs that you use a Sociology degree for, would have suited me better.

Social anthropology probably. Instead I just read around it a lot and indulge myself with trips to museums etc while being bored to tears 9-5 in an admin job that I need to pay the bills/pay the mortgage. Oh for the luxury of having had parents who supported university.

I have a Biology degree but I wish we had a major/minor system like they do some countries so you could minor in something else adjacent to your main degree. I would have chosen something like Classics or Philosophy alongside Biology.

If I was back to being just 18 years old, I'd have studied IT, data science or programming for the career prospects. I did, briefly, toy with studying computing but went with accountancy instead!

Now, aged 60, if I was doing a degree for "fun" rather than a career, I'd do history.

I’d do Art History, then a Master in Conservation

For job prospects data science, computer science, maths.
For fun a language maybe Japanese.

Liberal arts in the US

I’d love to do a social work degree and be a social worker!

My degree was in social anthropology. I began thinking I would focus on politics, having done well at politics A-Level, but in the first year we were made to study a range of disciplines, including social anthropology. By the end of the first lecture, I knew that this was what I was going to do with my life. I went to my Director of Studies and asked to change degrees that day. Going back, I would choose it over and over. This discipline has been my life's most enduring love affair.

I have a degree in Public Health but my dream subject would be psychology. I studied A level psychology and got an A.

Parapsychology. Instead I studied Law and then later went on to complete a Masters in Crime and Justice and a Psychology degree.

Interesting to see a couple of people said Philosophy. I have a philosophy degree, never used it but also never regretted it.
I feel extremely lucky that I was able to make this choice aged 18, with a safety net of supportive family etc. I loved doing my degree.

As I was leaving, they were considering bringing in a Liberal Arts degree, which also sounds absolutely fascinating.

Medicine.
I'm not resilient enough to actually be a doctor and I'm in my mid-30s with young kids so that ship has sailed, but I would love to study it. I did study biomed though, & make do with books and podcasts.

I also love the idea of forensic anthropology but I can't stand maggots so that's out!

Fine art with painting as the major