If you could do your degree over again, what would you study?

[juneau]

Would you still make the same choice again?

I wouldn't. I studied something really interesting, but ultimately quite useless. If I had the chance to do things over again I'd study economics, which I find fascinating, and it would have been a lot more useful.

[Allalonenow]

I did an arts degree, but I'm sorry I did not do law, my life would have been so different.

[fussychica]

I'd still have done my BEd but would have taken a different major - perhaps English or History then I might have actually enjoyed it. Made the mistake of taking film & drama and ended up being stuck with a load of very affected wannabe actors who had no interest in teaching but had failed to get into RADA - hated the whole thing.

[nickelbabylyinginamanger]

oh I would - I did Materials Science in the days before Graphene.
God, I would have loved to have been there when they discovered that!
and how exciting the degree must be now now they have it!

I did a project on carbon-carbon fibre composites and it was wicked- I could have done Graphene in a project.
it would have been ace.

and silicon used for baking? unheard of when I did Materials - still can't get my head round it - it looks like a polymer, behaves like a polymer but is a ceramic! how on earth did that happen?
and how on earth would I pass the polymer modules with that new ceramic being around? It was hard enough to work out what polymers did anyway!

[cricketballs]

andadietcoke I would have done business (I did European Studies and modern languages). I've just finished a masters in business and have been struck by how relevant it is to pretty much every job I could ever do in the private sector

please repeat this to as many people as you can - especially those that think this subject is a soft option!

I spend so much time explaining to parents/students of every age about the fact they will be learning at every stage something that they will later relay on no matter what their career path takes them on just for parents to read MN/DM and decided the subject is not worthy. Education and qualifications are not just about Russell Group entries (even though it is a facilitating subject at A2 for some areas) but also about life!

[ImperialSantaKnickers]

Archaeology was less interesting than I thought it would be. The only bit I still find fascinating is the effect of geography on human development. Wish I'd done geography now, bet I'd make a better job of deciding where new homes should be built than whoever decided to concrete over flood plains....

[BadRoly]

I would NOT do Chemical Engineering with Minerals Engineering again

I think I should have gone for Accountancy...

[EthelredOnAGoodDay]

I did law. Should have done business with French, which were my best A levels and what I actually enjoyed studying.

[MirandaWest]

I did Chemistry. I should not have done Chemistry as was useless at it (only skills gained are an ability to pour wine without spilling it). I should have studied Physics as I was a lot better at doing Physics and enjoyed it more. My stupid reason for not doing it was that my mum and dad were Maths teachers and always went on about how Physicists were not as good as Mathematicians due to not being so precise. So stupid 18 year old me thought they wouldn't like me if I did Physics .

I did end up being an Accountant but am glad I did do a separate degree first - having seen people who did Accountancy degrees feeling that what we learned in about the first month of training to be accountants was more than what they learned in a whole degree I think I'd have felt a bit frustrated.

Also I wouldn't have done a Primary PGCE as I was useless at teaching (did that before the Accountancy qualification)

[bellechristmas]

Something useful, Russian, seriously, what was I thinking?

[CelticPromise]

I did law. I wish I'd done a language, probably French.

[LadyLetch]

My first degree was in Theology. It wasn't something that I had particularly planned, but more fell into. As it turns out, there were some fascinating subjects that I covered, although I really enjoyed the philosophy side of the course and so wished perhaps I had done a joint honours in philosophy and theology (rather than just specialising in the philosophy modules within my theology degree). I also wish I had made more of my time at university. I was far too focussed on the fun, and didn't realise at the time how lucky I was to be able to have the time to study without all the other pressures in life. I did go on to do a Masters degree, but I did this alongside work, and it just wasn't the same. An old friend is now studying for his theology degree, and I have to say I'm quite jealous.

[LRDtheFeministDude]

I would have done the same again (English Lit), but I'd have worked a shedload harder and done different modules - I need Old English and asked to do it but got told it wasn't very useful. And I would have done Russian instead of Italian for my second language (though I think I would have been shite at it).

If I hadn't done English, I would love to have had the confidence to do Art. I'm not sure I'd have been any good but I would like to know, and then maybe get into something like floristry or fabric design.

[legalalien]

I did law. I would choose the same again, but if I had to choose something different I would have done mathematics.

[nickelbabylyinginamanger]

BadRoly - what did you hate? maybe Materials would have been better?

[nickelbabylyinginamanger]

Miranda - another contender for Materials!

[losingtrust]

I did European Studies with German and loved the economics part. Did not consider doing economics only but realized I was good at it and went on to do economics based job so would have been really useful to do more instead of the politics component that I hated. Also would have worked much harder.

[BadRoly]

Nickelbaby I enjoyed the minerals side of it but was pretty rubbish as the chem eng! I should maybe have gone for geology or materials like you say, but I didn't. I thought a vocational course would be a great idea.

Oh and I enjoyed the student lifestyle a bit too much for a full week of 9-5 lectures/tutorials

It did get me onto the PGCE and ultimately into teaching which was my plan by the end of my first year!

Now I do the books for our company and enjoy it so am considering looking into book keeping and eventually accountancy...

[SorrelForbes]

I did theatre as intended to follow it with a postgrad in musical theatre but I moved abroad so never managed the pg. I wish I'd done history instead.

[Selks]

I did social work, and it's given me a good career but if I could start over I would either do an ecology/ natural sciences degree (which is what I wanted to do at age 17 but didn't have the confidence) so that I could pursue a career in wildlife conservation, or follow my other love which is painting and do a fine art degree.

[monsterchild]

I did Archaeology, but ended up in law. Some days I think I would have enjoyed medicine more, but slacker that I am, I'm probably best off where I am!

[WhitesandsofLuskentyre]

I did French, German and Economics, and I'd do the same again. I worked in travel for a number of years, using my French and German on a daily basis, and am now a translator - I got my "in" with agencies by being an Economics specialist.

[nickelbabylyinginamanger]

Roly - I'm recruiting MatScis in this thread
glad you enjoyed the minerals bit - I loved that part of my course, too. :)

I know what you mean about leactures - ours were 9o'clock starts every day! but at least the lab time meant that we didn't always have to stay all day.

[BestIsWest]

I did Economics and liked it at the time but it has been of very little use to meso far though I do now work for a financial institution so it might come in handy.

I wish I'd done English, History or librarianship.

[fraktion]

I'd have done a linguistics degree straight off instead of doing a second degree plus postgrad to get it.

I would have loved to do midwifery or nursing but I can't produce antibodies to hep B after the vaccine for some reason :( Had it 3 times and still nothing so I guess it'll never take.

[sweetkitty]

I did Microbiology which was interesting but jobs are scarce and very poorly paid.

I would do something different Medicine (didn't think I'd fit in) or Midwifery oh or maybe Architecture.