DS having second thoughts about his subject choice!

[glitterbiscuits]

Sigh.
It's a rollercoaster. DS has 2 exams left and conditional places for his subject at 2 good unis.
Now he doesn't want to do it as he's fed up after studying it to A level.

I can understand but he hasn't got a burning passion for anything. He's an all rounder. He definitely wants the Uni experience, he doesn't want a year off, likes both his uni offers but doesn't want to do the subject.

I suggested it would be easier to accept his given place and start and change once there if necessary rather than try to change through clearing/ adjustments.

Has anyone got any advice or experience please?

I changed my degree at the end of my first year and found a way to go straight to Y2 without resitting. Your DS will probably want to change sooner than that, but if it's any help I found the uni to be really accommodating. There's no harm in ringing up and seeing what they have to say.

In the meantime, he needs to think about what he'd like to do instead - it's an expensive decision if he ends up doing something for the sake of it and then havng to resit the first year. Does he have any hobbies or something that he really enjoys that could form the basis of a degree? Better to do three years on a topic you enjoy and then do a one year Masters in whatever topic he wants to for a career. Worked for me!

Not best to start something his gut says is wrong for him.

He can go into clearing to get the subject he wants (not end of world). He's got almost 8 weeks to settle his mind what he wants to do. Maybe 2 weeks after exams he will start to feel different or have more clarity. I suspect there is scope to defer his place & get somewhere next year, but might require fresh UCAS application. There are ways forward.

If you say what his original expected Uni subject was & what subjects he tends to enjoy, maybe MNers can suggest subjects to read that have a lot of interdisciplinary opportunities (good for all rounders).

My advice would be do nothing - yet.
Wait until the exams are actually over, then give it a week and if he still feels the same, then look at a plan B. This week isn’t the time to try and make life changing decisions!

I'm hoping it's the stress of exams!
He doesn't want to defer. Very keen to get out of our tiny rural village to the big cities.
I thought better for him to go and try it out and then side step.
At least his accommodation etc is in place.

I know 2 students who telephoned their unis saying they wanted to swap subjects before a levels were out and the unis agreed. One is happily there, enjoying 2nd subject, one joins this year after deferring. These were competitive subjects and good RG unis.
Call the unis.

I would also give it some time. If he continues to prefer another course or be undecided about degree choice then much better to find about whether he can change at his firmed university before he starts and preferably do it before A level results day. Unless you and he are happy to take the risk of an extra university year so that he can use it to experience the excitement of a big city.

The problem ( to me) seems to be he wants to swap one 'ok' subject for another 'ok' subject.
The original choice is good. Good department etc
The second choice also interesting. He considered it before Open Days. But knows nothing about how the course is run, assessed etc.

I was hoping he could start the original course and if he hates it try to swop a few weeks in.

As error suggests, it might be a good idea to let the A level dust settle a bit before thinking about a big change of direction. Clearing opens on 5 July, so he could see if his chosen universities have vacancies he’s interested in.

But a year out might be a better option if it’s more about not wanting to do the subject he applied for rather than realising he has a strong interest in something else. It needn’t mean a year at home - perhaps he could look at options for live in jobs like PGL or Workaway.

If he contacts the university directly (after exams finish) there's a chance that they can change the degree programme which is better than waiting. Otherwise he could call on results day once he gets the offer confirmed. That said if it's a really popular course arhat he wishes to switch to there may be no space this year.

I tried to do this but I couldn't swap so had to go home again. For me it was about not having the right A levels in the first place but they also said the course was already over-subscribed. From a finance point of view check out what happens if there's a need to start again, I seem to remember there's a certain point in the year this becomes a problem.

Thanks @TabbyStar.

He will have the A levels for his chosen possible alternatives, assuming he get the grades.

Might not be as easy to change as either he or I think

Usually say something like history to English will be doable. Often you take other subjects other than your main subject anyway in the first year.

I think one of the issues about changing, as already highlighted, is that the course he wants to switch to might already be full/over-subscribed.
Also your DS might want to really consider whether, if he were to apply fresh for a different course, his firmed uni offers the best version of the course for him.

A friend swapped from maths to philosophy in Freshers week at my uni (RG). I think it happens quite a bit.

I'd say just let the dust settle for a few weeks. Reassess in a few weeks when clearing opens, speak to the uni about the possibility of swapping and see what they say.

Has he actually got a passion or a reason to study for a degree? If not then surely he is best advised not to go and to find a job or an apprenticeship. Universities will still be standing if in a couple of years he wants to become specialised on a particular area.

Agree that exam week might not be the best time to think this through, but I would listen to his reasoning carefully and get him to justify it properly, not simply that he's fed up of it.

DD had a major wobble over her choice of subject just before she went to uni. I put it down to nerves, but she really didn't settle to the subject at all and didn't do well in her first year exams. However she loved her university and managed to change to a different course although she had to take year one again in her new course. She ended up with a 2i so it was worth the change. With hindsight however I would have probed more robustly to see why she felt she wanted to change.

Yep, let the dust settle, then if he still feels the same way he can call the unis - if they have space and he meets the entry requirements they'll probably swap him.