Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

What degree subjects haven't we thought of?

65 replies

MotherOfSoupDragons · 04/08/2019 17:07

DS is doing Maths, Physics and Biology A-Levels. Predicted AAA*/A. Originally thought he would like to do either some sort of Engineering or Marine Biology but he's gone off those ideas following uni open days. Are there any left field degree courses he could do with those subjects? Clutching at straws here.

OP posts:

Kanga83 · 04/08/2019 17:08

What does he think he'd like to do? Personally if he's not sure on career choice yet I would go with on as a subject at uni then look at masters or further degree after.

Ironoaks · 04/08/2019 17:11

Natural Sciences?
Quite a few places offer it. The courses vary a lot in structure so he'd need to check the course information online.

VivaLeBeaver · 04/08/2019 17:11

Get some uni prospectus and look through them. Loads he could do, medicine, vet medicine, architecture possibly. Or something totally unrelated.

Ironoaks · 04/08/2019 17:13

Which University has an online tool where he can enter his A-level subjects and it will suggest some ideas.

scissy · 04/08/2019 17:14

Medical physics or materials science? I agree to grabbing some prospectus for big unis that offer lots of courses for inspiration though.

BikeRunSki · 04/08/2019 17:15

Civil engineering, environmental engineering. Newcastle do a BEng in Civil and Evironmental Engineering. Env Eng is not as numbery and more outdoorsy than some fields of engineering, if that is what out him off.

Physiotherapy, podiatry

Earth Science/Geology

Astrophysics ? (Not sure if you might need Further Maths?)

stucknoue · 04/08/2019 17:15

Whatever he is interested in, most degrees don't have prerequisite a levels. It's also fine to take a gap year or two, get a job save money and work out what he really wants to study. Don't rush going to university, could be an expensive mistake

SwedishEdith · 04/08/2019 17:16

What has put him off? Which, of those subjects, does he prefer?

Astrophysics?

YahBasic · 04/08/2019 17:18

Quantity Surveying

WatcherintheRye · 04/08/2019 17:19

If he doesn't really know what he wants to do, I would advise him not to opt for something just for the sake of it, he can afford to take a gap year and think about the direction he might like to take. Maybe get some work experience. Whatever he eventually decides to do, they'll be biting his hand off if he gets anything like his predicted grades!

BikeRunSki · 04/08/2019 17:23

Quantity Surveying is a good one, they get paid more than us civil engineers.

Surveying

Countryside management

RubberTreePlant · 04/08/2019 17:25

Almost anything at all.

Why do you feel you're clutching at straws?

Ironoaks · 04/08/2019 17:25

Does he strongly want to apply this autumn?
If he's not sure what subject he wants to study, it might be worth taking a year out, maybe getting some work experience and applying after A-levels.

His predicted grades are good enough to apply to any university he likes. However, for the most oversubscribed courses, there are plenty of applicants with similar predictions, and many will have spent months building up a portfolio of relevant supercurricular activities. If he has his sights set on a highly competitive course, he would be in a stronger position to apply in a year's time.

WatcherintheRye · 04/08/2019 17:32

With his predicted grades, is he considering Oxbridge, out of interest?

PhDone · 04/08/2019 17:33

Electronics, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, pharmacology, computer science (very in demand nowadays)???

You're probably better off breaking it down into categories, so how does he feel about:

medical /healthcare
electronics /technology /computing
theoretical /logic (like maths or theoretical physics)
buildings /ships /planes etc
environment

Dancingdreamer · 04/08/2019 18:12

Psychology or Economics if you want something left field.

titchy · 04/08/2019 18:15

Biomechanics? Prosthetics? Sport Science? medical technology?

dbrep15 · 04/08/2019 18:22

Materials or natural science, depending on his preference.

lljkk · 04/08/2019 18:31

Bloody Hell, world's his oyster with those grades.
Does he have a vision for what kind of job he might enjoy?
There MUST be online career choice quizzes he could take.

Hotterthanahotthing · 04/08/2019 18:34

I'd recommend a gap year the he can look knowing his grades.
With those grades a degree apprenticeship is an option but take lot of research.
If he's not sure then a gap year earning is better than paying a lot for a degree he's not sure of.

IamtheOA · 04/08/2019 18:35

Whatever he is interested in, most degrees don't have prerequisite a levels

Huh? Of course they do!

OP- what is his favourite subject?

What are his favourite topics within those subjects?

Does he know for sure that he wants to study at a higher level?

He really doesn't have to have a career idea sorted- knowing what subjects/ topics he has an enthusiasm for is a great starting point though.

TinklyLittleLaugh · 04/08/2019 18:38

Economics, Law, Business, Politics?

BikeRunSki · 04/08/2019 19:12

Naval architecture

summerdown · 04/08/2019 19:16

What is it about the open days that put him off? What type of thing did he think he’d be doing? More vocational? More practical? It might be that different unis have different style courses

Original poster

MotherOfSoupDragons · 04/08/2019 19:25

Wow so many replies, thank you. I've got people over but I'll have a good look and reply tomorrow. Appreciate it.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2 3

Swipe left for the next trending thread