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Higher education

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

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Original poster

Y12 son has no idea what he wants to do at uni

66 replies

buffy20 · 04/02/2021 16:23

My Y12 son is studying English Lit, History and Business Studies for A-level. At the moment he's on track to get BBB but I'm sure he could squeeze an A in at least one of them if he tried. He's bright, but not particularly driven or enthusiastic, happy to coast.

I always knew what I wanted to study at uni so my parents didnt even need to get involved in the process. However, my son has no idea, none at all. I've been trying to gently coax him into looking at law, I think that would play to his strengths but Im starting to get a bit panicky (he's not) about what he's going to do when the time to apply comes round later this year.

I would love for him to go to a Russell Group, but not sure 3 Bs would cut it. I just wish he had some idea of what he wanted to do

I wondered if anyone else with kids has been in a similar situation with similar subjects and how things turned out for them.

Thanks!

OP posts:

crazycrofter · 04/02/2021 17:18

If he has no other ideas of what to do (eg apprenticeships) then maybe look at a general degree- Liberal Arts, or a joint honours degree (most Scottish unis do them, plus they have an extra year for him to decide what he wants to do). I did Combined Arts then switched to History after year 1.

Having said that, maybe a degree /higher apprenticeship would be more appropriate? He’d be earning whilst learning and the content would be practical/directly applicable to the real world. There’s lots of finance options he could look at.

Or just a year out to work and make his mind up?

MrKlaw · 04/02/2021 17:18

My daughter is the same - she wasn't sure about maths or physics and picked maths in the end along with philosphy (?) and Biology. Right hodge podge. Tbh I was worried about philosophy being a subject not taught at GCSE, but as a 'soft' subject it should be a good balance to the more fact-y science topics and give space for essays/research etc.

Anyway - there was a website recommended by the school which I can't for the life of me remember but I'll see if I can dig it up. You can put in the subjects you're doing and it'll suggest uni courses and careers paths - can be useful for getting the imagination going.

ScrapThatThen · 04/02/2021 17:20

www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-government-economic-service-degree-level-apprenticeship

MrKlaw · 04/02/2021 17:22

OP try this www.informedchoices.ac.uk/

PastaAndPizzaPlease · 04/02/2021 17:37

Three B’s is a bit low for Russell groups unless he’s likely to get a contextual offer. BUT Russel groups are not necessarily better than any other uni, it just depends what he wants to do.

At this stage, I wouldn’t panic too wildly about him not knowing. Try to encourage him to have a look at a few uni open days (they’re mostly online now so he can do them whenever) to start getting a feel for it. Has he done any careers quizzes to see some suggestions? He could work back from there if he likes the sound of them.

badgerread · 04/02/2021 17:44

My Y12 has no idea either and he's doing Economics, Maths and History. He hasn't been given predicted grades yet. When did your DS get his?

SeasonFinale · 04/02/2021 17:49

An RG that might give BBB offers is Queen's Belfast but I have to say that BBB would not be good enough to consider a career as a solicitor so wouldn't encourage a law degree except if it was because he loved the subject on an academic basis or wanted to use it within another career.

loz12345 · 04/02/2021 17:49

Please don’t think Russell Group uni’s are the best option, I went to one and the quality really does vary by course. There are lots of other uni’s that are just as good if not better.

Spring2021 · 04/02/2021 17:53

My year 12 is doing maths, further maths and physics enjoys them all especially further maths and another subject which is a very strange choice and maybe give the game away and probably his least best subject at A level. He also has no ideas re degree subjects.

ihatethecold · 04/02/2021 18:04

@MrKlaw

I’ve just tried that link but it won’t let me proceed due to my DD doing one subject only.
She’s doing an art diploma L3 which is the equivalent of 3 a levels.

She has no idea what to do next so that link could’ve helped.

SeasonFinale · 04/02/2021 18:42

@loz12345

Please don’t think Russell Group uni’s are the best option, I went to one and the quality really does vary by course. There are lots of other uni’s that are just as good if not better.

Yes indeed, St Andrews, Lancaster and Loughborough are all in the top 10 rankings and not RG.

OxfordCat · 04/02/2021 19:11

I don't think Law is the right choice for someone who's not sure, or is a "coaster". It's far too tough and you need to be 110% committed. To be honest you do sound a bit like Law / Russell group / AAA is your dream for him, rather than his dream.

Do you think he might be subconsciously feeling some pressure from you about being gently pushed into the above? If you sat back and gave him some breathing space he might reveal a thought or idea you'd never considered.

Oblomov21 · 04/02/2021 19:16

BBB is not good enough for most Russell's? I didn't know that.
Ds1 is looking at Russell's. He's studying similar subjects to OP's ds. He didn't know until recently.

Moondust001 · 04/02/2021 19:22

Does he actually want to go to university? Because the entire of your post is about what you want or expect. Maybe some time out of education is best, so when and if he decides to study at university he is deciding that for himself and is motivated? My son didn't think he wanted to go. And he didn't straight out of school. He's now a leading authority in his subject and in huge demand.

PresentingPercy · 04/02/2021 21:14

BBB would definitely get you into some courses at a RG university (some MFL and arch and Anth courses) and a few of the good non RG ones too. But not Law. BBB would struggle to get recruited into a law training position as well. However most law grads don’t manage to do that so another career could beckon.

What made DS choose business studies OP? He has a fairly decent combination for doing something like Marketing, Management or HR at university.

PresentingPercy · 04/02/2021 21:24

Posted a bit early: there’s always Sociology, criminology and Anthrapology at RG. Most won’t be ludicrously competitive to get into.

With the science subjects @Spring2021, I would start looking at Engineering and building services. Also management if he doesn’t want maths or physics.

Art diplomas tend to qualify a young person for an art degree of some description so what about looking at what all the art colleges offer @ihatethecold. She’s rather made her bed I think. What form of art does she prefer? Textiles, fine art, photography, illustration etc? My DD did a fashion degree with 2 art A levels.

Namenic · 04/02/2021 21:35

My kids are v young at the moment, but with uni fees so high, I think I would encourage mine to do some edx/coursera courses and work for a year, and find out what they want to study.

ErrolTheDragon · 04/02/2021 22:44

@Spring2021

He's got a pretty large, possibly overwhelming, choice - maths, physics, comp sci, most types of engineering except chemical . And maybe more depending on what that 4th is.

MarchingFrogs · 04/02/2021 22:45

there’s always Sociology, criminology and Anthrapology at RG. Most won’t be ludicrously competitive to get into.

Liverpool. Doesn't offer straight Anthropology (offers Evolutionary Anthropology BSc), but does offer Criminology and Sociology, both separately and in combination. He may have no interest in any of those subjects, but it's a Kimpton Fitzroy London (sorry, Russell) Group university and the typical offer for lots of courses is BBB. And it's apparently a really fun university to be at - source, one of DD's best friends - so not being very interested in one's actual course may not seem terribly relevant.

@buffy20, looking at the question a different way round, has your DS any thoughts as to places he's been, where he would be happy to live for 3 or 4 years (or longer - lots of graduates stay in the same area initially)? If he likes a particular place, you could nudge him towards looking at what the local university has to offer?

Ilovemaisie · 04/02/2021 23:13

If he has no particular plan or job he wants to aim for then why bother to go to university. He doesn't have to go. Save your money (or loan).

PresentingPercy · 05/02/2021 09:26

University is a time for dc to reflect on careers whilst they study. Very many degrees are not exactly career based. You also have the huge advantage of meeting other people who are also considering what they want to do. There are many careers fairs too. The dc are gaining in maturity. They cannot always decide at 17/18. This is why apprenticeships are taken up by so many older employees and graduates. They are not all for 18 year olds.

If you can afford it, go to university and buy thinking time! Become self sufficient and look around at possibilities. Staying at home in a dead end job doesn’t lead to much.

Ilovemaisie · 05/02/2021 09:40

Wow. I wish I had 1000s of £s to spend on 'time to reflect' and 'buy thinking time'.

Ilovemaisie · 05/02/2021 09:42

Percy I have a 20 year old relative who dropped out of college at 17 because he didn't feel it was leading anywhere. He had a part time weekend job in a major high st retailer. He took on extra shifts and is now assistant manager.
Staying at home in a 'dead end job' worked out ok for him.

Schleckie · 05/02/2021 09:44

I'd advise him to take a year out and consider what he wants to do. There are so many people who did a uni course and then decided they wanted to do something else but you can't get a student loan then!

user686233 · 05/02/2021 09:45

Maybe he doesn't want to go to uni yet or ever? Maybe he'd prefer to do an apprenticeship or take a gap year.

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