Uni course selection for y12 if they just don’t know..

[O2HaveALittleHouse]

My DC studies maths, FM, physics and economics and hasn’t a clue what to do at university.
Economics seems to be out but enjoys physics and maths equally. Physics, maths and (general) engineering are all being considered but with no clear favourite. The school is hopeless with career guidance outsourced to a woman who visits once a year!
No predictions yet but I’m guessing A(star), A(star), A(star),A roughly.
Any idea how I can help nudge a decision along? A year out is not being considered though it wouldn’t be a bad thing.

My DD who en up studying engineering did a summer school in year 12 for a few days which helped.
here is a link to some :
https://www.unitasterdays.com/search.aspx?TID=9

My dd did maths, FM, physics and a different 4th a level and chose physics. There's a lot of maths in the degree anyway. Doing the fm has definitely helped. Originally she chose physics as she felt it was more applied than maths. She hasn't regretted choosing it over maths.

I'd really recommend trying to get some work experience in engineering and maybe accountancy if she likes maths. Our local council was keen to have my daughter do a week of work experience. I would also think about career routes. University costs so much these days that it's worth looking at the likely success in the degree you choose leading to a job. Does your daughter definitely want to go to university. Engineering is a good field for degree apprenticeships. Work experience and a degree is the gold star for most recruitment later.

Another vote for a year out. DS2 was planning to do chemistry at Uni but became bored with the subject at A level. He decided to follow his passion instead, took Music A level during his gap year, applied to Oxford to read music and got in.

Ds found some hard copy prospectuses helped start him looking at the faculties and courses available. He did this before he chose his school S6 subjects, Scotland. He ruled out lots of courses quickly then looked into finance/accounting, IT, STEM and discovered how many different disciplines and sub disciplines there were in engineering that he just didnt know before. He dismissed IT (my area!) quicker than I would have liked without knowing enough about the scope of it - I obviously didnt make it sound attractive enough!

He dropped chemistry as ruled out chemical engineering, was drawn to civil engineering, so picked AH Maths and AH physics and a crash in geography.

That year he did a 100hr online course at Strathclyde uni on engineering Fundamentals. Dismissed EEE engineering, did some webinars, read a book about civil engineering, did a week of virtual work experience with civil engineering apprentices at a construction company (during covid), watched some documentries , then changed his mind and looked into mechanical, got some work experience. He is now in first year of his mechanical engineering integrated masters degree.

your dd still has time (unless considering medicine which has early entry) to start checking out courses and investigating the areas but do try to start, once she gets started she will be drawn in a direction (that might change a couple of times!) but I would make sure she fully researches and is confident whatever she chooses as it is a huge time and financial commitment. A gap year is better than starting the wrong course. We never started looking at unis until he had narrowed his area down.

Of course she wants to go to uni wraith. She is clearly highly academic - she just hasn't chosen her degree subject, from a sensibly not too wise band of options. And taking a year out makes no sense unless she wants one otherwise - it would close off doing maths

If I do it bizarre that on MN so many people suggest that a year 12 child who isn't utterly sure what they want to read maybe shouldn't go to university at all. Clever children have to make choices between equally valid options. Some people have set their heart on a field early but not having done so doesn't make them a less valid candidate.

Makes me sad to hear hat the careers advice is so poor at your secondary. At ours it's very good. There are lots of online stuff, good quizzes that will prompt you to think about areas you hadn't previously considered. What did dd do for work experience. Why not email Head of science and ask for an appointment. In fact cc in HoY and ask for more careers guidance generally.

Unless your DD gets to the point of ruling out a STEM degree altogether, I would be wary of pursuing the gap year route. Like Piggywaspushed, I have also read that top universities prefer their STEM students to arrive with their A level maths knowledge fresh in their mind rather than rusty due to a gap year.

Sorry for referring to your DD as a son in previous post! I adopted the pronoun of the previous poster without checking the OP.

Do you live reasonably near a university? They often do free talks to the public and they may help her narrow her focus.
https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/public-lectures/ aviation engineering?

If she a Greta fan maybe have a look at renewable energy engineering?

Second this. Do visit a few, it's tiring but well worth it. There are quite a few Math and .... Courses, lots of interesting science and engineering course too, with really interesting combinations.

The engineering development trust do a virtual ' Insight into Engineering' might be helpful

https://www.etrust.org.uk/virtualinsightintounifaqs2023

There are some really good links on that unitasterday site @hellsbells99 . I will have her look at that tomorrow and decide what to sign up for.

@Confusedandthensome 👍brilliant idea! I am sure there is a catch as it looks so good. She will have a summer job but it’s very part time so can fit it in too.

Your son sounds so determined @Blanketpolicy - work experience and online courses sound perfect.

I don’t want to criticise her school or teachers as the kids do well despite a very mixed intake (culturally and economically). An indecisive kid with educated parents are not their immediate concern, nor should it be! I now realise we just need to be a bit more hands-on and not expect her to work it out alone.

Thanks for all the help.