University or No?

>2/2

I used to think about being a doctor and going into surgery when I was younger, but there's 2 obstacles stopping me from this - I didn't get the grades to get into medicine and they do not accept resits for 99% of medical schools, and 2) I am unsure if I will be able to study as intensely as required, because like I said I don't enjoy just reading out of textbooks and sitting exams, and while medicine does get more practical, you still have to study super hard through the entire course. My sister is a dentist and studied every single day even on holidays for hours, and I don't think I can do that.

Engineering courses also interest me, because i've heard it's basically practical applied science, but the problem is that currently my only skills are computer related. I never had the chance to see if I was a good craftsman. I also don't know which course to go for, aerospace interests me but it's very specialised and I don't want to be stuck in one field for the rest of my life. Similarly, electrical/electronic eng interested me because it seemed like it encompasses a wider variety of topics so I could maybe have a wider choice of career paths and since electronics are in everything, it should be easy to switch careers later.

Finally, I don't know if Uni is the right life path for me. I hate the 'grind' of studying but I know I can do well academically if I could get over the boredom. I did really well at GCSE but flunked A level because GCSE doesnt require studying, just knowing the topic. I was thinking that I could possibly join the military and when I leave after 4-5 years I could try tackling Uni then as a more mature person. But, I come from a pretty poor family and im desperate to get out in the real world and be independent without being shackled by another authority like my parents, so Im really not sure what is the best choice. Obviously I also want the best money I can earn, but money is a secondary thing to happiness for me. Please advise!

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I graduated from a physics masters in Aberystwyth last july. I got pretty mediocre A-levels and accepted my placement because the thought of staying at home any longer made me want to die. I'm from a pretty poor background too.

Uni was the best 4 years of my life so far desu. Living by the coast has been lovely, I've made great lifelong friends and learned a crazy amount. You don't need military training to mature as a person.

I think for STEM subjects, uni rankings matter less. Aberystwyth is pretty low on league tables but basically all of my classmates have gone on to do rad shit. I'm looking at starting a PhD this year. Your job prospects are pretty decent in computing & physics, irrespective of where you got your degree. I'm not sure what you mean when you say you'd prefer something more practical; both subjects are a decent mix of theoretical and practical.

>Obviously I also want the best money I can earn, but money is a secondary thing to happiness for me.

Find a compromise. All the subjects you've listed as "maybe" have pretty decent job prospects. Just pick one you find interesting.

>>18139484
What do you think of Aberdeen? I have heard too much negative stuff about aberdeen from friends and the Internet, people have actually laughed at me when I told them where I got a place. I also heard it has no students union which might affect my socialising prospects, albeit slightly, but still.

I could potentially go to Manchester foundation engineering which would also be 4 years but i would start 1 year later. Or am I just being paranoid and really, Aberdeen is worth going to?

I just don't wanna be laughed at after I've graduated because that would be indescribably shit for my self esteem and probably job prospects, I doubt I will get into a good company if I'm academically inferior to everyone else that applies

It just feels like any uni other than aberdeen would be worth going to, but there's no guarantees I can get into any other and it would be dumb to throw away the offer without anything else lined up.

>>18139552

People won't laugh at you for going to Aberdeen. I don't know much about the place but it's probably fine. The course is more important than the place. Better a physics degree there than a history degree at UCL, and so on.

It's up to you ultimately. Nothing wrong with a foundation course if you want to do that.

There isn't nearly as much stigma surrounding these things as you think, and anyone that laughs at you because of where you study is being a cunt. Like I said in the other post, the place I studied at is lower on league tables than Aberdeen and my classmates have decent jobs just because of the sheer lack of people with physics degrees in the UK.

>>18139606
I'm gonna use the shit out of you by asking you as many questions as come to my mind because you're the first English grad I've seen here :)

What is your opinion on combined courses vs single subjects? I like physics but I'm more experienced with computing. Not that computer science will be easy by any means but it'll probably be easier than a physics degree for me. However studying both would be awesome, but you don't get the depth of a single subject. I don't want to be the next Einstein but I'd wanna come out of a 4 year degree feeling like I have 4 years worth of knowledge and understanding, if you get me. Rather than 2 years of physics depth and 2 years of computer science depth.

Also, was Aberystwyth far from your home? Did you travel up and down regularly? Ever get homesick lol? I feel like I might in Aberdeen.

And finally, I made a string of bad choices about uni including the fact that I haven't visited aberdeen yet. I tried to research as much as possible but I might not get a chance to see the uni before July, and I'm pretty sure accommodation has to be booked in May, so that's another problem. I realise I should really go see it and tomorrow I'm gonna see what I can plan in terms of visiting.

>>18139765

I'm not sure there'd be much point in combining those two courses in particular. You'd learn some degree of computer programming in physics anyway. I feel like the workload might be too sporadic/intense if you did both. You might be correct that it would be best to get the full amount of just one. I'm not 100% on this one though, maybe google around because I might be wrong.

Aberystwyth is about 4 hours on the train from my home. I didn't get homesick personally, I was thrilled to finally be away from home desu mate, but some people do get homesick and that's pretty normal. Most people get over it after a short amount of time. I and most people I knew usually visited home during holidays.

You should try to visit yeah. Visiting won't emulate the experience of living there though, so don't be put off if you don't immediately fall in love with the place.