Which Subject?

You must make sure you understand the nature of the subject you are considering, especially if it is one you have not studied before.

• A course in ecology, for example, sounds as if it might deal with conservation and 'green' issues. However, many ecology courses are about the scientific study of the interaction between living organisms and their environments and may only deal peripherally with conservation issues.
• Language courses can vary considerably, from those concerned largely with literature to those which concentrate on translation and contemporary area studies.
• Psychology is another subject, which can vary depending on whether the course focuses on the social or the scientific end of the subject.

You must be interested in the subject.

• You will spend a large proportion of three to six years immersed in the subject and that will be pretty dull if you find it boring.
• More importantly, you will probably perform better if you are excited by what you are studying.
• You are also likely to perform better if you have an aptitude for the subject. A course may be really interesting and lead to a guaranteed high-flying career, but if you are no good at it, you may end up performing badly or even failing altogether.

Do you have some aptitude for the subject?

• There are some tests you can do to help you identify subjects you are likely to be good at.
• UCAS is launching a new course finder website in June 2012, which will enable you to find courses based on subject, provider and location.

Next page: Career Opportunities