The questions that come up when applying to university

By Guest Writer

At the age of 17 or 18, teenagers have to consider what they are going to do with their lives. Many choose the route of university as it gives them 3 or 4 years to then figure out what they would like to do for a career. 
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For me, I always knew that I had to go to university; all my friends were going, and it just seemed like it was the safest route. Once I knew that I was going to apply, there were quite a few questions that I had to answer:

1. What will I study?
2. Where will I study?

Those above are the fundamental questions, but there are more that arise, such as:

• Will I enjoy my time at university 
• Will I be able to make friends 
• Will I decide to take a job after my Bachelor’s degree, or will I continue studying at a graduate school?
  I  roughly knew where I wanted to study, I had always wanted to apply in the UK (where I live) and abroad. My biggest issue was that I had no idea what I wanted to study; this led me to take a gap year to explore my options. I’m really glad that I embarked on the gap year because now I have a better sense of what I would like to study.

For a long time, I felt very scared and avoided talking about my plans with anyone, because for the first time in my life, I knew that I was now in complete control of it. Although I could ask for advice along the way, I was completely independent. 

The advice that I can give the reader is that no matter how scary a decision may seem, you will eventually figure out what to do. The best way to figure out your stance is to really break it up into smaller questions. If you get really stuck between 2 options, ask for advice from others who are close to you. You could even make a pros and cons list!

University might not be the right route for you at all. It wasn’t the correct path for me to take straight after leaving school. Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed about the future; you will figure it out, but the worst thing you can do is hide from the big decisions.