Student Blog

Produced by Ashleigh

Graduated

BSc (Hons) Geography

If you are sat thinking this right now don’t worry! You are for sure not alone. The decision on whether or not to go to university is a big one and requires some thought and consideration before committing to the idea. One of the hardest things about deciding whether uni is for you or not, is having constant things happening around you influencing your decision, such as what your friends are doing, what your teachers/ parents want you to do, and of course your own career aspirations. However, despite all these factors, it is so important to only decide to go to university for yourself, on your own terms.

I know that sometimes colleges and sixth forms can be quite keen for their students to go to university and so they encourage students as much as they can to do so, sometimes without properly explaining other options such as apprenticeships and gap years. From personal experience I can definitely say that my school was extremely passionate about the idea of Higher Education. I am now in my second year studying BSc (Hons) Geography at BU and can safely say that I wouldn’t change one single thing about my university experience. Coming to university was the right choice for me. However, despite how lucky I have been for some of the amazing opportunities my course has offered don’t forget there are so many other routes and career paths available. I think that it is important for young people to be exposed to all options available to them for when they finish college or sixth form.

Student ambassador and course student rep… just two great opportunities that coming to uni has offered me!

Taken in Costa Rica! Another amazing opportunity uni has given me!

It can also be very easy to just follow what your friends are doing and deciding to go to university (or not to go to university) because they are. Listen to yourself and remember to talk to your career advisers if you are at school or use the Future Student Enquiry futurestudents@bournemouth.ac.uk team based at the university who can help answer any questions you might have about applying/funding/living/studying at university.

Here are 3 things I would advise when figuring out whether uni is for you:

Think about your career aspirations or long-term goals. Do they definitely require you to go to university? While it is true that a lot of jobs nowadays require a degree, there are still some that prefer you to have done an apprenticeship or have some more first-hand experience in that specific industry.
Is your chosen subject something you are ready to commit to for 3 or more years? Picking a new university course after you start is a whole new bridge to cross! It must be something you enjoy enough to study for a long time!
Do you feel ready and willing to embark on the journey that is university? It is important to factor in how you feel, and whether you want to jump straight in and go, or if you want to take a gap year to do some other things while you are still deciding. Have you got enough finance behind you to support you during term time? Is the university that little too far away from home when you’ve never been far from your family before? Remember that there is absolutely nothing wrong with deciding to go to university after you have left school and had some time out. Some of my closest friends that I met in my first year had taken a gap year, and they found that taking one allowed them time to mature before they came to university.

Good luck to anyone figuring this out right now, I am sure the choice you pick will work out for you. Coming to an Open Day can seriously help you work out if uni is for you. You get a sense of yes this is for me or erm nope next, pretty quick! For a full list of upcoming Open Days at BU click here.