The Scary Next Steps

It's getting to the time of year where many of us are deciding what we want to do with our education. Now if you didn't know, thinking about my future makes me very anxious. So when I started this final year of school and my teachers kept nagging and bombarding me to fill out university applications, I became very stressed out very quickly. However, I composed myself and I finally was able to commit to my chosen universities and send off my application.

I now currently have two offers and I am awaiting a further three responses. I just wanted to share a few thoughts about this process which most of us will (if not already) go through at some point.

1. Picking Your Area of Study
Throughout the last few years I have continuously changed what profession it was I wanted to go into. It got to the point where I was thinking about what others wanted me to be instead of wanting to be something I would enjoy. Once I realised this, I began thinking about what I enjoy, regardless of others opinions. So I decided what it was I enjoyed the most and thought about which professions studying that subject would allow me to enter.

2. Picking Your University
I cannot stress how important it is that you look at not only the course overview but also the module summary. It is in the module summary that you learn what it is you will be studying. Every university selects different modules so ensure that the universities you pick, cover areas you will enjoy and be interested in.
Make sure you like the accommodations and location as well as you will be living there for the next few years of your life

3. Don't Stress
Stressing out will only cause you to procrastinate your applications and whilst you are stressing out, others will be sending theirs out and begin receiving responses

4. Spell Check is Your Best Friend
Make sure you write your personal statement/entry essay on a Word Document or something that has spell check. The essay you send with your application will be the first impression the university will have of you, you do not want to ruin that because of some silly typo.

I know that making this decision can be scary, I luckily have always wanted to go to university, it has always been my goal. However university is not for everyone, some people learn better in a practical environment rather than an educational one and this has nothing to do with your academic capability. Some people simply do not want to go to university and that is their decision so it is not only important that we ourselves do not feel pressured into going and wasting the next three years miserable. But also that we do not pressure anyone else into feeling they have to go.