Are there any subjects you currently study at school that you particularly enjoy and do well in? Are there any that you are willing to go beyond your school syllabus for (reading books that are not set by your teacher, or learning a specific topic more in depth than required)?

If you don’t have a subject that calls out to you right now, don’t worry too much! Remember, there are many university students who study a subject that they have never encountered before at school, such as Law, Land Economy or Architecture. It’s a great idea to take a look at some course pages and read the descriptions of some courses you think might be particularly interesting.

Since there is more than one subject that you’re interested in, you may want to look at others by consulting course pages on university websites. Many university students study a subject that combines their interest in multiple subjects, such as Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford or Human Social Political Sciences (HSPS) at Cambridge. Have a look at some course pages and read the descriptions of some courses you think might be particularly interesting.

Look at university course pages for the subject you are interested in. Does the course description interest you? Don’t worry if the first one doesn’t, as certain courses can vary a lot amongst universities, such as Theology or English. And since you’re already looking at course pages, why not take a look at some other courses that you could also find interesting. Do their descriptions attract you?

Now, you probably have a few subjects in mind that you are considering. To begin, take a note of what subjects you’re thinking about. Write down the top three choices. Let’s identify why you’re interested in those subjects. Having a better understanding of what attracted you to them can be invaluable when making the final decision. It could be that you've enjoyed studying this subject at school, or that you've read a really fascinating book on the topic! What really suggests an ideal subject to study is your genuine interest in it. Since you’ll be studying the course for at least three years, you need to find the subject somewhat amazing! Therefore, you’ll be curious and inquisitive enough to find motivation to attend lectures, tutorials, and work independently.

You have to be aware of some seemingly good but irrelevant reasons for choosing a subject. University can be much more challenging than a sixth form and, for example, finding workload easy may no longer be the case. Another irrelevant reason is studying a course only to prepare for a future profession. Many graduate jobs are open to applicants from different disciplines and, without further research, you may be even limiting your options.

Szymon, one of the Project Access team members, writes:

"I used to think that choosing Mathematics as my course, I'm limiting my future options to research. Now, my view has totally changed as I have friends in sectors alike Investment Banking & Management Consulting who graduated from courses in Classics! "

Note that courses vary a lot between universities, so make sure to look at a variety of pages to see if there are more universities you would be interested studying a given course at!

Try typing "Subject 1 vs Subject 2 " in Google, eventually reading relevant pages in student forums. Chances are other people have had the same dilemma you’re facing! The Student Room is one place likely to have many threads where students have sought advice on selecting a course, and if they don’t have one directly relevant to you, you can post one of your own!

If you are currently studying one of the shortlisted subjects, your teacher may be another good source of information as

  1. one probably studied the subject at university

  2. one knows a lot about your academic ability - giving you an opinion on your suitability for the course

Eventually, there is one more method - a pros and cons list. Visual presentation may be just what you need to realize what you want to study!

For further information, check out these useful links.

  1. https://www.openculture.com/2006/10/university_podc.html

  2. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/cn/student/advice/which-subject-should-you-study-university

  3. https://www.ucas.com/ucas/subject-guide-list

  4. https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/masterclasses

  5. https://www.whatuni.com/advice/ultimate-guides/how-do-you-pick-degree-subject/44207/