Sia writes about her experience choosing an undergraduate degree at King’s and offers advice for prospective students.
I think that everyone applying for University questions their choice of course at some point. After all, it’s natural to wonder whether something is going to be a good fit for the next few years of your life when you might have not studied the subject before.
Here are some ways to go about choosing the right degree for you:
1) Single vs. joint honours
With an increasing number of joint honours options now available, the flexibility of joint honours courses can often be a good fit for students with multiple interests. But, you might be worried that you won’t go deep enough into either subject. As a joint honours student myself, I’d recommend it! You will be at no disadvantage to other students for taking only half of your credits within each department – if something is important enough for you to learn, it will be a compulsory module. The different skills that you’ll gain from two subjects is a definite bonus!
Another option you might want to consider is a Liberal Arts BA – which offers you the chance to study topics from across 12 different areas – including Politics, English or Digital Culture
2) Subjects you’re ‘”good” at vs subjects you enjoy
A difficulty you might be facing is choosing between subjects that you feel academically comfortable at and subjects that you could potentially enjoy more. If this is you, I’d recommend that you read the prospectuses of the courses you’re considering, particularly the module choices. You should feel genuinely excited about your course! Also, it’s worth making use of all of the resources and events that the University is providing – talk to lecturers and students, go to taster events, and try to get a sense of what it’ll be like studying the courses that you’re interested in.
3) Study abroad and placement opportunities
You may also be considering whether or not to choose a degree with a practical ‘sandwich’ year or a study abroad element. It should be mentioned that King’s does offer a semester abroad for most Arts & Humanities courses, where you can study abroad without adding an extra year to your course. You should definitely look into this on the website if it’s something that you’re interested in.
It’s also pretty evident that employers are increasingly looking for graduates with experience in the industry. You can take an internship alongside your studies too – something that the King’s careers service can help you with – so even it if it isn’t a credited part of your degree, you can still take the opportunity to boost your skills.
4) Careers
It might be more of a concern for your parents, but some courses are thought to be more connected to future career opportunities than others. In this day and age, the specific course that you take matters less for many careers. Any degree that you choose to study at a University level will provide you with valuable skills that most employers are looking for. If it’s a concern for you, I’d suggest looking online at job descriptions to see if this is something that you need to be worried about or getting some careers advice from your school or college.
5) Contact time and independent study
Perhaps more of a concern if you’re choosing between a BA and BSc course, some people are put off by the idea that they’ll have relatively little contact time, (that is, lectures, seminars and tutorials,) if they choose a BA. However, I think that the stereotype that Arts and Humanities courses are very little work is false – they keep us very busy with readings and assignments! It’s a different style of learning to get used to, but not one you should be worried about.
Interested in learning more about student life at King’s? Read More:
To see some of the courses that King’s College London offers, click here
To read another one of our blog posts about the careers options for Arts & Humanities at King’s, click here
To read about what a day in the life might look like in normal times, click here
To sign up to a virtual open day or event at King’s College London, click here
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