{"id":1358,"date":"2014-04-24T16:26:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-24T06:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/studentlife\/?p=1358"},"modified":"2017-08-01T12:05:23","modified_gmt":"2017-08-01T02:05:23","slug":"how-to-figure-out-what-you-want-to-study-at-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.unsw.edu.au\/studentlife\/blog\/2014\/04\/how-to-figure-out-what-you-want-to-study-at-university\/","title":{"rendered":"How to figure out what you want to study at university"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finishing school can be daunting. With the pressure of exams and the knowledge that everything you\u2019ve ever known is coming to an end, it\u2019s not surprising that you\u2019ll be feeling a little anxious or lost.<\/p>\n

The key to relieving your fears is being prepared and excited for the future. Some of you will know, or will have known for sometime, exactly what your next step is and that\u2019s amazing! However, for a lot of people, you\u2019re probably wading waist deep in a pool of potential post school options, trying to hang onto one, any one, just to stop you from drowning.<\/p>\n

For those of you who are still unsure about where your future lies, never fear. There are people almost twice your age who still don\u2019t know what they want to be when they grow up.<\/p>\n

To help give your thoughts a bit of direction, ask yourself the following questions:<\/p>\n

What am I interested in?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

University is all about independent study. There\u2019s not going to be a teacher reminding you about what to read and when assessments are due.\u00a0Therefore, it\u2019s important that you find something you would get up out of your nice warm bed at 6am to study.<\/p>\n

While you might think you need to do something related directly to your HSC subjects, truth is there are actually a number of degrees that don\u2019t have high school counterparts – like architecture and public relations. Your best bet is to think about your interests outside of the school gates and then do some research to find a relevant degree.<\/p>\n

What are my strengths?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"students<\/p>\n

Playing to our strengths is what helps us succeed, not only during high school but throughout our lives. Find out what kind of learner you are, whether you\u2019re a left brain or a right brain and ask yourself questions like ‘Do I prefer being indoors or outdoors?’ or ‘Do I prefer working on my own or in a team?’. These questions will be really important in determining the type of work you\u2019d be happy to do in the future and help you decide what you should study at university.<\/p>\n

What job would I like to have?<\/strong><\/p>\n

This can be a difficult question in a number of ways. You might want to work in Media, say, but don\u2019t know enough about the industry to really know whether you want to do journalism, advertising or public relations. It\u2019s also good to note that an industry like the media is ever changing, so your dream job or role may not even exist yet!<\/p>\n

The best thing to do is to narrow down a few industries that you would be interested in and talk directly to people who are working in that industry. They will be able to tell you all about the job, how they got there, what they studied and any advice on what they\u2019d do differently. Don\u2019t be shy, most people enjoy talking about their career journeys.<\/p>\n

Who can I talk to?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Students<\/p>\n

While your school\u2019s career advisor would be the most obvious choice, other people to talk to would be:<\/p>\n