Introduction
An ever-increasing number of European and International high school students are thinking of studying abroad after completing secondary school. With world-class universities, opportunities to learn and grow in a highly international environment and convenient transport links (including a direct train that links Paris to London in only 2 hours), studying in the United Kingdom has never been easier.
However, the huge variety of courses and universities that are on offer in the UK often makes it challenging for students to navigate the system, tailor their applications to their choices and to select the program and university that best meets their goals and aspirations. The purpose of our article series on ‘Studying in the UK‘ is designed to provide you with an overview of all the key practical steps involved in choosing, applying to and gaining admission to the UK university of your dreams.
Dreaming up your future
When thinking about your post-bac plans, it is very important for you to take a step back to think about your long-term plans and to define them. Indeed, choosing your university and course of study will be the first steps that you will take towards achieving your goals and making your dreams a reality.
Even though it will still be possible to change your mind later on, being on a path that is consistent with your lifelong goals will save you a lot of time and energy later. You want to make sure that you don’t realise at mid-life that you have been climbing up the wrong ladder for the last 20 years… But, where do I start?, you may wonder.
In this post, we begin by suggesting some questions to reflect on about your future goals: from your work environment, career type, target income, and personal lifestyle goals. It is crucial for you to be entirely honest when answering such questions. Don’t try to live out someone else’s dreams or fantasy. Make sure that your answers are truly yours and to minimize as much as possible peer pressure or the influence of your family and social environment. You’ll thank yourself later. Before we consider the questions, consider this:
Don’t mistake other people’s interests for your own
Your parents, teachers, even your friends, may have some good ideas, but the decision is ultimately up to you, so make sure that any decision you make is one that is in line with your own long-term goals and motivations. If your 3 best friends dream of becoming bankers, that doesn’t mean you should aspire to do the same. If your parents have always hoped that you’d become a doctor and you can’t stand biology or the sight of blood, you might want to consider taking a different professional route.
Similarly, you should not decide to do something just because you are ‘capable’ of doing it – it is important to consider the bigger picture. For instance, it might be great that you are ‘capable’ of getting into Cambridge to study engineering, but it would be unwise to choose this course if your long-term goal is to work in the media industry!
Your parents, teachers, even your friends, may have some good ideas, but the decision is ultimately up to you, so make sure that any decision you make is one that is in line with your own long-term goals and motivations. If your 3 best friends dream of becoming bankers, that doesn’t mean you should aspire to do the same. If your parents have always hoped that you’d become a doctor and you can’t stand biology or the sight of blood, you might want to consider taking a different professional route.
Similarly, you should not decide to do something just because you are ‘capable’ of doing it – it is important to consider the bigger picture. For instance, it might be great that you are ‘capable’ of getting into Cambridge to study engineering, but it would be unwise to choose this course if your long-term goal is to work in the media industry!
WHAT ARE YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS?
Your work environment and career
- How ambitious are you?
- What type of job can you see yourself doing?
- Would you want to work for the government or for a private organisation?
- Do you want a job in which you can interact with the local community?
- What does your ideal work environment look like?
- How do you feel about working long hours?
- Stability or unpredictability? Would you rather have a 9-5 job or work on your own schedule?
- What would a typical day look like? Would there be such a thing as a typical day?
- Would you rather work in a structured, multi-tiered organisation or be your own boss?
- Would you want to have your own company?
- What kind of impact do you want to have on the world through your job or career?
Your Personal, private life
- Do you see yourself living in a large, fast-paced, international city (New York/Hong Kong/London/Paris) or in a smaller, more peaceful city or town?
- What kind of environment would you like to live in? Do you picture yourself married/with children?
- Would you imagine yourself living in a large house in the country or in a flat in the heart of the city?
- How important is work-life balance to you?
Income
- How important is financial success to you? What does financial success look like?
- Would you be satisfied with a job that does not pay as much as others?
- What level of risk are you willing to take? How much financial stability do you need?
- Would you be satisfied with a career that does not necessarily lead to financial success?
