h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am currently suffering from both. Basically, those who need to worry least, worry most and vice versa. Those who put the most effort in need to put the least effort in, and again, vice versa. I need help.

Doing my AS exams, the panic for them is so much less real than for GCSEs.

AS exams, hmm what subject?

Philosophy, French, Late Modern History, Biology. A real mix.

I did biology, history, geography and AS maths. Bit of a mix as well.

What career/degree field do you intend to go for?

I'm gonna do Philosophy and French at uni, God willing. Don't know about career.

Well, knowing what degree you want is a good start. People such as my brother (doing AS's) haven't got that far yet. If you kow what you want to do, then it gives you something to work for..

I chose what I liked doing. No use being excellent at something you hate. Haven't booked into any open days yet, though.

..which is why my subjects were a mix. I picked them because I liked them. I didn't start going to open days until the November of A2s. I didn't find it all that hard to choose the 6 universties to put down on my UCAS form, so there wasn't any point.

Fair enough. I've visited websites, and I've heard good things about Kings College London.

I chose my six over the web. King's is a good universtiy - but I dismissed it on grounds of accomadation and transport costs. For me, the increased student loan wasn't high enough for going to a London universtiy to be justifiable, and I'm also the type of person who needs mountains in striking distance. Choosing uni and coures certainly takes a lot of effort.

Kings is certainly very strong on philosophy. There is the cost of... well everything really though, you're right. I have few alternatives- the thing about Oxbridge being that you get a lot of celebrities but they're always globetrotting.

I guess your course is quite specific - making finding a good uni quite hard... Oxbridge are good though. Even I tend to end up with a different lecture for each module each week; but that's just because they teach what they specialise in. They hop around the world a lot as well, the tutor who was meant to be helping me with one essay spent much the time in Hong Kong. So it's not unique to Oxbridge... I didn't apply to Oxbridge however as they didn't do the course I wanted.

I've been reccomended to look at the website, look at the tutors, seek out what they've written and then read some of it. If I hate their style or opinions, I should look elsewhere.

I don't want to go to Cambridge. I've got to get OUT of here! Somewhere far away..... Iceland perhaps. I don't know what I don't find appealing about Oxford. Amount of public school boys there.

Interesting thing, the Conservatives recently said that they wish to become "the party of the poor". Which means that the Tories are now more left wing than Labour.

Hello - just butting in to offer a couple of useful links

First the unofficial university guide: http://www.unofficial-guides.com/ includes all sorts of fascinating information (like the price of a pint and an independant (non prospectus) view of the facilities/accommadation etc))...the comments section is good too (if slow) for getting information about particular courses.

Second the new university portal "hero" specifically their profiles http://www.hero.ac.uk/universities_and_colleges/index.cfm which includes detailed teaching/research assessments so can give some information on *how* your subject is taught at different universities and the weaknesses of the course (ie not enough contact with tutors, not enough structure in lectures etc etc).

Hope these are interesting, if not helpful

I was going to go to Swansea, but didn't agree with the tutors, so went off the idea.

Well that's understandable . Iceland is a bit far fetched however . I thought about going to Scotland, but the logistics were a problem...

So you're going to do British Politics at Hull then?

No, jes my little joke. I like right- izing Labour. That's not a word.

Scotland logistics are difficult, and it has something like the second highest rate of heart disease in the world. Plus, St. Andrews seems to be the best option. This is- and I quote- what I have heard about St. Andrews:

Don't go to St. Andrews, because there's nothing to do there except drink and play golf, and it's full of washed up girls who wanted to marry Prince (I can't remember which prince is/was at St. Andrews).

I simulpost and I didn't even notice , sorry Pencil Queen

I think a lot of people like right-izing labour.. If it isn't a word now, just give it a little time..

One of my school friends was going to go to St Andrews because of William, but I think she came to here senses..

No big fan of the Royal Family in any case, me.

I'm more or less neutral; I don't bother them and they don't bother me

I don't know half their names... better things to do with my time

Yeah, exactly. But having said that, I don't particularly want to see a "president Tony" either.