Designing your life, where I went to university, and making your final UCAS choices early
😊 Welcome
Once a term I take a few days out of my regular schedule, go away for a few days and read a careers book (I know, I know - is this really the way I should be relaxing?)
Last week I read Design Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, and while it's probably not a book I’d recommend to those of you still at school, there are some great concepts in it that really resonated with me when it comes to university choices.
And so I’ve written about some of them today!
Meanwhile, this week’s University Snapshot is the university that I am more biased about than any other. Because I studied there.
And we finish with a thought about making your firm and insurance UCAS choices early. You can… but should you?
✍️ Five mindsets for designing your life
I’ve just finished reading Design Your Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. It takes the principles of design thinking and uses these to help build your career. It's a great read, and whatever stage you are at in your career, if you feel things aren’t quite going to plan, I’d happily recommend it.
And for those of you who are in the process of making your university choices, there are five basic mindsets in the book that you can definitely apply to your university search.
Be curious
Try stuff
Reframe problems
Know it’s a process
Ask for help
They are super-simple concepts, but also super-helpful, so today I’ll look at each of these mindsets, and how you can use them as you research and make your university course choices!
Be curious
It’s weird, but there is so much stuff out there that you probably think is pretty boring, and yet other people find deeply fascinating.
Politics, history and Shakespear are things that lots of people roll their eyes at. And yet loads of people spend their lives studying each of these, discovering new things about them, and seeing how they impact our lives everyday.
Similarly, there are plenty of people who yawn at the very mention of physics, chemistry and maths. And yet there are people discovering incredible stuff to do with space, time, new materials, and new technology through the study of these subjects.
So next time you think that something probably isn’t very interesting, have a go at being curious.
Ask questions like “what would someone who IS interested in this want to know?”, “what don’t I get about what is happening here?”, “how can I find out why others find this so fascinating?”.
With a curious mindset, there is nothing to lose in exploring new things. At best you find a new option for your future, at worst you’ve ruled out a potentially bad idea.
And, Bill and Dave suggest, by opening yourself up to seeing every new thing as an opportunity, you can even learn how to be lucky; because you will see opportunities that others miss, just because they shut down that option too quickly.
📸 University snapshot: University of Edinburgh
Became a university in: 1582
Student population: 39,110 (2022/23)
Location: Several sites all located on the southern side of Edinburgh
Subject areas: Almost every conceivable traditional university subject is taught across the three Colleges: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, and Science & Engineering
Admissions: It’s complicated! (see below)
I frequently advise readers to always check for bias in anything they are reading. Always ask: could the writer have any affiliations that might mean they are not entirely objective in their advice?
Well… when it comes to me writing about this university:
🚨🚨🚨 Bias warning! I studied at Edinburgh! 🚨🚨🚨
Now, the Edinburgh I studied at all those years ago was quite a different place from the one you might be thinking about studying at. I haven’t been able to find figures for student numbers in 1989, but I’d be surprised if it was even half the current figure of 40,000. Buildings have changed, some for the better, some not so. And while the university has never lacked confidence in its own importance, it is only with the rise of international university rankings that it has become a genuine world-wide draw for international students.
So, what is the appeal?
💡 Did You Know?
You don’t need to wait until you have all of your UCAS offers before making your final decision; if you already have the offers you want, you can withdraw the remaining applications and go ahead and make your firm and insurance choices.
But… should you?
You have all the way until June to finalise your decisions, allowing you plenty of time to visit the universities (or revisit them if you’ve already been), plenty of time to get a better sense of your priorities, and plenty of time to consider all the options.
My advice? It's all about getting the balance right.
Visit your firm and insurance choices, and if you are confident that they are good choices and your decision is well made, then go ahead, put the decisions into UCAS.
Don’t procrastinate, and don’t look back.
But if you are unsure, then trust the process. Wait for all the decisions, take actions that will help you choose (by visiting them!), and make your choices when you are confident in your decision.
Thanks for reading!
Jonathan
