A brief description of Bachelor Degrees
Generally speaking, bachelor degrees are undergraduate degrees offered by academic institutions such as universities, colleges or specialist schools after several years of study. The number of years of study required before obtaining a bachelors degree vary depending on the country and subject studied, but it is generally between three and four years.
There are hundreds of available bachelor degrees, with dozens in every discipline. They are a very varied and sound source of basic knowledge for any subject, widely recognised by worldwide institutions. Anybody thinking about embarking on a bachelor degree can be confident in the knowledge that the year they spend studying for it will be well spent.
You can obtain a Bachelor Degree at any age, meaning you do not necessarily have to be eighteen or freshly out of school. Also, you do not necessarily have to do it full time or attend an institution for your classes; there are many degrees you can obtain through home studying nowadays.
Different kinds of Bachelor Degrees
Depending on whether you wish to study the arts, sciences or business, to name but a few, bachelor degrees for each subject take on different formats. For example, and arts degree such as English literature will be made up of different modules such as ‘Restoration Literature’, ‘Shakespeare’ and ‘Modern Women Writers’. In addition to lectures you will be required to attend seminars and most weeks your tutors will ask you to write and hand-in an essay. A degree such as Engineering, on the other, hand, will require more hours in a lab with practical exercises, and the final project in the third or fourth year, depending on which kind of bachelor degree you chose, will entail the building of a mechanical device and not a fifteen thousand word dissertation. It is therefore important that you thoroughly research the practicalities and day-to-day routines of a bachelor degree before applying to make sure it suits you.
For a comprehensive list of all available bachelor degrees you can refer to the Wikipedia website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_degrees. This is however simply a detailed description of the different formats bachelor degrees take and will not be much help when it comes to choosing one. For more advice you can refer to Brian Heap’s book Choosing Your Degree Course and University as well as asking your teacher.
Institutions that offer Bachelor Degrees
Most prestigious universities and college offer Bachelor Degrees, and each have varying academic requirements. After choosing the bachelor degree itself, choosing where you wish to study for it is often the second most difficult decision you will make in your academic life. To help you make that decision you can either ask the alumni for varying institutions for their opinion on the years they spent there, ask the advice of your teachers or parents, or refer to comprehensive guides to institutions that offer Bachelor Degrees, such as The Times Good University Guide 2009 by John O'Leary or Degree Course Offers 2009 Entry by Brian Heap. Keep in mind that these guides are updated every year and you should buy or borrow the most recent edition.
As a general rule, Oxford is the most prestigious and well-known British university for the arts, and Cambridge for the sciences. But new universities are being created all over the country, and many technical and mechanical bachelor degrees are now being offered at these new institutions that are as good if not better than Oxbridge. Warwick, for example, is now famous for its Creative Writing Degree, and Lancaster has an impressive employment record when it comes to business students.
Once you have chosen your Bachelor Degree
Once you have picked which bachelor degree you wish to study for and have narrowed-down a list of which institutions you will apply to, you need to look into the application process in more detail. In the UK, university applications are standardised and all go through the same system: UCAS. You can find more information on the process and download application form from their website: www.ucas.com
The personal statement is undoubtedly the most important part of your application, as it exposes the reasons why you want to study this particular bachelor degree and your aptitudes in the field. Your parents, friends and teachers should be able to help you write and re-write it until it is exactly how you want it to be. For additional help, this book is a more thorough guide: Personal Statements: How to Write a UCAS Personal Statement by Paul Telfer.
Life after a Bachelor Degree
After you have passed your exams and have obtained the piece of paper testifying that you do indeed have your bachelors degree, several paths, both academic and professional, are open to you. You can continue your university or college education and go on to obtain a masters degree, either at the institution you are already studying at or another. You can also decide to stop your studies, either permanently or temporarily, and pursue a career. A bachelor degree opens many industry doors that would be closed if you only had your A-Levels. Employers like to have proof that you were able to spend three years challenging yourself and learning new facts every day. What they are buying into is not necessarily the knowledge you have accumulated in your particular subject, but the fact that you have the ability to reason.
For this reason, you need not limit yourself to a specific professional horizon once you start looking for jobs or extra qualifications at the end of your degree. Oxbridge English Literature and language graduates, for example, are often recruited to work in the city as stock-brokers. Be creative, and think about what you really want to achieve through your bachelor degree.
Here is a list of a few extra books you can refer to should you feel you need more information:
• How to Get a Good Degree: Making the Most of Your Time at University by Phil Race
• Successful Study for Degrees by Rob Barnes
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