Choosing a Course

First of all, he sure that it's what you want. As we've just said, many people who succeed in business do so without a business degree - instead they train after-wards, either on short courses or with an MBA perhaps, so make certain you're interested in the subject for its own sake. No degree is a guarantee of post-graduation success, so if you think it's a licence to print money, think again. You've got at least three years of study ahead of you, so you need to know you'll enjoy it.

Increasingly in business, technology is key, so make sure a course has more than adequate provision in that area, so you'll be up-to-date with the hardware and software that businesses would expect you to use. And check too that the department or institution has the ability to back it up. You don't want to be waiting for hours in the computer room for a spare PC when you've got a deadline to meet.

Business is a multidisciplinary course - it sits some way between a science and a humanity - that can encompass a huge range of extra areas, and the temptation is to take as broad an approach as possible to get to know a little of everything. But this jack-of-all-trades approach may not be the best for you in terms of future employment, so try not to opt for too crowded a degree with a selection box of modules. You may want to consider economics or law or other add-ons as a separate degree option entirely.

No matter what you know, it's what you've done that will help impress employers most, so have a look at placement schemes, sandwich courses and links from the course to employers. If you head off to a job interview with a CV packed with relevant experience, then you'll soon be picking out your work suit.

For some, reputation is all, and if you're taking the course with a specific aim in mind (perhaps you want to work in a City bank), then for some areas, reputation, the old-school tie, call it what you will, still has some sway. Look at the end target and speak to people already working in that field. Are they swayed by a university name? It may be bias or elitism, but it's better that it works for you and if Melchester University has a fantastic reputation in the City, then make that your target.

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