State School for Physics or Elite School Humanities

[chill_factor]

stay at Oxford. I'm telling you something you've been told before: You have a once in a lifetime opportunity. Do not waste it for romantic pursuit of physics. Physics is not romantic or philosophical. It is like agriculture (backbreaking work), except you can't eat the stuff you produce.

If you really want to do science that directly helps people, mechanical engineering or biomedical engineering is likely better than physics.

 

[Bipolarity]

Stay with Oxford if the decision is between the classics and physics. Physics doesn't really qualify someone to work in industry, certainly not just with a bachelor's degree. Industry level design work is usually the domain of engineers (at least in most developed countries).

As you study in Oxford, you may at some point realize that you need to pick up *certain* skills that the classics does not provide you with. That's okay. You can self-learn those skills easily (such as programming, statistics, economics, accounting etc.) For someone with strong analytical abilities and initiative, it is generally very easy to pick those things up independently. The only job sector that will likely be closed to you after you graduate is engineering, since engineering jobs usually always require an engineering degree. Everything else is still open provided you pick up the necessary skills.

You could also be a lawyer, since classics seem to be set up for law, but that's quite expensive and I don't know how it works in the UK. In the US, people go to law school after they graduate with their bachelors.

How much do you like mathematics? It is the staple diet of physicists and engineers, and almost anyone with professional interest in STEM.

BiP

 

[3.141592]

Maybe you're just getting cold feet and wanting someone to tell you that you're doing the right thing staying the course. I don't mean to trivialise your anguish (been there). I don't doubt your sincerity in liking physics. But you seem to have more passion for Classics, and have done for years, and are currently in perhaps the best place in the universe (whoever else is out there, I doubt they're studying Homer!) for Classics, and - rightly or wrongly - the place often thought of as the best university in the world. Whatever that is worth.

The humanities are a fine education. Classics is a fine degree. Oxford is a fine uni. Spending a few years of your life studying something you love under experts, surrounded by others who share your passion, is a tremendous experience. I don't know if I would throw that away on a last-minute panic about another interest, because you may or may not want a physics-related job down the line.

Remember: you do not need to wait for the permission of a university to learn something! There is a wealth of websites, youtube documentaries, tv shows, popular science books, science publications, journals, professional blogs, forums, textbooks, free online courses, astronomy clubs etc. out there that can, and probably will, more than satisfy your interest in physics.

P.S. Sorry, 'Oxbridge', not Oxford. But I think my point(s) still stand.

 

[Gabe123]

Thank you for the help and advice everyone, especially FalconOne. I truly appreciate your time and sincerity. I have chosen to stay at 'Oxbridge' and not pursue physics, which I think, due in no small part to you all, is the right decision.

Thanks Again,

Gabe