From A Levels to LIS: Finding My Perfect Fit in Interdisciplinary Learning

When I chose my A Level subjects I had no specific career path in mind – as someone with a really wide variety of interests at school I was just aiming for a decent breadth of study, with which I could play to my academic strengths, keep my mind engaged in my learning, and avoid limiting my options later down the line. In light of those choices I made then, it feels like I’ve come full circle now having enrolled in an interdisciplinary degree considering how my A Levels (English Literature, Classical Civilisation, and Biology) similarly challenged my brain to think in diverse ways day to day.

When I finished sixth form I went on to enrol in a Classical Studies degree at King’s College London. Picking my favourite subject to study at a prestigious institution felt like an obvious decision which I didn’t expect to question, but not even a year into the course I started to lose motivation for a number of reasons – one of the most memorable being the fear that I was boxing myself in to one career path, and giving myself academic tunnel vision by only studying one discipline. That’s not to say becoming an expert in afield is by any means a bad thing, and if that’s how your mind works I’d encourage anyone to pursue it, but for me it planted enough of a seed of doubt that I pretty spontaneously decided to un-enrol as soon as I completed my first year.

Coming across LIS was completely unexpected, although I suspect my social media algorithms might have had a part to play in slipping an ad onto my feed; sitting at home as a fresh drop-out had me aimlessly Googling all kinds of things like ‘apprenticeships in everything’ (which obviously came up with no results). Reading the prospectus was like scratching an itch in my brain; I get to satisfy my academic curiosity whilst not limiting myself to one pursuit, applying a variety of disciplines to unlimited real world problems and potential career paths.

History and literature remain subjects that I’m incredibly passionate about, but by engaging in interdisciplinary learning I feel like I have the chance to enjoy them, and any of my other interests, in my own time, as well as being completely free to integrate them into my studies if I want to.

It feels like I’ve been suited to this style of learning since I chose my A Levels, and I’d suggest to anyone who functions in a similar way that a degree like this one might help them find the same kind of academic fulfilment.

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