University: A Beneficial Tool or an Outdated Concept?

September. The ‘back to school’ month.

Year 13. University awaits…or does it?

September of Year 13 is known among students as being the ‘deciding’ month. We have entered our final year of high school education and with the admission deadlines approaching, we face the questions: What courses are you applying to? What university is meant for you?

But, the real question is, is university meant for everyone?

The traditionalists within society have continued influencing younger generations by sending across the message that we need a university degree in order to be successful in the future.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it is fully understandable that degrees such as Engineering, Law, Medicine etc. do need to be taught at a higher level, after you complete your secondary education. Moreover, the life experience that is obtained at university is said to be unparalleled to anything experienced by a young adult, before. This is a reason many people give as to why they chose to continue their higher education- as well as the variety of social activities that will become available to them. Along with this, universities allow students to explore a subject that interests them in greater depth, as well as enabling them to gain a vast range of transferable skills. University is especially beneficial to the students whose interest lie in remaining in the world of academia, as college is your first step towards said future.

Additionally, a lot of young people grow up with this vision and expectation of themselves to obtain high grades and graduate from some of the world’s best universities.

However the reality is, that not everyones strong point is academics. Not everyone is studious. Not everyones goal in their youth is to attend a university.

Despite this, everyone should be made aware of the choices available to them.

As a result queries can be raised: is university for everyone? Is it worth it?

The biggest opponent to the traditionalist view is money. Over the years, the prices of universities for students have skyrocketed- with fees starting at around $10,000 and reaching up to $40,000 annually. Due to the state of our current economy, it is not uncommon for applicants to be in positions where a loan needs to be taken out. This then means that when a graduate begins searching for a job, the degree that got them there has already caused them to be in thousands of dollars in debt.

Moreover, the same courses mentioned previously, are notorious for having the highest drop out rates. Lets take Pre-Med and Medicine courses for example. The average rate of pre-med drop outs is 33% and only about 17% of US Freshman pre meds earn admission to med school.

And even after completing your courses; after all the tuition fees and the rigorous hours any university student will inevitably put in, a good job in this field is still not guaranteed- especially with up to 1.4 billion workers estimated to be in vulnerable employment in today’s day and age.

So for those not interested in university, what is the alternative?

Vocational training and non-degree education is booming. The traditional four-year degree is gradually dissipating, as the current economy demands more and more “technicians and associate professionals”, who can keep studying on the side as their careers advance.

Furthermore, these apprenticeships are becoming more accessible in several fields of study nowadays and are even more appealing to some high school graduates. The reason for this being (once again) money. Although beginners salaries tend to be rather low, an apprenticeship guarantees that you’ll learn real-life skills, along with ensuring you don’t become severely in debt, thus meaning you will have a better credit rating. Not only this, but apprentices wi[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke> <v:formulas> <v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f> <v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f> <v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f> </v:formulas> <v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"></v:path> <o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"></o:lock> </v:shapetype><v:shape id="officeArt_x0020_object" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" type="#_x0000_t75" style='position:absolute;margin-left:155.9pt;margin-top:588.7pt; width:311.55pt;height:170.5pt;z-index:251659264;visibility:visible; mso-wrap-style:square;mso-wrap-distance-left:12pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:12pt; mso-wrap-distance-right:12pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:12pt; mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:page; mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:page' wrapcoords="-3 0 -3 21592 21596 21592 21596 0 -3 0" strokeweight="1pt"> <v:stroke miterlimit="4"></v:stroke> <v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\art1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.png" o:title="" croptop="14838f" cropbottom="14838f"></v:imagedata> <w:wrap type="through" anchorx="page" anchory="page"></w:wrap> </v:shape><![endif][if !vml][endif]ll obtain a qualification after having completed their work experience (i.e an NVQ or BTEC).

Businesses can also be drawn to taking on apprentices, as some employers prefer their employees to have had practical, hands-on workplace experience rather than just a degree. A recent survey of 500 of the top firms in England even found that apprentices are 15% more employable compared to those with other qualifications.

So, all in all, there are several paths to choose from.

Not everyone is in a point in their life at the age of 17 in which they know exactly what is meant for them, but with the technology available, we are all in a place in which we can discover the options available to us. We should go study courses that intrigue us. We should attend university for ourselves and not for the sake of making someone else happy. If something isn’t for you, you should explore other routes. You should be ambitious. You should do whatever you need to do in order achieve your goals and as long as money isn’t the only thing motivating you, you can/will be able to.