University, how important is it to go?

[Hecktix]

I'm currently doing my second year of A levels at college and of course everybody in my classes is preparing to do their exams hoping to get the grades for uni, apart from one girl who has decided she isn't going to university.

She has no idea what she wants to do and has no plans for after college.

I really scoff at this and think it's quite a silly thing to do, because she's quite clever and if she applied herself she could get really good grades, to me and most of the people around me getting into university is such huge motivation to do well in our exams, yet I think this friend lacks motivation to do well as she has nothing to aim for.

Do you think if you go down the college route, University should be where you end up?

How important is it to go to uni nowadays?

[Pyroka]

its very important, its hard to make a good career for yourself without a degree but its entirely possible.

some people just dont suit university, theyll move away go out the country but they just cant put up with anymore education. which is fair.

[Nixt]

I think going to uni is basically becoming the thing to do if you do A Levels. It's like the natural progression and not doing it is kinda foolish. However I feel that the emphasis is starting to be on going to the better universities and getting a good degree. Whereas a 2:1 might have been good before it's becoming less and less accepted as a better degree.

[Hazza]

I'm currently in my first year of my A Level course and I've already decided I'm not going to uni. I'm actually going to fulfil my passion in travelling and entertaining by coming a holiday rep for a year or two, obviously this isn't going to be a life long thing to do but after this I have decided that I could try and go down the drama school route.. so tbh I don't think its that important for everyone. Only people that really know what job they want to lead into.

[Shar]

It's not important, there's a variety of qualifications out there now days.
I wanna go just to prove a point, that I can get the grades and make something of myself :D

[FlyingJesus]

If I'd "applied myself" as was the term thrown around all my teen life then I could probably have done absolutely anything anywhere, and that's not (just) my ego, it's the word of plenty of teachers throughout my secondary and further education. Fact is though I didn't want to because I found out at an early age that I could do just fine by putting in no effort at all, and things would just come to me. I'm currently getting a degree for free (no loans) that I can do in my own time while working - Open Uni is on the rise and looks set to be even more so if tuition fees and such go up, but frankly I can see degrees being almost pointless by the time we all get them because there will be so many floating around. The only qualifications that truly matter for what they are is medical and engineering type degrees which are required for a certain career path, anything else is really just a badge of honour type thing showing that you're capable of putting in the work.

[Misawa]

The value of a degree lessens each year it seems.

I didn't bother to go because for my career it's far better to get experience rather than listen to someone lecture you who hasn't had a successful job in the film industry. A year after I finished higher education I was working full-time in the business in a capacity higher than most university professors who teach film have ever had.

It depends on what the job is.

[ifuseekamy]

It's highly dependent on what you want to do. A degree in something like Media Studies from some ex-polytechnic university is a waste of several thousand £s to be frank. But a degree in something like Law or Medicine is vital.

[Swastika]

Just because people go to college, it doesn't mean they have to go to university.
It seems as though you've forgotten that colleges also offer departments for construction, as an example.
Construction departments offer various different trades ranging from plastering, brickwork, joinery, painting and decorating, welding and more - these are courses in which you don't need to go to uni at all when passed.

I'd personally never want to waste my life going to university and getting into "x" amount of debt because of it, i'd rather get my trade and focus on it - mine being in the construction department at college.
The experience of university would be good i supposed but it's never appealed to me nor many people from my area - seems sort of pointless most of the time unless your a brainbox studying medicine or something.

In quick, i don't think its important whatsoever to go to university anymore, i'd personally rather not go.

[Black_Apalachi]

If I'd "applied myself" as was the term thrown around all my teen life then I could probably have done absolutely anything anywhere, and that's not (just) my ego, it's the word of plenty of teachers throughout my secondary and further education. Fact is though I didn't want to because I found out at an early age that I could do just fine by putting in no effort at all, and things would just come to me. I'm currently getting a degree for free (no loans) that I can do in my own time while working - Open Uni is on the rise and looks set to be even more so if tuition fees and such go up, but frankly I can see degrees being almost pointless by the time we all get them because there will be so many floating around. The only qualifications that truly matter for what they are is medical and engineering type degrees which are required for a certain career path, anything else is really just a badge of honour type thing showing that you're capable of putting in the work.

I'm the exact same as this! Except I'm not getting my degree for free, not sure how you managed that :P

I think university is getting less important all the time. If I'm perfectly honest I only went because I saw no other direction to take (partly because I never have, and still don't know what career I want) so I just went to uni and picked a pretty unspecific sort of course which should lead to a number of career possibilities in the future.

If I went back to do things differently, I would either have taken something completely new to me like Philosophy or something, because I was always under the impression you should carry on with something similar to what you did at A-level but my first year turned out to be pretty much a repeat of my Psychology and Business A-levels. Or, I would just jib uni and go and get an apprenticeship at a garage because whenever I've had to take my car to a garage, I've always wished I knew all the stuff they do!

[Grig]

Nowadays to have a good platform for life, University is vital. Colleges, I would say are second to Universities and you can't comapre the two. My respect comes from educated people and nowadays even one undergraduate degree isn't enough, you need to keep updating to post grad, masters etc.

Doing this will ensure you have a great platform for life. You may argue you can get away without it, but life will be much much more tougher if you don't go and you don't apply knowledge in the field you would like to study. It also gives people respect, rather than someone who did nothing about it. Any of Unin in the eyes of an employer makes you ten fold more likely to land a job in the specific area of study.

[Tintinnabulate]

It depends what you want to do in your future. You have to remember that many people can't afford to go to university - yes you can get student loans etc but sometimes you just cant afford to go.

I think its important now a days as its getting harder and harder to get a job everyday and thanks to out sexy new Prime Minister, more people will be made redundant. The more things you can show off in your CV the better. But getting just a degree is useless if you did no work while you were at university. Businesses now want people who will be self motivated. Remember getting a first doesn't always mean you will easily get a job. They will try and look at your personality, did you get work experience or try and get a job while at uni (and I dont mean the ones working in ASDA etc)?

Its like the kid who was kicked off the Apprentice last week - he might look great to someone on paper when you see he has been a CEO of two businesses, but his personality is awful. He can't manage a single person if his life depended on it. He has a big ego where people similar to him always think they are better than others and thus always right.

Even for those who do Medicine or Law, its not easy to get a job. There are many people who get a degree here and go work in a different country as there is more demand in that country.

[immense]

I don't think it's as important as people make out. For me, it was just a forgone conclusion that I was going to go. I wish I had thought about it more though but that's life. Anyway, you just have to look at some of our highest paid stars... did they go Uni?! Nah, they're as dull as anything :P Or even people who are reaaaally successful, Lord Alan Sugar left school at 16 and I think Richard Branson did too?

[Tintinnabulate]

I don't think it's as important as people make out. For me, it was just a forgone conclusion that I was going to go. I wish I had thought about it more though but that's life. Anyway, you just have to look at some of our highest paid stars... did they go Uni?! Nah, they're as dull as anything :P Or even people who are reaaaally successful, Lord Alan Sugar left school at 16 and I think Richard Branson did too?

Yes but they are the minority, not the majority.

[immense]

Granted. However, I really don't think it's essential. Look at all our moviestars/footballers/pop stars. In fact, the majority of people in the UK don't go University and only a minority are in 'poverty'.

[Tintinnabulate]

Granted. However, I really don't think it's essential. Look at all our moviestars/footballers/pop stars. In fact, the majority of people in the UK don't go University and only a minority are in 'poverty'.

The chances of most people not going to university becoming a movie star or a footballer etc is slim though.

[immense]

Yeah but that doesn't answer the point about a minority going to Uni and a minority really struggling as in not being able to feed the whole family as is the case in other countries. My dad didn't go to uni and he's a well enough paid professional.

[JackBuddy]

I'm at uni now because:

At the time of the my A levels I didn't feel ready to go into work.
Thought I might be able to 'ride out' the recession for 3 years.
The jobs that I finally decided I wanted to do all required an environmental degree.

[Kieran]

It solely depends on what you think you want to do... For myself, going to university was a bad idea, it would have just been a waste of three years of my life, so I didn't bother.

[immense]

Yeah, there's a huge difference into drop outs and people doing other education in the shape of courses and all that.

[alexxxxx]

i hope to go in september if i don't screw up my exams (which i can see myself doing).

[immense]

i hope to go in september if i don't screw up my exams (which i can see myself doing).

likewise :(

[Special]

Depends on what you want to do lol

Because you went to college/6 form whatever, it doesn't mean you have to go to uni after. you could always do that at a later date