"The truth about university." - Rez Marino
It is coming to that time of year again, the time when student stress themselves about: final drafts of coursework, examination dates, revision sessions and then, the death of college education… exams results day. That day that soon brings your holiday ventures to an abrupt ending by making you cancel all your plans, that day which has the possibility to shape the order of the rest of your life all in the hope of going to university. But this is when I want to stop and ask, is it really worth it?
Having been at university for six months so far, I frequently ponder on the actual worth of university, as £3,000 a year, for nine hours of teaching simply does not add up, and heaven help those who are lumbered with tuition fees of £9,000 a year for the exact same service. The mantra of “go to university, you’ll get a good job” has not only been flawed by the state of the economy, political issues, but also the halt the curriculum has put on creativity. I understand that a student of English Literature must have grounding knowledge of the classics and other canonised texts but this overshadows the work of many contemporary writers, so must we wait another 100 years before we value the work of today?
It may seem that one of the problems may be the culture and attitude in which students arrive at university with. This idea that “student life” consists of: binge drinking, lecture missing, mindless fun and yes, I do see the appeal, but to spend £3,000 each year, soon-to-be £9,000 (excluding the; price of your weekly food shopping, endless list of books, accommodation and the umpteen amount of fancy dress costumes) on what seems to be 9 months of partying, and let us not forget the final exams!
The value of obtaining a degree needs to be reinstated; there has to been more than receiving a piece of paper, cap and gown (which have to be returned at the end of the ceremony). If the rate of unemployment seen by graduates in 2011 is almost equal to those of the same age with GCSE’s, then what differentiates university from trying to pursue a career from earlier on in life? I understand that university allows a person to; mature, become independent and gain knowledge in their selected field. However, £9.000 a year for a life lesson is extreme.
REZ MARINO
