[Solved] University Yes or No?

Definately in the "send them to university if you can"...

Being in an evironment where you are engage fully with your peers, and are free to really experience life "alone" has no replacement. The world of work (i.e. the alternative) is very, very different and I think makes people mature early. From what I have seen people change radically during 18-21 years, and the often the world of work brings people down to earth sooner...

I would say that there are both academic and social learning opportunities to be found both inside and outside of higher education. Some people go to university and don’t learn much. Others don’t go but learn a lot.

There is a proverb something like “Give a man a fish and you feed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

I would add;

1. Consider the cost of the fishing lessons, the possible price and running costs of the equipment, the licence fees and the restrictive fishing quotas and compare these with the likely price of fish.

2. There are market freedoms and social privileges associated with knowing how to fish, or having a trawler driver’s licence, or owning a boat, etc.

3. Too much time alone at sea isn’t good for anyone (except for the guy hiring out the boat).

This advice comes free and unauthorised 🙂

I would say yes and will freely admit that I will do lots to encourage my son to go to uni.

Our family isn't one that has a history of going to university, in fact my brother and I are the first (and so far only) ones to attend university from either side of our family.

Yes, I'm saddled with debt, but it kicked me out of the house, made me independent and forced me to meet new and varied people.

If they go to a decent university and do a proper degree they massively increase their chances of earning good money, at which point the debt should become less of an issue. If you save £10 per week from when your children are born to when they're 18, excluding interest, you're talking about nearly ten grand. As soon as they're old enough to get a job, they can start contributing to it. Plus, they work during their holidays, so they're already paying it off before they've finished. The debt they have at the end needn't be ludicrous.

And it's a lot easier doing a degree at 18 with no responsibilities than when you're 35 and have a mortgage and a wife and kids and a job and you realise that you were an idiot when you were younger.

my 2p would be: yes, uni is a must (if possible of course). definitely makes a shift in the thinking process and overall view of life. i was lucky, i didnt have to get a loan to go to uni (attended non-uk one and had a grant from uni). important bit is to pick the right specialisation rather than just go there for the sake of going. i know people who have degree on something they never liked doing, are not doing and never ever going to do... that is a complete waste of time and money. on the other hand, not every (far from it) 17-18yr old actually knows what he/she wants from life... so that's the one for the parents. and the parents work starts oh so much earlier. try spotting what you children are strong and weak at, end work on that. try few clubs, see what they like and don't, work towards what they like/are strong at. start early (we started with our kids from 4-5yrs or so), keep pushing (not too hard, otherwise it'll have opposite effect), and you'll see that this will bring a reward in either a grant or at least much easier/more enjoyable life at the uni.

One more thing: degree subjects don't necessarily relate to jobs directly. E.g. IT employers often recruit people with science degrees, maths, even English, geography or history because they teach you to think methodically. These sorts keep your options open.

Hi People

Just on the subject itself its a very good debate, as university nowadays isn't a place of study, a place of higher learning.

It seems to be (with the people i deal with) a place to get out, leave home for a few years, live independent (well try to) and do what we want
as there are no parents.

But as someone that is a graduate of uni and someone who is currently working in one. I feel age has a huge part to play in as well as location and finance.

As most students (I work with) seem to go from high school straight to college then of to uni, and personally what i see is a huge immaturity level amongst the young people (aged 18 - 20) who are attending universities nowadays.

So my personal view or question is "are you ready for uni? and do you and do you have what it takes?

University has its benefits without a doubt, although the learning is the second positive. However I am sure there are some parents whose kids (like mine) were not academic enough to get grades to go to a good university and who did not want to do academics any way. There are other options! Various schemes and programs a great one for my oldest was working with The Bridge (www.bridge21c.com) while my middle child really did not want to go into a city and so found a great job working with the forestry comission that he loves!

University at £52000 is not the only option!

I agree - there are plenty of other options. I'm not suggesting it for a moment, but becoming an airline pilot used to be prohibitively expensive - these days it is actually cheaper than university. There are plenty of options out there, though don't let the finance be the limiting factor, even with the increase in fees.