You may have to study

I’m now in my final year of University here in the UK. Over the last two and a half years, I’ve met hundreds of students doing a variety of degrees, and learnt a lot about how people look at Uni. Even as the cost of a degree continues to increase, so also do the number of undergraduate applications. In the fragile economic situation we find ourselves in, its more important than ever to make the right choice when leaving school at 18.

Is University for you? Without attending University, you can’t be sure. Nobody knows how you will react to the vastly different environment. A common mistake is to only consider the ‘glamourous’ parts – being away from home, parties every night, and living off takeaway food. Your last chance to have a wild time before settling down into the world of work. This isn’t wrong, but its only half the story. You may also have to do some studying.

The amount, type, and difficulty of work vary tremendously from course to course, and from student to student. A degree in Computer Science at one institution can mean something completely different at another. Two students doing the same degree at the same place can study very different modules. This is something  young people are rarely told: University is about you. What do you want to learn? How do you want to learn it?

Many degrees start off with an introductory year, in which everyone on the course does the same modules, and is briefly introduced to each area of their chosen degree, along with all the methods of study. This gives the teaching staff an opportunity to get all students to the same base level, and it gives students a taster before becoming too committed. Students who find themselves doing a degree too difficult (or too easy!) can change at the end of the first year and start a different degree if they wish. You will lose your time and money, but its better to switch at the end of the first year than suffer through three.

However, after this introductory year, the honeymoon is over. The next two years (or longer in some cases), count towards your final grade, and the ball will be very much in your court. This isn’t school or college, where your hand is held and you are told what to study and when. You need to work out how to organise yourself, how you learn best, and how to get the most out of your degree.

This is where opinion divides. Some students don’t take the academic side seriously, and either do the bare minimum, or treat their studies as an irritating distraction from social life. In my opinion, these people are wasting their time. If you aren’t interested in your degree, then you have effectively embarked on a three-year (very expensive) holiday that you will still be paying for in thirty years time. Students actually taking an interest in their studies are far more likely to be enjoying their course, will probably achieve higher grades, and are more likely to get their money’s worth in the end.

With final exams for many UK students looming just a few months ahead, how many will have fulfilled their potential, and how many will be waking up from a 3-year bender?