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Why go to University?

Most undergraduate degrees are three years long but it could take 4 if you do a placement year; so why would you want to be in education for 3 or 4 more years? Read on and we might be able to explain...

Study something you love

While you are at school, you will study many different subjects, some that you will enjoy some that you might not, but at university you will get to choose what to study. And of course the qualification you receive could lead to your dream job.

Independence

Although you can stay at home and study at an institution near you, a lot of students chose to move away from home which is a huge challenge and a fantastic experience. It is a good start to living independently. You can go home for holidays and weekends and you can always move back home afterwards!

Experience

Many people come to university to experience 'university life'. You get to meet a huge range of people from a wide variety of places. You can join a range of societies - even some pretty interesting ones like Abseiling and Scuba diving!

Choices

There are many universities and hundreds of courses to choose from and hopefully you have a course in mind that you may like to study. If you enjoy the subject and find it interesting, university allows you to explore and expand your knowledge for three years, normally with the use of fantastic facilities and experts in that subject who teach you. The range of subjects is amazing, with over 50,000 courses available to study at higher education and over 350 places you can study.

Social Life

The social side of being a student is a very important part of the experience. You get to socialise and take advantage of some fantastic facilities right on your doorstep! You will meet people from all around the world. Many universities have a high proportion of international students, so learning about other ways of life and cultures could be part of every day life for you.

If you speak to anyone who has been to university, you will find that most will have made some of their best friends while being a student. Your time at university will be hard work, but it will also be fun and full of life changing experiences.

Jobs

Graduates are much more likely to get a job, particularly at a 'professional' level and traditionally earn more than those who have not gone onto higher education and therefore have a greater choice of jobs to apply for. When they are working, graduates earn about a third more money than non-graduates. If you want to work in certain areas like medicine, teaching or law, you'll need a degree in the subject before you start.

It is not just your academic skills that employers look for

By going to university, you will gain more independence and confidence. At university you won't have teachers chasing you up for work, making sure you have done your homework or that you are turning up to class. You will be treated as an adult and you must be independent and disciplined enough to do things on your own. It is this determination, self-discipline and confidence that will make you stand out from everyone else - and hopefully land you that amazing job!

You don't have to go to university straight after college - some people decide to take a gap year to travel or to work either voluntarily to get experience or paid to save some money. Some wait even longer, going to university as a 'mature student' after years of doing something else. It's never too late!