NationStates Jolt Archive

Well this is a question for nearly everyone. People thinking about going to uni (or not going), people currently at uni or graduates who have been.


Why did/will you go to uni?

Why are you at uni?


Because you thought you could get a better paying job at the end of it?
To delay going into the real world for a few more years?
To meet people who you wouldn't normally meet?
To further your knowledge in subjects you were interested in?
Or the ubiquitous "other?"


For me it was largely to learn more in subjects that interested me (politics and history), maybe a slight bit of delaying getting a proper job (if any at all). Though the latter has only been an important thing more recently with the end of my degree in sight.

Also for people who decided not to attend university (or do not intend to as the case may be), why did you decide that?

Because you thought you could get a better paying job at the end of it?
To delay going into the real world for a few more years?
To meet people who you wouldn't normally meet?
To further your knowledge in subjects you were interested in?
Or the ubiquitous "other?"


All but the last one is why I'm going to Uni next year. :)

All but the last one is why I'm going to Uni next year. :)
Ooh, where are you going? What are you doing? :)

(If you don't want to say, that's fine)

I wanted to use my degree as a gateway to politics originally. Now however, I want to go to university mainly to study more on history, which is something I have a keen interest in, and because I believe it is the safest place for me to transition from male to female in. I'm too bored in the house, and lack confidence to do a job during that time. Hell I barely have enough to get one now, despite the pressure I'm under to do so.

Ooh, where are you going? What are you doing? :)

(If you don't want to say, that's fine)

Nah, its cool. I'm in the UK.

If I get the grades (AAB), I'm going to Bath University to do Politics with a minor in Economics, with my insurance choice is Norwich East Anglia (BBB), where I would be doing straight politics.

Well, I went to universtity because i was interested in the subject, and it's not possible to work my original job without that degree...

Why did/will you go to uni?

Why are you at uni?



For me it was largely to learn more in subjects that interested me (politics and history), maybe a slight bit of delaying getting a proper job (if any at all). Though the latter has only been an important thing more recently with the end of my degree in sight.

I have no ambitions for the future beyond going to uni. I'm going mostly out of interest in my chosen subject (philosophy) and the general lifestyle.

Because the fiends won't let me practice Medicine without a degree. I mean, really...

Why did/will you go to uni?
because it was expected of me - all my life people said i was smart, should be a doctor and go to uni, etc. when it came to applying i just did & got in to my #1 choice to do the degree i wanted (economics at, apparently the UK's top business school) - pretty lucky really.
but now i'm here i'm realising that academic work is a load of balls, it means nothing and i'm dying inside. i need to escape and do some real things rather than be trapped in boring-ass books which mean nothing to real life :rolleyes:



Because you thought you could get a better paying job at the end of it?
not really, but i understood this is one of the benefits of it. money doesn't mean that much to me - most other people here have a real drive to be 'successful', i just don't. meh.
gonna take a few years out and hopefully return once i've found the reason and motivation to be here.



To delay going into the real world for a few more years?
definatley that, too. i still have no idea what i'm going to do for a career, so any delay that can help me figure that out is welcomed

To meet people who you wouldn't normally meet?
that used to be one of the things that excited me about uni. however in the last 2 years of being here i've changed for the worse, getting depressed and developing a bit of a social anxiety disorder - when its at its worst i fear going outside and can't talk to people i've known for like 10 years... i didn't leave the house for over 3 weeks before the exams, and i've lost all my friends.

if you're not coming to uni for yourself or for your own reasons, i would advise against it. going to please other people or just because its what was always planned could just lead to you fucking up, academically, and mentally.


To further your knowledge in subjects you were interested in?
u was interested in Economics at A level - top of my year & my teacher wanted me to take a gap year out & do some kind of advanced A level in it. but i went straight to do it at cardiff and it simply wasn't the same subject as a level. so much more abstract, mathmatical, and things... i found myself caring less and less, developed some nasty depression, and failed the year. but first i transferred to do Politics this year. again its nothing like i would have thought, and i've just gone downhill - though less than last year, thanfully.

thats my story, yay.

Why did/will you go to uni?

Well, I'm doing a Dual Degree at UQ in Brisbane, Australia. One course is Economics, which I did because I was genuinely interested, the other is Business Management, which is because I want to earn a lot of money.

That means I get next to zero electives, which sucks. If I did have any, I would be doing intro to philosophy as well as the occasionally political science course...
Maybe later.

Because the fiends won't let me practice Medicine without a degree. I mean, really...

You could always become an "Alternative Therapist" ;)

No real degree needed, and you can pull all research (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) out of you arse.

I mean, if Gillian McKeith can do it, so can you :).


To Pure Metal:

You seem to be in the same bind as me. Though I am sticking with it, even though I'm not sure if I will be able to finish, since their is only one more year to go and I want to get it out of the way. That, and if I drop out now then have to get a real job for a while, something I seem to have a lot of trouble holding down.


I can just tell I'm probably gonna be a teacher, even though I don't want to be (no offence to teachers, I have a lot of respect for the proffession but I don't think I could do it, that and they are treated like shit here in Britain).


if you're not coming to uni for yourself or for your own reasons, i would advise against it. going to please other people or just because its what was always planned could just lead to you fucking up, academically, and mentally.

This was much of what I felt too, really should have put it on the poll. I was lucky though since I managed to get a course I was interested in at a good University. Though others of my friends who are less academic still went doing (pardon the slightly elitist expression) Mickey Mouse degrees. The degree is fairly useless (says the History student :rolleyes: ), though they were simply expected to go to uni since it is the done thing. Though they seem to be enjoying uni life more then me, so what do I know?

There are academic, social and economic benefits that stem from acquiring a post-secondary diploma. The degree of benefit varies from person to person, but over all, in the academic area, there is an increase in knowledge, socially you mature from meeting from all different walks of life (in of course, varying degrees as well) and economically (depending on major) you increase your chances of job and fiscal security.

You could always become an "Alternative Therapist" ;)

No real degree needed, and you can pull all research (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) out of you arse.

I mean, if Gillian McKeith can do it, so can you :).

Alas, I'm not very good at lying. At all. And I don't mind going to University for 5 years. I hear being a doctor can pay well.

Actually, after all the crap I went through to get a place, I'll be damned if I give up now.

i want a better paying job and i want to just want some space before a enter this "real world' you speak of

well if your smarter than the average bear youll get paid more

:sniper: :sniper: :sniper: :sniper:

I had on-the-job trainings in three different but related fields and visited a private academy to get background theory. I dont miss going to university, even if i get jealous at the money the people make who do effectively the same job, sometime worse, because they lack practical experience. But the expectation of doing another three or four years theory alone, without getting my hands on real work really bugged me, so i decided on that route.

well if your smarter than the average bear youll get paid more

Not necessarily! Armed with my PhD I can get a job as a junior lecturer on almost 70% of the national average salary. Way to promote Education, Education, Education.

I did not go to UNI, I instead did a Btec whilst working,

I did not go for a degree, because I found that te practicalities of getting a degree just for the hell of it as opposed to being taught what your Job sector wants rather pointless (plus no way to pay for it seeing as thatcher decided to obliterate vocational training grants as they weren't degrees). although a couple of years of Drug taking Drunken shagging is always a laugh

I did that too, just because I was working although didn't have as much free time as all the others I did have the money

well, as geeky as it sounds, i'm going to uni because i actually was interested in doing my two degrees (computer systems engineering + maths and computer sciences), though most of the subjects aren't as good as they seemed they'd be. as for the atmosphere, i thought it'd be fun. the money people'd pay for a qualified engineer was also quite attractive. plus, soon i'll be able to say i'm better than people because i'll know a larger portion than them on how computers work

To further your knowledge in subjects you were interested in?

*points upward*
That one ;)

You are forgetting two essential options btw:
a. "to finish your education and become a valuable part of society (aka "gentleman")", which in theory is the basic goal of the anglo-saxon universities
b. to immerse oneself in the pursuit of knowledge without looking at the practical use this knowledge has for society (Humboldts bildungsideal). This may include striving towards the status of "uomo universalis, although that is practically impossible in this age. This includes subjects that do not really have your interest. This is the basis of the traditional German universities.

There are many different reasons for which I go to a university, some of which were named in the poll:

1) I want to be educated.
2) I want to learn more about the world.
3) I want a degree.
4) I want to be accepted.

Allow me to elaborate:
1) I am a voracious learner. I enjoy learning, and I often feel it is one of the most effective methods of self-betterment. That being said, I think universities are extremely inefficient methods to facilitate learning. There is a huge focus on PROVING that you have learned which detracts from actually learning.
2) I am curious about the world, and staying within the cocoon of my life's previous experiences won't satiate my curiosity. Still, there is little variety when you compare the previous area with the new one, and living amongst people of relatively the same age doesn't increase variety either.
3) I have many goals, and they won't simply fall into my lap. As a result I must work hard to acquire the resources required to support these dreams. Due to what I've gathered is the focus of many businesses on degrees to distinguish potential employees, I see this as a necessary step to reach my goals. I think that this perceived reliance of companies on degrees to measure their employment candidates is foolish, but I cannot impose my views upon them regardless of our potential mutual benefit.
4) Most people I know expect me to go to a university. I would not enjoy having the people I know scoff at me for my supposed foolishness for wasting an "opportunity for success." If I knew for certain of a better alternative then I would be willing to face their criticism. However, due to the social obsession with universities as THE method of higher education, such opportunities are difficult to find.

I’m falling into the same pit that Pure Metal and Anarchic Conceptions seem to be describing – disillusionment with universities.

My advice would be to employers: Do not look at degrees (nor grades.) Do not even glance at them. They do not help you choose an effective employee. If you need a summary of the person’s expertise the best idea is to test them. Most likely you can begin by managing a short multiple-choice test; it would be a more accurate assessment of the person’s capabilities than a degree. After filtering out the people you can’t afford to pursue further, you move on to other (more complicated) tests, interviews, etc.

If employers begin to follow this advice (as I predict they will, despite them not hearing it from me,) then universities will no longer care about degrees (or grades,) cheating will be irrelevant to the newfound learning-oriented atmosphere, and I will be able to enjoy attending a university that exists simply to teach me. Of course, only know that companies rely on degrees to choose employees through hearsay, so that would completely negate those comments – and the conflicts resident behind them.

I want to learn more about the subject that interests me (Psychology), need a degree (undergraduate and postgraduate) to get the job I want (Psychologist of some kind) and think it's a good transition between being dependant and independant. Also, the whole experience of going to Uni, meeting new people, trying new things etc sounds fun.

Before that, I want to take a gap year and do volunteer work.

Before that, I need to go to college and get the grades :p

And PM :fluffle: You'll get through this. What have you decided to do?

If you want to learn, you don't need to rack up enormous amounts of debt to get an institutionalised education to do it. It's called a 'book'. They're a lot cheaper than university, and you can learn whatever you want.

If you want to get a higher-paying job, however, a degree might make your CV look a little more attractive. I have heard lately some fuss from ex-university students that they aren't all they're cracked up to be, however, and they're still having trouble getting jobs -- high wage jobs say they lack experience, low wage jobs say they are too highly qualified, and a few students get stuck in loops. I for one think the chance at a higher paid job is worth the risk, though.

I think that you should have included:

"Due to family pressure"

Not that it is the only factor influencing someones decision to attend a University, but it can be a significant factor among many.

Unless you studied Law or Medicine, it is highly unlikely that you will get a better paid job from a University degree. At least not in the United States.

In the US, uneducated bartenders and shop managers make just as much money as engineers, scientists, and teachers.

What a degree will give you though is more freedom to move around, quit a job and start another, etc. because your skills and qualifications are transferrable, not just learnt through one particular position.

Why did/will you go to uni?"Because I thought you could get a better paying job at the end of it..." which has proven to be utterly false. :headbang:

To delay going into the real world for a few more years? - No, because I came from 4 Years Active Military duty, 2 years DoD contracting and 2 years Civil Engineering Data Analysis/IT

To meet people who you wouldn't normally meet? - See Above

To further your knowledge in subjects you were interested in? - Yes-ish. My Degree programme was developed to meed the school's criteria for a PR major/Philosophy minor, but was focused my way rather than in a stock format.

Or the ubiquitous "other?" - Because I thought going into unsecured debt for more than twice my post-graduate annual income would be fun... :rolleyes:

My advice to 30somthings... "Don't quit your day job..." :(

<snip>What a degree will give you though is more freedom to move around, quit a job and start another, etc. because your skills and qualifications are transferrable, not just learnt through one particular position. The freedom, yes. The $$$ required to move across country and set up residence in a city (just to LOOK for work) so they won't throw your Resume into the "Out Of Commuting Range Candidate" garbage bin - NO.

I went primarily to gain knowledge in a particular area (Criminology) and hopefully qualify myself to work in said area. Unfortunately, my BSc was a load of shit, missing what I had understood to be the core areas of the subject. I had intended to do a doctorate, but got so fed with the whole bloody lot of it that there ended up being no chance. Plus, I was already in loads of frigging debt, which was especially annoying when the course was so poor. So far, no amazingly fascinating or highly-paid jobs - I'm working as a PA rather than in anything degree related - but to be fair, I've not long finished, so one never knows.

One of my ambitions in life was to slap Christian with a disembodied arm, preferably his own. However, since this has not yet been possible I settled for slapping other people with disembodied cadaver limbs. It never gets old.