Is uni worth it?

[N.O.R.F]

As i awoke this morning and saw my old school featured on BBC news, it made me think, is all this work worth it when u can start work at 16 or 18, work your way up and still be in a better position than the company's latest graduates who are most probably in debt, have a worse liver than you (excessive drinking during too many nights out, gaalada), probably know less (putting theory into practice are wholly different), etc etc. So i ask the question, are potential Somali students who will most probably get out loans and end up in debt, better off through apprentice schemes in the long run? I know the apprentice schemes in construction are great and think to myself why dont our kids try it out? They learn on the job, have 1 day a week collage/uni and get paid with a degree/diploma at the end of it. It may take 5 years instead of 3 but the chance of being in debt are reduced some what. But then again our parents would probably not understand why we are not doing a course full time and get it finished in 3 years so they can put that picture up in the sitting room.

 

Report:

 

Teenagers from well-off backgrounds are six times more likely to go to university than those from the most deprived areas, a report says.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England said more people went to university between 1994 and 2000.

 

But the percentage of poorer students "hardly changed at all", said its chief executive, Sir Howard Newby.

 

Increasingly more women than men went to university, while tuition fees and student loans made no major difference.

 

Disadvantaged

 

Instead poor students were more likely to be worried about living costs, Sir Howard said.

 

The Hefce report, drawing on previously-unused child benefits data, said teenagers in the richest areas could expect a better than 50% chance of going to university, while in the poorest neighbourhoods it was 10%.

 

Participation at constituency level ranged from 69% in Kensington and Chelsea, 65% in the City of London and Westminster and 62% in Sheffield Hallam, down to 10% in Bristol South and Leeds Central and 8% in Nottingham North and Sheffield Brightside.

 

 

Click here to see them all

Sir Howard said the report highlighted the "entrenched divisions" between rich and poor areas, but added it was a social as much as an educational problem.

 

He told BBC News: "We know, once children from deprived backgrounds get into university, they do very well. In fact surprisingly more go into postgraduate study than those from more affluent backgrounds.

 

"The issue is, I think, one of raising aspirations amongst those families and those communities that university is something for them and not for other people."

 

Completion

 

He said by the time universities traditionally dealt with pupils, between the ages of 16 and 18, it was too late.

 

Instead they should be reaching out to communities and schools much earlier, even down to primary school level, to persuade them a university education was something they could aspire to, he said.

 

But while the report revealed stark inequalities and exposed the extent of the challenge, there were some encouraging findings, he added.

 

We are working in schools to raise the attainment and aspiration of young people in disadvantaged area

 

Kim Howells

Higher Education Minister

Tuition fees and student loans in England and Wales - and the different fee regime in Scotland - did not seem to have affected the choices of young people, even the poorest.

 

The report also showed women were 18% more likely than men to enter higher education in 2000 - up from 6% in 1994.

 

In the poorest areas, the gap was 30% in women's favour and growing faster than anywhere else.

 

The Higher Education Minister, Kim Howells, said this was "a valuable report".

 

"We are working in schools to raise the attainment and aspiration of young people in disadvantaged areas," he said.

 

Higher standards in schools would lead to greater participation in higher education.

 

From 2006 upfront tuition fees in England would be removed, with grants for the less well off.

 

The shadow education secretary, Tim Collins, said: "It is clear from this report that children from disadvantaged areas are far more likely to have encountered poor standards in their secondary education.

 

"Tackling these must be the top priority for any government looking to improve university access."

 

The university access regulator - head of Offa, Sir Martin Harris - said: "Poorer students will soon be better off than they have been for many years and we have seen, in light of the planned introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006-07, that institutions are showing they are strongly committed to widening access through bursary and other financial support."

 

Colleges

 

The report showed that the month of the year in which children were born also appeared important. In England, someone born in September was 20% more likely to enter higher education 18 years later than a child born in August.

 

Although disadvantaged constituencies in Scotland had low participation rates, they were nearly twice the level in similar areas in England.

 

The report suggests this reflected the greater importance in Scotland of HND and HNC qualifications and of higher education courses in further education (FE) institutions.

 

And the Association of Colleges, representing the FE sector, said its members held the answer - by delivering less advantaged learners to universities.

[Diamante]

Hi North,

 

I'm on a gap year at the moment, so I wouldn't know much about the satisfaction that comes with a degree after 3 years of hard work. However, for me going to Uni next year will be a big deal, as I know that I will have a career out of it and the end. The difference between going on an apprenticeship straight after GCSE's or whenever, has it down sides as well.

When you do a Uni degree, you can practically use some of those skills with a range of other jobs and in ohter areas, whereas an apprenticeship focuses on the work that you're doing at THAT moment.

Furthermore, i read somewhere that Uni graduates have more chance of obtaining employment than their non-degree holder counterparts.

Besides we live in a world where nowadays you need some sort of qualification to do cleaning!

And the fact that parents want to put up "a picture on the wall" is due to seeing their child have a good education, sometimes have the education they never did. It's not just Somali parents, every parent feels like that.

Personally I'd feel a whole lot more confident showing up on interviews with a Uni degree in my name, than doing an apprenticship.

 

P.S. Uni's nowadays offer work experience placements in the form of sandwich courses. So Uni's acknowledge the fact that actual experience related to the field is important along with the degree.

[cryptic]

Like most economists say: It depend..

on the individual in this case

 

Although I am not too familiar with the educational system in Europe, I can tell you that, here in America, there are gaps in our educational system. Students from economically disadvantaged background are less likely than those who are well-off. I am strongly adamant in my belief that one can be whatever he/she aspires to be if only his or her mindset is set to that.

As a high school student going to a university wasn't even dubitable as far as I was concerned. Perhaps we were conditioned by society or our parents that it is always good to do things the old fashioned way. I can see myself picking up the princeton review and looking at the university rankings to see where I wanted to go. Finally when it came time to choose where I wanted to go I landed on a hometown school that was consistently ranked highly in the nation, but the pricetag that came with it was one a somali family or any middle class family couldn't bear for that matter(around 41gs a year). I could have easily turned the school down after looking at the pricetag, but something I realized a bit later on was that highly prestigious schools are in fact the ones that give the most aid to students. In fact in some cases, as in for example my case, they pay almost 100% of everything. On top of that I applied to several scholarships, some of them I won. I can tell you that you can practically find a scholarship for anything.

 

My thoughts on shortcuts in life:

 

It is true that we have a lot of what ifs when we look back on things but I don't regret anything I have done with respect to my education. I believe that as long as you are dedicated to whatever you do , be it an aprentaship or a university , things will workout.

 

As for statistics:

 

If you work hard at what you do, no one will deny you anything. Remember you make the school and not the other way around.

 

I can't say take this road to all Somalis but whateva road you take be ready to give it 100%.

[Shirwac]

Money shouldn't stop you from earning a degree. Getting an education is more than landing a job. It is a tool that will help you and others around you.

Can you became a professional( lawyer, teacher...doctor) without an educaion? You can get by working at McD's but that is no living.

[N.O.R.F]

Diamante

 

You can do an apprentship and get a degree. It takes 5 years instead of 3 or 4 for a sandwich course. But u will not be in as much debt. The experience u need for what ever job your going for can be obtaining during apprenticeship. I feel this is one avenue future students should consider. There is no difference between going to uni the traditional route or through apprenticeship on aprt time basis while working at the same time. Actually there is more dicipline for one who does an apprenticeship ie getting up early every morning etc etc and puts you in good stead for the future.

 

Sandwich courses are also good options

[Mowgli]

Salaams.

 

In my first year i took out a loan, but when I saw that interest (at first it was low and then suddenly :eek: ), I decided not to take out a loan during my second yr. I worked during the summer and now I have two jobs to support myself. Granted it is tiring, but at the end of the day, I sleep so much better knowning that I won't be 15-20k in debt by the time i finish uni. There are some that cannot divide themselves between work and uni, but to such people, I just suggest they take a gap year and work during that period.

 

There is also help for students with financial difficulties, from burseries to awards. Some are a few hundred quid, others are a grand or two...either way, money is money. You can find out about some of the bursery schemes whilst you are still in college, if you apply early, then the more chance you are of getting it. You can qualify if you are the first person in your family to go to uni (but your council must be part of the scheme).

 

You can also go to uni part time (takes 4yrs rather then 3) and work at the same time. But is uni worth it? Definetly, like Diamante said, nowaways you need a qualification just to do cleaning.

[Valenteenah.]

Yes, I think it is worth it. However much the cost, however many the sacrifices.

[Illegalimmigrant]

yes, i think uni is worth it but i choose to do an apprenticeship. Its a lil unorthodox but we'll see what happens. by the way im not an illetrate highschool dropout.

[Passion_4_Fashion]

uni is worth it!

 

sorry northener i didnt read the whole topic

[juba]

Definatly worht it! how else will you make a honorable living?

[Emerald]

...worth it

[Pujah]

totally worth worth it

 

> > > and you thought I was going to wright this paraghraph of how getting post secondary eduction is worth your time and ur $$$ <<<<<< disapointed aint ya!