11 May University Vs Apprenticeships
By Elle-Mae Smith
(Caption: University library, credit: Gary Tamin)
Over the years, the view that university is the best route for college leavers to take has been constantly questioned. Now, in 2018, UCAS has seen a huge decline in university applicants.
It’s very well known that deciding to go to university, whilst being a great opportunity, can leave students in huge amounts of debt. These debts were increased for those students studying after September 2016, when the maintenance grant was abolished, and even more so when the cost of some university courses was increased to £9,250.
Emma Morris, student at Plymouth university of art, initially believed that getting a degree would make it easier for her career after university. But now, over half way through, she’s beginning to change her mind. “My family wanted me to go to university and having a degree is supposed to make getting a job a lot easier afterwards,” Morris said.
By going to university, you can gain a valued degree that will enable you to get into your desired field of work and you have time to decide exactly what you want to do for your future career. However, many students feel that they aren’t getting what they’re paying for.
Around 62% of UK students feel that university isn’t worth the cost and some students argue that the course that they are completing is different to the one advertised. “We can’t see where all that money goes and as an art student we must pay a lot of money for materials on top of the fees,” Emma states.
Its not just the extra materials that university students are having to get extra money for. They also have to keep money paying rent, which takes up a huge part of their student loans. Looking for the correct student housing can be very stressful, but students just have to lookout for the option that’s best for them, so its one less stress for them to take on.
VT: https://youtu.be/G677DRV2gJo
Mature student *Louise Milton, currently studying a Business degree at Arden university, believes that whilst it looks great on CV to have a university degree, apprenticeships are a great way to learn on the job. “It is very difficult today to get a new job without a degree, even with years of experience. But then if you have a degree and no experience there are very few company’s willing to take you too.”
There have been some people who have been getting creative about how to raise or pay off the money needed for them to get their university degrees. A recent graduate from the Royal College of Art decided to crowdfund her degree. She ended up raising £4,500, with some of the money coming all the way from America and China, and everyone who donated received a piece of art from the student herself.
“University today costs an enormous amount for someone of any age to gain a degree or masters. Twenty years ago, students weren’t getting in this much debt,” Louise argues. “People today will choose the apprenticeship option rather than be in up to 60K worth of debt by the time they are 21.”
However, Emma says whilst the fees did put her off at first, it wasn’t enough to stop her getting a degree. “Paying it back would never leave me without money and I might not pay it all back before it gets wiped off anyway.” But, the route of apprenticeships might be a more preferable one to go down. “If given the chance again, I would have investigated apprenticeships where I would have been able to gain more practical experience.”
Infographic: https://infogram.com/university-vs-apprenticeships-1h984wxgozoz6p3
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