Thougths on going to university…

We’re not children, we are young adults! Read on for my thoughts about going to university, and why it’s such a stressful decision…

University itself is stress full. Everything about considering going to university literally makes your head spin and spin until you can take it anymore. To all adults, no 16/17 year old even knows the definition of stress. But in reality we do…

To most of us this is the most important step in our lives so far.

A lot is riding on the decision that were about to make. Do we go to university, do we go for an apprenticeship or do we just go into a full time job? Many questions similar to this runs through every seventeen year olds mind. For some the decision is easy. But for others it seems impossible. There are thousands of factors that go into our decision like money, grades, what our parent think and will we fit in. What’s sad is, not a lot of peoples main concern is their passion. What they want to do. No 17 year old should have to worry about costs of going to university. And yet we get told we don’t know what stress is. When going to university another put off is the social aspects. For some people it can seem the world to have a fresh start , meet new people, make new friends and make amazing memories. Yet for others it can be so scary. A lot of people take comfort in the fact that they have people to rely on to support them and help them through the new chapter of there life. Many students decide to stop at there college to enhance there education into a degree or even just go straight into a job.

University should be accessible to all.

Everyone should be able to spread their wings and soar through the sky. I spoke to one student who stated:

“I am very unsure about going to university as I am so worried about the debt that it’s going to put me in and I have no idea how I am meant to pay it off, it’s so overwhelming.”

Whereas I spoke to another student who said:

“So excited to move out and to make a new life for myself!”

Both have one thing in common… they’re young. Both deserve to go to university yet one has a better chance of getting in and it has nothing to do with getting good grades. Its about money. This needs to be changed. And yes I know bursaries are available to help a student maintain a stable life at university but with the extreme costs of the student accommodation, cost of books and other equipment. The bursary is just not enough. Therefore many student have to have part-time jobs and sometimes even full time jobs which is a lot when studying at university.

Money is the main thing that puts me off from going to university. 💰

My dream would be to become a vet or to study veterinary bioscience but the cost of the course is overwhelming. Yes, I will get a student loan but it won’t stretch very far. Especially, as I have worked out that the accommodation for my chosen university is nearly six thousand pounds for the £6,000 per/year. Also because I want to study veterinary medicine each book costs ~ £40-£100. Which is ridiculous to me… Don’t get me wrong I enjoy working to earn money, I love my job as an animal information host at Sea-life. But the money isn’t enough to sustain myself through uni. Plus I hardly get time to study as much as I would like too.

That’s another thing! There’s so much pressure on getting the right grades. 🤯

Don’t get me wrong I know for some courses you need good grades to be able to be successful on the course, but your grades don’t define you. My grades are no where near perfect but I still applied for university. I hoped that someone would take a chance on me and help me reach my goal. I believe that there is more to a person than their academic achievements. I believe if someone is willing  to work hard enough to be successful, then they at least deserve a chance. I am so glad that despite my doubts about university I still applied. And so far I have received 2 offers which is amazing. Just waiting to hear back on the others. 🤞

Students should be given so much more support. Yes we’re growing up and need to learn to provide for ourselves, but we’re trying to make a life for ourselves. To make a difference, we need support from our parents, teachers and local government for this to work. For us to make something of our lives. Are you with me?

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