The recent decision allowing Universities to accept more applicants for Undergraduate study has now made the average degree all the more worthless.
In the demanding and struggling job market, top BTEC and A-Level results just don’t make the cut. For months after achieving a double distinction star and distinction profile for my BTEC, I applied constantly for jobs. Only ending up as a ‘temp’ cleaning the Halls and offices of my local university, it was money that got me savings, but it was hardly a career.
So onwards and upwards I moved across the water to Coventry. With the non-specific degrees in Northern Ireland, I became a Coventry University student, enrolling onto their competitive BA (Hons) Media Production course.
After reading the news that our so-called country leaders, ‘the Government’ are allowing Universities to expand their student ratio, I was down right raging. Already, I find University to be a major task and trying to concentrate in Skills workshops whilst self-consciously worrying about what people think of me is another task in itself. Adding the pressure of more students in classes will make it tougher. My skills classes have already too many people in them; we do not need more humans in the one room!
Plus, the competitive edge that comes with Media degrees – or any given degree – is ridiculous, I’ve been learning Media for five years prior to university and when I came into a class full of Media Know It All’s, I freaked out.
University is all about learning externally as well as internally. Which is why I have been teaching myself the Adobe editing software and brushing up on my Photoshop skills. However, if I am learning the software, the mass part of my degree by myself, what am I paying the just under nine grand a year for? Could it be the rental of a multi-billion pound Media Loan Shop, the basic bones of Media theory or how to turn on a Z1? Surely that is not worth the fees, when an HND at Home would have taught me just the same for 90% less money.
A Higher National Diploma (HND) would have taught everything I needed to know. Apart from the independence I have acquired by moving away from home. A degree is about learning on your own. If I had of went to Derry for the HND, I wouldn’t have learnt the life skill of learning by myself and on my own accord. Yes the fees are incredibly high, especially when there is no guaranteed job at the end of the three/four years but that just makes me more determined.
Back to the expansion that could be underway in my University, well I have to agree to disagree. I recently spoke to a friend who wants to study Veterinary nursing at a local university but was rejected due to the high number of applicants. This made me think, we do need to allow more applicants into universities. I really do want a degree, to better myself, to excel and to ultimately get somewhere in life just like the thousands of others out there. But that’s the thing, getting somewhere in life requires more than an Undergraduate degree it requires the extras. The work experience, the extra curricular (hobbies/societies) and the knowledge of more than just, for example, the Media in Britain. It requires the knowledge of various cultures and putting your theories to practice by getting out there. You need the determination and like my parents said:
Don’t just fall at the first hurdle.
One of the reasons I choose Coventry, it offers a placement/year abroad, I was aiming to get on the Global Leaders Programme and now I am looking into going to China/Hong Kong.
However will allowing more students to study help the job market rise or fall? Sadly it seems that the trainee jobs and unpaid internships are the foreseeable future for Undergraduates, which is why it is vital to choose the right University.
At That Daunting Stage? Go to http://www.unistats.com and http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk for help.
Blogging my Degree. 