University Expectations vs Reality

A study by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has said that many young people have unrealistic expectations of university, and need much better preparation for what they can expect. Around half a million students begin university courses each year, and the annual HEPI study published earlier this year found that only about a third thought they were getting good value for money. The latest study, based on a sample of more than 2,000 young people, suggests this could be because expectations of university life are unlikely to be matched by the reality.

In terms of contact hours, 66% of the young people surveyed thought university would mean more group work than in school and 60% thought there would be more lecture hours than classroom hours in school. The reality is that for most courses teaching hours will be lower. The survey also found that those from poorer backgrounds were less prepared for meeting strangers and building a new social circle. It also found that young people are not clear about the costs ahead of them, with only about half identifying rent as the biggest expense (outside fees). Others thought that their biggest spending would be on course materials, nights out, groceries or student societies.

Criticism of the Student Loan system

A report by the London School of Economics has concluded that nearly everyone fares badly from the student loan system. The report warned that high earning graduates faced an effective tax rate of 51% in their 40s due to debts from university. In addition, due to rise to 6.1% interest accrued upon taking out the debt, medium earners in essential professions, such as teachers will pay back more over their working life than high earners in law and finance. With a typical male teacher paying £133,000 over their working life, compared to £85,000 for a typical lawyer. 

Sally Hunt, head of the lecturers’ union, the UCL, said, “There are no winners under the current student loan system, just different ways to lose”. Co-author of the report, Professor Maike Halterbreck, said that the report proved that an “in depth review “of the current system was needed, “as soon as possible”.

University: Expectations vs. Reality

The i newspaper has published an interesting infographic to show how many undergraduates' expectations of university life can differ from the reality they find when they get there ...

Guidance in applying for Medicine

If you are looking for guidance about applying for a degree in Medicine, the Central Careers Hub has produced a video with just about everything you need to know.  It includes information about the application process, as well as lots of advice from admissions tutors across a range of academic institutions. View the video on YouTube here.

More about Degree Apprenticeships

Degree Apprenticeships are set to revolutionise Higher Education as a credible alternative to a "straight" Bachelor's Degree. What's the difference? Well you get your fully accredited Bachelor's Degree over your (typically) four year course but also get your professional accreditation in, law, accountancy, management, &c as well. The more expensive alternative is to go the traditional degree route and add your professional accreditation on afterwards as a post-graduate course (with the further student debt that goes with it). Oh, and your tuition is free and you earn £15-30k annual salary (with holiday and sick pay) as you go! And if that wasn't enough to convince you, you are much more employable at the end of it because you've got the relevant work experience employers crave. Is there a down-side? Well expect the courses to be competitive, you may well need higher 'A' level grades than the equivalent "straight" degree to get on the course. But if you've got an ongoing salary and pretty much guaranteed job (as opposed to an estimated £67k debt) at the end of it, it's surely worth it!

Find out more from this video.

See what opportunities our out there from the UCAS website here.

Degree Apprenticeships at Herts Uni

The University of Hertfordshire is currently advertising Degree Level Apprenticeships in Business Admin and IT at Vauxhall and Software Engineering at Sagoss Ltd. The fifteen Business Administration and I.T. Apprenticeship opportunities will be based at Vauxhall in Luton and will combine degree level academic study at the University of Hertfordshire with job-related learning and experience within the car-manufacturing industry. Find out more here.

What does a Degree get you?

The DfE has recently released its 2016 Graduate Labour Market Statistics report. The main findings are:

• 87.3% of graduates were employed, compared to 70.4% of non-graduates. 
  

• Working age graduates earned on average £9,500 more than non-graduates, while postgraduates earned on average £6,000 more than graduates.  

• Male and female graduates had similar unemployment rates within the working age population, but male graduates had a higher employment rate and a lower inactivity rate than their female counterparts.

• Black graduates had lower high-skilled employment rates, higher unemployment rates, lower inactivity rates and lower median salaries than White graduates and Asian graduates. 

• Degree class appears to have more of an impact for the younger population than overall working age population. Working aged graduates with an upper and lower second degree earned £500 more, on average, than graduates with a first. Young graduates that achieved a first in their degree earned £2,000 and £3,000 more, on average, than those who achieved an upper and lower second, respectively. 

• STEM graduates on average, had higher employment rates, greater high-skilled employment rates, lower unemployment rates and higher median salaries than the graduate population as a whole. 

• However, within the working age population, Law, Economics and Management (LEM) graduates earned, on average, £1,000 more than STEM graduates. There is a similar pattern for the young population, with young LEM graduates earning £2,000 more than young STEM graduates.