Yeah, they way you pay it back is good. You've got to take into account the other things like accommodation costs, food and money for nights out! It all adds up to a lot... I wouldn't mind going Uni as it would help me to achieve what I want to do when I finish my educution!
For those that like a good speech on a Sunday morning [video=youtube;3xgQIokLsDI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xgQIokLsDI[/video]
I am looking into it as an option, if I'm offered a good job once I finish my college course I might sway towards a job, it sounds pretty small minded but it all depends on the pay difference, I know the £9,500 a year fees are high but I am willing to pay it if it means a secure future. If I can't get EMA I hope my college course allows me to get a part time job, some courses are five days a week and its constant work, free time, work, free time etc etc. Enrolment was a headache, good job I went straight into level 3 ICT because if I had to do level 2 I would have had to go back for enrolment next year! I think this year is when we should start weighing up our options, working out what we'll do if we do really well, what we're likely to do (Good/bad) and what happens if we do indeed fail. Like I said, if its worth it, I'll do it. Yep, alot of money, what you have to remember is your courses etc. Not sure exactly what your doing but isn't it something to do with Business? If it is you don't need to go Uni (Sir Alan Sugar, Richard Branson etc. didn't have a University degree) but on the other hand, what are you going to do with your degree? If your going to be self-employed starting up a business then you need ideas. If your looking to work in some exec. role in business you'll need a degree. Yep, yet it always fails to be mentioned in the media.. Well, with the current structure of the education system A levels rules and if you do A levels you pretty much have to go Uni, why? Well, as its the most popular route for students, so many students are likely to have the same A levels, so the competition would be ... well... competitive. Going to Uni puts you higher than alot of the candidates, apart from the ones who also go Uni, this is where it goes wrong. Students pick A levels and due to not having the best results they can't get into the top Uni's, they end up in a mid-uni and so end up pretty average, whereas if you decide early, like me and Chris have, pick a single subject to take up full time which not only puts you in good contention for the top Universities but also offers a job route if you don't want to further your education. If I'm a tech firm exec. would I pick someone with an three A's in A level in ICT, English and Biology, or someone who has a national diploma in ICT at a distinction level (Equivalent to 3 A's in A level) and a GCSE in computing? Also, with the route I am taking I have the following options if I succeed (Distinction level = 3 A's in A level) - -Apply for a job -Choose law/phsychology or a similair subject at a mid university (Due to these subjects not being offered in all colleges, some Uni's accept other qualifications as a route into the course) -Choose an IT related subject at a top university Its fairly promising if I do well, I'm sure if Chris is doing Business full time rather than as an AS or A level he'll have similair bright options
Afternoon Lil_Jatt! Now, there is quite a lot of points you have made and i'm a bit short of time at the moment so i'll respond to them later in the afternoon.
Point 1- Now i've lost my EMA, getting myself a part-time job has become a bit more important now. And yeah, I had to enrol again! I did the Level 2 course last year so i've had to enrol twice! It's the most tedious thing to do as well. Point 2- I think i'll start properly thinking about what I want to do when I leave college later in the year. It's a big decision though so i'll have to spend a lot of time thinking about it. Point 3- That's the important aspect. My course is based around running your own business and setting up a business. I think having a degree in something like Business Management would be good for me but i've still got reservations about Uni. At the end of say, it depends on my chances of getting a full-time job. If the chances aren't brilliant, I think going to Uni and gaining more qualifications would be the sensible option. However, if I feel that I can get a decent job pretty soon, i'll probably go and try and get a job. Point 4- Some excellent points there Lil_Jatt! Yeah, we've picked one subject in which we can concentrate on and get good grades. That will help us if we decide to apply for Uni. And even if we don't go to Uni, we've got qualifications in a certain subject which would be useful if we were applying for a job in which they wanted someone with qualifications in that area.
That's the problem, too many students aren't even told about alternatives like single subject courses, I only know about them because my eldest brother took up IT and my sister took up hairdressing in college. Most students in my area went back to the same school for sixth form too, wasting time doing A levels when alot of them openly admit they have no intentions to go to Uni, whats the point of that? They are best of focusing on ONE subject and trying for a job like that. Apprenticeships is another option often overlooked although to be fair a few people from my school took it up and it was probably the best option for them. The only people who should look to take up A levels are those who have proven they are capable by attaining the right grades. Example of someone perfect for A levels - GCSE results - C+ in English C+ in Maths Three B+'s in Science (Core, Additional and Triple) C+ in variety of other subject (Not required, but helpful for Uni) A level results - Chemistry - B+ Biology - B+ Physics - B+ There, the student is clearly good at Science just by looking at their GCSE results, they should pursue that if they enjoy it, and the results in their A levels have also reflected that. My point is some people (Like myself) don't have the most competitive grades and don't intend on pushing themselves enough to put that right doing A levels, they may have a strength but don't exercise it because they don't realise they have the potential to do something good with it. I did get the 'pass' of five GCSE's graded above C, one of them was a B, but I didn't take up A levels and promised myself well before I got the results that whatever they were I wouldn't change my mind, stuck to what I was with. They say A levels are the best option as they 'keep your options open', yes, they do, for Uni only! (Edit - Just realised the PUB thread has turned into a Student classroom! )
To be fair, I only decided to do a single subject course because I didn't want to have to do loads of subjects. Doing one subject helps me focus on it a lot more and hopefully achieve a good grade in my course! I never really wanted to do A-Levels because I felt I would have struggled with all of the subjects. And yeah, most of the people in my year did A-levels because it suited them more and that was what the local college in my area did. I knew I didn't want to do A-Levels and depsite it costing me more to get to college, I think I made the right decision in not doing A-Levels. And yeah, the pub thread has gone a bit too educational! I'll sort it out... Barman, pint please!
Yep, I never felt I could focus on three seperate subjects, especially when I wasn't likely to go into English or Maths because I hate them. Science wasn't me and anything thing else would have failed to keep me motivated.
Yeah, i'm the same. I couldn't do it very well at school and I couldn't see myself doing it at college! Shhhh.... I've had nothing to do all summer. Loving it!
Hated school, so much pressure the teachers put on you. I also hated how I'd be doing Maths, English or Science and the teacher would automatically assume I was pursuing education doing A levels with that particular subject. Glad to have got rid of all that excess stress, now I can focus on my one subject and lets hope when my timetable is handed to me on the 12th of September I have only got to go in for 3 days!
Agreed. My school put high expectations on me and I didn't do as well as I was meant to so they put me in loads of extra help. To me, that said, 'You're **** at this subject and you need loads of help to scrap through the exam' so I didn't bother. I hated my last two years of school. Happy i'm out now! 3 days?! Man, you're lucky. Mine was 4 days last year and I fully expect to have to do 5 days a week. If I can get a part-time job at the weekend, i'll have 5 days of college work and 2 days of work!
Watched it on Thursday, quality film.. 'I stopped believing in God when I realised it was just dog backwards..'
