Should I quit University? Is it worth £24900?

Question

It's my first year at university as a mature student at 22. Before that I was working in HR at a media company. I decided to to a media degree because it was my favourite subject at school. Im now wishing I continued working as I'm studying with a bunch of immature kids that don't take uni seriously. I wont finish uni til im 25 and I feel like im missing out on doing things like travelling and gaining more work experience. By the time I finish I'll be just starting out in a career and then have to start immediately saving for a house, renting at the same time and who knows maybe thinking about children soon. I think I've made a mistake in going Uni. Has anyone else been through this?. Am I being unpatient? I thought Uni was going to be fun and that there'd be a wide variety of people I can relate to but its not the case it's boring, the tutors are unhelpful and the other students dont really care abput passing at all. Any advice anyone?

Answer 1

Education is never a waste, if it is really what you want then stick with it. In 3 years you will be 25 one way or another, so do you want to be 25 with the degree you want and working in a job you like or 25 in a job you hate wishing you'd stayed in uni. The first few months in any new venture is tough. You only get one life to live, make the most of it and be true to yourself!!!!

Answer 2

I'm 24 and will be 25 when I graduate in the summer. I couldn't afford too live on campus (the four year gap in between education meant massive debt. Not fun!) so I currently commute to Uni everyday which cuts into study time, is expensive (I spend about £200 on petrol a month) and means I haven't made the lifelong friends I thought I would at Uni.

HAving said that, it has been the best decision I have ever made. It has opened my eyes to new horizons, changed the direction I want to take in life and given me a new focus and challenge.

Yes, Im in more debt. Yes I'm 24 and living with my parents and may never be able to afford to more out and yes, it's hard explaining to all my friends who graduated a couple of years ago and have good jobs now why I can't afford to go to cocktail bars.... But I still wouldnt change it.

I feel I have an extra mature spin I can give my essay which enhances them and means I'm not distracted by all day benders.

So I would definitely say that come your third year, it might all look differently.

HOWEVER: Media is a common subject for those who just want the "uni experience". I realise you chose it because you enjoyed it but is there something you can swap to that might be more specific (Journalism/ English/ Film? Or Journalism and History etc?) You should find that in the first term you can move fairly easily.

Likewise, as mentioned, getting work experience along side it will make you stand out from an otherwise common degree- and gets you out meeting people who dont just want to mess around!

IT may also just be your uni.... A friend went to a very reputable uni in london and hated every second. She switched to a much smaller uni (winchester) and loved every second.

As a parting shot, I do Social Sciences and its challenged my perceptions of society. Who SAYS we need to own a house by the time we're 30? Who says we need to own at all? A lot of things we measure our success by can be traced back to a political/ ideological basis that we should not, by any means, feel like we have failed if we arent living by the criteria. With renting, you are free to go whereever you want in the world, without ties to bind you..... Or thats what i tell myself!

Answer 3

Stay in University, stick it out and then go explore and discover yourself.
I really wish that I could afford to go back to school. You were smart enough to get as far as you have now.. go all the way. Ignore the students, talk to your teachers and find something to do while you are there.. into media you could go see if there is a campus newspaper to contribute to, the tutors arent helping you..then they probably arent helping anyone else either.. so become a tutor and help others.
It may not seem like it but 3 years will pass very quickly. Especially if you keep busy. I think you are being impatient. 22, 25 is still very young yet. you have your entire life left to go. I am not much older and am in the situation you are looking at , I have children, I am buying a home and it is hard because I have little education beyond grade 12 highschool. I make about a $1000 a month working... my partner makes alot more but he has further education .... its hard but we manage.
Im rambling here now, but the point is.. stick with it you will appreciate it later.

Answer 4

i went to uni at 19 about the same age as most other students, however i can relate to you, i found the students wanted to get drunk and mess around. I on the other hand work from 6 in the morning (because i had a job) until 12 at night to finish all of my work. I found that the shared accommodation was a nightmare. I now feel since graduating that the debt could have been put to better use.

What worries me is that my student debt has gained interest of around £1,000 in three years because they start charging you from the moment your first loan enters your bank account.

These days most companies are unimpressed if you have a uni degree, they want to see that you have experience and working your way up the corporate ladder seems the only way.

It doesn't mean that you should give up on the idea. Have you thought about doing an open learning degree?, you can still work and earn money and you get to mix with the tutors at arranged times to suit you. It cost less to do and you can chose the modules you want.

Answer 5

You might just be at the wrong school - is there another school you could transfer to?

I'd be more patient - you've been in classes with lots of first-year kids, and they always tend to be very immature. The maturity level goes up significantly in the upper-level courses (I'm a college professor, and I teach lower and upper level courses - the difference is like night and day!). In the mean time, get to know your professors, and seek out other "older" students.

One thing that may help you decide - try to find out what sort of salary you can look forward to when you graduate, and what you salary will be 10 years after you graduate. Compare that with what your salary was in your old job, and how much that would have increased over the same 10 years. Remember, with a college degree you can get more promotions, and get promoted quicker than someone without the degree.

Answer 6

Life is what you make of it. You sound pretty unhappy at university so maybe staying would just make your situation worse. On the other hand, if you can revise your outlook on your world and find a way to be happy, you might find the tutors more willing to work with you once you have a better, happier, and more cooperative attitude.

I have been in the workforce for quite some time now and have worked with all kinds of people. I can tell you from personal experience that I have never met anyone who wished they had spent less time on their education. I have also seen people get stuck in their careers for lack of education and be forced to resign.

So I will tell you what I tell my own children -- after you get your college degree, if you decide you would rather work checkout at the market, then go for it and be happy. But at least if you find that being a checkout is not your calling after all, you will still have your degree to fall back upon!

Answer 7

Yes, you should quit uni. I went, even though I didn't want to (my parents made me go) and I really regret it. Luckily, I don't have any debts to pay off because I lived at home and didn't take out a student loan (I live so near the campus that it wouldn't have been worth my while to move out) but I feel that going to uni has put me behind other people in terms of life experience. Don't let the same thing happen to you! Get out there and get a job!

Answer 8

If your degree will help you in your career, and you're not happy at that Uni, try transferring to a different Uni. If not, it's probably a better idea to continue working your way up the ladder in a media company - they may have on-the-job training too. Not all Uni degrees are what they're cracked up to be!

Answer 9

Try and stick it out - maybe transfer to some place else. Ifs its what you want to do and you know you can pass maybe drop to a part time degree and work along side it or look into the Open University and distance learning. There are options. What Uni are you at? I went to London Met as a mature student and hated nearly every aspect of it. The tutors, the student 'advisors', the actual 'students' all made the experience horrible. The incompetence of the staff together with the swearing, unruly mobs who were clearly there to get out of full time work, etc Made me want to weep. Unfortunately I failed one module and couldnt go onto to the nexx year. They then offered me to repeat the year. I didnt want to for the sake of one module and currently we are at loggerheads as they are trying to charge me for fees for this year although I have not attended!!!!. I am broke, bored and verging on depression. Tony Blair's vision of a classless, educated society is absolute rubbish!

Answer 10

I think u should stick it out...yeh u'll be a bit older than the rest when u finish but that 3 seconds on the stage gettin ur certificate will be worth it!

And u'll only be 25 when u graduate thats still young enough to go travellin and then settle down into a job and life after! Do it whilst you can...its defo worth it!