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What's more important at uni: the degree or life experience?

I base my choices entirely on the degree, I will only take the "experience" into account if I get offers from unis where I consider the degree equally good and I need to decide.

Reply 21

Libtolu

13

As long as they do the degree you want and are not completely **** i would have a short list and pick the one with the best social side.

Like for me my list is pretty **** because of my lack fo revision/homework/attendance etc

But basically because i've ****** around for 3 years i will only come out with bccc or bccd.

So my 5 ucas unis are

Hull
Plymouth
City
Man met
Greenwich

Basically i have no intention of going to greenwich but i felt the need to put a 5th choice.

i think hull is the best i can get into for economics, plymouth close second. however i'm considering going to plymouth as firm(if i get an offer) simply because i have two good freinds studying there and apperntly the night life is good.

So i would go for the nightlife and weather if when i go there it is as good as they say.

But if it was just for the social life i would go to manchester or london uni.

But i'm undisided whether to do economics in hull or plymouth.

But yueah my answer is a bit of both but provided you're not swapping oxford for thames valley then go for the slightly better social life.

Reply 22

EskimoJo

18

Both. For me and where I was in my life, it was the life experience that made me go to Uni, but it was the degree structure/reputation/etc. that made me pick the specific Uni.

Reply 23

lady_leon

OP

13

I wasn't expecting any particular response, just wanted to start a healthy discussion :smile:

Reply 24

Anon the 7th

thread already been done on this

a bit of both tbh as, for those who move into accommodation, it teaches them how to look after themselves

but ultimately you are there for the degree

Reply 25

Tefhel

12

Yeah a bit of both.
Obviously pick one with a good degree, but also one where you are going to be comfortable with the social aspects as well.
For me though, the location is a major factor also.

Degree

the degree

Degree! There are better ways to get life experience that doesent include noisy/lazy/smelly people who are still learning to take care of themselfs... no offense to anyone :tongue:

Reply 29

polka_dott

14

Degree, in order to progress in life and get a good job... but also to get out there a bit.. I intend to do travelling in the next year but uni is still a life experience.

Reply 30

Venom123

16

Degree = Money

Life Expereince = Money (in terms of helping with time management etc.) and Friends

They are both important hand in hand.

Reply 31

Pemly_Pem

Consider it this way - in a job/subsequent higher education interview the question "Tell me what you learnt at university" would be referring to the life experience, and NOT the degree.

Reply 32

ArcadiaHouse

17

You could be dead before you finish your degree: the life experience.

Why spend "the best three/four years of your life" unhappy? I think it's about finding a balance. No point in a good social life if you loathe your degree, and there's no point in a fabulous degree when you have no friends and cry yourself to sleep at night :p:

Reply 33

Fraser_Integration

teenboy

Anyone who says life experience is more important than a degree at Uni is probably somebody failing their exams!!! (also, studying for our degree is A PART of life experience)

To quote the Peep Show

"I didn't go to university for a degree, Mark."

Reply 34

Ollie87

1

the experience. without doubt. i've been thru so many recruitment processes and every single one, without exception, has asked about my experience at university, what i got from it, what i learnt about myself etc. rather than the degree.

Reply 35

GodspeedGehenna

3

I was under the impression that going to university gives you no "life experience" what so ever.

You essentially live in a campus bubble for three years, you're given money to live off by the government and banks, avoiding the 9-5, etc etc..

That's not life experience. From what I've heard, employers are complaining about the lack of experience posessed by graduates because they have just lived in their university bubble for three years with little or no experience of the real world.

But yeah, I'm there for the degree. I wouldn't spend £30,000 for "life experience". That sounds like the kind of ******** you'd hear from someone who couldn't get higher than a 2.2.

Reply 36

crema

9

GodspeedGehenna

I was under the impression that going to university gives you no "life experience" what so ever.

You essentially live in a campus bubble for three years, you're given money to live off by the government and banks, avoiding the 9-5, etc etc..

That's not life experience. From what I've heard, employers are complaining about the lack of experience posessed by graduates because they have just lived in their university bubble for three years with little or no experience of the real world.

But yeah, I'm there for the degree. I wouldn't spend £30,000 for "life experience". That sounds like the kind of ******** you'd hear from someone who couldn't get higher than a 2.2.

Well, it depends what you do during your university life. I for one am happy that I spent most of my time in trying various things, attending events, leading a society, meeting people and working, rather than just doing my degree. It would have been terribly boring otherwise.

I graduated with a mid-2.1 so am perfectly happy that I went down the "life experience"-route. Perhaps, if I had actually concentrated on my academics I could have achieved better grades. Concentrating more on getting a life experience I got out of my university time so much more and as cheesy as it is to say it, I grew as a person.

Reply 37

GodspeedGehenna

3

crema

Well, it depends what you do during your university life. I for one am happy that I spent most of my time in trying various things, attending events, leading a society, meeting people and working, rather than just doing my degree. It would have been terribly boring otherwise.

I graduated with a mid-2.1 so am perfectly happy that I went down the "life experience"-route. Perhaps, if I had actually concentrated on my academics I could have achieved better grades. Concentrating more on getting a life experience I got out of my university time so much more and as cheesy as it is to say it, I grew as a person.

So you can't attend events, lead societies, meet people and work WITHOUT going to university?

Reply 38

ChemistBoy

16

Degree first, everything else second. Getting a degree is the unique thing about university and so it should be your priority as a student. Without a good degree then you limit your choices significantly, regardless of if you were the treasurer of the latin and ballroom dancing society two years running.

Of course, this doesn't mean you should just sit in a bubble where you spend all your waking hours in the library. There is no reason anyone shouldn't be able to find time for a range of activities as a student, but when those activities conflict with your studies then you are making a poor choice if you don't choose the latter over the former. I make exception for people who have a genuine talent for an area (for example, sport) where there is a real possibility of a high-level career in that area.

Reply 39

crema

9

GodspeedGehenna

So you can't attend events, lead societies, meet people and work WITHOUT going to university?

You can, but that's not the point. We are talking about the time you spend in university.

I don't believe the degree is the only thing you should gain in university, it is just one part of the whole experience.

What's more important at uni: the degree or life experience?

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