[DH-Biker]

This is coming from what my school was like, others may not have had it as seemingly enforced as this was:

During my time at Secondary School and through Sixth Form, I was told how important it was to go to University or College. It was honestly made to sound as if life revolved around it, that we were all buggered if we didn't go.

By the time it rolled around to Year 12 (our first year of Sixth Form), Tuition Fees, we were told, would miss us by a year. That immediately threw out half the year as most wanted to do a Gap Year and we were told that if we did we'd be paying upwards of £30,000 by the time we strolled out the doors of Uni with our degrees.

This added even more pressure, even though we were later told that even with deffered entry, we weren't going to recieve the new fees, whether this was true or not I never found out. But people who had wanted to teach English abroad, such as myself, or others who wanted just a year out were practically told by the teachers, "Look, its either Uni or your life wont be as fortunate" not in those exact words, but that's how they put Uni across.

After deciding I didn't want to go to Uni in Year 12, then re-deciding after Year 13 (after I'd finished) that I did, I went through UCAS again and organised resits. I had two offers from Stirling and Manchester Met for History and Politics and History respectively, but I decided that Uni, again, wasn't for me.

I'm going travelling, for as long as humanly possible, before I even consider settling down. I have a worked-for base of money to use, a permanent American Visa and I'm going to work my around the planet doing part time work to get myself around. Why? Because in my opinion Uni isn't everything, despite the feeling I get from many people in my peer range that it is. Granted, its obvious that it isn't, but I just feel like people have been put under pressure by society at large that it is the be all and end all of a successful life.

Now, don't get me wrong, I respect people who go to Uni immensely. Many of my year have gone and I wouldn't dare impose on people to take a second glance at what else is out there, all I'm saying here is that it seems a lot of people are nudged onto a line where Uni is the outcome.

Maybe it was just my school that seemed to take a spin on Uni that it was a god-like location that set you aside from the rest.

[Bellissima]

yes at my college there is little support for those who don't want to go to university... there's a hierachy... oxbridge comes first they get immense support... then medics get tonnes too... then there is very little support for anyone else... not much advise anything, if you want to ask advise they just fob you off... then if you don't even want to go to higher education they don't want to know.

[DH-Biker]

(Original post by Bellissima)
yes at my college there is little support for those who don't want to go to university... there's a hierachy... oxbridge comes first they get immense support... then medics get tonnes too... then there is very little support for anyone else... not much advise anything, if you want to ask advise they just fob you off... then if you don't even want to go to higher education they don't want to know.

This is exactly what it was like where I was too. During History in A2, the Oxbridge hopefulls all sat in the middle table of three and easily got the most support. They weren't sat there because they were going to Oxbridge, but because they were friends, but once it became apparent to the teacher where they were destined, it was solely focused upon them understanding.

There was very little advertisement for gap year activities or support for apprentiships, holidays, out-of-country-work, etc. Even Camp-America, or Operation Rally weren't up there, possibly two of the biggest Gap-Year activities the UK students do.

At least now I know it wasn't just our school.

I would be slightly more understanding if it was one of the schools that goes from Year 1 all the way through to year 13; (or their equivilant). But even still.

[snailsareslimy]

At my school there was a decent amount of support for those who didn't want to go to university (apprenticeships etc were emailed around to everyone regularly), and a few careers advisers came in to help those who wanted to go into full time employment. However, the contrast between that and the university goers support was immense (and more again for Oxbridge/Vet Med/Dentistry/Med). I suppose that was due to my school only ever having 10 people each year not go to university though.

[thehaberprocess]

(Original post by Bellissima)
yes at my college there is little support for those who don't want to go to university... there's a hierachy... oxbridge comes first they get immense support... then medics get tonnes too... then there is very little support for anyone else... not much advise anything, if you want to ask advise they just fob you off... then if you don't even want to go to higher education they don't want to know.

Ditto. Going to uni is the status quo at my school. If you decide not to apply for oxbridge, US or any med schools, you're left to fend for yourself. Frankly, if anyone says that they've decided not to go to uni, they're ostricised from the school community.

[EloiseStar]

At my school in year 9 we were having interviews with the headmaster about what we wanted to do post-16. I didn't know then and I still don't know now (year 12).

Even though at the time I felt pressured into a decision, it has made me prepared and I've done thorough research into what possible opportunities there are for me.

I guess from the home side, my father put immense pressure (in the nicest way possible) on me to go to Uni from a very early age. He just wants me to have the best start to a career.

Yes, I do believe there is a lot of pressure but not too much as I think it encourages us (especially from mid-school years) to explore our options, get relevant experience and fight the competition when it comes to applications...

[Soph(:]

Yes, I feel like my school makes people feel like uni is the only option they ignore all the people who aren't going and don't really help them with what to do next

[madders94]

My college is quite good in that there's never really been a pressure to go to university - it's our decision and they respect that They didn't really get very involved other than helping with the UCAS applications process which was helpful, but they never tried to tell us that we had to go into higher education.

I considered a gap year or even not going to uni altogether but decided on a financial basis that I'd actually be better off going to university, and I'm looking forwards to the student life. I don't think sixth forms or colleges should pressure people to go to university - they should be there to assist in the application process if someone decides to go, and provide information about alternative routes if they decide not to go.

[SaharaDesert]

I don't think its just schools, I think its society in general that places too much emphasis on university. There are some people at my school who are going to univerity, doing degrees that they know little about, purely due to the fact that they don't know another option. Apprenticeships seem to be frowned upon (at least, in my school they are) and it's hard to get a decent job with just A-levels/BTEC, so students don't really have much choices available to them. It would be great if more options, that were equally as satisfactory and fulfilling as a university degree, were popularised and presented to students as an alternative. I think too many people are going to university, degrees are becoming worthless, though I don't blame the students.

[hannahcoroner]

I went to a comprehensive high school and the emphasis was the opposite! I don't think we got nearly enough support about going on to sixth form and instead had apprenticeships and job applications shoved down our throats. I do understand where this comes from, because the vast majority of my year group would not/ could not go on to College but I do think we needed a better support system.
However, I am now in a grammar school for sixth form and there is no other option than university! We have never had mentioned to us different ways of going about life or gap years and I know people who are certain they do not want to go to university but are being forced to go to open days and encouraged to still apply. This doesn't affect me as I do want to go to university but I do see where other people would feel pressured.

[ufo2012]

I believe this is how it is in most schools.

Headmasters sit in "career interviews" and/or career advisors are paid to "give advice" yet they often don't have half a clue about what you should do with your life or what direction would be best for you to go.

I think sometimes University is like their "get-out clause" because they don't know anything else.

[ipoop]

YES, I believe so. There are so many alternatives out there. IMO better than uni. This is coming from an apprentice that could have gone to the LSE. All my friends now are at uni or still in college. Here I am, 20, earning over a grand after tax working 4 days a week. I believe university should go back to it's fundamentals and just offer courses for things like architecture, medicine etc... things that you really do need classes, lectures, buy books on, study on, revise on, take exams on. You do not need to go to uni to be banker, an economist, I'm training to be an account, without uni, I'm already ahead financially and academically of a lot of my peers and those that left on the same year as I did.

It still amazes me how everyone has it in their head uni is the only solution to their future. Trust me it is not and, some people just are not made for uni. I've seen a few.

[Freiheit]

With the awful economic state we are in and the high youth unemployment rates you need to beat the competition with a degree which is likely to lead to a job in my opinion.

[anna-chipie 95]

it does seem pretty important at my school, but they did have a few assemblies from gap year companies... there is an 'oxbridge support' group, but we didnt get much help tbh, the teacher barely said much apart from 'do extra reading' whch is useful for any uni... i think quite a few are planning gap years, i would but im gonna apply for MFL which involves a compulsory year out anyway... most of the people who go in the careers room are wannabe medics (of which there are SO MANY ITS CRAZY.)

[Wawasan]

It could also be said that pressure is subsiding due to the high degree fees now in place. Yet that could be quite contradictory, because applicants would be even more expectant to enter higher education.