Do you think having ambitions to go to uni from a young age pays off?
Poll
What age did you decide to go to uni?
What age were you when you decided to go to uni??
The BBC have published an article that looked into what motivated and deterred students when applying for selective unis.
A key finding was that the age someone decides to go IS a a major influencer into their success rate, with the success rate doubling at age 10 vs age 16:
A study of 16,000 students suggests the younger they decide, the more likely they are to attend a university with tough entrance requirements.
The full article can be found here
What do you think?
The BBC have published an article that looked into what motivated and deterred students when applying for selective unis.
A key finding was that the age someone decides to go IS a a major influencer into their success rate, with the success rate doubling at age 10 vs age 16:
Children who know at 10 that they want to go to university are twice as likely to go to a selective one than those who decide at 16, a survey says.
A study of 16,000 students suggests the younger they decide, the more likely they are to attend a university with tough entrance requirements.
The full article can be found here
What do you think?
Scroll to see replies
I can guess why, those who are born into educated families are more likely to be smarter/ have the traits required to succeed academically. As such, because their parents are academically educated, the kids might look up to their parents from an early age and desire to become like them, and thus want to go to uni.
I knew I wanted to go to uni since I was 8, not because I particularly wanted to go to uni, but because through my family, I knew it was the only way to become anything in society. I also wanted to be a scientist so that adds to it too.
I knew I wanted to go to uni since I was 8, not because I particularly wanted to go to uni, but because through my family, I knew it was the only way to become anything in society. I also wanted to be a scientist so that adds to it too.
I think it's all based on the individual themselves rather than their decisions. Some children start off wanting to go, but may find that higher education just doesn't seem like the better option.
I've always been wanting to suceed on the highest possible path ever since I was little. I always wanted to be better so uni was a definite even before I was even 10.
Maybe it has pushed me to want to put effort in. I dont know. But even if I wanted to go and had no confidence in my ability, I don't think I would have done as well in school as I did.
I've always been wanting to suceed on the highest possible path ever since I was little. I always wanted to be better so uni was a definite even before I was even 10.
Maybe it has pushed me to want to put effort in. I dont know. But even if I wanted to go and had no confidence in my ability, I don't think I would have done as well in school as I did.
No one in my immediate family has a degree. Both my parents have given me the best life possible even though money has been tight. They have instilled the idea of uni=success=money's not me, (although that is not always the case with most degrees). My parents often describe themselves as uneducated and it's basically their dream to see thei children achieve academically. Thus attending uni has always been a goal of mine, if I didn't attend my parents would be devastated 
(edited 7 years ago)
My parents always encouraged me to go to uni. And I'm glad they did, it's put me in a great position now, and tbh if I didn't go to to uni, I don't know what career I would've done instead.
Finding a passion at a young age is always a great thing, if you go on to make a profession out of it all the better, though your parents will likely influence your decision to pursue university and the possibility of your discovering your talents and passion at a young age.
I would say a lot of people know the area they will go into at uni by about 12/13 years of age (year 8), such as computer science or physical education and hopefully they will start to focus and specialise on that and have an idea of what they will do by the time they are choosing their a-levels.
I would say a lot of people know the area they will go into at uni by about 12/13 years of age (year 8), such as computer science or physical education and hopefully they will start to focus and specialise on that and have an idea of what they will do by the time they are choosing their a-levels.
I'm 68 and brought up in care. The idea of going to university never occurred to me then. I was more focussed on getting out of the place in one piece.
When my 7 children all had left home, I decided I wanted to go to university, but had waited until my children were independent.
In 1998 I did an Access to the Humanities course with a view to going to university. One of my grandchildren was born very ill and I had to forego my place at univ ersity to take him. He is 17 now and at college. I have just finished my first year at uni.
My reasons are that the State and the Catholic Church were charged with caring for me which included educating me. They failed on both counts and as far as I'm concerned the State owes me an education and so I am taking it with both hands.
When my 7 children all had left home, I decided I wanted to go to university, but had waited until my children were independent.
In 1998 I did an Access to the Humanities course with a view to going to university. One of my grandchildren was born very ill and I had to forego my place at univ ersity to take him. He is 17 now and at college. I have just finished my first year at uni.
My reasons are that the State and the Catholic Church were charged with caring for me which included educating me. They failed on both counts and as far as I'm concerned the State owes me an education and so I am taking it with both hands.
I think that if you do very well at school from a young age people expect you to go to uni, and it just seems like the obvious thing to do. People who do better at school when younger are more likely to get good A levels, so they end up at better unis. If someone only decides to go to uni a couple of years before there probably hasn't been the expectation, which may have been because they weren't seen as academic.
Correlation isn't causation- deciding to go to uni when young and getting into a good uni are probably both caused by academic success of the student.
Correlation isn't causation- deciding to go to uni when young and getting into a good uni are probably both caused by academic success of the student.
I don't think I actually wanted to go to uni until I started looking at the open days but I always knew that after school, I would go to uni. You know, like the logical next step. Year 4 to year 5, year 13 to 1st year uni. :P
Original post by oShahpo
I can guess why, those who are born into educated families are more likely to be smarter/ have the traits required to succeed academically. As such, because their parents are academically educated, the kids might look up to their parents from an early age and desire to become like them, and thus want to go to uni.
I knew I wanted to go to uni since I was 8, not because I particularly wanted to go to uni, but because through my family, I knew it was the only way to become anything in society. I also wanted to be a scientist so that adds to it too.
I knew I wanted to go to uni since I was 8, not because I particularly wanted to go to uni, but because through my family, I knew it was the only way to become anything in society. I also wanted to be a scientist so that adds to it too.
Or maybe they showed academic promise at such a young age and therefore it seemed like a natural step much sooner than people with less academic ability. My parents never went to uni, they didn't even know anything about uni when I was that age tbh. I wanted to go because I excelled at school. Wanted a job involving maths which required university education.
I think it was around 16 for me, when I got my GCSE results and did a lot better than I ever expected. I felt from then on university was the right choice for me (and then when I did my A-Levels I knew that studying languages was the best option).
Neither of my parents went to university, though, and always taught me that it wasn't absolutely necessary to go. They had succeeded in their lives without it. So they let me make my own decision, and didn't put pressure on me to go or not to go. Once I'd decided that I wanted to go to university, they supported me, taking me to open days and encouraging me to apply to the best institutions. I'm really happy with the way they approached the whole thing
Neither of my parents went to university, though, and always taught me that it wasn't absolutely necessary to go. They had succeeded in their lives without it. So they let me make my own decision, and didn't put pressure on me to go or not to go. Once I'd decided that I wanted to go to university, they supported me, taking me to open days and encouraging me to apply to the best institutions. I'm really happy with the way they approached the whole thing
University somehow was never on my mind until I did work experience when I was 14 at a nursery, that's when I realized I really enjoy working with children and wanted a career in that field. At 15 I started thinking about it more then it was 16 when I actually started researching about it.
A lot of people told me that I wasn't good enough to pass my GCSEs, so I never really thought about University. However, when I enrolled at my local sixth form, I realised that I was good enough to excel at University.
Original post by Lord Gaben
A lot of people told me that I wasn't good enough to pass my GCSEs, so I never really thought about University. However, when I enrolled at my local sixth form, I realised that I was good enough to excel at University.
You dont mind telling us your story how you got to University. I find that inspiring, as such I never really thought about what I wanted to do - I just knew I had to go to university because my parents drilled that into my head.
I think I just sort of assumed that I would from when I started my A levels, and before that I honestly don't remember thinking about it. 
Who on earth is making life 'decisions' at age 10?
Who on earth is making life 'decisions' at age 10?
I too go to uni at 10 years old 
The family expectation was that I would be going to university. But I know that if I had chosen another option then they would have been supportive. I was a huge reader from a young age, only my aunt had gone to university for business studies at a polytechnic. So I had academic expectations but not huge pressure from my family. Only pressure from myself.
I really don't think that my family expected me to be entering my 3rd degree at 29 but I took a very roundabout route to medicine.
I wanted to be a doctor thanks to the books I read at 10 - 14 but I hated my chemistry teacher, got bullied at school and suffered depression. I fell behind my own expectations and changed course. After 3 years of my first degree I had come too far to jack it in so finished my fourth year. From conversations I had with my tutors and other admissions departments I really did not think that I could apply for medicine and trained as a nurse. 5 years later and with a lot of experience and more research on my part, I finally have a place at medical school.
I really don't think that my family expected me to be entering my 3rd degree at 29 but I took a very roundabout route to medicine.
I wanted to be a doctor thanks to the books I read at 10 - 14 but I hated my chemistry teacher, got bullied at school and suffered depression. I fell behind my own expectations and changed course. After 3 years of my first degree I had come too far to jack it in so finished my fourth year. From conversations I had with my tutors and other admissions departments I really did not think that I could apply for medicine and trained as a nurse. 5 years later and with a lot of experience and more research on my part, I finally have a place at medical school.
Original post by Dnkz7
You dont mind telling us your story how you got to University. I find that inspiring, as such I never really thought about what I wanted to do - I just knew I had to go to university because my parents drilled that into my head.
I just had a lot of confidence issues when I was younger. I came from a rough background, and people didn't really expect a lot from me. I was good at Maths and Physics, but other than that I never really excelled at anything at school. I didn't really apply myself either, so I guess that didn't help.
When I was 16 I started believing in myself, and became more confident. I had also been living with my foster parents who were very supportive of me, so that definitely helped. My foster dad kept pushing me, and he believed that I was capable. And so when I got to sixth form, I spent a lot of time studying, and getting good grades. I enjoyed my A-Levels because I chose to study subjects that I was interested in, as opposed to general education. The teachers at my sixth form were really enthusiastic and that really spurred me on too.
In the end, I went to Uni and had a great time. I graduated last year, and I'm doing a part-time masters now. So, anything is possible. You just have to believe in yourself, and stop caring about what other people think.
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