Don’t want to go to uni but still want the social aspect

Decided to take a gap year this year as I don’t have a strong desire to go to uni. I still want to get a degree but wish to achieve it remotely - probably though open university. However, I still want to experience the social aspect of uni. I’m hoping to do a business degree as they r quite versatile. I’m currently working as a PA/admin assistant which I could pursue further if I want but I’m not sure.

My ideal situation would be going abroad for a bit - preferably the Netherlands to do a more creative shorter course. I was thinking graphic design to tie into the marketing aspect of business. However, the UK leaving the EU makes this a lot harder so I’m worried about the price and if it is worth it as I’m Scottish so get free tuitions fees.

Or I wouldn’t mind going to do volunteer work/work abroad in somewhere like Australia whilst doing my degree remotely.

Idk I just want to achieve my degree without going to uni but still have the same social opportunities. Has anyone got any advice?

Original post by Jdjdndmeockfm

Decided to take a gap year this year as I don’t have a strong desire to go to uni. I still want to get a degree but wish to achieve it remotely - probably though open university. However, I still want to experience the social aspect of uni. I’m hoping to do a business degree as they r quite versatile. I’m currently working as a PA/admin assistant which I could pursue further if I want but I’m not sure.

My ideal situation would be going abroad for a bit - preferably the Netherlands to do a more creative shorter course. I was thinking graphic design to tie into the marketing aspect of business. However, the UK leaving the EU makes this a lot harder so I’m worried about the price and if it is worth it as I’m Scottish so get free tuitions fees.

Or I wouldn’t mind going to do volunteer work/work abroad in somewhere like Australia whilst doing my degree remotely.

Idk I just want to achieve my degree without going to uni but still have the same social opportunities. Has anyone got any advice?

Hi there,

This is really interesting and I'd love to know how you make it work! I think that your social experience would inevitably be different compared to going to a "traditional" university but perhaps more wholesome and mature, especially if you're going to travel while pursuing your degree. From my time travelling as a student, I'd say that that travel provides a more than equal substitute.

All the best,
Jaz - Cardiff student rep

Original post by Jdjdndmeockfm

Decided to take a gap year this year as I don’t have a strong desire to go to uni. I still want to get a degree but wish to achieve it remotely - probably though open university. However, I still want to experience the social aspect of uni. I’m hoping to do a business degree as they r quite versatile. I’m currently working as a PA/admin assistant which I could pursue further if I want but I’m not sure.

My ideal situation would be going abroad for a bit - preferably the Netherlands to do a more creative shorter course. I was thinking graphic design to tie into the marketing aspect of business. However, the UK leaving the EU makes this a lot harder so I’m worried about the price and if it is worth it as I’m Scottish so get free tuitions fees.

Or I wouldn’t mind going to do volunteer work/work abroad in somewhere like Australia whilst doing my degree remotely.

Idk I just want to achieve my degree without going to uni but still have the same social opportunities. Has anyone got any advice?

Hi!

I think your line of thinking is great. A lot of people do end up just jumping into a degree because they feel like its the next step that they must do but honestly, while the social aspect of uni is amazing, it's also a lot of work and so if you're doing a degree that you're not confident in, I'm sure it can be very draining.

Sadly, I think the uni experience is a unique one and without going I'm not sure you could replicate it socially. But that doesn't mean you could have just as good of a time perusing other things! If you could find a way to do a degree within Scotland so that it is funded for you I would say it's well worth taking that as it can get extremely expensive otherwise however if not I'm sure you could find some great courses abroad.

When it comes to doing other things like volunteer work in Australia, I think that sounds amazing. I'd just see if you could get an idea of how many hours a week your degree is expected to take up so you can work around it. Online degrees are just as much work and so it may be a volunteering every now and then kind of thing.

I hope it all works out!

- Jessica
2nd year, Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence)

Original post by Jdjdndmeockfm

Decided to take a gap year this year as I don’t have a strong desire to go to uni. I still want to get a degree but wish to achieve it remotely - probably though open university. However, I still want to experience the social aspect of uni. I’m hoping to do a business degree as they r quite versatile. I’m currently working as a PA/admin assistant which I could pursue further if I want but I’m not sure.

My ideal situation would be going abroad for a bit - preferably the Netherlands to do a more creative shorter course. I was thinking graphic design to tie into the marketing aspect of business. However, the UK leaving the EU makes this a lot harder so I’m worried about the price and if it is worth it as I’m Scottish so get free tuitions fees.

Or I wouldn’t mind going to do volunteer work/work abroad in somewhere like Australia whilst doing my degree remotely.

Idk I just want to achieve my degree without going to uni but still have the same social opportunities. Has anyone got any advice?

Hi @Jdjndmeockfm,

This sounds like a great idea and it sounds like you know yourself well.

As other have mentioned, it is hard to replicate the social scene at uni but there are things like volunteering/working abroad you could do between your studies so that it does not interfere with them and you can fully enjoy the experiences.

What is the reason you want to get a degree? Will it contributor to your future career? If not there are some short courses that may interest you so you can acquire some specific knowledge in an area to help your career.

All the best and I hope things work out.

Alia
University of Kent Student Rep

Original post by Jdjdndmeockfm

Decided to take a gap year this year as I don’t have a strong desire to go to uni. I still want to get a degree but wish to achieve it remotely - probably though open university. However, I still want to experience the social aspect of uni. I’m hoping to do a business degree as they r quite versatile. I’m currently working as a PA/admin assistant which I could pursue further if I want but I’m not sure.

My ideal situation would be going abroad for a bit - preferably the Netherlands to do a more creative shorter course. I was thinking graphic design to tie into the marketing aspect of business. However, the UK leaving the EU makes this a lot harder so I’m worried about the price and if it is worth it as I’m Scottish so get free tuitions fees.

Or I wouldn’t mind going to do volunteer work/work abroad in somewhere like Australia whilst doing my degree remotely.

Idk I just want to achieve my degree without going to uni but still have the same social opportunities. Has anyone got any advice?

Hi @Jdjdndmeockfm ,

I agree with what others have said that if you don't have a strong desire to go to uni or to study then it is best to take a gap year and think about what you really want to do! I am studying business and I'm really enjoying it and it is very versatile so you can do lots of different things after uni!

While it is hard to replicate the uni life exactly, you can still do lots of social things which will be really fun! Things like going travelling sounds good and it sounds like an opportunity you might not get if you went to uni. There's proc and cons to both going to uni and not going and it's really just personal preference to what works for you.

I'm not sure if you have any friends who are at uni but you could always visit them and go on nights out with them to experience a little bit of university life too. This would give you the best of both worlds.

Hope this helps!
Lucy-SHU student ambassador

Don’t want to go to uni but still want the social aspect

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you