GSK apprenticeship V Russell Group Uni

I’m stuck in between two and cannot maybe my mind up.

On one hand I have
-Warwick (firm)
-Nottingham (insurance)

On the other hand
-GSK apprenticeship
-Degree from Kent

The university route will
-Give the full uni experience
-Be £9250 per year for tuition
-No guaranteed job after
-Reputable degree (biological sciences)
-3 year course for BSc

While the apprenticeship
-Free university degree
-£15,000 starting wage and 6% increase every 6months
-University of Kent (Applied Bioscience)
-Employee benefits such as discounted gym, buy one get one free shares
-4.5 year course for BSc

So which one should I pick? I feel like a huge pressure from my family to pick the university because they see apprenticeships as thing for low-achieving students ( I disagree).

Reply 1

MrMusician95

One thing I would check, as I'm not sure how apprenticeships work, is how long do you need to work at GSK before they clear your tuition fees. What I mean is, I've heard of companies paying for students, then if they want to leave before a certain time they have to pay the fees back.

Reply 2

Pharyngotympanic

Original post by User135792468

So basically your family want you to go to university just because of some stupid notion that formal degree = successful and apprenticeship = low-achiever?

It's your life, live it for you. I don't know what the nitty gritty bits of your apprenticeship will entail but from the comparison you've made, an apprenticeship sounds like a far better option.

Reply 3

Gent2324

Careers Forum Helper

id recommend the apprenticeship. the work experience will far outweigh a degree from a russel uni. especially later on in your career, a degree will unlikely even be considered but those 4 years of work experience will help you get jobs for the rest of your life. especially if you want to work for gsk for ages, they will prioritize you over other candidates because you have worked there