University has been the subject of many a debate over the recent months and year, and one question I always hear being asked on the streets is “is the University experience worth all the debt it causes?” Well in my opinion, which you could argue be a bit biased, being a university student, it is worth all the debt you gain. I wholeheartedly disagree with the excessive tuition fee’s the Government have introduced like most students you will discuss this particular topic with. Here is why I think the University experience is worth all the debt….

Firstly, the friends you gain over the 3 years as an undergraduate will probably turn into friends for life, even if they come from all around the country. This is another benefit, being surrounded by people who are from a different area of the country to you gives you a better knowledge of different accents across the United Kingdom, and how even the culture can be varied slightly. For example with someone from Norwich, which is a relatively big city, but with only a small ethnic minority, compared to someone from London, who is constantly surrounded by people with different ethnicity and Religions. The friends you make will be invaluable at University, there will come times especially in the first year, where you find you have a lot of spare time, friends in this sense are invaluable, otherwise you will be bored most of the time, and lets face it, you do not want that!

Secondly, you will find a new love for the famous Thursday night. Thursday night is known to be a student’s favourite night of the week, mainly because there is a 99% probability of drunkenness! which of course, we all enjoy, especially as students! expect many nights of drinking cheap beer, cider and vodka, as we all know student loans sometimes do not even cover the accommodation costs of University.

Furthermore, there is a sense of independence at University which you do not get at home living with your parents. Mummy isn’t there no more to do your washing up, clothes washing or to clean up after you, it is all up to you now! if you want to keep up a healthy diet, you will need to learn to cook, and not live off tesco value ready meals! You are also responsible to turn up to lectures and seminars. The University I attend send a register around every lecture to make sure no one skips unnecessarily. You are also responsible to get assignments due in on time. This kind of thing should have been drilled into you whilst studying A-Levels. Keeping to deadlines is incredibly important, if you do not do this, you are at risk at getting kicked off the module. My advice is treat University like it is a full time job.

University will also give you valuable experience in house hunting. At the end of your first year, you will be expected to group up and look for off-campus accommodation. This will involve exploring the web, the local area and phoning different landlords to arrange house viewings. This is where the final loan payment comes in handy. Most universities will finish for the summer around May time, the final loan payment comes in April, which allows you to pay a deposit and rent for the summer, which regularly landlords will ask for.

Moving on from this, you can finally settle down and study something you want to study. One subject will have your undivided attention. This allows you to put in as much effort as possible, because you do not have worry about any other subjects like at School and college or Sixth Form. My advice is to pick a course you will be happy with, you will have to study it for three years, you do not want three years of boredom!

All in all, the University experience sets a great stepping stone to adult life. It enables you to gain experience in financial management, house hunting, writing like an academic and gives you an opportunity to learn domestic skills usually you would expect your mother to do! If the opportunity arises to attend University, don’t hesitate!

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