A-Level results day still burns vividly in my mind; walking out of the hall with the sheer joy of holding two A*s and an A in my hands, only to see my best friend crying at the sight of C and E grades in theirs. So much pressure was put on applying to university that it felt like the end of the world to miss out, even when the students were so clearly not academically oriented.
Since then, my best friend completed an apprenticeship at Rolls Royce, was shortlisted for the Apprentice of the Year award, and is now employed full-time with a salary and lack of student loans university-leavers can only envy. With this article I hope to enlighten parents and students alike that there are other options.
- Humanities v Science Degrees
| Humanities | Sciences |
| Subjects such as English, Languages, History, Philosophy and Theology | Subjects such as Maths, Biology, Medicine, Physics and Geology |
| Few contact hours, mainly seminars (small classes of 15-20 students discussing a different topic each week), largely self-motivated learning e.g. reading | Lots of contact hours, lectures and practical laboratory sessions weekly |
| Mainly assessed via essays | Mainly assessed via lab reports, case studies or problem-based learning |
| Subjective, opinion-based | Objective, facts-based |
| Unlikely to fail, most are likely to get a 2:1, although very difficult to get 70%+ (1st Class) on essays. | Easier to fail as it is easier to get 40% on maths problems than in written essays. But equally easier to do very well e.g. 85%+ than in essay-based subjects. |
Briefly, university degrees are split into Humanities (Bachelor of Arts) and Sciences (Bachelor of Sciences), and their key differences are outlined in the table. For those that are interested in studying social science, read our latest article on why you should consider studying social science.
The amount of contact time makes a real difference, for students who struggle with self-motivated learning an arts subject requiring multiple hours of weekly reading may not be the best choice, and instead a science with regular lectures and tutorials may be a better option for them to stay on track.
Moreover, it can often be difficult to juggle commitments such as sports, societies and a social life with the hours demanded by science degrees. For a keen sportsman, the amount of weekly contact hours each university requires for a given subject may be a good way of differentiating between them.
Many universities offer courses which don’t exactly fit in this mould and are more vocational, such as illustration, business or media studies. The issue with many such courses is they lack practical experience necessary to be hired in the field; the reality is that the cost of University is far greater than many may have you believe, and it simply isn’t worth it if it isn’t going to further the child’s career.
Some students finish three stressful and expensive years at university with a 2:2 and no more job prospects than they had when finishing A-levels. But the alternatives are there, and all too often overlooked.
- The Alternatives
For vocational-type courses or where students may be struggling academically, a practical course or apprenticeship can be a far better option for the individual than an academic degree. Particularly for students pursuing interests in arts such as drama and music, independent institutes such as Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) for drama, and Conservatoires, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music for musicians, offer far more highly regarded courses than universities.
For students with an interest in engineering but who aren’t achieving highly academically e.g. A or A* level physics or mathematics, an apprenticeship should be the immediate go-to. Many firms such as BAE systems and Rolls Royce offer fantastic apprenticeship schemes, with entry requirements dependent on achievement at A-level, students can look to be earning up to £25k gross salary by the time their fellow peers graduate university, and with no student loans to repay!
Many schemes also offer part-time study programs in association with universities, where apprentices can work with the firm 3 days a week and study towards a university degree such as a BSc in Aeronautical Science, the other 2 days, with all fees paid for by the firm. This allows apprentices to gain both practical and academic knowledge, and makes them highly employable at the end of the scheme.
For the more creative individuals, and particularly those interested in marketing, business or media studies, practical experience is typically far more valuable in the long run than a degree. The Juice Academy is one example, offering 12-month apprenticeships in the creative or social media departments of independent businesses. Apprentices study towards an NVQ, have great prospects of being hired full-time by the end of the year, and importantly gain a real insight into life in business and marketing to decide if this is what they want.
- What’s a year?
18 years old is still so young, and it’s all too easy to get caught up in the wave of university applications and not stop to think “is this actually what I want to do?” For students who aren’t performing highly academically this is all the more important, as it can be that much harder to make the switch later. Although a year seems so long when you’re 18, you’d be surprised how fast it flies and how many students take a gap year. There are lots of options: from working to foundation courses to travelling, and the little time out of the system of education can be really useful in thinking through what you enjoy, what’s important in a university and what you’d like to work as.
If you’re unsure about your chosen subject, consider what you could do to get some experience and work out if it’s for you. If you’re thinking about nursing, why not try working as a health care adviser, or if you like art, why not do a foundation year at a local college? It’s far better to spend the extra year and apply to something you really enjoy, than to spend three years not achieving your potential on a course you don’t like (and it’ll be excellent experience on your CV for after you graduate).
I really hope this article has given you an insight into the merits of university degrees, and that different opportunities are out there which may be far better suited to the individual and offer more skills and experience than an academic degree ever could.
By Miriam G, Telios Tutors
Are you at college and considering university? Or perhaps you’re looking into an internship or a gap year? Have you set specific goals for the future? Leave a comment below to let us know which option you feel is best for you.