6 reasons why university education is a waste of time and money.

For many people around the world, a university degree is regarded with prestige. They also view university education as a privilege and the vital key to unlocking a bright future. As somebody who has been to university, I wish this were true. I want to point out that standards of university education and its importance vary from country to country, so I will mostly refer to university in the United Kingdom where I am from and where I studied. It probably also explains why I use the term university (uni for short) instead of college.

College for us Brits refers to a centre for 16+ education which includes a variety of vocational courses as well as courses that enable students to access university. I actually think that college is a better alternative to university education. I will speak about this in more depth later on in the article.

I understand that not everybody will have the same experience or views as me. University can be beneficial for some people, but for others it’s a waste of time and money. Below are the reasons why university didn’t benefit me or many other people that I know.

1. University doesn’t make you more employable.

I don’t know about other countries, but it’s certainly the case in the UK. Having a university degree isn’t seen as anything impressive or outstanding for many employers, at least in fields where a university degree isn’t needed to do the job. Most employers would rather employ cocky and confident uni drop out Jack who has the gift of the gab over smart, quiet and hardworking Lisa, who got a first (the highest grade) in politics and economics at the University of Cambridge.

It’s not the degree that makes you employable but your actual work experience. All employers care about is experience. They’d rather hire Mandy who hasn’t been to university but has ten years experience working for a marketing firm than Jenny who has just graduated and has a degree in marketing. Even if someone has attended one of the top red brick universities (the equivalent to Ivy League schools in the US) and has gotten the best grade, it doesn’t make a jot of difference.

I know so many Oxbridge graduates with firsts who are doing low paid jobs that people without a degree can do. It’s all about who you know, not what you know. University fails to teach skills that are essential for the work place which leads me onto my next point.

2. You actually learn very little.

All you learn if anything at university is how to down shots and write an essay at the very last minute. I didn’t actually learn anything useful from my sociology degree or my psychology masters degree. My sociology undergraduate degree was especially underwhelming. I had very few lectures a week, maybe like nine hours in total and most of the lecturers would read off of a PowerPoint.

Everything else you had to do yourself. You have to read some niche academic books written by and promoted by your college professor, which you would never read if you weren’t at university. You also read a bunch of other mind-numbingly dull books and journals just so you can get some references for your essay. None of these books or journals have ever impacted me.

Most of the stuff on my course I learnt during my A-Levels at school. I’ve learnt far more about sociology and psychology from reading articles online including Medium and through experience. University is purely academic. It doesn’t teach you much about real life or work. I think doing vocational courses can be far more beneficial as what you learn is actually practical and things you need to know to do a certain profession. I’d love to do a course in counselling one day.

I also did a course in teaching English as a second language. Whilst that course had it’s cons, at least it’s practical and having a CELTA of TEFL qualification is vital to work in most English schools. I learnt far more on my three month CELTA course than three years at uni.

3. You don’t learn any practical skills that will help you at work.

This point is similar to point number two. Of course you need to have a university degree and training to do certain jobs especially in the fields of medicine and law. Unless you are studying something for which having a degree is vital, a degree doesn’t teach you much about real life and work. University education is focused solely on academia. Unless you want to work in academia or in primary or secondary school education, university really won’t teach you any practical skills.

University courses should focus on the real world practical aspects of life, not just on academia. For example if you’re studying sociology, students should be taught about how they can apply their knowledge to a job and be given advice on what suitable jobs they could do related to the subject. I was given none of this information.

Most courses offer a year of work experience, but whilst this sounds like a great idea in theory it really isn’t. It’s up to students to find their own work experience placement, but either many failed to completely secure a placement, or they ended up doing a placement irrelevant to the degree. Instead of a year of work experience, students should have a year where they learn about applying skills and knowledge to the work environment.

There should be optional courses in different sectors that people are interested in working in for example the social sector, the educational sector, public services etc. Of course actual work experience should be involved but the university should help to provide this, even if it’s voluntary work.

4. You don’t have to be smart to go to university.

University and intelligence do not necessarily go hand in hand. It seems that anybody can go to university these days. You don’t even need to get good grades. Sure that getting higher grades enables you to go to a better university, but going to a top university doesn’t necessarily open doors.

My mother is of the generation and culture that believe that a university education is everything and that if you’ve been to university it automatically makes you smart. University material is hardly rocket science and the pass rate is extremely low. In UK universities you only need 40% to pass and it’s not hard to get that. Some people do well because they know how to write a decent essay, but it doesn’t mean that they’re smart. Essay writing is not the sole marker of intelligence.

I know people who have been to university, but have extremely poor general knowledge for instance they think that Africa is a country. What exactly defines intelligence is complicated. I think traditionally people thought that intelligence meant only academic intelligence but we know this is not true. Look at some of the multi-millionaire entrepreneurs like Richard Branson. They didn’t go to university, but their incredible business acumen and practical knowledge got them where they are today. You don’t learn this stuff at university.

Intelligence for me is about willingness to learn and open your mind. It’s that thirst for knowledge and wanting to learn new skills. It’s also about learning and reflecting from experience. You often get these pseudo-intellectuals, who are actually some of the stupidest people you will ever meet. I mean how intelligent can university make someone when there’s so many students (and professors) who are anti-Semitic and fervent supporters of Palestine. You have to be extremely stupid to be an ardent pro-Polly supporter. Stupid people are easily brainwashed by leftish and irrational ideologies.

Also there’s the elite side of education. There are people who get into university because of their familial connections and wealth. You really don’t need to be smart to go to Oxford or Cambridge, the top two universities in the UK. Half of the people that go get in because they’re smart, and the other half get in because daddy plays golf with the dean. I can imagine that it’s the same with Ivy League schools in the US. I know a girl who got average grades at school but only got into Oxford because her dad went there and knew the top people.

5. Many people are too immature to really gain much from it.

Unless you’re a mature student, the majority of students enrol in university at the age of 18/19. At that age you’re still a kid. I know that I was definitely immature at that age. My priority was having a good time. I had spent over a decade at school and I was fed up of education. I just wanted freedom and fun. I went out drinking and partying all the time and didn’t put in as much effort as I could have.

A lot of students have the same outlook and spend most of their time at uni getting wasted and churning out an essay the night before it’s due. Just because you pass or get a decent grade, doesn’t mean that you were mature enough to gain much from the experience. You have to be mature because you’re pretty much alone at uni. No one will help you out. You have to have the mind of a responsible adult because you’re really thrown in the deep end with no life boat to save you.

I regret going off the rails at university. I became very depressed and lost. I struggled to fit in and I just couldn’t organise my life. Being autistic made it a lot more difficult for me. Support at university is also very minimal. It’s not like at school where teachers care about you and express concern if there’s something going on in your person life that’s affecting your school work.

Most lecturers don’t really give a crap about you. I wasn’t attending lectures and one of the lecturers flagged me up on it. He was really rude and condescending. Instead of showing concern and asking me if everything is ok, he was just downright horrid. I really struggled to adapt to university life and I much suspect that it was down to my autism, which was undiagnosed until recently.

6. University offers little support to neuro-divergent, depressed or Jewish students.

I really struggled at university, but I felt that there was nobody who I could turn to or talk to. Nobody really gives a shit about you. You leave school still a child, but at university you’re expected to become a fully fledged responsible adult who can take care of themselves. Nobody checks to see if you’re OK.

Being autistic I struggled to follow and understand social norms and cues, which meant that I was bullied. Being given sudden and complete freedom AND being neuro-divergent is a terrible combination. Plus I had zero life skills. There was no one to help me with that. People were just plain unkind and had little understanding. I was just seen as “weird” and “not like everybody else.” University was a dark time and I drank and partied a lot to deal with the emptiness and loneliness that I felt inside.

My experience isn’t unique. There have been accounts of several university students who committed suicide because they couldn’t cope at university. In all of these cases, the universities offered no support to these students. It really shows the need for pastoral care at universities. People care about you and want to help and protect you when you’re a kid, but when you’re an adult, you’re left alone and expected to cope by yourself.

There wasn’t a strong Jewish presence at my university. I don’t think there was even a Jewish Society. It was before I discovered my Jewish roots and decided to officially affirm my Jewish identity, so I can’t really speak in that respect. However, if I was to go to university now, as a Jewish woman fully aware of and strong in her Jewish identity, I would be very reluctant to go.

Anti-Semitism is a big problem at many universities. Many Jewish students have spoken out about the anti-Semitism that they’ve faced at university. I feel so much rage when I see Pro-Pally demonstrators in the streets of London; if I saw them on the university campus I would lose my shit and get myself kicked out of university. I bet nobody would support me. The Pro-Pallies would be seen as the innocent victims and me as the big bad angry Jew.

There is very little done to support Jewish students or to combat anti-Semitism. I would not want to be part of an institution where as a minority group, I’m not protected and where little is done by that institution to combat anti-Semitism and create a safe environment for everyone.

As usual let me know your thoughts on this article. I’d be interested to hear different opinions on the matter. I’m sure that there are pros of going to university, but university doesn’t benefit everybody especially people who are neuro-divergent, do not want to work in academia or in a job that requires a university degree like medicine, are intelligent in areas outside of academia, and who would prefer to learn more practical skills.