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Personal Statements

Five reasons to get into university

Taking a higher education course can completely change your life – maybe just for the duration of the course itself, but quite probably forever! People tend to think that higher education means school leavers going on to university, but that’s only really one facet of higher education. The sheer range of different higher education courses on offer these days is overwhelming, but just as great is the range of different people who are considering taking a higher education course. Applicants come from all sorts of different backgrounds and all stages of life. If you need to remind yourself why higher education is a good idea, here are five of the most common reasons that people go into it. Most people find that several of these reasons apply to them - or could apply to them.

Vocational study

A growing number of higher education courses offer programmes of study that are tied to particular areas of work – teaching, accountancy, business administration, sports sciences, library studies and so forth. There’s a strange myth that university courses are pure head-in-the-clouds academia – more and more courses offer a strong grounding in vocational skills and these are attracting increasing numbers of students.

Career requirement

There are some careers for initial entry into which a higher education qualification is an absolute must. Medicine, architecture and chartered engineering are just three examples. If you’ve got a driving passion for a career like this, you’re going to need the appropriate qualification.

Transferable skills

A higher education course can contribute significantly to your bank of important transferable skills, increasing numeracy, literacy, communication skills, and knowledge of information technology. In today’s fast-changing employment world these skills can all be vital.

Job prospects

Even if a degree or Higher National Diploma isn’t an actual necessity for a particular career you’ve got your eyes on, you’ll find that securing a fulfilling job in almost any industry or sector can be made a lot easier by having an impressive qualification – and the earning potential for graduates is much greater.

Satisfaction!

If you’re very lucky, you’ll be at a stage in your life when you’re able to study purely for the sake of personal satisfaction and fulfilment.

Of course, whatever your reason for going into higher education, the wide range of options available means that it’s vital to go into the applications process with a clear plan and the best advice available. Applying for university through the UCAS system is never just a formality – in effect, it’s something that has to be done right first time!

photo of university student with her mum

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