Question: what common ideas and fears about universities should we not believe?

Nina Rzechorzek answered on 7 Jun 2019:

Common fears that you should ignore:
(1) ‘I’m not good enough to be there’ – everyone finds parts of their course difficult at times, but you deserve to be there just as much as anyone else. If you are struggling, ask for help early on and never be afraid to ask questions about things you don’t understand – uni is a great place to test and challenge established ideas – that’s how discoveries are made!
(2) ‘I will lose all of my friends from home’ – true friends are there for life, certainly you will make lots of new ones and you are likely to make strong bonds with people you have shared major experiences with (such as a uni course, or a flat share!) but I am still in touch with friends I had a school – and actually, it was great fun meeting up with them in the holidays because we had so much tell each other about our different experiences at uni
(3)’I can’t afford to go’ – definitely tuition fees represent a major worry for many students, but most universities have bursaries available for students from low income households and in some cases, the fees are reduced to reflect this. It’s also fine to get a part-time job at uni to help with costs (I worked in cafe throughout my first degree and did paid teaching throughout my second – both opportunities taught me important life skills and were a great stress release from hard study!)
(4) ‘The exams will be too hard’ – to be honest, in most cases, because people are generally studying what they are most interested in at uni, they find revision that bit more interesting and easier. In many courses, your results are not just based on exams anyway, but universities recognise how stressed students get about this and they offer lots of support to help you through it (and it’s ok to resit if needed – life can throw us challenges at the most inconvenient moments – no one expects you to be a robot).
(5) ‘I will be in debt for life’ – generally going to university improves job prospects and income (even if you don’t end up working in the specific area you studied; for some vocations e.g. veterinary medicine, a degree is essential). I am still paying off 2 student loans, but how quickly you have to pay them off depends on your income, and you won’t start paying back the loan until you can afford to.
(6) ‘my degree won’t count unless it’s at a high ranking uni or unless I get top grades’ – absolutely not true; it helps to get good grades, but most employers are more interested in what you learnt (inside and outside of lectures) and how you can apply it. Some of the universities with lower overall rankings in league tables are actually the best place to study certain courses – so do your homework about the kind of course you want to do and where is the best place to study it.
(7) ‘there won’t be any other people like me’ – correct, we are all individuals with individual talents and weaknesses, embrace your ‘uniqueness’, share it with others..after all, they will all be worried about this too. You are bound to meet some people that you share opinions/ideas with and others that you don’t; uni is a fantastic place to challenge your perspectives on the world and learn about how others view it – grab the opportunity to open your mind, broaden your horizons, and get involved with debates and discussions on topics that are important to you.
(8) ‘I can’t get involved in science without going to university and/or doing a science degree’ – so wrong! Science needs all kinds of talents – people who can communicate and teach, artists who can turn science stories into something everyone can understand, writers who can explain science to a general audience. For example, I know an excellent graphics designer who makes incredible illustrations for scientific journals and they never did any science training! Some technical jobs require some training but not necessarily a science degree – so have a look around and try to get some work experience in the area you are keen on.