Are degrees in the UK value for money?

economic

How many students in the UK enter higher education each year?

In the US its about 65%.

economic

Looks like around 50% in England:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/28/almost-half-of-all-young-people-in-england-go-on-to-higher-education

Not surprised it was Labour who pledged for the rise in people entering higher education.

Cakeguts

economic wrote: »

Looks like around 50% in England:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2017/sep/28/almost-half-of-all-young-people-in-england-go-on-to-higher-education

Not surprised it was Labour who pledged for the rise in people entering higher education.

The 50% isn't a problem what is the problem is what most of those 50% are doing. I don't think that Labour realised that students would choose courses like media studies, fashion, performing arts, film studies, drama, etc. I also don't think they realised that the universities would offer these useless courses. I think they may have thought that students would be offered the kind of courses that universities have always offered. What Labour didn't realise was that about 40% of the students going to university wouldn't manage these kind of courses because they are too difficult.

However getting people to pay for some of their school education and doing it at university has reduced the unemployment numbers quite a lot.

GreatApe

Cakeguts wrote: »

However getting people to pay for some of their school education and doing it at university has reduced the unemployment numbers quite a lot.

That is a myth its actually done the opposite

Full time students looking for part time work are counted in the headline unemployment stats. Since they can only offer certain hours on certain days and certain weeks and months they are difficult to employ in normal jobs hence they have a high unemployment rate.

Personally if you are a full time student looking for part time work I don't think you should be in the unemployed stats. If they were. It included the headline unemployment rate would fall about 0.5% points

Cakeguts

GreatApe wrote: »

That is a myth its actually done the opposite

Full time students looking for part time work are counted in the headline unemployment stats. Since they can only offer certain hours on certain days and certain weeks and months they are difficult to employ in normal jobs hence they have a high unemployment rate.

Personally if you are a full time student looking for part time work I don't think you should be in the unemployed stats. If they were. It included the headline unemployment rate would fall about 0.5% points

Must have done something to the employment figures by the expansion of all those useless universities.

GreatApe

Cakeguts wrote: »

Must have done something to the employment figures by the expansion of all those useless universities.

Yes employment figures must be lower than they otherwise would be but the media really only reports unemployment figures. Even they are a bad metric

Much more useful would be the 6 month unemployment figure which is about 1.5%
This is why economists say 5% unemployed is full employment. Its not that they don't care about this 5% they just understand that most of that 5% is churn in the jobs market not true long term unemployment

SingleSue

GreatApe wrote: »

Why is it 'getting away with that'? I still managed to get 70-100% on most my papers

And it wasn't just me, as a guess the lectures seems to be only about 1/3rd full if that so 2/3rds found them surplus to needs.

I didn't mean results wise. It appears some universities are tightening up on students turning up as and when they want/care to regardless of results or being surplus to needs.

SingleSue

economic wrote: »

Your kids' universities sound just like school. At university, students should not need to be "told off" if they miss lectures or workshops. It should just be simply reflected in their eventual grades (or not as the case maybe).

Probably 90% of the lectures i attended i hadn't a clue what the lecturer was talking about. I was just there to take down notes. I would then later understand it.

There is no need to pay 9k a year to study most subjects when you can just download lecture material and form study groups with fellow students to share ideas and help others. You can have the "lecturers" designate some time in their timetable to help out students. I bet the "lecturer" will find himself bored as hardly anyone will make use of it.

I think it is more about raising standards and getting the message across that going to university is not a 3 year party time doss, serious work is expected and not just when an assignment is due in.

Middle son's is more relaxed as you can miss some, eldest's was completely relaxed.

economic

SingleSue wrote: »

I didn't mean results wise. It appears some universities are tightening up on students turning up as and when they want/care to regardless of results or being surplus to needs.

So universities are really turning into schools.

economic

SingleSue wrote: »

I think it is more about raising standards and getting the message across that going to university is not a 3 year party time doss, serious work is expected and not just when an assignment is due in.

Middle son's is more relaxed as you can miss some, eldest's was completely relaxed.

But they must be doing this only if there is a problem right? Generally you would find this at the worse universities IMO. The uni i attended (top 3 in uk, top 5 in the world) never had this. If i missed lectures no one would care/notice. I only had to really attend tutorials a few times a week for coursework to count but they never told you off or anything if you did not attend, you just wouldn't get the marks for the coursework (which amounted to like 5% of each course unit).

This goes back to what Cakeguts was saying. The smart people who attend the top unis will work as that's the way they are, they see purpose in going to a good uni and they will make the most out of it. The rest just are either delusional and think any degree will get them somewhere or they just think it is a 3 year party they dont have to pay for upfront.