Is the Best University for You the Best University?
There’s a lot of universities in the UK, and the quality of higher education here is without doubt one of the very best in the world. It’s all very well shooting for the crème de la crème, but some people, frankly, prefer something a little more down to Earth.
Oxbridge universities are very good – don’t get us wrong – but for many people, the very best of the very best is a bit too much. The thing is, these places are a very competitive, and a degree from anywhere else is nevertheless an extremely valuable thing; you don’t even slightly need to go to somewhere like Oxford or Cambridge to do well for yourself later down the line. Elitism isn’t always the most attractive trait.
One question that you should ask yourself before applying to universities is what you’re hoping to get out of the university experience. A degree should always be the first thing in mind, but if you’re thinking of applying to Oxbridge, it better be the only thing in your mind – there won’t be much time to do anything else.
A degree should always be the first thing in mind, but if you’re thinking of applying to Oxbridge, it better be the only thing in your mind.
If you’re hoping to get a little more from university, outside full-fat, 100% education; then the best university for you might not be the ‘best’ university. And really, your judgement should be the only thing that matters. There’s a lot of other stuff that most people should consider when picking a university: how far you’ll be from home, how much the cost of living is there, and even if you think you could stomach the food.
Going to university is a personal choice – as is choosing the university that’s the right fit for you. And for most people, the very best universities are about as useful as the very best deserted island; you might be able to get there if you really tried, but it wouldn’t be much fun to a) get there and b) be there. Hard work is valuable, but so are social skills, maintaining new relationships, and regular liver testing.
We’re not saying, by the way, that university rankings are to be entirely ignored; far from it. They’re the most valuable way of cutting down your short list of universities that you’re interested in. But they’re also absolutely not the only thing you should be looking at. If they were, every single potential undergraduate would apply to the same two or three universities, every year, until the UK goes through some strange counter-education revolution. That, thankfully, doesn’t happen. Point is, there’s more to life than grades, and that goes for the universities as well as the students.*
*We recommend you work hard and try to achieve good grades.