8 Common Misconceptions People Have About University

Everyone’s experience of university will vary, but here is a list of 8 common misconceptions that people tend to have about university and why, in my view, they aren’t quite true...

1. Student loan repayments are impossible

A lot of people worry that paying back a student loan will be a big hassle, and leave them in a lot of debt they can’t cope with. In reality, you only start paying your loan back once you earn over £21,000, and even then you only pay a fixed 9% of everything you earn over that amount Also, this money gets deducted from your salary before it even arrives in your account, so you’ll barely notice it going. Simple.

2. You will never get a job

Some people are under the impression that nobody gets a job after university anymore, and that getting a degree is a pointless affair. Personally, I do not understand how having a degree could harm your possibilities. Of course, studying cannot compensate for real life experience in your chosen field, but universities understand this and most offer things like sandwich courses and careers fairs to help you as much as possible. University can act as a stepping stone and give you the skills needed for the job you want; it is simply up to you to work hard and find the job that is meant for you (trust me, there will be one)!

Also, take a lot at graduate employment percentages. They are never 0%! If you get the most out of your degree and work hard to gain the necessary skills, you will always have an advantage when applying for jobs

3. Every day is a party

Sheffield SU Tickets

This is all dependent on who you are and perhaps the people you are friends with, but even the biggest party animals need their slob days at university. Admittedly, nights in are usually a result of consuming too much alcohol the day before, but we all need some time devoted to Netflix, sugary foods, and that essay that you just keep putting off.

4. You don’t need to work hard in first year

I’ve always been given the impression that the first year of university is easy and that you don’t have to work at all. Being in the first semester myself, I can tell you that this is 100% not true. Be prepared to get used to the words “reference” and “deadline”! Sure, you only need 40% to pass but that 40% has to come from somewhere and is harder to achieve that most people think, as a lot of university work consists of independent research and background reading (which can take a lot of time). Also, you probably won’t be satisfied with just a pass if you know you could have done better. In your second year, you build upon your first-year knowledge and the research skills you learned from these early essays, so it’s worth putting the effort in (it’ll make your next two years easier in the long run)!

5. You won’t eat well

University Cooking

I myself expected to be living off smart price noodles and was frequently told that I wouldn’t eat well at uni. Surprisingly, I eat better meals now than I did at home. Of course, not everyone is the same, but it turns out that vegetables are much cheaper than takeaways (although I am partial to a Dominos) and I haven’t purchased a single microwave meal yet, as it’s cheaper to make my own!

6. You will miss my family and friends too much

A lot of people worry that they won’t be able to cope with living away from home, but this is rarely ever the case. First day nerves are often quelled by an alcohol-fuelled night with your flat and you will soon start to feel as if university is your new home. People adjust differently and some people will feel homesick whilst others may not miss home at all. Whatever the case – with the help of things like Skype and a 16-25 railcard – it’s easy to keep in touch with family and friends or visit home. And if that just isn’t working, you can always talk to people at the university (all unis should have support services to help with things like homesickness). For me, university life is so social and fast-paced that I don’t have much time to miss home, and living alone is a great learning curve.

7. You have to be rich to be able to afford university

In fact, the opposite is almost true. The lower your household income, the more financial help the university and government will give you, in the form of maintenance grants, bursaries and scholarships. There are also bursaries and scholarships for people who get good grades at A-level (although this obviously depends on the university in question). There will be advice and help for everyone who is worried and struggling, and I didn’t find it too hard to get a part-time job in order to compensate for my lack of loan. Most university sites will help you to calculate the amount of money you will get and from here you can calculate the kind of budget you would be on, depending on the uni and the accommodation you pick. You can find out more about budgeting and funding by reading the Whatuni Student Money guide.

8. It’s all work, work, work

Sian Bradley Working at Uni

It’s a given that university is hard and you will feel like you have a constant stream of work to do. However, even if you have been told otherwise, you will always have time for other things. Living with a bunch of other students means you can always be sociable if you are feeling lonely or bored, and a lot of university is about learning life skills and taking part in activities outside of your course. Whether you get a part-time job, join some societies, go out every weekend or just spend time watching films with friends, downtime is an important part of uni life too!

A few things that are true…

Freshers’ is mental, with a million things to do, and this doesn’t just include clubbing (although that is in full swing each night). My students’ union put on many events and I had fairs, meetings and talks scheduled throughout the week. Freshers’ is a great way to get involved with societies, get a taste for your course, get to know your flatmates, meet new people and have a wicked time.

You will make friends. There is such a large, diverse bunch of people at university that it is super unlikely that you will not find people you gel with.

It is hard, and very, very, very different to sixth form or college! You get much less guidance (although it’s still available!) and getting 40% counts as a pass. The contact hours you receive tend to be much less than you are used to, but this generally because you are expected to devote a lot of your own time to independent projects, research and revision.

The freedom is amazing, and I love living at university, including everything I expected and everything I didn’t.

Next

- 50 Things I Wish I’d Known at the Start of Uni

- 12 Things You NEED to do Before Going to Uni