Do you want your children to go to UNIVERSITY? Did you or DH/DP go?

[RTKangaMummy]

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We both went to Uni: I had a fantastic time, and am glad I had the opportunity. But I think Uni is different these days - especially the financial bit. Tbh I can't imagine dss not going, but I would want to urge them to choose their courses carefully and not end up with big debts and a qualification of little value.

Dh went, I didn't

I really don't care whether the boys go or not, just as long as they are happy in the jobs they choose.

Whether it be a painter and decorator with his own little white van or a marine biologist with various letters after his name.

I would never ever pressure them to go.

DH and I both went to uni

I think though going to university has been completely de-valued by govt. policy of trying to get so many people there and the existence of mickey mouse courses

I think university should be 'elitist' but 'elitist on academic ability' .. I think vocational college courses should be introduced (bring back polys)

personally I don't care whether mine go or not .. I want them to fulfil their dreams not mine

I would like my children to go to uni, but what is important is what they want

Re 'Micky ouse' courses, our local University last year advertised for a 'Lecturer in pet grooming'.

So we can't finance kids to go to university to train to be doctors, or scientists or first rate academics, but we can run degree courses that involve pet grooming! WTF?????

What's stupid about the current system is that there are too many kids starting courses (esp mickey mouse ones) and dropping out in the first year (first term, even). It is such a huge waste of resources that could have been targeted at professional and academic degrees.

'xactly MB

I constantly hear that 'Labour is committed in its manifesto to ensuring 50% of under-30s have some experience of higher education by 2010' .. but no-one tells me why?

and where the better-paid jobs will be, that allow these youngsters to pay off their HE debts, for 50% of our young people

what a waste of manifesto space

ST, this university (the pet grooming one) has a massive first year drop out rate. It is in the bottom 10 universities in the UK.

I don't understand why there have to be degrees in what are totaly vocational subjects. Far better that people should get proper, accredeted, on the job training in field like this. We could call them..........oh I don't know , an apprentiship!

I would far rather my kids becme a properly trained plumber than someone with a Degree in Pet Grooming

Vocational studies are valid, and should be valued, but why dress them up as degrees and fund them, and then fail to give kids on acadenmic courses funding?

Fund less but fund it properly, and get modern apprentiships up and running to fill the gaps for things like plumbers and electricians!

i went but dp didn't. if ds does go i would ideallyy like him to do so a bit later on (early 20's maybe) and have some proper work / life experience before then. I think that would make him value and respect the exepreince more and treat it as a means to an end, rather than a 4 year doss (like i did!)

DH and I both went to Uni - I worked hard to get there and DH didn't, just the way it goes I suppose. It would be nice if my DD's went to Uni too, but I don't mind if they don't - as long as they are happy and fulfilled in whatever they choose to do. I wouldn't really want them to do "just a degree" as I am not sure how much they are worth any more, but it would be cool if they went and did a degree in something vocational with a job at the end of it - Like being a dentist or a doctor or a sports theerapist or a farmer or something. I honestly don't mind, I just hope my children will grow up to be healthy, happy and well-balanced individuals. (Don't we all, eh!!?)

DH and have set up special savings accounts for each of them which we pay money into regularly and also Birthday money etc (They currently have more money than us!!!!) This money is to help them through Uni, or as a deposit for a house or to set up a business, or whatever they choose to do.

My children are only 1 and 2 and I am dead proud of them already!!

yes, i also have a savings plan for ds's 'education' as there is a distict possibility that by the time he is 18 his choice to go or not will be mainly dependant on his parent's finances. i think that is entirely wrong but want to be prepared anyway. I would encourage him to see the whole focus of uni as being prepared for the labour market - it's bloody tough out there and the last thing i would want is hime swanning out of uni thinking he's a god given right to a good living cos of a degree (again learning from my mistakes )

Education should be free because it's a basic human right in a civilised society. That's why libraries are free, and schools. Your right to knowledge should not depend on how much your parents earn, especially once you are an adult.

And on pragmatic grounds. Our economy depends on knowledge these days - given that successive governments have sacrificed primary and secondary industries. So our international competitiveness depends on a highly educated and skilled workforce.

As for pet grooming, I guess the university is just trying to compete in a free market for students. That's capitalism for you.

Agree about the value of apprenticeships - my uncle, a builder, says the abolition of City and Guilds was a huge blow to his industry as young people just don't get the training they need to become skilled craftspeople.

I've been to three and am about to go back.
Dh did too (not three though)

Am beginning to suspect that in future,the smart kids won't go to uni.
It will be left to those wanting an in depth knowledge of pet grooming,deejaying trends and 1001 ways to depilate.

JanH,shocked that you of all people failed an HND!
Ever thought of going back??

We both went, DH did an MSc as well and I was about to start on a Ph.D when I got pregnant. Very glad I went as I had a great time but neither of us are using our degrees in any form at the moment and are unlikely to do so in the future.

Given the current situation with funding, I would now only encourage my two to go if they wanted to go into a specific field that required a degree and I would only encourage a traditional university rather than an old poly. But I'm living in hope that one of them would like to become a plumber seeing as it's impossible to get one down here and they cost a fortune !

The snobbery about ex-polys and universities is not based on the actual picture. Some polys have a longer and more distinguished history than some redbrick universities. But the transition of polys into universities has given redbricks someone to look down upon - after all those years of not being as good as Oxbridge.

I agree to a certain extent with you about that Edam , I was making a rather sweeping generalisation. It depends very much on what they want to do - if either of mine decided to do psychology at a new University I would have serious misgivings and try to persuade them to go somewhere with a good rating for both research and teaching in the subject. For something more vocational my stance would probably be different.

I'd love to be in the position to fund them through regardless of what they wanted to do /where as I agree that it's all about the experience. But I would hate them to come out with massive debt and a certificate that doesn't help them get a better job then if they hadn't have gone at all, as I've seen happen to my cousins who then spent ages struggling to clear it.

Edam, I agree with you. ex-poly's are given a hard time ("plastic/fake universities" etc) but in fact they are much better for many different courses. traditional uni's are usually better for the traditional courses - medicine, law, languages, philosophy etc, but the ex-poly's are usually focussed on stuff leading to a specific career - leisure management, media, etc.

Of course there will always be exceptions - I went to Liverpool Uni to do Latin American Studies - basically everything to do with South/Central America, including languages. Some call it a " mickey mouse" course, and I can see their point (only 11 hours lecturs in my final year!) - I don't use my degree for work at all, but the languages have been incredibly useful and besides, I got to spend a year in Brazil as part of the course. This was about 15 years ago, and the local education authority even paid part of the airfare and my grant for the year, as it was an essential part of the course. I was very lucky!

Getting back to the original thread, I'm in agreement with most posters - as long as dd isn't in jail, or on drugs she can do whatever makes her happy in her life... altohugh obviously it has to involve earning pots of dosh so she can keep me in the lifestyle to which I would like to become accustomed!!

Dp reading over my shoulder says she will go to school, army (he did miltary service in Germany), university then go to work for the company we work, and met, at!

ok, I must admit I'd be pretty upset if my dd1 and ds didn't go to university.
I come from a very academic family (I'm the only one not to have a PhD! My brother became a distinguished professor at 32, etc., etc.) and not getting a degree has always been considered akin to leaving school at 16 with a couple of GCSEs. Silly I know - particularly considering that dh has not been to uni and is very successful as an IT professional - but I don't think I can shake off 18 years of brainwashing just like that.

Education is to further a career, not to further sink into debt! It's fab to educate the mind and everyone has different ways of achieving that. Some get better results later in life through OU or other courses. Many parent friends of mine are suffering HUGE debts due to offspring considering Uni a birthright for the experience and not considering having to work at all for their living. What a nightmare! Wonder how it's all going to turn out later for me???

It isn't the parents who should be shouldering the debt though it is the students themselves..their decision, their debt

so sad that money comes into the decision so much now.
i went and got a so so degree and dh went and got a first, an msc and a phd.
if i hadn't gone i would never have met him

i would really like the boys to go,because even if you come out with a mediocre degree, you will have learnt so much about living away from home, meeting people from completely different background,making grown up decisions etc.
i regret not working harder at uni but i don't regret going.

I don't think you have to go to university to learn how to grow up and meet a range of people. There are lots of ways to do that and probably the widest range of people are outside universities not in them.

I definitely want my dss to go to university. Dh and I both went.

Dh's mum's family are all very highly educated and accomplished with high-flying careers. His mother studied biochemistry at a time and in a place where education for women was not the norm and she worked in medical research before she retired.

Education is really important to me and dh and we will be encouraging our kids to maximise their educational potential. From what I have seen it makes a huge difference in life.