Is too much pressure put on teenagers to enter higher education? [ENDS 19/08/2010]

Is too much pressure put on teenagers to enter higher education?
Ends 19/08/2010

It seems that an increasing amount of pressure is being piled onto today's youth to enter higher education establishments, such as colleges and universities. The question is, 'is it too much?'.

We are often bombarded with reports of an unstable economy as well as fewer and fewer jobs being available; and from a young age children are taught that to succeed in life, they must stick with education. This comes down to the theory that there is a direct link between qualifications and money earned.

Personally, I feel that my college was very forceful with getting us to apply to university. Was this right? Do you think that schools and colleges should take a step back and give the students more freedom? This being said, how much input should parents have in making these important decisions?

Debate away!

To be honest I think the problem lies further up the ladder where the employers are now expecting people to come to them with degrees, etc. It's not a case of whether colleges are putting pressure on students or not.. it's a case of what is actually best for the students.

If you were responsible for employing workers, you'd obviously choose someone with a degree rather than one who comes to you with GCSEs only. The colleges and schools are only trying to do what is best for the students and they understand that in order to get the best jobs possible, you need to get the best grades possible. It's a fierce competition out there for work-placements and university places, so while I do think a lot of pressure is being put on students to go into higher education, it is the right amount of pressure.

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Originally Posted by Cosmic

Personally, I feel that my college was very forceful with getting us to apply to university. Was this right? Do you think that schools and colleges should take a step back and give the students more freedom? This being said, how much input should parents have in making these important decisions?

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now thats just silly. there's always people and institutions trying to get you to do something, but the ultimate decision is yours and there's nothing they can do to force you to go to college. you have the freedom to do what you want.

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This comes down to the theory that there is a direct link between qualifications and money earned.

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thats not a theory thats a fact lol.

and anyway i dont think so. i think the pressure is equivalent to how important it really is.

I think it's good that lots of pressure is being put on teenagers, those extra years of work could really make a difference when it comes to getting a job in the future, or even when applying for university.
There's many teenagers out there who have the potential to do well at University or College, but some of them are happy to just get a job straight out of leaving school and not bother. If they have the potential, they shouldn't waste it.

Having said that some schools don't always put pressure on every class, in my school the lower sets don't get the best teachers, or much encouragement for their work. Being in the top set means you have expectations to meet, and obviously competition from other students, and there's not really a question of whether anyone's going to university in my class. Everyone actually wants to go, so our teachers let us do extra GCSE's and even start AS Level, which is going to help us in the long run.

I'd be happy if someone was forcing me to go to university, because it means they see potential in me.

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Originally Posted by RedStratocas

now thats just silly. there's always people and institutions trying to get you to do something, but the ultimate decision is yours and there's nothing they can do to force you to go to college. you have the freedom to do what you want.

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You are right in saying that the ultimate decision is yours but teachers and parents have a massive amount of influence on whether you do or do not go. I know people who are going to university rather than taking a gap year as they would have if their parents / teachers had not pressured them into it, so it's a fair question to ask and a fair point to make.

Our school puts so much pressure on us to go to Uni it's unbelievable ¬_¬

But as I'm currently living it right now, I'd say yes, far too much pressure. I know some people may say "Oh it sorts the winners from the losers" or something for a job, but until you've done exams from around this year and have gone through the processes and systems, you don't particularly realise how much it takes to get into a decentish Uni.

To be honest, I think it's less about qualifications and more about the experience you've earned.

I don't think there can ever me too much pressure on an individual to do something that is statistically proven will enhance their standard and quality of life. Obviously, there are exceptions but like has already been touched upon in some of the previous posts your career and wage prospects are helped if you have a degree. There are no obvious circumstances where having a degree is negative or will count against you. It is only a positive thing and therefore I think the amount of 'pressure' (not sure it's the right word here as it implies negativity) is equal to how essential higher education and obtaining a degree are.

Throughout 6th Form, or at least my 6th form and other local ones they do try and channel you into going down the Higher Education route but at no stage are you made to do anything you don't want too. At the same time as the 6th form putting a lot of time and resources into making people go to University they also inform about the amount of debt levels and just how important the decision is. We all know that the most successful (measuring success with money here) people in our society didn't always put education first. Movie stars, music stars, sports stars and some of our leading business men left school when it was no longer compulsory.

This debate question has only arisen on here because more people than ever are going down the well beaten Higher Education track. We all know why this is. There are a shortage of opportunities for people our age due to the economic downturn. My sister, newly graduated has been told people who have a degree are now having to take jobs that in the past were being taken with people who were just educated to alevel standard. That has a knock on effect. People who leave after alevels are now taking jobs that were previously taken by people who leave school at 15/16 after completing their GCSEs. Therefore, there has to be a certain amount of pressure on teenagers to go to University with the hope that the economy will have recovered and there will be more jobs.

The fact that in a few years EVERYONE has to go to college will see even greater pressure. Everyone will be doing alevels/BTECs/training and to differentiate yourself from other people your age who are ultimately going to be the ones challenging you for employment you're going to have to go up a notch. The most obvious way to do this is to go to University.

Weighing everything up. The fact we're living in a society where it is now harder to find a job (albeit now impossible), the fact people with a degree have better prospects and the fact that going to University is a transitional period which inevitably determines who you are and ensures that you come out a well rounded, educated individual. Bearing all that in mind, I don't think there is too much pressure on teenagers. In fact, I think the high amount of pressure is perfect when you consider what a life changing decision going into higher education could potentially be.

surely a little pressure never hurt anyone, the people putting on the pressure (teachers, parents etc) are doing it for the individual's gain of qualifications, they're going to get nothing out of it themselves whether they continue education or not and ultimately it's the individual's decision, so any amount of pressure shouldn't affect their choices.
but personally, i've never been pressured into feeling like i have to go to uni.

The education system is pretty messed up lately, as well as the expectations of employers. There was a program on TV a few months ago now which questions what happened to apprenticeships, work experience and internships which were more available in the past than they are now. Some employers ask that you have a specific degree e.g. Computer Scence to work with Computers and Computer Systems in some Businesses, while some don't really care as a degree shows you have time and effort to pour into working for a company, which is probably where the problem lies - proving you can put effort into working for a company. This is what was brought up in the discussion - would pure work experience help realise the potential in some future employees? Arguably yes, as even with a degree many companies demand you have some sort of experience - Law degrees come to mind. The only major problem is with the cost of apprenticeships, work experience and internships, not only through money but security and insurance.

Education is good, but piling on pressure can be incredibly unnecessary, when education is not the pin-ultimate way to prove potential.

I don't like being pressured into things - if I had my way I wouldn't be at college right now but in myself I know because of this competitive warped world I have to, that and I don't want my parents to be too disappointed in me. some students find it harder than others to stand up to people or make decisions for themselves so I think it's unfair for teachers and others involved to plant seeds in the minds of students and then forcing them to grow.

I think there is. Back in the last year of college, university was a massive focus and someone like me who had decided not to go still had to fill in many of the forms, attend many bias presentations, research into different universities and consider multiple courses and learn a ton about it. I was unsure about university and still didn't really know what to do with my life, so I played it safe and took a gap year, but they made me feel like it was a wrong decision. I kind of feel a requirement to go, like it's what I am suppost to do. Given my desired path of employment it is probably what I should do but all of this pressure just makes me even more uncertain. Guess I better decide this year otherwise it'll be too late, but I really wish college took a level headed approach and showed us both sides of the story instead of trying to push everyone in the same direction.

Yes. This means the average intelligence of a student gets lower and lower because not just the top students are attending. Therefore they have to create mickey mouse degrees which devalues real degrees.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

Yes. This means the average intelligence of a student gets lower and lower because not just the top students are attending. Therefore they have to create mickey mouse degrees which devalues real degrees.

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Totally disagree, considering they keep on raising the qualifications needed to get into university each year, I find it hard to believe that the degrees are not of a high value.

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

Totally disagree, considering they keep on raising the qualifications needed to get into university each year, I find it hard to believe that the degrees are not of a high value.

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Most are not. A degree in Equestrian Studies is a pretty low value degree that doesn't need to exist. Learning about horse riding and horses is better done in practice than in a book :P If you want a real degree, get one a veterinarian degree that actually has a use :P Film Studies could be considered low value too, seeing as it doesn't really have a use. If you want to review films, then become a journalist or get a degree in journalism. Loads of degrees are half-baked around solid, high-value degrees.

Merged by Cosmic (Forum Super Moderator) due to forum lag.

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Originally Posted by GommeInc

Most are not. A degree in Equestrian Studies is a pretty low value degree that doesn't need to exist. Learning about horse riding and horses is better done in practice than in a book :P If you want a real degree, get one a veterinarian degree that actually has a use :P Film Studies could be considered low value too, seeing as it doesn't really have a use. If you want to review films, then become a journalist or get a degree in journalism. Loads of degrees are half-baked around solid, high-value degrees.

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I was refereeing to the students entering the degrees and not the degrees given, I do agree with you on that point but I still think that the students entering university are more intelligent as they are getting good grades.

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

Totally disagree, considering they keep on raising the qualifications needed to get into university each year, I find it hard to believe that the degrees are not of a high value.

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So you're telling me the nation on average is more intelligent now than it was 10 years ago?

It should be marginally higher, but no where near the percentage increase seen by exam results.

The thing with degrees is that a first in one degree is equal to a first in any other degree and a 2-1 is equal to any other 2-1.

Are you telling me that someone with a first in some mickey mouse degree from a naff university is equal to someone with a degree in a respected subject from a decent university?

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Originally Posted by Cosmic

Is too much pressure put on teenagers to enter higher education?
Ends 19/08/2010

Personally, I feel that my college was very forceful with getting us to apply to university. Was this right? Do you think that schools and colleges should take a step back and give the students more freedom? This being said, how much input should parents have in making these important decisions?

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I agree with you on that, i just finished college and they did everything and tried every tactic on me, it got to the stage where it made me fall out of college because they were putting way too much pressure on me.. Im not going to name what college i went to but i have to say it was a waste of 3 years of my life that i wish i didn't lose. I believe they put pressure because they want the best for you, but they also want their college to be top of the list. They tried to bribe me with student of the month and i turned it down. Some colleges just want to win what ever competition they are in for. I was studying engineering and on my second year (final) i decided that it wasn't what i wanted simply because i only enjoyed the coding on the first year. So eventually near the end of the second year (after trying to complete it but just giving up) i felt guilty as if it were my fault that i didn't finish that year and got my grades.. but for some reason they gave me the same grades i got on the first year (i think i didn't compare them) but i got alright grades, good enough to get into uni, and i didn't do much work.. I guess i should have just picked a better college, but i have to agree with you. Even my secondary school did the same thing.. Thats london for you -.-

PS: Just to add to this, i think we've all witnessed the bullcrap that happens when ofsted come around.. They make everything 100% perfect just to look good, then as soon as ofsted turn their back BAM! Its back to the same old routine. That just shows one thing, they only care about their reputation.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

So you're telling me the nation on average is more intelligent now than it was 10 years ago?

It should be marginally higher, but no where near the percentage increase seen by exam results.

The thing with degrees is that a first in one degree is equal to a first in any other degree and a 2-1 is equal to any other 2-1.

Are you telling me that someone with a first in some mickey mouse degree from a naff university is equal to someone with a degree in a respected subject from a decent university?

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

I was refereeing to the students entering the degrees and not the degrees given, I do agree with you on that point but I still think that the students entering university are more intelligent as they are getting good grades.

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Again I am not referring to the degrees at unis but the students entering the degrees, For example students entering respectable degrees need higher grades now then before, meaning that the statistics show the students to be more intelligent now days then back then.

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Originally Posted by [Jay]

Again I am not referring to the degrees at unis but the students entering the degrees, For example students entering respectable degrees need higher grades now then before, meaning that the statistics show the students to be more intelligent now days then back then.

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Let's say the average exam mark was 60% 10 years ago and is 70% today. That's an increase of 17% in exam marks.

Are you telling me that today's average 18 year old is 17% more intelligent than the average 18 year old 10 years ago? No. Exam marks may have increased by 20% or whatever, but intelligence will only be 2% or something.

These are just random numbers BTW.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

Let's say the average exam mark was 60% 10 years ago and is 70% today. That's an increase of 17% in exam marks.

Are you telling me that today's average 18 year old is 17% more intelligent than the average 18 year old 10 years ago? No. Exam marks may have increased by 20% or whatever, but intelligence will only be 2% or something.

These are just random numbers BTW.

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Not only random but they'd be specific to the region in which you reside however I totally agree with the point you're trying to make.

I have often wondered how the standards of how much you learn through organized education have changed from our parent's generation to our generation. I believe appropriate amounts of pressure put upon students is acceptable as it's tailoring us to respond better to the higher pressure situations we're likely to experience later down the road in life.

I think we learn more now than we used to, but whether or not it makes us more intelligent is another story. The Art GCSE is a bit of a half-baked qualification, compared to something more technical like Technology which thrived in the past with woodwork, electronics and anything related, as well as Home Economics for the ladies ;) Art is exploring yourself and how you manipulate the world around you, it's personal rather than something like technology which needs to be done precisely otherwise you may die or seriously injure yourself :P

It's hard to say really, as classes have changed alot too. Loads of schools were poor and didn't have much say from the government, especially when supplies and classroom items (word has escaped me) didn't exist or were hard to come by, and you got families that didn't go to school, so it does make you think :/

ICT is another interesting subject, as it is useful, but is it really something that defines intelligence, when computers are a big thing in the modern world? Anyone can have one and poke one.

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Originally Posted by N!ck

Let's say the average exam mark was 60% 10 years ago and is 70% today. That's an increase of 17% in exam marks.

Are you telling me that today's average 18 year old is 17% more intelligent than the average 18 year old 10 years ago? No. Exam marks may have increased by 20% or whatever, but intelligence will only be 2% or something.

These are just random numbers BTW.

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We have to look at the statistics which we have and not those which we don't, we cant really see how intelligent's has increased but considering how exam papers do tend to increase in difficulty and yet the grades continue to rise we cannot assume that their just getting good grades but their not intelligent. Those exam grades do tend to reflect the intelligent's of that student.

You also got to remember as time goes on students are learning more and more stuff due to the increase in knowledge in different areas with each year.

This debate has now ended. Thanks for your input & the top contributor(s) will be decided shortly!