In contemporary times, the majority of us consider education to be our most basic need. Do you think so too?
If you get into the logic behind this notion, you might even think it is correct.
Education, mainly a degree is essential, to get a job.
A job is vital to get an income.
An income makes you financially sound.
You can afford rent, food and other essential utilities with the paycheck.
So, education is crucial for our survival, and it also makes us competent enough to stand on our own two feet without any support.
Some people say that acquiring education from a reputed university, like Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard, will somehow make all your dreams come true.
Getting a 6-figure salary straight out of these universities is a piece of cake for their students. The Alma meter of these educational institutes will give you an idea of the same.
However, the process through which you enter these top-notch universities is nothing but daunting. The four-year course is also filled with enormous obstacles.
The Struggle to Get In
Getting short-listed to become a student in one of the world’s most renowned schools is no less than an honour for the student himself.
To achieve this feat, the student has to undergo a lot of hurdles.
The student needs to pass at the top of his class; a less than stellar Grade Point Average would never be acceptable.
The application of the student, which would state his purpose of choosing the course and the university, has to be impeccable as well.
After ensuring perfection in these two, the student will become one in the thousands of applications the university will receive yearly, many from students with different nationalities as well.
Competing with this number and winning will assure your seat in these universities.
The Expenses you have to Bear
Once you have gotten inside the university, do not think that the battle is over. You may have endured the difficult part, but the struggle is still on.
The most problematic area for the student is to afford the £40,000 to £50,000 annual fees for the four years of the degree.
On top of this, the living expenses can also be sometimes impossible for the student to afford.
For many, the expense is worth it, do you think it is that way for all of the students?
The Guarantee?
My father always used to say that there are no guarantees in life; even your most loved people can betray you. I used to think he was a tad bit too cynical, but now I have started seeing his point.
People get into a reputed university, thinking that the place will shower its good fortune upon you as well. Resultantly, you will land yourself in the office you always wanted, with a salary package you always wanted.
But do you think that is true?
Do you think all the students in these universities end up with the perfect life after graduating?
I do not think so. Look at the Alma meter. You will find many renowned personalities who have studied in these schools and colleges. However, there is a vast disparity between the number of success stories and the total number of enrolled students.
If there are students who have gone ahead to establish a multi-million dollar business, there are also graduates who have had to take up loans for unemployed with bad credit and no guarantor to ensure their basic needs are fulfilled.
Winding Up
I want to repeat it that there are no guarantees in life. A reputed university may seem like a doorway to success and everything that is prosperous in life, but it can become the opposite.
If garnering an education is the goal, you can do it from any university or college. Many billionaires in the world did not go to Oxford, but the local college in their city.
If you have it in you to achieve success in life, you will get it even without a degree. Bill Gates has done, and so has Steve Jobs.
I am not just saying this because I have anything against these educational institutions, but because I believe that they are a tad bit over-hyped.
If applying for short term loans for unemployed is the result, you can do that even the student debt is already looming over your head. Not that there is anything wrong in getting an unemployed loan, however for a Cambridge graduate, maybe it is.
