University is worth it for the network, the rigour and the societies more than for the certificate itself. The degree is increasingly a baseline rather than a differentiator, but three years among people working hard at difficult things is not easily replaced. It is not worth it when the career you want does not require it and you are going because it is expected.

Degrees still move the employment number: 87.6% of graduates in England were employed in 2024, against 68.0% of non-graduates. — DfE, Graduate labour market statistics, 2024

What is this about?

This week I am presenting to you a case for why university is worth attending. I can broadly divide them into the following categories, which I will address in turn:

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1. Intrinsic value of university

2. Leveraged networking

3. Academic rigour

4. Societies

5. When you shouldn't go to university?

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The intrinsic value of university education in the current society is seen as the piece of paper which is a passport to further opportunities. This may sound shallow and frivolous; however, I can assure you it is not. A university degree is a requirement for most employed jobs these days. Even relatively low paid jobs such as teaching requires a graduate degree in schools across the UK.

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Admittedly there are jobs which do not require a degree, but these are usually a slow burn and stagnant in terms of career development. You may even find exceptions like this fella, but as the name suggests these are exceptions rather than the rule.

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Outside of the obvious value of a certificate from university, it offers a plethora of opportunities to make friends and network with diverse individuals who will open your horizons to the vast world out there. Despite the fact that I worked in London for several years, some of my far reaching contacts in the business world are from my time at University.

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Husayn Kassai who I used to play football with at university has successfully been running Onfido raising well in excess of £100million+ in funding rounds. Good friends Ibrahim and Mohsin run an angel syndicate investing in startups and were recently named in the Forbes 30 under 30. A final example of this to drill the point home, is a NHS app NYE, working extremely well for doctors and patients during COVID-19, founded by Imran who I also know from university.

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These examples are just the tip of the iceberg, there are a plethora of other friends in the industry who I can reach out to because of my connection with them at university. This kind of contact is difficult to leverage outside of university. On a related note, you can often learn from some of the best academics in the field at the higher ranked institutes. The likes of Stephen Hawking were to be found at University of Cambridge in the last few decades.

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‍Societies are some of the best parts of university. You can join a club in whatever interests you. There was even a quidditch club, where supposedly intelligent Oxford students run around on brooms trying to play a game of quidditch from Harry Potter.

‍Ok, when should you not attend a university?Perhaps controversial, however I believe that the education fees (£27,000 min.) are not justified if the university is lowly ranked, since the return on your investment is low. You will not usually meet with academic experts, neither will it lead to a financially lucrative job on the balance of probability.

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I would argue, people are often mistaken that the letters before the name matter, but it is in fact the name before the letters that matter. A 'Dr' or 'BEng' isn't as valuable in the employer's eyes as whether a student studied at Imperial or Harvard. I know for a fact it opened many doors for me, when I applied for jobs straight out of university.

It is a rubber stamp from an authority attesting to the quality of the potential employee. It gives the top employers confidence.

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That rubber stamp is why I do not understand why students and parents are sometimes content with being average and getting through life. If you have the opportunity why not go for the best? You only have one life.

Live it to its true potential. Get the best return on your investment.

Another controversial scenario where I would say you shouldn't go to university is for an Arts based degree on the whole. There is no defined career path in subjects like Art, and if you have a real interest in it you can pursue and develop your portfolio outside of university.

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At university I believe you should learn skills that test your academic rigour and help develop you for the society at large. Arts have an important part to play in our lives, but I think it is best done outside the sphere of university. My friend Shiya Lu who was studying Maths at Oxford decided to drop out and run some super hit theatre shows, which is a testament to the fact, that you do not require an Art degree to be a true artist.

Quotes I have been thinking about this week:

"Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune and temporary defeat" - Napolean Hill in Think and Grow Rich

What else is worth reading?

What can this guide not tell you about your own application?

Entry requirements, deadlines and how offers are made change every admissions cycle, and vary between courses at the same university. A published requirement is where the conversation starts, not a guarantee of a place. Always confirm against UCAS and the course page itself.

Course claims are checkable, and this is where the numbers come from:

“The data on Discover Uni includes official statistics from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges.” — Discover Uni, About our data

Where can you check this at source?

University entry requirements, deadlines and course outcomes are set by UCAS and the institutions, and change every cycle. Confirm against the source: