So here we are at the part of the year which welcomes in new life and growth, everything is quite literally springing! It seems appropriate to consider new thoughts alongside these changes. In our last blog we considered the place of the new LEO data and the economic impact which various subjects at different universities are likely to have.
This got me thinking with regards the previous seasons I have experienced as a careers adviser. It seems that when I first started, students considered their life and education choices far more in terms of fulfilment and growth rather than career or monetary value alone (perhaps I see those days, over ten years ago, through rose tinted spectacles). It seems in our age of austerity and days of talking about education within a careers context alone, we have missed the joys of education for education’s sake. Perhaps we are in danger of missing the point about life and choices, implying that too much of our happiness is dependent upon finding that ‘perfect career’, with the perfect career dependent upon finding the perfect course. In doing so, we impose our own values on the decision making of our students, instead of asking them what is important for them.
A recent article by David Hawkins on Linkedin[i] reminded me of these other reasons students may attend university, such as the quality of education, as referred to in his article and the recent league tables found at: Best universities in the UK 2022 – University Rankings (timeshighereducation.com)
There is of course a logic to looking at league tables, whether HEFCE tables or the LEO data. Looking for the best education experience or greatest economic return are not bad reasons for deciding on one course over another (far from it in fact).
However, it is mindful to remind ourselves that logic doesn’t always come into the picture; our human condition invites the perfect environment for chaos and chance to invite unplanned opportunities and experiences. I can remember one of the advisers who trained me likening choosing a university course to choosing a holiday. Some people love the package holiday experience whereas others prefer the quirky and slightly odd… one person’s delight is another’s nightmare!
For my own university experience, I studied at an Art School that was quirky, bizarre and delightfully bonkers (run by a radical punk) whose team encouraged us to become ‘cultural interventionists’ and to not settle for what was a given. It was a course that barely graced the league tables but was a wonderful education, where I met many brilliant people, was challenged and learned so much about culture, philosophy and life. It had an open studio policy where the Art studios were open five days a week, eight hours a day with technicians on hand to help and a high tutor contact. With visiting artists from London, and studios the size of school classrooms shared with a handful of others.
It was a creative environment created through chaotic conditions with some of the best seminars in the nearby pub with staff and fellow students! Although the course no longer exists, if I hadn’t taken a chance on the course which was quirky and odd, I wouldn’t have developed as I had… who knows where life may have taken me!
So, (in contrast to my last blog…) perhaps, sometimes we need to throw the league tables out (or at least put them to one side for a time) to let chance play its cards. As the latest social media meme says:
“It’s impossible, said pride.
It’s risky, said experience.
It’s pointless, said reason.
Give it a try, whispered the heart.”
[i] What’s a ‘top university’? | LinkedIn
