Kent – Tip Sheet

Why Go to University?

The benefits of a degree
• It might be a personal challenge to gain a
degree qualification
• An opportunity to take the subject you
enjoy as far as you can and be taught by
leading experts in your field of interest
• Essential preparation for a particular career
Some jobs require a degree level
qualification (for example nursing, teaching
or working as a lawyer)
• It might give you some time to decide what
you want to do
• You will be in demand, more employers are
demanding graduates
– According to the Government, by 2010
50% of all jobs will require someone
educated to degree level
• It teaches you ‘Transferable Skills’ such as:
- Interpersonal skills
- Verbal and written communication skills
- Presentation skills
- Organisational and time management
skills
- Commitment
- Ability to use initiative
How is university different?
• Greater flexibility and choice
- You choose what and where you want
to study
- Your degree might offer a wide choice of
topics
- Like A levels most degree programmes
are modular. This means that you can
tailor-make your degree to suit your
interests and strengths
- Free choice/wild-card modules – some
degree programmes give you the choice
of studying subjects unconnected to
your main degree discipine eg:
Languages, Computing
- Flexible assessment – Modules can be
assessed through a variety of methods,
100% exams, 100% coursework or a
mixture of both
• Increased responsibility, you are
accountable to yourself – no one is telling
you how or when to work
• Study with experts
• Fantastic learning resources
• Great study support networks and facilities
if you need them
What you can expect to earn
• According to the Prospects website the
average yearly earnings of a 21 – 35 year
old graduate is £26,364 per year in the UK
• According to the Prospects website the
average yearly earnings of a 21 – 35 year
old non-graduate is £19,344 per year in the
UK
• It is estimated that over a lifetime the average
graduate would have earned almost 50%
more than the average non-graduate
Student life
• Most university graduates look upon
university as being the best
3 or 4 years of their lives!
• The opportunities you will get are unique
• Gives you amazing independence and
freedom
• You have the chance to become who you
want to be
• You will experience a fantastic social life as
well as academic life
- Meet people from all over the world
- Sports clubs and societies to join or set up
- The chance to live away from home

Useful websites
UCAS – www.ucas.com
pects.ac.uk
Prospects – www.pros
t.gov.uk/en/educationandlearning/
www.direc
highereducation/
Why – Gouniversityand
index.htm
exionsdirect.com
Connexions – www.conn
igher.ac.uk
Aimhigher – www.aimh

www.kent.ac.uk
Tel: (01227) 827272
Email: information@kent.ac.uk