15 Things Nobody Told You About Universities

For many of us, the institution we attend is probably our first introduction to the very idea of education. But even before we enter those hallowed halls and start pursuing a degree, there are some things nobody tells you about universities. Scholarly institutions may vary in format, but they all have one thing in common: they’re generally not designed for students who have a lot of life experience, economic stability on their side or even any experience at all. In this article we’ll get to know about 15 untold things about universities: Diplomsklub.com.

15 Things Nobody Told You About Universities :

1. Schools don’t necessarily have to follow their own rules.

Despite their stated rules, universities are not required by law to provide students with a comprehensive education. So if you want to drop out for a year, you can do so. And if you want to take an exam and get an honor award for your first-year essay instead of graduating, that’s perfectly fine, too. Think about it: your friends didn’t tell you about this when they were applying, but it’s the very reason most don’t bother applying in the first place.

2. Universities hate change.

Universities are creatures of tradition, even more so than your average corporation. That’s why at most of them you can count on finding the same handful of buildings, a few basic courses and the same professors in all those years—and certainly none of those novelty-loving loony professors with strange habits and an intense hatred for formal authority. 

3. Universities don’t know what’s best for you.

You might want to choose a major that will open doors for you in the future. That’s reasonable, but you should realize that universities don’t have a lot of experience with choosing majors on behalf of students, and they certainly don’t care. They’ll tell you what they think is best, what they think will meet your career goals and whether or not it fits into your declared major. They’ll also tell you whether or not the class fills up, because that’s the sort of thing that keeps them pushing forward one course at a time.

4. University is the only place where nobody has to pretend to like each other.

This is not a criticism of university, but something that you should know as you don’t. You’ll notice it as soon as you step on campus, and you’ll notice it in your first classes. The professor is going to hate the class, they’re going to hate the students and they’re going to tell them at every opportunity—and the students will feel exactly the same. 

5. An online degree is far cheaper than your traditional one.

If you want to get something for less money, look into an online degree program instead of a traditional university experience. Online universities are much cheaper to produce and they’re much more flexible. They don’t even need to build their own buildings, because you can use a virtual classroom. 

6. You probably didn’t get into Canada or Australia for free.

A lot of people who go to university will have support from their families or other sources of money when they start studying there, with some financing schemes around in some places (though not always). But when you try and study outside of Canada or Australia, that’s not likely to be a possibility. So don’t count on going to university in Europe because it’s free—or anywhere else.

7. Universities aren’t there to hold your hand.

When you’re at university, you may feel like the teachers are supposed to help you get by and offer their classes as a stepping stone into your future career—but that’s not why colleges exist. They exist for themselves and for their students who go there full time, paying the full price for their education with no help from anyone else. That’s why you won’t get support from your professors or the administrative staff if you’re not being taught by a full-time professor or don’t have a passing grade.

8. The degree you get will only matter if you put the work into it.

Don’t expect your degree to get you into the job of your dreams. The degree itself doesn’t matter much—it’s the work you put in to earn it that will get you through the interview and into a role. And even then, it will only matter so much as long as nobody else is better than you are.

9. Your friends aren’t all following their dreams, either.

Your friends may have told you that they’re all going to be famous in 10 years’ time, but don’t believe them. They’ve probably got other goals: party more with their friends; get better grades; get a better education; make a living while they travel around and enjoy life more. 

It’s perfectly fine if you don’t end up being an architect, but it’s alright if you do. In any case, that’s not why they all went to university. They want to be able to follow their dreams in the real world and to learn how to make them happen.

10. You might struggle with family pressure, too.

It happens all the time: your parents tell you that they’re so proud of you for getting into university when you’ve only done it because your parents wanted you to, or because they felt like it was the best choice for you. It’s a great feeling, but it also means that anything less than perfection will be enough for them. 

You’re expected to go and do great things, and you’ll probably feel like you’ve fallen back on your feet if that doesn’t happen. That’s the problem with family pressure: it doesn’t seem like it at first, but it will follow you around for a long time if you let it.

11. There are a lot of people who have always had money and education.

Don’t think that just because your dad was an accountant or you grew up in a town where everyone went to university that every other person has always been able to go because they wanted to get ahead. There are also people who have had to work since they were kids and don’t want to settle for just anything.

 There are also people who can’t get into the local university because there’s a quota for their area—or because the university doesn’t accept everyone, and has a cut-off point that excludes those who didn’t do well enough in high school or didn’t go to school at all. There’s no easy way out, so you can’t complain about it without knowing someone else’s situation.

12. The best part of university is being done with it.

Don’t think that you’re missing out by never going, because the best part of university is when you’re done with it. Of course, you’re going to have a fun time and party with your friends, but you’re also going to have to work hard—a lot harder than you’ve worked before. You’ll have more responsibility than ever before and you’ll be trying to deal with other people, who probably don’t want to be where they are either.

13. Your job might not end up being as exciting as university either.

If you don’t go to university, it will be because you’re not interested in getting there. That means that you have lower chances of doing something adventurous on the job—but that doesn’t necessarily mean that your career will be boring. In fact, a lot of people who don’t go to university end up having more interesting jobs later in life and get their work done without having to pay thousands of dollars every year.

14. University is never going to go away—and neither is anything else.

There are a lot of people who have been saying that universities aren’t needed for a long time, but that hasn’t stopped them from coming up with new ideas to make them work just as well. We’re not going to be able to get rid of university any time soon, so you’re always going to be finding something new about it, whether it’s the way that you learn and what happens after you graduate.

15. Being a student is also not as bad as it seems.

You might think that the only thing that you’ll be doing is sitting in the library, but that’s not always the case. There are a lot of opportunities to talk to your professors, learn more about their subjects and get into interesting conversations outside of class.