Top Universities — What are they worth?
Millions of students across the world are faced with many choices when applying for the right university? Multiple factors influence student decisions when it comes to exploring potential avenues and weighing up their options in regards to higher education. But today, at Times International, we wish to look at what factors make it worth going to a top university and what factors are less likely be worth it? You be the judge!
Rankings are commonly used to create a shortlist of ideal study destinations. It is there to help in acting as the initial stepping stone for furthered research into universities. In other words, if a student has already decided on their preferred country, state or university to study in, rankings represent an ideal method for narrowing down the choices.
Can we actually distinguish ourselves from the thousands of others who graduated with the same degree in smaller, lesser known institutions? We usually have the rankings to rely on and the various stories we have heard about prestigious universities and colleges.
According to the the QS, rankings can highlight institutions that prospects would’ve been previously unaware of, and may even match up with the academic or institutional expectations they had of their desired institution. Leading on from this, rankings provide a simple, numerical way to compare universities and make informed decisions about how highly regarded they are. But I believe this is a poor judgement.
Let’s break down the facts and make an estimation. According to Webometrics, in 2018 there are around 28000 institutions of higher education. Yet only around 1000 of them are accounted for in TopUniversities and more than 1250 in Times Higher Educations. So does it really matter where your current or future university will rank. Well, we have broken the answers down to a few points so there is no need to stress.
So is it worth it?
The main question we have to ask ourselves: What is my dream degree really worth? And how will the job market pay me for my skills? While these are difficult to answer before actually finishing university, those who study humanities or engage in social studies must be aware of the risks they’re taking. This article is of course generalised here, but also tries to be realistic. If the job market cannot use your skills and abilities, if the demand isn’t high enough, one must think twice. So the course of your university is very important, doesn’t matter how good your university is. Even if you study at Oxford or Cambridge, and get a degree for Culinary Arts, you will have a harder time finding a job than an IT major. And quietly sadly in this case you have wasted many years of your life and possibly a lot of money in advance.
Our advise is of course, follow your passion and believe in it strongly. But also be open to advice and have a vision ahead of yourself. Higher Education is just another part of your life, a journey that should be enjoyed where one meets new challenges and obstacles and learn to overcome them. Unfortunately, many institutions are only there for your wallet. And for this reason in the 21st century, since there is such a high markup price on education and “temptation” to enroll, one must be more careful than ever.
However, as a team of diverse studies from various universities at Time International we have a mutual agreement. Universities listed as top facilities of education in a country or the world are more worthy of spending that extra buck. The name of the university means that it gathers the best minds, meaning that people sitting next to you will have a higher chance of becoming global leaders in their field. And evidently, networking with smart, rich or influential students is always a plus.
Furthermore the education structure of top universities equip their students with more practical, up-to-date and useable knowledge. This really depends on the course you will have, but by all accounts, a university is only worth its money if a specific field of study is on the top of all rankings.
Conclusion
Consider the market demand for your skills, listen to other’s advice regarding applications, apply for the most acknowledged courses and have a vision for the future. You must make sure that you will love what you will do and be able to make a living out of it. At least that is what our parents usually say.
