Every year around, around 23,000 number of people apply to study at the Univerity of Oxford. And it’s no wonder.
For centuries, Oxford has been the finishing school for the upper echelon of British society. Of the 57 prime ministers we’ve had in the UK, 30 went to Oxford. Just going here increases your average earnings by about ten grand a year, compared to grads from non-Russell Group graduates.
It also consistently tops the UK university league tables, making it probably the best university in the country.
There are about 1.6m full-time students in the UK right now and the vast majority don’t attend a uni as good as Oxford and they’ll graduate into a saturated job market, saddled with student debts, maybe wondering if it was all worth it.
Students here are very likely in the same boat.
They can’t all be prime minister, unless they did it in shifts.
Ed Campbell went to Oxford to find out if uni is still worth it.
Reporter: Ed Campbell
Camera: Harry Ainsworth
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Degrees from universities like Oxford do is give you sort of that rubber stamp approval on your CV to tell corporations that you are like one of them we actually need more people who have vocational skills people who are doing medicine here they’re going to make like12 an hour plumbers they make so
Much money because we don’t have enough plumbers a given my degree even if I went into a job I don’t think I would be able to like paid off quickly enough so every year around 23,000 people apply to study at the University of Oxford and it’s no wonder for centuries Oxford has
Been the finishing school for the upper echelon of British Society of the 57 prime ministers we’ve had in the UK 30 went to Oxford just going here increases your average earnings by about 10 grand a year it also consistently tops the UK University League tables making it probably the best university in the
Country there are around 1.6 million full-time students in the UK and the vast majority don’t attend a uni as good as this one they’ll graduate into a saturated job market saddled with debt and maybe wondering if it was all worth it and students here are very likely in
The same boat while it is true that an Oxford degree definitely opens more doors they can’t all be Prim Minister unless they did it in shift they’ll have the same job market in debt as everyone else at a time when there are clear alternatives to going to University like an apprenticeship or
Going straight into work or even doing a pyramid scheme you learned about from a guy who made a YouTube video called why you shouldn’t go to university the truth I want to find out if University is still all it’s cracked up to be that’s why I’ve come to Oxford to ask do you
Think you is worth it these days what’s the most Oxford thing you’ve ever seen on my like first day we all went to like have a cuz I’m a fresher so I’ve only been here a few months we all went to have drinks in uh like this room of like
The year above and there were these guys and literally like they were all Just So Posh and they all like shook each other’s hands and I was the only girl in there and no one said anything to me yeah there’s illustrious alumni from Oxford across all walks L throughout
History was that a factor in you wanting to come I mean considering the uh quality of our politicians that have come out this University not really um especially the ones that have come out of the Union why did you want to come to Ox um mainly because everyone told me I
Couldn’t come and so I decided to prove them wrong and be vindictive really what was it you study PPE well you want to go to PPE I wanted to do something broad I didn’t want to just like hem into one subject then I discovered the reputation
Of it and I was like it’s too late now so can do for the people who don’t know what is the reputation of pp uh Tories uh R night to PPE list us to PPE so professional politicians I don’t want to be a politician uh yeah people who don’t
Really care about Society half the BBC uh all the big newspapers and civil servant and the government ordered PPE so I mean Oxford’s obsessed with having like um its own sort of slang terms for everything which you have to try and figure out what they all mean you have
To De sorry for what they all mean in the first week what are some of those slang terms um well we we call college parties Bops for whatever reason um yeah we We call we call exams collections I’m not sure what I’m collecting other than
A shitty paper I mean I just try and distance myself from from the Cults I mean one German lesson we went to a crypt and had candle lights and was underneath like a church and it was that was a weird that was a weird one that
Did feel like a cult yeah I think it I think it is really strange I know that other universities do have a lot of traditions that are equally strange but I think I never would have expected to do the things that we’ve done here what
Are some of those things um I think even things like the end of year exams and the trashing that we do but um more specifically things like the crew days that people people do here or the or the Traditions inside colleges like strange dinners with um Traditions like lifting
A ballhead around the table it’s very it’s very old fashioned and really not something I I knew I was signing up for you studying math yes I am how how’s that going it’s going well I’m in my fourth year so I’m kind of at the end of
It uh quite glad but I’m also like looking forward to like fur the studies as well so I like math and I want to I just want to do it more yeah um I’m not sure if that’s sentiment like for everyone else but like I I do like maths
Is quite bizarre that such a large portion of kind of Civil Society all studied well not even went to the same University studied the same thing and and now you’re at the start of that cycle again how do how do you feel about that um I don’t think it’s a good thing
I think it’s definitely going to change like I think studying it is probably going to make it harder for me to go into something like that if I wanted to which I don’t really but um I think I think it’s because they created the degree for that reason so like a 100
Years ago you used to do Classics if you wanted to like be famous and then they were like oh let’s let’s do PP instead so I think I think the idea of a professional politician is something I don’t agree with I think people having like life experience is much better so
Like Angela Raina I really like her obviously a lot of people don’t but she you know she came into politics through unions which I think’s probably something we should have we should have a mixture like it’s not saying we should have anyone who’s like gone to University and studied politics but it
Shouldn’t only be them either you mentioned um the union there for people who don’t know what the Oxford Union is could you sum up um it is a interesting organization basically filled with in my opinion a bunch of nepo babies um who want a future career as a conservative
Cabinet minister um but other people would say it’s an institution that upholds Free Speech etc etc um I don’t know graci is a member of it yeah that’s interesting what why did you join the union and what did you get over it um I mean I quite like debating and watching
Debating so I guess I get that out of it um yeah I mean this is kind of a b of contention between us obviously going to Oxford stand you in a really good stad going forward well you could become the BBC political editor you could be the
Prime Minister H you s said to do that um did that come into it when you were applying I think like that nowadays is more just like if you go to really good Russell group University I think now the sort of Gap has narrowed between it like
Just being Oxford and Cambridge that you can like you know have that experience like even applying for like internships and stuff now like I know someone who’s like doing really well at like doing PP at Manchester has just a good as chance as me because any gain you might have is
Kind of counteracted by the fact that they can’t just take people from Oxford and Cambridge like it’s not the 1980s anymore so yeah I mean I think that I always knew I wanted to further my academics and I think that nowadays there are so many other ways of doing
That a kind of degree apprenticeships if you still want to get a degree out of it but like I think that nowadays there are also kind of more courses that you can do so like my brother for example he does football coaching and performance and so it’s a very Niche degree but it’s
Something that he loves and in that sense I do think uni is worth it if you find a subject that you really love then you know then and you want to spend the time learning more about it then uni is definitely worth it but if you want to
Go into business if you want to go and I don’t know be an electrician obviously University isn’t the right place to do that maybe I think in terms of having a degree um and in terms of how people are so over qualified for jobs nowadays it
Is almost worth it cuz you like you kind of have to get on that bandwagon uh but in terms of like the teaching and the stuff here I wouldn’t say like here is like a radically better experience than any other university I think too many people go to university
And take on debt that they don’t need to I think not enough people do things like degree apprenticeships but that’s cuz our government pushed too many people into going to University and was like yeah it’ll be great have a great time uh but we actually need more more people with
Vocational skills I could probably people who are doing medicine here they’re going to make like12 an hour plumbers they make so much money because we don’t have enough plumbers but yeah I think I think it’s worth it in terms of having a degree but it also depends like what class of
Degree you get right cuz if like if you don’t get 2 one or above then no one’s going to care that I went to Oxford if I like flunk out or fail so I think I think it’s also what you get out of it like how hard do you work I mean
Personally I think it’s worth it I I guess um just because I enjoy like the academic um aspect of my degree and I guess like here you really get that um I mean MoneyWise um obviously I think going to UNI is is something that is a massive Financial commitment and I feel
Like nowadays people are thinking a lot more about that when they make their decision I mean I definitely personally um also thought about doing a degree friendship because I was like I was you know a bit unsure about you know um the money aspect because it is a big
Investment and you know you’re not necessarily going to get the rewards out of it I think people who come to Oxford or any University take on can take on quite a lot of debt to come and to come here or take on a massive kind of financial burden to come here do you
Think it’s worth it um I’m not I’m not fully sure like um like I never I never I didn’t have to think about it um it that way because uh the only reason why I’m here is is because I’m on a scholarship and so I didn’t have to think about the debt uh
So I can’t really answer that question but I don’t know really say you didn’t have the scholarship do you think that’s something you PR prepared to take on I don’t think so like because um it it a given my degree even if I went
Into a job I don’t think I would be able to like pay it off quickly enough so but again like I do I do like the fact that I’m in uni and I’m I’ve enjoyed my experience so um it I don’t think I would be considering an education if I
If it wasn’t like financially viable and I wouldn’t want to like take on like I don’t know 100,000 pounds of debt or something that’s not right 50 50 I think 50,000 would be the right right amount I guess with like student maintenance lears as well but yeah I wouldn’t want
To take that note I I feel like most of the degrees here unless you’re interested in staying in Academia really aren’t that useful in terms of your long um long-term career prospects I mean there’s some particular degrees like engineering which are really tailored towards like um employment opportunities
Straight after you’ve graduated um and how like lots of engineering students just end up you know working for like um the arms industry selling weapons to uh um governments with poor human rights records um but when it comes to like the humanities like history we both do history in terms of like
Um uh training you up with like human capital and making you more employable I’m really not sure they they do make you more employable I think really what what you um degrees from universities like Oxford do is give you sort of that rubber stamp approval on your CV to tell corporations that you
Are like one of them that you’re employable that you’ll work well in a corporate environment um even if necessarily you don’t actually have their skills to work in a corporate environment which is why so many people in this University go to like consultancy and um Finance in London I
Mean really how much skill is there in these jobs I don’t know I I think more it’s just about um talking in the right way and using the right social codes um which isn’t really a skill it’s just something you learn for me I’d say that
Um it’s been worth it because I’ve so enjoyed my course I think that the question of employment and what the next step might be for me and people my age at Oxford final years is um is a question that we have to talk about a lot a lot of people have to compromise
On what their Ambitions were at the start of the course they’re not sure what they’ll be able to get they might have to sell their soul to the sort of corporate monster but you know like I think it’s the question of how valuable the experience is on a personal level versus
How profitable it might be later down the line and it’s really hard to say for now will you be selling your soul to the corporate mon I’ll let you know in a year’s time I don’t know yet I don’t know
36 Comments
There’s lots of Cambridge students who can do plumbing.
Very interesting. They’re all very interesting takes on uni. And they’re normal people…. 😂
Plumber here. Left school at 16. Went college. Bought 1st house at 22, had 5 houses by 27, millionaire by 32, now 34.
I have a 3 year old and believe it or not i will encourage him to go uni if that’s what he wants to do. I actually wouldn’t want him to be a plumber. It’s not what you do it’s how you do it, there are millionaire window cleaners, there are poor doctors. Be good at what you do and the rewards will come. You reap what you sow.
The one thing people need more education on is how to manage money & time. Even a great education and well paying job doesn’t guarantee anything.
I entered university with the idealistic notion that it would open a world of intellectual fulfilment, but naively wanting to help people chose a para-medical subject. It was an extension of school, a boring succession of facts. It was only much later in life that I took on an OU non specified degree where I was able to mix and match modules that I wished I had the gumption to pursue in my younger self.
"The purpose of education is to give to the body and the soul all beauty and all the perfection which they are capable of."
Plato, Republic. Book I, Chapter XIII. 300 B.C.
Was thinking of applying to Oxford university this year, but a friend or two told me that the people there are quite snobbish, so I'm opting more Cambridge?
Charming engaging young students. All. Where'ja find 'em.
Fresh and open. No edge, snide side nor 'message', guarded response nor fear of a stranger mic. Maybe it was you. Good one.
Only a corporate employer would care if you had a degree. The rest of the business world will look at a cv, and not even care what the degree was, or whether you had one. In the real world, its about your attitude to getting the job done, and whether you can do that. The only other value to having a degree is if you want to go abroad, as you might be able to use it to access a work visa, depending on if it's of value to the host country.
STEM degrees are still worth it. There's a skills shortage so you will be able to find work after graduating, as long as you aren't fussy about salary. The problem is that most jobs which need STEM graduates don't pay well, so grads take them because they enjoy the work, not the compensation.
Humanities and Arts aren't vocational enough to help you get a job, so they're not worth it unless you're good enough to get a First Class degree and intend to pursue a related career.
Degrees in Business Studies and related courses are non-academic "mickey-mouse" qualifications which don't belong in universities and won't help you to get a job, but they're popular with less academic students, as they offer them an easy way to get into uni, making them profitable for universities to offer.
students are been taught a load of bollocks no matter where they go the system not about educating but indication everything they tell you at university is a lie
Conservative don’t want the majority of people to be educated because it is harder to gaslight them
I went to university in Hull to do computers, there where only 2 courses to choose from at the time and schools started to push pupils into computing and the wages plummeted, now I am an electrician, much better money and your not stuck in an office.
Everything is nvq this nvq that and there not worth the paper there wrote on
Carpenters are worth more than law graduates. Its just a fact. However, had I not ventured out of my home and community for 3 years may have narrowred by understanding of the world massively. There's no simple answer
Getting the professional qualifications to become Chartered in your chosen career is more important when you've got your degree from uni. Degree is useful to have, a Master's desirable.
You should consider why highly skilled men are leaving the building trades in droves. Do you think that would be happening if we were all rolling in money and life was easy? Most folk don’t understand the difference between turnover and profit, gross and net so see only charges and think that’s the end of it. The trades are hard graft, long and unsociable hours, working only at customer whims, dangerous in many ways including tools, poisonous dust including asbestos, risk of falling from heights, biological hazards from human waste and soil, high UV exposure, and so on. The running costs including accounting, insurance, vehicle, training, certification and much more are simply unsustainable. Van and tool thefts are at epidemic levels and are increasingly perpetrated by organised and violent gangs. All office bods have pensions, paid holidays, illness or injury cover, death in service and the like. Guys in the trade mostly don’t have any of that. If anyone is looking at the building trades as a decent way to make a living then I advise to keep looking.
As an experienced quality assurance officer and assessor for apprenticeships (with 2 traditional degrees 😉), I can tell you that the quality of delivery is not at the same level as you will find in traditional degrees quite yet and unfortunately it's still those with a degree already who are more likely to be chosen for an apprenticeship because they are most likely to pass with distinction which makes the training provider look good to Ofsted. 😬 Still, look into apprenticeships or degreeships and see if you can save money on fees!! Best of luck to all ✨️
Feel like Uni is pushed on kids far too much. presumably because it makes schools look good
biggest scam on the planet right now. education. life of debt before you've made a penny.
You couldn't pay me to send my children or grandchildren to that place it's way to Woke….
Students are just another financial pawn that adds to GDP. Student debt since 2010 has just hidden the loss of GDP since 2008.
If the system doesn't change, then university as know place for the future
That's bullshit the reason we lack plumbers is that the Poles left the UK to work in Germany and its too expensive to live in the UK. The last 15 years those that are considered as skillful jobs were stuck in a time warp with no pay rises that's why the public service are going on strike.
University is not worth it for a lot of people. But if you are going to Oxbridge, it most likely is. Because you are clearly a highly intelligent person who is likely going to end up working in a sophisticated job, and having a degree shows that you have those skills, even if you do not learn the exact things you need to know to do that job.
These students are not good people. Ask anyone who lives in Oxford and they'll tell you.
Career politicians who studied how to be a politician only learn how to win arguments, regardless of right and wrong. They don't learn how to run a country.
The girl doing PPE did exactly what she said people shouldn't do – go to Uni if they're not sure what they want to do. Also people that went to Oxford think they will immediately get hired as managers when showing their CV
It seems its a merry go round,
I ilke maths, im nearly finished now i need to find something else.
Why, go and get a job and stop sponging
Props to the guy in the denim jacket and the girl studying PPE. They are 100% in tune with the working classes.
For people not educated at Oxford: PPE = Philosophy, Politics and Economics NOT Personal Protective Equipment,
Had to Google it
The only reason to get a degree in Britain is to leave after you get it
The girl at 11:59, you can sell your soul to me 😘😘
An excellent voxpops with intelligent, rational people.
The whole of the current cultural debate seems to be that of a university common room, so no.
These students are seriously unwell. No normal, sane person walks around with that much vile hatred inside of them.
The “saddled” with student debt argument is boring at best. Not once have I felt saddled with debt. If you’re interested in entering the corporate world, or a selective, skilled profession like architecture, engineering, surgery etc. it is 100% still worth going to University. It’s 3 years of your life in a time where the alternative of “real life experience” consists of you earning £17k a year from 18-21, while someone else at University will not only enjoy those 3 years more than you but go on to surpass your earnings within a year or two of leaving, and potentially have studied something they’re passionate about to a level they wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to