Of course another big draw is the freedom and good time that higher education promises. In approaching my last stretch at university however, and in going into my final year I realised that education was giving me so much more than I had originally imagined. My realisation being that the lessons I learnt and the experiences I gained surrounding the content of my course were just as important as the course-content itself. 

 

For one, I believe that university teaches you responsibility and self-discipline like no other, and I should know I was very irresponsible going into university and arguably even more so during my first year. Though after this, I realised I was there for my own benefit and no-one else’s, yes my parents were pleased but mostly I was pleased with myself. I realized that doing the bare minimum to get good grades was more painful than getting good grades out of personal interest and curiosity. And my interest grew stronger the more that I understood how the different elements come together. Of course you also are forced into learning that the once taken-for-granted luxuries in life such as home-cooked meals and a clean environment require effort, and eventually you figure out that this effort is worth it.

 

Of course education broadens your ‘horizons’ in many ways, firstly through all the new experiences but also having to think from different perspectives, and invaluably teaching you that there are more ways than one to doing things. The many different points of views one comes across, teach you that compromise is a valuable skill but so is being defiant when compromise is not appropriate. Hunger is something that you attain at university, the hunger for good home-cooked meals of course, and the Hunger obtained from realising your potential; the Hunger that makes you want to use the power you never knew you had before.

 

On the whole higher education really gives you a better understanding of the world and current events. It develops your social skills and teaches you how to interact with people that you have never interacted with before. Higher education teaches you to learn from other people’s mistakes but most importantly how to learn from your own. Time management and organisational skills are things that you do learn first-hand, in balancing your social and academic activities.

 

In any case the friends you make at university can last a lifetime and often make for good connections that can help to further your own goals in the future. It teaches you lessons that will enable you to help those, for whom you care about the most. Education does provide opportunities but what is equally as important on a personal level is the self-enlightenment that you experience.