Watch Insight episode Uni Blues, exploring whether a university degree is still good value — or worth the debt, on
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Uni Blues
episode • Insight • Current Affairs • 51m
episode • Insight • Current Affairs • 51m
'University is some of the best years of your life', they said.
'You will have so much fun, foster relationships with your teachers and make great friends'.
'Start applying for universities before the HSC,' they added when we were close to graduating in 2020. 'You want to secure a position to study the degree of your dreams.'
As young adults, we clung on to these comments, ready to thrive in tertiary education.
Now I realise how misleading those comments were.
Celine says she never doubted that she would go to university, which she considered essential for career progression. Source: Supplied
In 2020, I had the opportunity to complete a cadetship program to eventually become a mining engineer.
The cadetship required me to complete a five-year honours degree, starting with three years at one university followed by two years at another.
My first experience of university in 2021 was leaving my college dorm, walking to my first lecture and pushing open the auditorium door.
Wow, I thought. There are SO many faces in here right now.
The lecture hall was on an incline, and from where I stood at the very bottom, I could see over 200 faces peering around the room.
Admittedly, my initial experience of uni life was fun.
There were numerous social events and I loved meeting like-minded people living at my college and learning new things.
It was exciting to be at a world-class research institution with awe-inspiring facilities that contribute to some of the most important research topics worldwide.
As a student, I was constantly exposed to new content that pushed theoretical boundaries.
But as time went on, I found the experience disappointing.
Frustrating and impersonal
I was unprepared for the academic demands of university.
Unfortunately, early in semester 2, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all learning online apart from a few skeleton tutorials.
Many students were shunned into a restricted environment, forking out money for a mediocre semester of classes.
I didn't feel supported. It was hard for students to have their queries addressed during the lecture, and the live chat room was barely acknowledged.
In 2022, lectures were live, recorded and uploaded, while tutorials ran in-person. But there continued to be a divide between students and teachers.
There was an abundant reliance on 'assumed knowledge' in my courses, but with 300 people in a lecture or 40 in a tutorial, asking questions or one-on-one time with a teacher was almost impossible.
Celine says she has spoken to many other university students who say they also feel disappointed by the experience. Source: Supplied
I often had to rely on my friends to help me through.
The subjects moved quickly. University felt like a constant challenge to memorise information in your short-term memory, regurgitate it in a two-hour exam, then move on.
Not soak it in and understand the content.
When we didn't receive the mark we'd hoped for, it's natural to want to understand why.
However, with so many students, it was hard to get personalised feedback. For the 24 courses completed, I received individual feedback for only four of them.
AI complications
We had multiple group projects, which sometimes made staying on track of other classes and maintaining a high Weighted Average Mark difficult.
Plus language barriers with international students were tricky to navigate.
AI detectors also showed some students in groups were using AI to write their assignments, which goes against course codes and academic integrity, and can result in academic discipline for all parties.
Group work reflects on all participants, so submitting inauthentic work was scary.
As a result, I have spent countless hours rewording group projects, ensuring they're easy to read, legible, follow assessment criteria and have a chance of earning higher total marks.
But how is that fair?
I have spent countless hours rewording group projects ... how is that fair?
Unforeseen costs
University is expensive enough, but there are so many extra costs.
I couldn't afford to live close to the university, so I lived far away, paying $400 per week for a room the size of a shoe box, excluding utilities.
I spent a fortune on fuel to commute there and back, parking on campus cost a hefty $120 per month, and I had to fork out for increased mobile data to complete my studies on the go.
On top of that, I had to pay for additional learning resources.
That's even before I think of all the debt many students end up in at the end of their courses, debt that will extend long into their working lives.
University made me feel like a cash cow with an anonymous number, handing out money for a course regardless if I passed or failed.
I’m beyond grateful for the opportunity I have from the company that sponsors my degree and has given me practical experience that complements my courses.
But I often think about how my expectations of university compared to the reality.
Growing up, we were told that the purpose of university is to obtain a degree and secure a high-paid position.
Many technical and promotional roles require a tertiary qualification, which gives many young people little choice.
But I think many, like me, will be disappointed.
And for more stories head to , hosted by Kumi Taguchi. From sex and relationships to health, wealth, and grief Insightful offers deeper dives into the lives and first-person stories of former guests from the acclaimed TV show, Insight.
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