i'm a fairly bright student and my parents have always told me to aim high but sometimes i just get so sick of pressurizing myself to get high grades. im going to university in a couple of years and i've been slacking in my studies recently because i've been procrastinating and not bothering to do revision; the fact that many of my friends arent going to university and don't really care about their grades isn't helping at all sometimes i feel like just settling with C's.

is putting in the effort to get into a top university really worth it? how much does it affect one from getting a good job after uni?

Yes. I was in your place my Senior year and I was just tired, overwhelmed, and didn't see the point. But when I got to college, I was kicking myself for not pushing harder because I would've been presented with so much more opportunities.

Bust your ass now, because high school is NOTHING. Trust me.

Had I known this and took it seriously, I could've graduated top of my class and likely gotten into one of the Ivies. I still got into one of the Top 50 universities ranked in the World, though, but I had to learn the hard way.

Are you doing it for yourself or for others(just to recieve praise)? If you are doing it because you really want to, then go ahead. If not, dont do it! You will regret.

It is always worth it to study in a top university.

Yes, getting a degree from a top uni opens so many more doors career wise once you've graduated.

Yes. College is only 1/3 about what you learn. The other 1/3 is about the people you meet. And the remainder is the value and prestige of the degree. Let's face it. You are more likely to meet somebody who will Be somebody of at an elite place like Harvard or Yale than you would at say Concordia state

Speaking from personal experience (currently attending a top university). It's totally, totally worth it... the resources here are amazing no matter what department you're in, the professors are fantastic, unbelievable visiting lecturers, etc. and it does look quite good on your résumé one day.

But that doesn't go for all top schools--a friend of mine goes to a similarly ranked university and thinks it was way overrated for her, so it really varies by school. Also, if you can get a great deal ($$ wise) at another school, a super expensive prestigious school might not be worth it. Another friend of mine is currently going to school totally free, actually gets a fairly large stipend every semester, and will end up graduating from med school a year early because of a program she got into, though she could've easily went somewhere more highly ranked. But for her, leaving med school with no debt is pretty damn amazing.

To be brutally honest though, if you're feeling like you could "just settle for Cs" right now, you have no place at a top university. You'll be eaten alive. That's really true of any college, if you're not willing to apply yourself.

Well, what do you want to do with your life? Be a doctor or lawyer? Tattoo artist? If the occupation you want to pursue does not require a top notch education then no, university is not worth it.

With that said, while attending a top university is not the end all to be all, you are only making it harder for yourself by throwing the idea of it away. Graduating from a top university opens a lot more doors for you in terms of career building.

Furthermore, if you plan on pursuing higher education it is always beneficial to excel in high school because that increases your chances of getting scholarships. The less loans, the better.

That depends on a lot of factors, but generally it's beneficial, yes. However, many successful people do not attend "top" universities. It's more the quality of the education that counts, rather than the reputation of who gave it to you.

Yes and No.


*edit: Don't give up though now, if you can do well now, always place your best foot forward. If you don't do the best you can in a given situation, it says a lot about one's ethics, which IMO ethic>>>>>>>>>>>

what you should do in high school is work your ass off so that you have the OPTION
going to a top university is not all that it is cracked up to be and for some people it is NOT the right choice -- do not subscribe to this societal bs, your life will not be over if you don't go to an ivy league and for most people an ivy league is not where they belong
you have to consider the academics AS WELL AS location, social atmosphere, etc. when choosing your school, never neglect those
but the reason why you should bust your ass in high school is because you will be able to open ALL the doors that way -- then, you can go to any level of college you please, whether ivy league or community college, suited to what YOU want. if you don't work that hard, you're going to be limited in your options, which is never fun.

If you want a well paying job/not be a homeless bum working at home depot I suggest going to university.

also job-wise, a good university =/= a good job
your work experience is also insanely important, so even if you don't go to the "best" school out there, make sure you're scoring internships and getting the experience that will fit your desired work field
there's no right answer to this kind of a question because it 100% DEPENDS on what you want to do
i got into an ivy league and went to a state university instead and people thought i was crazy, but it's because a) i didn't like the social atmosphere of the ivy league and b) the state university had a strong medical program for an affordable price, which is what i was interested in
if you succumb to the societal holy grail for college you're going to be dissatisfied
self-evaluate and go from there

Yes

no
university does not, contrary to popular belief, fit every career field
there are TONS of well-paying jobs that are based upon receiving experience, making connections, attending vocational school, or getting a college degree
my parents have a friend who went to community college and is now making over 100k a year at a technology communications company
one could argue that times have changed, but nonetheless, a degree does not a successful career make
it 100% depends on what you want to do

Just do the best you can, University isn't everything though

Loads of people after their course lose interest in what they studied and wanna do something else and some can't even get a proper job afterwards, it doesn't even matter what University you go to, I mean I'm sure whatever course you choose will be at every other Uni in the UK and the people from those other unis doing the same course you do will have exactly the same knowledge so

Employers also value past Experience so they know you won't be falling flat on your face first week in a big job after Uni and also activities you do in your spare time

Extensive studies have shown that there is no significant difference in the salaries of people who graduate from top tier universities and less prestigious institutions, so if that's how you want to measure worth, no, there's no difference.

What you get from a top tier university are connections, and prestige, but that's about it. And even then, those can only carry you so far, an employer will still choose someone who went to a less prestigious university if their résumé is better.

In the end, to use an analogy, it's like clothes shopping. You can buy a ten dollar tee shirt from Old Navy or the same shirt for fifty dollars from Urban Outfitters. You get the same product in the end, just one cost more money, but there's a better name on the tag which might impress some people, but really doesn't matter in the long run.

KoreanDream basically said what I wanted to say.

So, yes and no.

Research can say this or that or whatever, but disregard it all. It all depends on YOU.

For some people, they won't be satisfied not going to a "top" university. They work hard in high school because they want to advance to a top university, not because anyone else is pressuring them to. Going to a lesser known private school, state/public school, or a community college wouldn't make them happy. But then there are others who do not have that same mindset. They don't necessarily enjoy working extra hard just to get accepted into top schools. They'd be just as personally satisfied going to a less prestigious school.

It's true that prestigious schools do tend to have more opportunities, but in terms of pure education, you can get a fabulous education anywhere. So where you go to school really is not that important. It's all about what you want for yourself, what you feel you deserve, etc. It's all about personal satisfaction.

If you really want to go to a prestigious school, then parents and teachers shouldn't have to motivate you. If you personally do not, then that's fine as well, because like I said you can get a fine education almost anywhere.

No.

I go to a top University and I have no idea what career to go into/can get with what I'm studying. Should have just gone to college.