Guides
University decisions, examined
University advice tends to become practical just after the most important decision has been taken. These short, evidence-led guides start earlier: whether to go, what alternatives deserve serious attention and which assumptions should be tested before anybody becomes emotionally attached to a prospectus.
They are written for students and parents. They will not tell you that everybody should attend university, that nobody should, or that a seventeen-year-old needs a detailed plan extending to retirement. They will help you ask a better question.
Is university worth it in the UK?
The financial evidence is positive on average and much less reassuring when applied indiscriminately. The useful comparison is between a particular degree and the best realistic alternative.
Should I go to university if I don’t know what career I want?
Uncertainty is not automatically a weakness. It can preserve options and encourage exploration—provided university is being used to learn rather than to postpone every decision.
University or a degree apprenticeship?
A degree apprenticeship combines employment with approved training, but it is not simply university with a salary attached. Compare the actual job, training and qualification with the actual degree.
Go beyond the headline
University, Maybe? provides the complete framework for comparing university, alternatives, cost, employability, AI exposure and the consequences of being wrong.