Band 6+: More and more people want to study at university, so competition of university places is increasing. Why do more people want to study at university? Is it positive or negative?

It is true that the number of people who want to pursue higher education has increased. While this phenomenon has its merits, i see this development in a negative light.

One primary reason that encourages people to continue their higher education is better life standards. It is not (A)secret that educated people are more likely to earn more and live in a comfort life. Individuals with bachelor or master degree are more likely to get their dream career, since many employers believe that well-educated people would handle their responsibilities better than people who do not. Moreover, in comparison with past, pursuing higher education has become easier. While in the past people had to learn numerous subjects and should fill several documents, now people can enter universities by paying contracts. This is because, many universities pioneer the idea that even students with bad scores at school might turn out to be geniuses, such as Einstein. As a result, the applicant number has significantly increased the (in)recent years.

Nevertheless, I believe this change for the worse for two main reasons. One has to do with the quality of education. People learn at different speeds, while some people might get grasp of topic in a minute, others might need some time to perfectly understand the subject. Because of the large number of students at universities, some professors might not able to allocate time on such students. This might result in not well-educated future workforce, which in turn, would bring more problems in the long-term. Secondly and more importantly, the increasing number students who want to pursue higher education might make it hard for people from poor background. As more and more people would apply for universities, the number of scholarships might decrease, which might decrease the chances for poor people. As a consequence, many true talented people might lose an opportunity to show themselves.

In conclusion, while the belief that people with higher education can live in a better life driving people to pursue higher education, I see this trend in a negative light for several reasons.